Are gaming laptops really that terrible value? (Desktop or Laptop)

[IntelVEVO]

For the past 4 years I have been using a lenovo z580. I initially bought it for multimedia and light gaming when I was 14 but now I pretty much only use it for browsing and watching youtube as the 630m is pathetically underpowered. Overall it's been a reliable machine as my daily device (everything still works) but an upgrade is long overdue. I regret purchasing it with the 630m but at the time I thought it would suit my needs.


I am considering getting into gaming and emulation again and want something with significant power that will last me years. so I decided to configure a clevo p650RS-G from pc specialist
Chassis & DisplayDefiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)Processor (CPU)Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6820HK (2.7GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo)Memory (RAM)16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)Graphics CardNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNCFREE GEARS OF WAR 4 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs! Memory - Hard DiskNOT REQUIREDM.2 SSD Drive256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)DVD/BLU-RAY DriveNOT REQUIREDMemory Card ReaderIntegrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)AC Adaptor1 x 230W AC AdaptorPower Cable1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)Thermal PasteARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUNDSound CardIntel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3Bluetooth & WirelessGIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTHUSB Options3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARDBatteryDefiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)Keyboard LanguageDEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARDOperating SystemGenuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & LicenceOperating System LanguageUnited Kingdom - English LanguageOffice SoftwareFREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365Anti-VirusNO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWAREBrowserMicrosoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)Notebook MouseINTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSEWebcamINTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAMWarranty3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)Insurance1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & TheftDeliverySTANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Total: £1670
After seeing countless comments trying to steer everyone clear of 'wasting money' a gaming laptop I decided to configure a system of similar price on pc part picker.



PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/BJ8qbj
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/BJ8qbj/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£316.98 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£127.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£74.99 @ Novatech)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 960GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£203.99 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Founders Edition Video Card (£412.33 @ More Computers)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£63.48 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (£23.09 @ BT Shop)
Monitor: Asus VX24AH 24.0" 60Hz Monitor (£198.99 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master OCTANE Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1616.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-30 21:10 GMT+0000

I am stuck between these two options. The desktop looks like a marginally better deal but I will not be able to take it with me and game when I go on holiday (6 weeks) and I am also going uni next year so I will need to decide somewhere permanent to keep it.

I would like to hear thoughts and recommendations from an experienced community.

 

[Endless8]

Well, if you have a screen mouse and a keyboard, in the place where you are going, you can make a small mini-ITX build (or micro-ATX), which can be easly portable and may be more powerfull with a possibility of upgrade anytime.
But thats just my opinion, cheers.
Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5RvlDGh9s

 

[Isokolon]

generally: for gaming a desktop always beats a laptop imo.
cooling a laptop is hell on earth and you basically pay a lot for portability.

however for university a laptop is just so much nicer than a desktop
if you enjoy writing with your hands and make friends fast, depending on your major, a laptop is convenient but not mandatory (well in some areas it is)

the desktop is a way better deal however needs some improvement:
a 1 TB SSD is excessive. it's pricy and doesn't provide much value. usually a 120GB is the minimum, 250-500 is recommended. I threw in a 525GB drive that uses the M.2 key technology and is a lot faster than pure sata ssds.
of course you can downgrade to a regular sata ssd.
a founders endition card is not recommended. especially at this price. I added another card, it's one of the best and quietest cards out there
I added a mainboard with a better Audio chip while keeping quality and price
the CM 212 Evo is a fine cooler, the Cryorig is better. but you can go for the Evo as well
downgraded the PSU to 550W. your system won't draw so much power
added a sound dampened case. this comes really really handy when working in my experience and I'd never trade it again against another one
also managed to bring down the cost a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£316.98 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£126.06 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£74.99 @ Novatech)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£119.70 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£45.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Palit GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GameRock Video Card (£389.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake Suppressor F31 ATX Mid Tower Case (£57.78 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£76.74 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (£23.09 @ BT Shop)
Monitor: Asus VX24AH 24.0" 60Hz Monitor (£198.99 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master OCTANE Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1539.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-30 21:32 GMT+0000

 

[IntelVEVO]

generally: for gaming a desktop always beats a laptop imo.
cooling a laptop is hell on earth and you basically pay a lot for portability.

however for university a laptop is just so much nicer than a desktop
if you enjoy writing with your hands and make friends fast, depending on your major, a laptop is convenient but not mandatory (well in some areas it is)

the desktop is a way better deal however needs some improvement:
a 1 TB SSD is excessive. it's pricy and doesn't provide much value. usually a 120GB is the minimum, 250-500 is recommended. I threw in a 525GB drive that uses the M.2 key technology and is a lot faster than pure sata ssds.
of course you can downgrade to a regular sata ssd.
a founders endition card is not recommended. especially at this price. I added another card, it's one of the best and quietest cards out there
I added a mainboard with a better Audio chip while keeping quality and price
the CM 212 Evo is a fine cooler, the Cryorig is better. but you can go for the Evo as well
downgraded the PSU to 550W. your system won't draw so much power
added a sound dampened case. this comes really really handy when working in my experience and I'd never trade it again against another one
also managed to bring down the cost a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£316.98 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£126.06 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£74.99 @ Novatech)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£119.70 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£45.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Palit GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GameRock Video Card (£389.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake Suppressor F31 ATX Mid Tower Case (£57.78 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£76.74 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (£23.09 @ BT Shop)
Monitor: Asus VX24AH 24.0" 60Hz Monitor (£198.99 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master OCTANE Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1539.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-30 21:32 GMT+0000

I really love the athstetic of the FE cards with the green 'geforce gtx' LED on the side though but if it is at the cost of noise and thermals I will probably forgo then. Do you know of any silent cases with a transparent side panel?

 

[Isokolon]

the one I linked has big windowed.
completely transparent...none that I can think of. you gotta remember the more window/transparency, the less sound dampening