Questions about building my PC

[i_hate_alienware]

I have about $750 to work with. I want something to game with, so I was going to build a micro sized tower (don't have a lot of space). However, for the same price I can get an MSI laptop with better specs than what I can afford. Any advice?

 

[Forever Oleg]

Do you want an HTPC, miniATX tower, or small ITX build?

No, you can get a better PC for that price unless the laptop is a refurbished or used one.

Do you want OS or peripherals included in the $750 budget?

 

[i_hate_alienware]

Do you want an HTPC, miniATX tower, or small ITX build?

No, you can get a better PC for that price unless the laptop is a refurbished or used one.

Do you want OS or peripherals included in the $750 budget?

1. Micro ATX.
2. The issue was that the laptop has an i7 5700hq as well as a nVidia GTX 960m. That being said, I don't think I can get a fifth gen i7 and a GTX 900 series for the same price, inclusive of all the other stuff I need for building.
3. No, not including that. $750 is just for the tower itself, or the laptop

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kcV3f7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kcV3f7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($86.86 @ Amazon)
Other: case quebed ($60.00)
Total: $729.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-31 13:23 EDT-0400

 

[i_hate_alienware]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kcV3f7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kcV3f7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($86.86 @ Amazon)
Other: case quebed ($60.00)
Total: $729.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-31 13:23 EDT-0400

Thank you, I'll definitely look into this. My only question is, will this perform better than the laptop?

 

[smorizio]

with laptops issue is heat. most gaming laptops people have to use cooling pads..even then some of them lock up. also laptop gpu used for power saving/over frame rates..also thermal and power limits that they have to meet. desktop gpu dont. have thermal limits set as laptop cards do. with a desktop uses standard parts...if the build has to last you a few years you can replace a bad part by yourself...if a laptop system board goes south...if it out of warranty you have to pay a fee for someone to replace it for you.

 

[Barty1884]

Absolutely. The mobile i5's (ie in the laptop) are clocked at lower speeds, although they turbo pretty well.
Laptops have additional concerns re: heat, so can't run at full temps/speeds etc due to limited cooling options.

The mobile i7 is a quad core with hyper-threading (so 8 threads). Those additional threads wouldn't be utilized in games today, so the quad core (no HT) desktop CPU would be the better option - more performance, only what you need (oposed to paying for the HT you won't need, and a lower clocked CPU).

The R9 380 is a better performer than the GTX 960 (in a desktop class), even moreso over downclocked mobile versions of the 960 - again, laptops are dealing with heat/temps & limited cooling options.

Another benefit of the desktop, is the CPU will outlast the GPU - you can easily upgrade the GPU in a desktop, whereas you'd need to buy a whole new laptop in future (~$200 maybe for a decent GPU or ~$1,000 again for a new laptop).

 

[i_hate_alienware]

Thank you everyone for your input. I'll be doing a build very similar to what smorizio suggested