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Laptop or custom gaming pc for 3 monitors? (for Eve)
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Mongroid 9
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#1 - 2014-03-16 09:40:20 UTC  |  Edited by: Mongroid 9
Can't decide between the Aorus x7 laptop (http://hexus.net/tech/news/laptop/64653-aorus-launches-x7-thinnest-lightest-gtx-sli-gaming-laptop/) and this costum pc build :

Arctic Freezer 13 CO
Asrock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer
CoolerMaster Centurion 6 Black
Corsair RM series 750W Modulare RM750 Gold
Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz-8 Ballistix Tactical 1x8GB
Crucial SSD M500 2.5-inch SATA3 240GB
Intel Core i7-4770(3,4GHz/3,9GHz) 8MB HTT Skt1150 BOX
LG 24x dual layer SATA black bulk
2x Nvidia GTX770 4GB Gainward Phantom

Both are for a triple monitor setup, the main question is this laptop can replace a desktop?
Would you buy the laptop over the Desktop even if mobility wasn't such an issue?
This setup is optimal for Eve on 3 monitors or you suggest something else?
(Edit: never had experience playing Eve in a laptop or gaming in general there are overheat problems?)

Thank you for reading

(not a pc expert here so every input is welcome)
Smile
Aspalis
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#2 - 2014-03-16 10:18:55 UTC  |  Edited by: Aspalis
The actual PC because it is, in theory, infinitely upgradable. A laptop is not.

Minor feedback of mine, you are also better off getting two 4GB sticks over one 8GB stick. Optical drive? Really?

Marcus Gord: "Aspalis is an onion. Many layers, each one makes you cry."
Mongroid 9
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#3 - 2014-03-16 10:36:45 UTC
Aspalis wrote:
The actual PC because it is, in theory, infinitely upgradable. A laptop is not.

Minor feedback of mine, you are also better off getting two 4GB sticks over one 8GB stick. Optical drive? Really?


Thank you for the input, I'm more concerned about the Aorus x7 perfomance as a desktop wannabe, It's true that a desktop is upgradable and the laptop not, but this kind of laptop you think can handle gaming or I would have heating problems and such?

well yes the optical drive is not important lol
Akita T
Caldari Navy Volunteer Task Force
#4 - 2014-03-16 10:43:21 UTC  |  Edited by: Akita T
Depends how much you care about cost.

Outside of heavy-duty fleet combat with high graphic detail, the technology has marched on far enough that a good laptop can easily handle what you need.
All will probably come with a pretty hefty price, as you probably noticed... buy I'm reasonably sure you can find something cheaper than the one you posted that would do the job.
Also, not many laptops have the connectors required to handle three external monitors, so you need to double-check that if you're trying for a cheaper alternative.

On the other hand, a desktop machine that can do pretty much the same will come at a fraction of the cost, and for the price of a laptop that can do that easily, you can get a desktop machine that's probably more than twice as powerful.
By the way, that desktop configuration you posted is somewhat overkill for 3-monitors EVE as the client stands right now, even with maxed-out everything, in most practical situations.
Oh, but it will probably still stutter in heavy-duty fleet combat even with lesser graphic detail. That's just how demanding of hardware heavy-duty fleet combat is compared to "regular EVE".

...

Side-note, yes, always get at least two identical memory sticks (with dual-channel support, but I'm not even sure if they still make any without it) so that the RAM can go into dual-channel mode and therefore nearly double the performance.
RAM is fairly cheap these days, so just get 2x8GB.

...

P.S. Basically, the main questions are:
- what budget are you looking at (desired, acceptable, max if justifiable, etc)
- what else except EVE do you want to play on it (and how well)
- do you at least occasionally participate in large-towards-huge EVE fleet engagements, and would you consider a lower FPS and/or lower graphics detail in those circumstances acceptable
- what country do you live in (so we can guesstimate component costs)

P.P.S. A gaming desktop that can handle "regular EVE" at fullHD on 3 monitors with near-max graphic detail should cost only around 1k USD.

Akita T evewiki profile | | | Build your own EVE-ready PC
Aspalis
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2014-03-16 10:44:01 UTC
Where are you putting this package together?

Marcus Gord: "Aspalis is an onion. Many layers, each one makes you cry."
Mongroid 9
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#6 - 2014-03-16 11:00:31 UTC
Akita T wrote:
Depends how much you care about cost.

Outside of heavy-duty fleet combat with high graphic detail, the technology has marched on far enough that a good laptop can easily handle what you need.
All will probably come with a pretty hefty price, as you probably noticed... buy I'm reasonably sure you can find something cheaper than the one you posted that would do the job.
Also, not many laptops have the connectors required to handle three external monitors, so you need to double-check that if you're trying for a cheaper alternative.

On the other hand, a desktop machine that can do pretty much the same will come at a fraction of the cost, and for the price of a laptop that can do that easily, you can get a desktop machine that's probably more than twice as powerful.
By the way, that desktop configuration you posted is somewhat overkill for 3-monitors EVE as the client stands right now, even with maxed-out everything, in most practical situations.
Oh, but it will probably still stutter in heavy-duty fleet combat even with lesser graphic detail. That's just how demanding of hardware heavy-duty fleet combat is compared to "regular EVE".

...

Side-note, yes, always get at least two identical memory sticks (with dual-channel support, but I'm not even sure if they still make any without it) so that the RAM can go into dual-channel mode and therefore nearly double the performance.
RAM is fairly cheap these days, so just get 2x8GB.

...

P.S. Basically, the main questions are:
- what budget are you looking at (desired, acceptable, max if justifiable, etc)
- what else except EVE do you want to play on it (and how well)
- do you at least occasionally participate in large-towards-huge EVE fleet engagements, and would you consider a lower FPS and/or lower graphics detail in those circumstances acceptable
- what country do you live in (so we can guesstimate component costs)

P.P.S. A gaming desktop that can handle "regular EVE" at fullHD on 3 monitors with near-max graphic detail should cost only around 1k USD.



Thank you very much for the detailed answer,

-max budget is 1700,00 € (2000$)
-Honestly I play only Eve atm, butI could try something like Elder scrolls online if the pvp is acceptable
-usually I solo, so small scale fights (in case of a huge fight I don't care about graphic quality tbh)
-I'm in Italy

the main reason for the Aorus x7 is for the triple monitor and a performnce near like a desktop one (an alternative could be a xmg

Mongroid 9
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#7 - 2014-03-16 11:13:00 UTC
Aspalis wrote:
Where are you putting this package together?


Thinking here case
Aspalis
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#8 - 2014-03-16 13:26:28 UTC
Use http://pcpartpicker.com/

Marcus Gord: "Aspalis is an onion. Many layers, each one makes you cry."
Commissar Kate
Kesukka
#9 - 2014-03-16 13:53:58 UTC
Aspalis wrote:
Optical drive? Really?


Please don't remind me, I still have a ton of old games in disc format. I'm currently in the process of converting them over to iso. It's a painfully slow process.

To the OP,

I dont think you would need an i7, save some cash and get an i5 or go AMD. Get some more memory too, I would go 2x8GB.

-k8

My Fanclub
Mongroid 9
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#10 - 2014-03-16 18:37:41 UTC
Aspalis wrote:
Use http://pcpartpicker.com/



thank you!
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#11 - 2014-03-16 19:44:43 UTC  |  Edited by: Caleidascope
How are you going to hook up 2 additional monitors to the lappy?

Ok, found it: HDMI, D-sub, mini-Display port.

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Commissar Kate
Kesukka
#12 - 2014-03-16 20:21:58 UTC
Caleidascope wrote:
How are you going to hook up 2 additional monitors to the lappy?

Ok, found it: HDMI, D-sub, mini-Display port.


You can daisy chain displayport, however i'd double check if the video chip can support 3 displays.

-k8

My Fanclub
Akita T
Caldari Navy Volunteer Task Force
#13 - 2014-03-17 05:47:58 UTC
If you don't mind the price tag, the gaming laptops you listed (if kept reasonably dust-free with regular clean-ups) should have no heating issues, especially since you'll only be using a fraction of the max capabilities it has (because the ventillation is almost always designed to barely handle peak loads with a bit of dust on there).

However, if you wish to save as much cash as possible but still keep a decent machine...
For EVE, a desktop with a mid-range i5, 2x4 GB RAM (or even 2x8 GB), and a single GTX 750 Ti (or a GTX 760 if it's close enough in price) should be enough.
You can also probably get away even with a 300W PSU, but just to be safe, try a 400W Corsair Builder series.

Drive-performance-wise, you'd only need a small SSD for the OS plus a few games, so a 120 GB one will more than suffice (probably 60 GB will barely do too, but that has other potential future issues). And get a "green" secondary HDD for storage space. Alternatively, you can get a small 60 GB SSD and a large slow HDD, then use the entire SSD as cache for the HDD (first-run performance will be "meh" on most things, but beyond second use, you'll be enjoying near-SSD speeds for all the things you use often).

Akita T evewiki profile | | | Build your own EVE-ready PC
Commissar Kate
Kesukka
#14 - 2014-03-17 20:41:45 UTC
Mongroid 9 wrote:
the main reason for the Aorus x7 is for the triple monitor and a performnce near like a desktop one (an alternative could be a xmg


That video chip in that laptop can support up to 4 monitors and as for the performance I have no idea how smooth it would run. You would have to use its 2 display ports and one HDMI port to connect 3 monitors to it so that means you would need to purchase monitors that have a display port input.

-k8

My Fanclub