Only if you live in america in the boonies and have like a 60K salary or in a big city and have north of a 100K as a salary this does make sense lol for the rest of the world mini PCs are a waste of money and whats more enraging the BAREBONE CASES (no mobo no psu nothing) are in ridiculous prices more expensive that brand name ATX sized ones who need quadruble the material in order to be manufactured... its a suckers game same category as buying audiophile equipment
If you need/want a PC, "just buy a laptop" only works if your budget is infinite. Laptop is a lot worse at home, upgradability, and in price, PC is worse on the go.
Laptop is easier in home and the price isn’t bad if you add monitor/keyboard and don’t buy the latest and greatest - the noice is however unavoidable for gaming.
@@puffyipsicl i like laptops more, don’t get me wrong they are not better then pcs at all. But it’s quite satisfying having a full gaming device that is also a laptop
@@puffyips you can use the laptop on any table - how can it not be more than a desktop? And many newer monitors have hub/power through usb-c - it’s literally just one plug and it’s ready.
yeah I'm happy for him cause this content deserves to be sponsored, but I would not have chosen a comparison video... especially if you gotta ignore all the drawbacks of the laptop
@@coda_ gotta agree, lenovos high end laptops dont have much problems, but he still should have talked about the drawbacks from the standard 7s weird battery estimations
@@CarneAsadaFries_ as much as I would love for him to be able to pay the bills, end of the day this review automatically becomes biased and steers an innocent viewer in the direction of a laptop, probably a lenovo one
People need to stop this comparison between the two. Laptops and desktops do similar things but they fit different niches within the pc space. Desktops can give you more performance while also giving you so many upgradability options. Laptops are meant to be on the go options and they do so by using mobile components.
@@kite5882 wires, keyboard and mouse are not that hard to add. adding a monitor though is another thing. You'll have to carry a smaller monitor for better portability.
@@kite5882 valid point. But if you are a mobile video editor/3D artist, having a high end laptop is a lot more expensive and un-upgradeable option. But I think in the near future, laptops as we know it might match what desktops can do in terms of performance while maintaining portability.
True story 😂. My brother immediately change his rigs after graduate from gaming laptop to SFF PC. From jets like sound to almost like he is deaf he said 😂
I personally have ditched my mini itx 10L build for an old 8 gen i7 thinkpad X1 yoga laptop. Paired it with an RTX 4060 eGPU - TH3P4G3 and I am absolutely loving the results. 1600% 3Dmark Score gain 💀 Conclusion: a light and portable laptop with a thunderbolt port to connect an eGPU brings back the upgradability to the equation. Worth it! Edit: Costs me 879$ details are in the comments below..👇
@@cognacbrown 878.85 US dollars in total Thinkpad X1 Yoga Gen 3 (second hand): 466.90$ eGPU interface TH3P4G3: 171.82$ RTX 4060 Asus Dual (second hand): 240.12$ Those are local prices Saudi Arabia. We don’t have the best second hand market tbh. You can surely find better prices somewhere else.
I did this with my legion go but I ditched it due to the overheating of the usb4 port + the extra baggage from the egpu that’s the size of sff cases + the huge performance penalty. It was nice but way too unreliable and kinda gimmicky
@@FuzzyGuatermelonI don’t know much about egpu and stuff. Did you’re over heat bc of the case or something or a different port? Would the other guys set up work better? I wanna find a good way to set up a portable set up that’s able to do 3D rendering and game. I do seasonal work so o move around the country a lot and have small rooms so I’m really trying to find a good set up that works for me. I thought about a game laptop but I just don’t see the future for it. Short term sure and it looks nice but in just a couple of years it’s dead basically. A steam deck is whag I thought about and just going awhile without animating. But maybe a egpu with a deck could work? In the video I actually really like that mini pc!!! It’s so cute and small! I could so put that in a carry on and bring it with me even in a back pack on my planes! Maybe I’ll just get a cheap steam deck wait like half a year and build a mini itx idk : (
I have a friend who frequently flys abroad, and has a pelicase with a sff pc in as well as a portable monitor and mmk, obviously a very enthusiast thing to do but he enjoys it!
I originally started my PC joruney on a "desktop replacement" gaming laptop. It was great because i dont have much space where i live and the size was great for travel. But when new parts bgan to outpace it, i sold it and built my first pc which was SFF. And i never really looked back with most of my builds being SFF.
Same here. Gaming laptops are great... when they're new. As it ages, it goes from "can handle anything you throw at it" to "just documents and spreadsheets;" even faster if the components are midrange or lower.
@@jmal Its why it's best to buy something (unless you specifically need something high end) to buy something just average for a gaming laptop and not spend too much money.
@@jmal same could be said for pc's unless you are about "upgradability" which is kind of a myth anyway. and nothing happens to the processing power, so a computer will always run the games that were latest and greatest when it was bought
@@osku388 I don't know how upgradeablility can be myth. Sure people might keep their gpu for 2/3 gen but eventually those older cards will struggle with the newer stuff. Also taking account power consumption especially with some have dedicated power, or better quality, 1080p to 1440p. Or the shit dies on you 🤷🏾♂️. Depends on the person wants and needs
People don't realize how amazing Laptop is in term of portability, convenience and simplicity. Same thing goes to Desktop, they are super powerful, upgradability, and customizable
I'm a trucker and I'm not hurting too much for space. The case I picked after some measurements is the Antec Dark Cube for MATX or ITX. Using a ceiling style industrial TV mount I can fit up to a 42" TV or Monitor. As for a flat surface I was looking into the Nerdytec Cycon² but think I'll just make my own. I've got plenty of tools for a fair bit of DIY. I've used a laptop over the past 5 years or so, my Alienware Area 51m with 9700k, RTX 2080, and 64GB DDR4 RAM. It plays most all my usual games pretty good. But the 17" 1080p screen isn't great.. So once Arrow Lake and RTX 5000 hit the shelves, I'll be upgrading. Most likely going with a 42" 4k OLED TV, in particular the Sony A90k. It all should be a significant improvement in my gaming and video viewing experience over my laptop.
I'd assume it to be at least a bit more efficient than the current 13/14th Gen. A few leaks/rumors have stated anywhere from 20-30% improvement. Which could be about right as they're doing away with hyper threading, shrinking the die, changing/improving the architecture, and changing the socket and chip set on the motherboard. That's a lot of changes for 1 Generation, especially from Intel. At any rate 15th Gen will be quite a different animal from what we have available now. Intel's gotta step it up and prove they can remain relevant and competitive. (I'm also excited/interested in trying out CAMM2)
@@sayori1989 Without the proper precautions taken, yeah road vibrations can cause damage to things. I've been reconsidering my build for my truck a bit, thinking I may use a sandwich style ITX case. I may get Antec's Performance 1M case due to release I believe in Q3 or Q4 this year. Having the GPU in a vertical mount position on the PCIe riser would be much more ideal.
how long can you run appliances off of an inverter? I'm assuming it's no issue if you are moving every day? Have you ever been stopped somewhere for a week or more?
You nailed it at 6:50 where the Gemcase sits inside the NZXT. Opting for SFF, to me, embodies an enthusiast's passion-a challenge to shrink the overwhelming presence of an ATX into a seemingly impossible size with all your dream components. There’s immense satisfaction in that accomplishment that ‘using a laptop’ won't provide.
I'm a game developer, so I buy laptops to go out and demo games to testers and for work connectivity between the office and home. The most decisive factor in my decision to buy a laptop was the advent of AMD's APU series and the "RTX 4060". The computing power I need hasn't changed much over time. Seven years ago, I needed a top-of-the-line CPU with AIO and an 80ti or better graphics card. Now I want a laptop under 2kg that I can throw in my bag and travel with.
@@mickaelsflow6774 - Radeon 680m offers the same graphics performance as a mid-range graphics card from 10 years ago, while Radeon 780m offers the same graphics performance as a GTX 1650, while consuming less than 50 watts of power for both the CPU and GPU. Those laptops fit his particular use-case, while most people would probably benefit more from a cheapo utility laptop and a reasonably sized desktop PC.
@@arthurwintersight7868 thanks for jumping in; I appreciate the attempt to help. But I'm actually interested in his use case and his thought on the matter. It's a big switch from needing top of the line to being content with APUs and 4060. Especially with the highlighted mention of his computing power needs. :)
@@mickaelsflow6774 "the computing power I need hasn't changed much in 7 years" is the operative phrase in the original comment. More or less the same is true for me (I do robotics and computer vision). I recently bought a G14 in sale as an emergency purchase because my older laptop crapped out and I was traveling. This thing is just as good for me 95% of the time as my desktop at home which is rocking a 7950x3d.
I def recommend a laptop for ppl who just want a pre-built 4060 pc. You can get a 4060 laptop for under 1000$ now and a prebuilt 4060 pc is like 1400+ and u still need a monitor keyboard ect. And a 4060 laptop is very close to performance to a desktop 4060 (provided proper wattage). When u get to higher tier graphics cards, pc will def be better for sure
I haven't own a gaming laptop since 2016 and recently bought one because I need portability. Overall I'm amazed at how impressive gaming laptops are now. They are alot slimmer than they are used to back then. I'm thinking of building my own PC next once new gpu series is out!
I’ve owned many laptops and my main gripe that convinced me to build a sff pc was the cpu thermal throttling. Even with laptops with Liquid Metal, i had an unreliable experience with keeping consistent performance. Upgradability is the second obvious bonus.
I have the is-55 now. 6 months ago when I built my pc, 53-FC price was ridiculous!! But now it has come down to the same price I bought the is-55 for. But I am only on 5600x with a slight undervolt, so maybe it's not worth it. What do you think?
@@shoobadoo123Not worth it for that low of a TDP. I bought the IS-55 for multiple builds as it is the best bang for the buck. I only pulled the trigger on the Full Copper because the price came down to $38 and I tinker. For a 5600X it wouldn't be much of an improvement. Now, if you upgraded to a 5800x3D then 100% YES.
The video card on my $3000+ laptop died after just under 3 years and it will cost around $2000 just to replace the one circuit board. So I'm going with an SFF PC now since I don't need the extreme mobility of a laptop. I mostly use the PC in the break room at work, so an SFF PC that I can just throw into my locker every day after work will be much better in essentially every way that matters. And if some internal components die, I won't have to shell out an arm and a leg to replace them.
Same thing happened to me. I'm going thin & light laptop with no GPU for work and small gaming desktop. A playtation 5 is around the same size anyways. Your comment made me make my mind. Thank you.
For most people I can think of, they are better of just go with gaming laptop. I think a small pc only make sense, if one has more than one device or one don't need a mobile windows device. Like I can imagine Misinform V3 go really well with this concept. A laptop tablet on the go, and use the PC like a dock, but except it's a whole another PC without any loss in performance unlike an eGPU. And If needed bring the PC along and V3 IS a portable monitor.
I bought my first Laptop, a Lenovo Legion 5, when I needed to replace a GTX780ti, but it was late 2020, with the graphics card crises underway. I purchased the Laptop on sale, just before the new models were coming out, instead of getting another card. I was worried, and the Laptops specs seemed kinda modest (R7-4800H & RTX 2060@115w). I've been loving my Laptop ever since- I keep it docked with a monitor keyboard and mouse, in my bedroom 90% of the time. The laptop is comparable to my PC- R5-5600g & RTX 3060ti, but I think the 5600g bottlenecks the graphics card a bit. (I wonder how much the, Pcie 3 vs Pcie 4, makes a difference at this level?) I'm hoping to get an R7 5700 or R7 5800 CPU sometime. If I were to build an ITX PC right now, I think I would choose the AM4 platform, even though that would be so 2020. The price and choices available in Motherboards would win me over. Besides, yes AM4 is over (kinda) but it is still relevant, and able to support a decent system.
Lol. I literally take my ITX PC with me everywhere. When I'm on vacation, at the library cause I get distracted at home, out at work, and maybe the coffee shop. 9/10 times I'm usually just meeting up with someone at coffee shops, so rarely I decide to do that. I do post production work, so it's great to know I can have an insane workstation with me on the go with the ability to swap in and out components.
@Kevin-mx4vm Unfortunately, wherever there's an outlet. Airports usually have some work areas for laptops to charge, some coffee shops, and my local library does as well. Think the coolest place I've done work at is on a train. I use a wireless 68% keyboard with a wireless mouse as well. Usually, the only cables I deal with are the power cable and the USB-C cable for my external monitor. Doesn't take too much space, I get a couple of looks, but that's it. I use the Dan A4-H2O as my case and have a 33 liter backpack I bought from Amazon. I absolutely love it. It literally fits everything I need and more while looking pretty slim.
The thing is small form factor and mini PCs have a niche; sitting on your desktop, taking up as little room as possible and still being as or near as powerful as their full sized counterparts. Depending on your living situation, desk set up, ect it might be better then having a 1x1.5 foot patch of living space taken up by a laptop.
This felt like a 12 minutes ad for the Lenovo laptop 🤷🏻♂️ I already bought a secondary monitor for my laptop, next pc will be a sff desktop since the components of my laptop are dying one by one, battery died after 3 years, so it become a stationary laptop, monitor died last year, keyboard not responding anymore, i'm lucky it still works.
I personally would love to have a small pc that is maybe 14 L that can play just about most games at medium settings, but the only problem is that I'm a complete newbie when it comes to building a pc. its either learn to or buy a pre-built.
I've a desktop and a gaming notebook. Since I started working as an on-site video editor at my current workplace, the need for portability has risen, so taking my own PC at my workplace became pretty handy, since I appreciate the fact I can do my work on a computer that's my own, set up the way I like. At the end of the day though I just come home and use my desktop for pretty much everything, even though my notebook is pretty much on par performance-wise with my desktop.
I have been living in the UK for 4 years now, I am looking at going back to my home country (South Africa) for a few years. I have a lot of family in the UK, so I will be visiting for Christmas and maybe some birthdays, but I also don't intend in staying in South Africa more than 5 years, because of this I am planning on getting a SFF PC so taking my PC with me when I move won't be a nightmare (When I first moved to the UK I took my full tower PC, never again). On top of that I do really like the look of SFF and the space saving, I do also like the clean minimalist look a lot of them have. I really wish I wasn't a gamer because then I would just go with Minisforum or a laptop. But I think the SFF would be perfect for me where it is mostly permanent where I will stay, but with plans on moving in the future not having to worry about lugging a huge PC around.
A laptop is fine - by that, I mean something that is actually slim and light with strictly a very efficient and cool APU within. So that you can check your mails on the train to work, finish your slides and head to the meeting room with the device to do you presentation by connecting to the big screen. Later take your laptop home to finish a few things, set up tomorrow or be able to troubleshoot from home in case something goes wrong. Maybe play some FTL on the side. That's a laptop. A gaming laptop however is not that. That's actually nothing like a laptop. It's thick, it's heavy, it's boiling hot and it's noisy AF with a battery that depletes in an hour. You wanted a laptop but want to use it as a full gaming desktop - now you get NEITHER. It is a failed concept. A small pc on the other hand (I mean sub5L like a Velka 3) do offers desktop benefits, like performance, modularity, etc. You cannot use them on the road itself, but that's ok for 99% of people with a laptop too anyway as doing actual 2-3 hour work on a laptop is tiring, a proper desktop enviroment is needed for that anyway. Same for gaming. However, if you are a student and have your monitor and peripherials on both your dorm and at home, then carrying just that Velka 3 once every week or second week from one place to another is no biggie - especially with an appropriate padded camerabag. Bottom line is that laptops have their specific usecase and are valid for that (see first paragraph). Small pc's also. Gaming laptops on the other hand are for people who cannot make decisions, so they get the worst of both worlds - a heaviness and noisiness of a badly done pc, with the worse performance and bad ergonomics of a laptop.
There's also the whole "carrying around a bag that contains $2000 worth of hardware along with ALL of your personal information, and you probably didn't bother to encrypt it either." A small utility laptop is only a few hundred, and if you're not really hard up for money, then it's not the end of the world if it gets stolen. Just annoying.
Laptops are a whole different thing than a portable pc. You will need to carry a monitor, keyboard, mouse with the PC. No matter how small that's inconvenient to take everywhere. Some people who wanna game also don't have space in their home to setup a desktop so a gaming laptop is a really good replacement. And the current laptops with RTX 4050- RTX 4060 are the closest in performance with their desktop counterparts. They provide great performance, build, screens for their price. You just need to find a good deal. They have different use cases.
@@MayankGupta-th3wt I'm not sure if you got my description properly comprehended. You DON'T need to carry all the peripherials with you. If you need to have a desktop while you're on a train or a terminal waiting room then go for a laptop as I described already (check the third paragraph of my original comment). I can only repeat myself here. Portable pc's are for people who transfer the system only between two desks where they already have a monitor. Let's say between home and a college dorm once a week. Or work and a hotel room hooking it on the hotel TV with a HDMI cable. Please stop shadowboxing. You don't use a pc in a Starbucks, you use a laptop and make the most of that humble hardware and non-ergonomic enviroment in exchange for being able to open it up anywhere. It's for people who specifically need to do it outside or in locations like a brief visit on a building site. But with a gaming pc, you cannot even do that due to it's weight, size, temps and most importantly a battery that dies within 30min if you dare to play on it? A laptop is for people who have to get desktop access even in uncanny places to do remote system restoration or meddle in a hotel management software when they're out and away from their office. But, who's gaming in a KFC? You do that in your room and then just do that on a pc - that can be portable, depending if you need to move it between locations every once in a while. Laptops are valid, portable pc's are valid. But a gaming laptops does not belong anywhere, they don't have the benefits of etiher and while practically being able to do both on paper, you get a substantually worse experience in both scenarios due to the problems mentioned.
@@richardduba9151 Who said that to you? Idk if you have been following the laptop market at all recently but it's not 2015 anymore. A gaming laptop can be an excellent machine for a developer while being in a portable form factor. They aren't that bulky that you can't carry them anywhere else. You argument could only be used for 17 and 18 inch laptops but for rest of the sizes a gaming laptop is an absolutely amazing choice. And gaming laptops have amazing performance, decent cooling systems nowadays. You don't need to get the full desktop performance to game. "Substantially worse" experience is underestimating them so hard. And they different battery preservation modes to last longer than 4hrs. They aren't perfect but they don't need to be as no other computer is. They have a use case of being portable enough to take anywhere while still getting good performance and that's all you need to tk justify them. They are especially good for students who want good performance but also a portable enough experience plus a gaming laptop is generally easier to purchase and more accessible than trying to buy a portable PC (which won't even be portable most of the time due to its form factor).
@@MayankGupta-th3wt Gaming laptop threads about various models and brands are still about "how to undervolt your Zephyrus to half their performance so that it doesn't melt into your table". They are still hot AF if you launch any remotely 3D application. The price (this I haven't mentioned yet) are at least DOUBLE of a small pc - that IS the more accessible on the contrary to what you said, due to their modularity. But the good thing is that at the end of the day, we are exchanging opinions and if someone is happy with their product, I would not want to talk them out of it. Portable pc's also doesn't want to do gaming laptop stuff, they ment to be used indoors, plugged into the AC and hooked onto a proper screen and peripherials. Their feature is about ease of transportation. And frankly, a gaming laptop with it's short battery life is used for the exact same by those having them. From then on, it's just better and cheaper to go with a portable pc. However, gaming laptops on the other hand DO make the promise of being ok to game on while you're on the beach. And they fail to deliver that - and doing so while costing 2-3x more for the same portable pc config.
That's why you buy a really cheap used laptop. That way you're not walking around with $2000 of hardware in an easy to steal bag, and you won't be distracted with video games when you should be working or studying for school. Then you go home and get on your desktop.
Gaming laptops get a lot heated. I wonder how this affect their life cycle. I tried this solution, had a Lenovo that disappointed me. Laptops are just worse on gamming, has different kind of components. I returned that laptop, got one just for work, half as expensive and continued with my pc and console. Never go for a laptop again for gaming.
An alternate solution, build a pc, keep it on/idle, and whenever you game, use the remote pc option and make ur pc controllable through a laptop(could be a cheap laptop), then game??? Could it work
I upgraded last year from my Asus rog 1060 I paid 1400 for and bought a legion 5i slim with a 4060 for only 850. It works great because I use it for my personal things and still have the power for gaming without breaking the bank. The only missile in 5 years I will probably have to upgrade for another 850 but it will be all new parts.
Having a desktop that is 3L but still needs a monitor and a power outlet is still a permanent desktop. A smaller case doesn't miraculously make it portable for travel. In the early 2000's we didn't have gaming laptops to take to LAN parties.
Your builds are minimal, bold, and beautiful. The excitement and thrill one experiences building ITX builds will never be the same to a laptop. Keep us inspiring. 🍂
So I'm an Indian living in Saudi for work since past year and I have a normal Atx gaming pc. in few days I'm going home for vacation and I can't take my pc with me that's a negative point for me and I'm planning to sell my pc when I'm gonna quit my job in Saudi and have to buy a new pc somewhere where I'm gonna start work So in these situations I think these kinds of small pc will be a huge help. If you ask why I'm not considering a laptop it's because I have laptop. It's not upgradable it's not powerful I can't build it myself 😅
You should really consider a making a video on a hybrid setup using a laptop as a device to connect to a mini itx pc, the idea being that you get the highest performance when you can plug in your mini pc, but for the times you can't just using your laptop. This is great if you only need to travel to stationery places with outlets while being at home most of the time, though it is very expensive. The software to use is Parsec over a local LAN.
I was a laptop gamer...laptop gaming is great for gaming ans portability But when the battery expired can't full charge it can't give you full performance even with plug in cord...u will need to change the battery to a new one for good performance back
The problem is the laptop overheats a lot but you can buy a special cooling pad fan to put something underneath just to cool the laptop so it may take maybe between 10° maybe 20°C down just depends what kind of game you’re playing. I’m kind of settings.
At that point you've just turned the laptop into a desktop with extra steps. Laptops and desktops don't really serve the same purpose, and they shouldn't be treated as if they can adequately fit each other's niches - desktops offer a lot of performance at a reasonable price while being fairly stationary. A good laptop isn't very powerful, but it allows you to do basic web and office tasks from nearly anywhere while also having a great battery life.
@@arthurwintersight7868no it is not. Laptops go up to 90 degrees. If you don't want that don't game on a laptop. Unless you want 10 fps instead of 200
@@iglobrothers645 - I prefer to treat laptops as portable devices that aren't supposed to do intensive computational work. They're for taking notes during business meetings and college lectures, checking emails while you wait for a bus/train, and watching youtube videos in bed. Their battery life should be at least five or six hours, and they should never get hot to the touch. Your game selection on a laptop can and should be limited to what can run in that 15-20 watt envelope.
I have a 3.9L tiny PC, the issue with a dual fan 4060 and low profile cpu cooler, you really can’t push out crazy gaming performance. I can hit around 120 frames on war zone with mostly low settings
laptop should just come with separate keyboard that can be stack on top of the chassis with the price they come with, this wouldn't cost them that much, plus they can add more cooling and draw more power for both gpu and cpu
I travel a lot for work and am an avid PC gamer. I used to use a gaming laptop, but got sick of the noise, heat, and lack of upgradability. Now I travel with a Velka 5 and Asus XG17AHP portable monitor, these still fit in my carry on backpack without issue. My SFF PC build is way quieter, runs much cooler, and has far more parts flexibility even in such a small case. Just to clear something up, you said you have to use a 4060 in a sub 5L case, but that isn't true. I have a 4070 FE in my 4.9L case.
Thank You for this video - i was contemplating to retire my itx desktop that resides in a big cooler master case when my 7i lands in two weeks but decided on the basis of this video to repurpose my desktop to an sff build since I already had the small form factor in a big case. Ordered the jade fractal as it’s my favorite color for everything and needed a new power supply. Will have to downsize the ssds in the case but otherwise I should be good. Thank you for this video it really inspired me to do this build. ❤
I went with the alienware m16 r2 gaming laptop. It has the ultra 9 processor and the 4070 gpu. I went with this because of its capabilities and portability. I like to play games but I also go to school. This works out perfectly. The other specs like the refresh rate, resolution, and fps are surprisingly good for a laptop. I just added a second ssd the Samsung 990 pro 2T for playing games. Good performing mobile pc that I love. Fan noise and warmth to the touch yes but, it's not all that bad.
The only benefit of gaming laptop is the portability and attached display. Performance take huge hit when you're running on battery. And keeping it plugged in all the time means the laptop battery is going to be damaged very soon.
That last part is complete nonsense. I've almost exclusively had my gaming laptop plugged in for the last 3 years and battery is still rated for 95% of it's original capacity after 137 cycles. Only thing I did was enable conservation mode.
I believe your best explanation of travel would be instead of a console game system. In this comparison it just makes sense. More games, platforms and compatibility.
I like my Razer laptop a lot. That being said, I do miss having a dedicated PC I can upgrade when necessary. But my plan for this laptop was to have a solid 4 years out of it before I build myself a dedicated PC. So far, I'm nearly on 2 years. All the games I play run flawlessly, and my PC backlog of games will all run fine.
I have to add, with the recent influx of ultra tiny pcs loke the khadas mind or the um690, i would say thats another option for taking a desktop experience on the go, but without the advantages to desktop repairability and replacability
I would like to see this video again without it being sponsored... i bought a laptop some 12 yrs ago, not for gaming and it was pretty much outdated within 7 months...i got it when touchscreens on laptop was a new commodity plus it would swivel and fold like a tablet. Once technology on phones got better i haven't had a need to open my laptop since...it currently resides somewhere in my closet for the past 10 yrs...however, i am currently on the market for a mini pc with oculink... destop pc's are just too big and bulky for my liking...a mini pc, i can just unplug and put it in my gym bag or coat pocket and plug into just about any tv if I'm traveling.
imo the actual use of small gaming desktop pc is not portability but to hide it, especially for some of us that wants a clean aesthetic on our desk, free from tech vibes. It is mind-blowing to me that not until now we have clean aesthetic cases like fractal north and terra with wooden accents for pc cases.
gaming laptop still the best option if you are travelling. no handheld can be that powerful and mobile at the same time. those laptops comes with DISCRETE GPU. for those who are looking for small form factor desktop PC there are some from silverstonetek with the line up name "sugo" like the silverstone sugo 15, that is so small, but could pack three slot GPU and 240mm radiator/AIO.and micro ATX or ITX boards.i think its merely 15 liter in volume. you could fit it in your suitcase or duffel bags actually. 😅 those type could give you over a hundred FPS gaming anywhere. provided you carry a portable monitor too.
As someone who's been all around the spectrum, it all comes down to your wants/needs. Don't try to force yourself into a category that doesn't fit your needs. Currently rocking a SFF PC strictly for gaming.
I got myself a laptop instead of a desktop, since it saves space on my desk, is portable to go around places, i can slack on the couch with it and it has enough power to satisfy any needs i have. Im not rly into amazing graphics, i like the simple stuff that runs well.
I don't think they are comparable. I have a max-sized ITX PC in an NR200. If I had a Dan case, I still wouldn’t consider traveling with it. It’s too bulky and heavy to carry on my back, even if there’s an extra monitor, mouse, and keyboard waiting for me at my destination. I don’t find the idea of a 'portable ITX' very practical, no matter how small it is-it really needs to be a laptop. If I were to buy something today, I’d go for a laptop with Oculink/USB4 or one of those mini PCs (with Oculink) if a monitor is already available at my travel location. AE might someday start selling GPU enclosures without the need for PSU. Otherwise, I’d just skip gaming during my trips. IF you are constantly on the move, THEN buy a gaming laptop instead of a pc.
for me portability is more about weight than about size, even extreme sff pc can easily be over 6kg, and gaming laptops are usually more than 2.7kg(including the power brick), they are both too heavy for me to carry in a backpack. For putting PC gaming on a backpack and not hurting my spine at the same time, I would just use a lightweight iGPU laptop for light gaming(waiting for AMD Strix Point and Intel Lunar Lake) or a windows handheld like ROG Ally. But yeah I hope laptop manufacturers can make more gaming laptops that are lightweight, powerful, and affordable, that will be ideal.
As a gaming laptop user for more than 8 years, just buy a tiny PC... you will be more satisfied on long term :) for portability, I would buy a legion go with logitech mx mini and a mouse.. i have a hp omen with 3070 and ryzen 7 and more upgrades from the default build(total price 2000$), and it's hard for me to sell this thing.. i wanted for 1 year to change to desktop PC and nobody wants to pay for it's true value(1200$), everybody offers 700-800$, so I decided to use it until it dies then buy something new... imo it's easier to sell a PC when you want to upgrade to something better, or selling the components for upgrades
On sale those legions with a rtx 4060 sell for $1k roughly so way cheaper than a desktop once you factor in that it comes with a keyboard, monitor, trackpad, speakers etc.
I regret purchasing a gaming laptop instead of just building a PC a couple generations ago. Full PC builds are so much better. Power is always going to reduce a laptop PC's CPU/GPU capabilities substantially. I am very excited for a time when there's less compromise.
Are people really still comparing laptops to desktops? If you're a basement dweller, care about upgradability, performance, then desktop. If you need a computer for portability, like a student or office worker, then buy laptop. It's literally not that hard.
I have the luxury of owning a gaming desktop, laptop, and handheld. Out of all three I use my ROG Ally the most. My rtx 3080 PC is used for editing photos and video mostly. My laptop collects dust in my TV entertainment center . It really is lifestyle choice that determines the best experience.
They should just build chonky gaming laptops without the battery and desktop specs due to not needing to rely upon a battery. Purpose being you get the whole package of monitor, keyboard, slim form factor, maybe more shock resistant, and mouse pad for convenience when you need to quickly check something. Basically a desktop for the person that very rarely uses it like a laptop.
Everyone has different opinions just for me I want more portable. I heard there is a mini small size PC. It’s good for gaming and you can use it to plug against external graphic card and make it as affordable around maybe $1000 cheaper
I game on my couch with a gaming laptop and my next upgrade will definitely be a sub 8 litter case since i no longer need to game on the go. (Probably will wait for next gen of gpu and will try to be low wattage as possible)
A tiny PC can't do some of the things a laptop can (e.g., take it on vacation, during a trip, start it up in the train or car). A tiny PC is a good addition, but a gaming laptop is an all-rounder.
Do you think a gaming laptop provides ample power for productivity? I'm headed to college and need something that is small and somewhat portable. I plan to do rendering with software like blender, maya, etc. I've been debating between building a sff with a 4070 ti super or going with a gaming laptop. Would love to hear your opinion! Thanks
If you have never owned a gaming laptop, go ahead. Keep in mind, they draw power. Power makes heat, heat consumes components. 2 suggestions " I " would make to you is, consider the latest Framework laptop. and failing that, an M3 Apple Probook. That's my 2 cents Jay ! I personally " cherish " my MACbook Pro 2014 and have to stay on top of thermals ATT.
Gaming laptops are great for that stuff. I'd suggest to take a look at JarrodTech and JustJosh for their laptop reviews. Both are fantastic and will help determine what kind of laptop to get
Like laptops, Sff PCs are also only really viable if you have disposable income because itx motherboards, psus and cases are disproportionately more expensive. To make the most out of each $ (majority of the demographic) Matx is the way. Easier to manage thermals too
If you want something portable, something to use anywhere, a laptop is better. If you want something transportable, something you can set up at a table somewhere, a sff PC is better.
Combine a cheap utility laptop with a desktop that's either standard sized or small form factor, depending on how often you need to move it around. You can get a cheap laptop and a gaming desktop for about the price of a gaming laptop, and you'll have two working machines - one that's highly portable and power efficient, while the other offers raw performance and a lot of upgrade options.
@@arthurwintersight7868buying 2 devices that do the same thing doesn't sound like a solution to the inquiry at hand; which is whether or not the battery would degrade over time...the solution would be to buy a new battery if possible or just leave it plugged in if not traveling.
I've had both gaming laptops and and DIY SFF PCs. And I can easily say that I will never own another gaming laptop. The only use case that makes having a gaming laptop worthwhile is if you travel a lot
If you're a road warrior and can game privately in hotel rooms or some other private space, then SFF PCs are great. If you game in public in libraries, coffeeshops, or even (if you dare) at work where there's a power outlet, then a gaming laptop is obviously the best unless you're an exhibitionist and desire weird looks from others. If you are constantly on the go in public transport, from buses, trains to aircraft, then a handheld is best, along with a beefy powerbank.
Thank you to Lenovo for sponsoring this video! Check out their products here: go.magik.ly/ml/23i1q/
Sadly they are not Asus G14.
Only if you live in america in the boonies and have like a 60K salary or in a big city and have north of a 100K as a salary this does make sense lol for the rest of the world mini PCs are a waste of money and whats more enraging the BAREBONE CASES (no mobo no psu nothing) are in ridiculous prices more expensive that brand name ATX sized ones who need quadruble the material in order to be manufactured... its a suckers game same category as buying audiophile equipment
@@Lantement lenovo is better lol
Can u mod on a gaming laptop
If you need/want a PC, "just buy a laptop" only works if your budget is infinite. Laptop is a lot worse at home, upgradability, and in price, PC is worse on the go.
Laptop is easier in home and the price isn’t bad if you add monitor/keyboard and don’t buy the latest and greatest - the noice is however unavoidable for gaming.
@@71kimgif you’re at home already what makes a laptop easier to use than a desktop?
@@puffyipsicl i like laptops more, don’t get me wrong they are not better then pcs at all. But it’s quite satisfying having a full gaming device that is also a laptop
The answer to "what is best at home" becomes obvious when you have to service your computer, such as replacing thermal paste or removing dust.
@@puffyips you can use the laptop on any table - how can it not be more than a desktop? And many newer monitors have hub/power through usb-c - it’s literally just one plug and it’s ready.
a comparision video with one side being sponsored?
okay
yeah I'm happy for him cause this content deserves to be sponsored, but I would not have chosen a comparison video... especially if you gotta ignore all the drawbacks of the laptop
It's fine -- let the man pay the bills.
@@CarneAsadaFries_ yeah true.
@@coda_ gotta agree, lenovos high end laptops dont have much problems, but he still should have talked about the drawbacks from the standard 7s weird battery estimations
@@CarneAsadaFries_ as much as I would love for him to be able to pay the bills, end of the day this review automatically becomes biased and steers an innocent viewer in the direction of a laptop, probably a lenovo one
People need to stop this comparison between the two. Laptops and desktops do similar things but they fit different niches within the pc space. Desktops can give you more performance while also giving you so many upgradability options. Laptops are meant to be on the go options and they do so by using mobile components.
Well, when you go deeper to
@@alrizo1115 But then there's the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and maybe other stuff ...
@@kite5882 wires, keyboard and mouse are not that hard to add. adding a monitor though is another thing. You'll have to carry a smaller monitor for better portability.
@@alrizo1115 Then I might as well get a laptop if I'm going to move around often instead of carrying all of that around.
@@kite5882 valid point. But if you are a mobile video editor/3D artist, having a high end laptop is a lot more expensive and un-upgradeable option. But I think in the near future, laptops as we know it might match what desktops can do in terms of performance while maintaining portability.
I think that one aspect that is being overlooked is that high performance laptops can get annoyingly loud with the fans ramping up at high loads.
Yea and they definitely won’t last as long as desktops
And almost no upgradability
Yes!
main reason i prefer desktop, hate fan noise and im not willing to wear a headphone/earphone when using a high performing laptop
True story 😂. My brother immediately change his rigs after graduate from gaming laptop to SFF PC. From jets like sound to almost like he is deaf he said 😂
When sponsor pays you well
Yes laptop are shit fragile no replacement support
I personally have ditched my mini itx 10L build for an old 8 gen i7 thinkpad X1 yoga laptop.
Paired it with an RTX 4060 eGPU - TH3P4G3 and I am absolutely loving the results.
1600% 3Dmark Score gain 💀
Conclusion: a light and portable laptop with a thunderbolt port to connect an eGPU brings back the upgradability to the equation.
Worth it!
Edit: Costs me 879$ details are in the comments below..👇
How much would such a setup costs?
@@cognacbrown 878.85 US dollars in total
Thinkpad X1 Yoga Gen 3 (second hand): 466.90$
eGPU interface TH3P4G3: 171.82$
RTX 4060 Asus Dual (second hand): 240.12$
Those are local prices Saudi Arabia. We don’t have the best second hand market tbh. You can surely find better prices somewhere else.
I did this with my legion go but I ditched it due to the overheating of the usb4 port + the extra baggage from the egpu that’s the size of sff cases + the huge performance penalty. It was nice but way too unreliable and kinda gimmicky
@@FuzzyGuatermelonI don’t know much about egpu and stuff. Did you’re over heat bc of the case or something or a different port? Would the other guys set up work better? I wanna find a good way to set up a portable set up that’s able to do 3D rendering and game. I do seasonal work so o move around the country a lot and have small rooms so I’m really trying to find a good set up that works for me. I thought about a game laptop but I just don’t see the future for it. Short term sure and it looks nice but in just a couple of years it’s dead basically. A steam deck is whag I thought about and just going awhile without animating. But maybe a egpu with a deck could work? In the video I actually really like that mini pc!!! It’s so cute and small! I could so put that in a carry on and bring it with me even in a back pack on my planes! Maybe I’ll just get a cheap steam deck wait like half a year and build a mini itx idk : (
This entire video is an ad and im disappointed
Its more like pc/laptop p0rn
Every sponsored video is an ad, and those people calling themselves "content creators" are actually salesmen.
I have a friend who frequently flys abroad, and has a pelicase with a sff pc in as well as a portable monitor and mmk, obviously a very enthusiast thing to do but he enjoys it!
desktop pc do more reliable, even like pro gamers always demand certain specs if theyre on bootcamp or tournament hotels
also better performance wise, but laptop is convenient and do job well
Same here. I love taking my portable monitor and velka 3 build. Absolute beast with a 4060 ti
moron could just buy a 4070 laptop for 900 dollars LOL (best buy victus 16)
I originally started my PC joruney on a "desktop replacement" gaming laptop. It was great because i dont have much space where i live and the size was great for travel. But when new parts bgan to outpace it, i sold it and built my first pc which was SFF. And i never really looked back with most of my builds being SFF.
Same here. Gaming laptops are great... when they're new. As it ages, it goes from "can handle anything you throw at it" to "just documents and spreadsheets;" even faster if the components are midrange or lower.
@@jmal Its why it's best to buy something (unless you specifically need something high end) to buy something just average for a gaming laptop and not spend too much money.
How much did you spend on SFF?
@@jmal same could be said for pc's unless you are about "upgradability" which is kind of a myth anyway. and nothing happens to the processing power, so a computer will always run the games that were latest and greatest when it was bought
@@osku388 I don't know how upgradeablility can be myth. Sure people might keep their gpu for 2/3 gen but eventually those older cards will struggle with the newer stuff. Also taking account power consumption especially with some have dedicated power, or better quality, 1080p to 1440p. Or the shit dies on you 🤷🏾♂️. Depends on the person wants and needs
People don't realize how amazing Laptop is in term of portability, convenience and simplicity.
Same thing goes to Desktop, they are super powerful, upgradability, and customizable
I'm a trucker and I'm not hurting too much for space. The case I picked after some measurements is the Antec Dark Cube for MATX or ITX. Using a ceiling style industrial TV mount I can fit up to a 42" TV or Monitor. As for a flat surface I was looking into the Nerdytec Cycon² but think I'll just make my own. I've got plenty of tools for a fair bit of DIY.
I've used a laptop over the past 5 years or so, my Alienware Area 51m with 9700k, RTX 2080, and 64GB DDR4 RAM. It plays most all my usual games pretty good. But the 17" 1080p screen isn't great..
So once Arrow Lake and RTX 5000 hit the shelves, I'll be upgrading. Most likely going with a 42" 4k OLED TV, in particular the Sony A90k. It all should be a significant improvement in my gaming and video viewing experience over my laptop.
Arrow lake is likely not going to be your “efficiency” option but this sounds cool
I'd assume it to be at least a bit more efficient than the current 13/14th Gen. A few leaks/rumors have stated anywhere from 20-30% improvement. Which could be about right as they're doing away with hyper threading, shrinking the die, changing/improving the architecture, and changing the socket and chip set on the motherboard. That's a lot of changes for 1 Generation, especially from Intel.
At any rate 15th Gen will be quite a different animal from what we have available now. Intel's gotta step it up and prove they can remain relevant and competitive.
(I'm also excited/interested in trying out CAMM2)
Does travel vibrations affect electronics? I’ve heard it breaks desktops
@@sayori1989 Without the proper precautions taken, yeah road vibrations can cause damage to things.
I've been reconsidering my build for my truck a bit, thinking I may use a sandwich style ITX case. I may get Antec's Performance 1M case due to release I believe in Q3 or Q4 this year. Having the GPU in a vertical mount position on the PCIe riser would be much more ideal.
how long can you run appliances off of an inverter? I'm assuming it's no issue if you are moving every day? Have you ever been stopped somewhere for a week or more?
You nailed it at 6:50 where the Gemcase sits inside the NZXT. Opting for SFF, to me, embodies an enthusiast's passion-a challenge to shrink the overwhelming presence of an ATX into a seemingly impossible size with all your dream components. There’s immense satisfaction in that accomplishment that ‘using a laptop’ won't provide.
true its the 'rewarding feeling' i always brought up
whats silly instead of just not getting anything i got weird stuff as well like dramas and such which is beyond bad for a treatment
I'm a game developer, so I buy laptops to go out and demo games to testers and for work connectivity between the office and home. The most decisive factor in my decision to buy a laptop was the advent of AMD's APU series and the "RTX 4060". The computing power I need hasn't changed much over time. Seven years ago, I needed a top-of-the-line CPU with AIO and an 80ti or better graphics card. Now I want a laptop under 2kg that I can throw in my bag and travel with.
Can you explain the "advent of AMD's APU and RTX 4060" part of your comments?
@@mickaelsflow6774 - Radeon 680m offers the same graphics performance as a mid-range graphics card from 10 years ago, while Radeon 780m offers the same graphics performance as a GTX 1650, while consuming less than 50 watts of power for both the CPU and GPU. Those laptops fit his particular use-case, while most people would probably benefit more from a cheapo utility laptop and a reasonably sized desktop PC.
@@arthurwintersight7868 thanks for jumping in; I appreciate the attempt to help. But I'm actually interested in his use case and his thought on the matter.
It's a big switch from needing top of the line to being content with APUs and 4060. Especially with the highlighted mention of his computing power needs. :)
real true benefit of highend laptop is that you dont have to wait to be at home to do certain things, which often forget things, tired and all
@@mickaelsflow6774 "the computing power I need hasn't changed much in 7 years" is the operative phrase in the original comment. More or less the same is true for me (I do robotics and computer vision). I recently bought a G14 in sale as an emergency purchase because my older laptop crapped out and I was traveling. This thing is just as good for me 95% of the time as my desktop at home which is rocking a 7950x3d.
Honestly I’m not here to argue between desktop/pc
I’m just here to admire . Truly love the different aesthetic and minimalist styles of your builds
I def recommend a laptop for ppl who just want a pre-built 4060 pc. You can get a 4060 laptop for under 1000$ now and a prebuilt 4060 pc is like 1400+ and u still need a monitor keyboard ect. And a 4060 laptop is very close to performance to a desktop 4060 (provided proper wattage). When u get to higher tier graphics cards, pc will def be better for sure
I haven't own a gaming laptop since 2016 and recently bought one because I need portability. Overall I'm amazed at how impressive gaming laptops are now. They are alot slimmer than they are used to back then. I'm thinking of building my own PC next once new gpu series is out!
I’ve owned many laptops and my main gripe that convinced me to build a sff pc was the cpu thermal throttling. Even with laptops with Liquid Metal, i had an unreliable experience with keeping consistent performance. Upgradability is the second obvious bonus.
I also upgraded from the IS-55 to the AXP90-53 Full Copper and it's at least 6 degrees cooler during gaming on a 5800x3D
I have the is-55 now. 6 months ago when I built my pc, 53-FC price was ridiculous!! But now it has come down to the same price I bought the is-55 for. But I am only on 5600x with a slight undervolt, so maybe it's not worth it. What do you think?
@@shoobadoo123Not worth it for that low of a TDP. I bought the IS-55 for multiple builds as it is the best bang for the buck. I only pulled the trigger on the Full Copper because the price came down to $38 and I tinker. For a 5600X it wouldn't be much of an improvement. Now, if you upgraded to a 5800x3D then 100% YES.
@@Victornup ok thanks!
The video card on my $3000+ laptop died after just under 3 years and it will cost around $2000 just to replace the one circuit board. So I'm going with an SFF PC now since I don't need the extreme mobility of a laptop. I mostly use the PC in the break room at work, so an SFF PC that I can just throw into my locker every day after work will be much better in essentially every way that matters. And if some internal components die, I won't have to shell out an arm and a leg to replace them.
Same thing happened to me. I'm going thin & light laptop with no GPU for work and small gaming desktop. A playtation 5 is around the same size anyways. Your comment made me make my mind. Thank you.
I'll always pick a desktop over a laptop for gaming, but depending on what your needs are, a laptop is sometimes the only choice.
For most people I can think of, they are better of just go with gaming laptop.
I think a small pc only make sense, if one has more than one device or one don't need a mobile windows device.
Like I can imagine Misinform V3 go really well with this concept. A laptop tablet on the go, and use the PC like a dock, but except it's a whole another PC without any loss in performance unlike an eGPU. And If needed bring the PC along and V3 IS a portable monitor.
Laptops are too small to have acceptable cooling and noise levels.
But 18" is starting to get there.
I bought my first Laptop, a Lenovo Legion 5, when I needed to replace a GTX780ti, but it was late 2020, with the graphics card crises underway. I purchased the Laptop on sale, just before the new models were coming out, instead of getting another card. I was worried, and the Laptops specs seemed kinda modest (R7-4800H & RTX 2060@115w). I've been loving my Laptop ever since- I keep it docked with a monitor keyboard and mouse, in my bedroom 90% of the time.
The laptop is comparable to my PC- R5-5600g & RTX 3060ti, but I think the 5600g bottlenecks the graphics card a bit. (I wonder how much the, Pcie 3 vs Pcie 4, makes a difference at this level?) I'm hoping to get an R7 5700 or R7 5800 CPU sometime.
If I were to build an ITX PC right now, I think I would choose the AM4 platform, even though that would be so 2020. The price and choices available in Motherboards would win me over. Besides, yes AM4 is over (kinda) but it is still relevant, and able to support a decent system.
Lol. I literally take my ITX PC with me everywhere. When I'm on vacation, at the library cause I get distracted at home, out at work, and maybe the coffee shop. 9/10 times I'm usually just meeting up with someone at coffee shops, so rarely I decide to do that. I do post production work, so it's great to know I can have an insane workstation with me on the go with the ability to swap in and out components.
How do you power it
@Kevin-mx4vm Unfortunately, wherever there's an outlet. Airports usually have some work areas for laptops to charge, some coffee shops, and my local library does as well. Think the coolest place I've done work at is on a train. I use a wireless 68% keyboard with a wireless mouse as well. Usually, the only cables I deal with are the power cable and the USB-C cable for my external monitor. Doesn't take too much space, I get a couple of looks, but that's it. I use the Dan A4-H2O as my case and have a 33 liter backpack I bought from Amazon. I absolutely love it. It literally fits everything I need and more while looking pretty slim.
comparison video with sponsorship side, lmfao
The thing is small form factor and mini PCs have a niche; sitting on your desktop, taking up as little room as possible and still being as or near as powerful as their full sized counterparts. Depending on your living situation, desk set up, ect it might be better then having a 1x1.5 foot patch of living space taken up by a laptop.
Over the past few years I have built one ATX and 19 mini-ITX/SFF computers in various cases and configurations. I build mini-ITX sized (
This felt like a 12 minutes ad for the Lenovo laptop 🤷🏻♂️
I already bought a secondary monitor for my laptop, next pc will be a sff desktop since the components of my laptop are dying one by one, battery died after 3 years, so it become a stationary laptop, monitor died last year, keyboard not responding anymore, i'm lucky it still works.
I personally would love to have a small pc that is maybe 14 L that can play just about most games at medium settings, but the only problem is that I'm a complete newbie when it comes to building a pc. its either learn to or buy a pre-built.
I've a desktop and a gaming notebook. Since I started working as an on-site video editor at my current workplace, the need for portability has risen, so taking my own PC at my workplace became pretty handy, since I appreciate the fact I can do my work on a computer that's my own, set up the way I like. At the end of the day though I just come home and use my desktop for pretty much everything, even though my notebook is pretty much on par performance-wise with my desktop.
I have been living in the UK for 4 years now, I am looking at going back to my home country (South Africa) for a few years. I have a lot of family in the UK, so I will be visiting for Christmas and maybe some birthdays, but I also don't intend in staying in South Africa more than 5 years, because of this I am planning on getting a SFF PC so taking my PC with me when I move won't be a nightmare (When I first moved to the UK I took my full tower PC, never again).
On top of that I do really like the look of SFF and the space saving, I do also like the clean minimalist look a lot of them have. I really wish I wasn't a gamer because then I would just go with Minisforum or a laptop.
But I think the SFF would be perfect for me where it is mostly permanent where I will stay, but with plans on moving in the future not having to worry about lugging a huge PC around.
i respect everyones hard work despite all
What program did you use for your stats display? It looks clean and minimalist.
yeah same questionnn
A laptop is fine - by that, I mean something that is actually slim and light with strictly a very efficient and cool APU within. So that you can check your mails on the train to work, finish your slides and head to the meeting room with the device to do you presentation by connecting to the big screen. Later take your laptop home to finish a few things, set up tomorrow or be able to troubleshoot from home in case something goes wrong. Maybe play some FTL on the side. That's a laptop.
A gaming laptop however is not that. That's actually nothing like a laptop. It's thick, it's heavy, it's boiling hot and it's noisy AF with a battery that depletes in an hour. You wanted a laptop but want to use it as a full gaming desktop - now you get NEITHER. It is a failed concept. A small pc on the other hand (I mean sub5L like a Velka 3) do offers desktop benefits, like performance, modularity, etc. You cannot use them on the road itself, but that's ok for 99% of people with a laptop too anyway as doing actual 2-3 hour work on a laptop is tiring, a proper desktop enviroment is needed for that anyway. Same for gaming.
However, if you are a student and have your monitor and peripherials on both your dorm and at home, then carrying just that Velka 3 once every week or second week from one place to another is no biggie - especially with an appropriate padded camerabag. Bottom line is that laptops have their specific usecase and are valid for that (see first paragraph). Small pc's also. Gaming laptops on the other hand are for people who cannot make decisions, so they get the worst of both worlds - a heaviness and noisiness of a badly done pc, with the worse performance and bad ergonomics of a laptop.
There's also the whole "carrying around a bag that contains $2000 worth of hardware along with ALL of your personal information, and you probably didn't bother to encrypt it either." A small utility laptop is only a few hundred, and if you're not really hard up for money, then it's not the end of the world if it gets stolen. Just annoying.
Laptops are a whole different thing than a portable pc. You will need to carry a monitor, keyboard, mouse with the PC. No matter how small that's inconvenient to take everywhere. Some people who wanna game also don't have space in their home to setup a desktop so a gaming laptop is a really good replacement. And the current laptops with RTX 4050- RTX 4060 are the closest in performance with their desktop counterparts. They provide great performance, build, screens for their price. You just need to find a good deal. They have different use cases.
@@MayankGupta-th3wt I'm not sure if you got my description properly comprehended. You DON'T need to carry all the peripherials with you. If you need to have a desktop while you're on a train or a terminal waiting room then go for a laptop as I described already (check the third paragraph of my original comment). I can only repeat myself here. Portable pc's are for people who transfer the system only between two desks where they already have a monitor. Let's say between home and a college dorm once a week. Or work and a hotel room hooking it on the hotel TV with a HDMI cable. Please stop shadowboxing.
You don't use a pc in a Starbucks, you use a laptop and make the most of that humble hardware and non-ergonomic enviroment in exchange for being able to open it up anywhere. It's for people who specifically need to do it outside or in locations like a brief visit on a building site. But with a gaming pc, you cannot even do that due to it's weight, size, temps and most importantly a battery that dies within 30min if you dare to play on it? A laptop is for people who have to get desktop access even in uncanny places to do remote system restoration or meddle in a hotel management software when they're out and away from their office. But, who's gaming in a KFC? You do that in your room and then just do that on a pc - that can be portable, depending if you need to move it between locations every once in a while.
Laptops are valid, portable pc's are valid. But a gaming laptops does not belong anywhere, they don't have the benefits of etiher and while practically being able to do both on paper, you get a substantually worse experience in both scenarios due to the problems mentioned.
@@richardduba9151 Who said that to you? Idk if you have been following the laptop market at all recently but it's not 2015 anymore. A gaming laptop can be an excellent machine for a developer while being in a portable form factor. They aren't that bulky that you can't carry them anywhere else. You argument could only be used for 17 and 18 inch laptops but for rest of the sizes a gaming laptop is an absolutely amazing choice. And gaming laptops have amazing performance, decent cooling systems nowadays. You don't need to get the full desktop performance to game. "Substantially worse" experience is underestimating them so hard. And they different battery preservation modes to last longer than 4hrs. They aren't perfect but they don't need to be as no other computer is. They have a use case of being portable enough to take anywhere while still getting good performance and that's all you need to tk justify them.
They are especially good for students who want good performance but also a portable enough experience plus a gaming laptop is generally easier to purchase and more accessible than trying to buy a portable PC (which won't even be portable most of the time due to its form factor).
@@MayankGupta-th3wt Gaming laptop threads about various models and brands are still about "how to undervolt your Zephyrus to half their performance so that it doesn't melt into your table". They are still hot AF if you launch any remotely 3D application. The price (this I haven't mentioned yet) are at least DOUBLE of a small pc - that IS the more accessible on the contrary to what you said, due to their modularity.
But the good thing is that at the end of the day, we are exchanging opinions and if someone is happy with their product, I would not want to talk them out of it. Portable pc's also doesn't want to do gaming laptop stuff, they ment to be used indoors, plugged into the AC and hooked onto a proper screen and peripherials. Their feature is about ease of transportation. And frankly, a gaming laptop with it's short battery life is used for the exact same by those having them. From then on, it's just better and cheaper to go with a portable pc. However, gaming laptops on the other hand DO make the promise of being ok to game on while you're on the beach. And they fail to deliver that - and doing so while costing 2-3x more for the same portable pc config.
There's a single fan 4060 Ti, I have one in my Velka 3. Not sure how you haven't seen the StormX
From what I’ve seen in reddit, that card is mostly available on Europe. In the US it’s not that accessible
There's also a single fan 4070
What an interesting channel to come across this morning! I’m subscribing to support thanks for sharing 👏
To those saying "never buy a laptop" is ok but theres people who always are on the go. And need that portability
That's why you buy a really cheap used laptop. That way you're not walking around with $2000 of hardware in an easy to steal bag, and you won't be distracted with video games when you should be working or studying for school. Then you go home and get on your desktop.
i mean why not though, even for students they can do things while waiting for classes
Buy a framework 16 fully upgradable laptop
PCS:
1. Upgradable
2. Cheaper
3. Durable
Laptops:
1. Space efficient
2. Easier to sell
3. On the go
4. Better warranty coverage
Framework laptops are fully upgradable check them out !
Gaming laptops get a lot heated. I wonder how this affect their life cycle. I tried this solution, had a Lenovo that disappointed me. Laptops are just worse on gamming, has different kind of components. I returned that laptop, got one just for work, half as expensive and continued with my pc and console. Never go for a laptop again for gaming.
An alternate solution, build a pc, keep it on/idle, and whenever you game, use the remote pc option and make ur pc controllable through a laptop(could be a cheap laptop), then game??? Could it work
I upgraded last year from my Asus rog 1060 I paid 1400 for and bought a legion 5i slim with a 4060 for only 850. It works great because I use it for my personal things and still have the power for gaming without breaking the bank. The only missile in 5 years I will probably have to upgrade for another 850 but it will be all new parts.
Having a desktop that is 3L but still needs a monitor and a power outlet is still a permanent desktop. A smaller case doesn't miraculously make it portable for travel. In the early 2000's we didn't have gaming laptops to take to LAN parties.
Your builds are minimal, bold, and beautiful. The excitement and thrill one experiences building ITX builds will never be the same to a laptop. Keep us inspiring. 🍂
So I'm an Indian living in Saudi for work since past year and I have a normal Atx gaming pc. in few days I'm going home for vacation and I can't take my pc with me that's a negative point for me and I'm planning to sell my pc when I'm gonna quit my job in Saudi and have to buy a new pc somewhere where I'm gonna start work
So in these situations I think these kinds of small pc will be a huge help.
If you ask why I'm not considering a laptop it's because I have laptop. It's not upgradable it's not powerful I can't build it myself 😅
Hope you are able to build a small factor PC my guy.
@@sanketm1663 thanks bro
Framework does modular laptops. I personally have their laptop 16
@@adammoulin3570 those are not for gaming and that the only priority that I have for a desktop.
Although those are really interesting piece.
@@jafariashaikh you can pick the graphics module (RX 7700S) but I agree that it is maybe not powerfull enough for some games. I can play in 1080p
How you display cpu, gpu and fps like that?
You should really consider a making a video on a hybrid setup using a laptop as a device to connect to a mini itx pc, the idea being that you get the highest performance when you can plug in your mini pc, but for the times you can't just using your laptop. This is great if you only need to travel to stationery places with outlets while being at home most of the time, though it is very expensive. The software to use is Parsec over a local LAN.
I was a laptop gamer...laptop gaming is great for gaming ans portability
But when the battery expired can't full charge it can't give you full performance even with plug in cord...u will need to change the battery to a new one for good performance back
The problem is the laptop overheats a lot but you can buy a special cooling pad fan to put something underneath just to cool the laptop so it may take maybe between 10° maybe 20°C down just depends what kind of game you’re playing. I’m kind of settings.
At that point you've just turned the laptop into a desktop with extra steps. Laptops and desktops don't really serve the same purpose, and they shouldn't be treated as if they can adequately fit each other's niches - desktops offer a lot of performance at a reasonable price while being fairly stationary. A good laptop isn't very powerful, but it allows you to do basic web and office tasks from nearly anywhere while also having a great battery life.
Laptops don't "overheat", they're meant to run at those temps
@@waferbarr - A laptop that burns your lap. Clearly not a design mistake.
@@arthurwintersight7868no it is not. Laptops go up to 90 degrees. If you don't want that don't game on a laptop. Unless you want 10 fps instead of 200
@@iglobrothers645 - I prefer to treat laptops as portable devices that aren't supposed to do intensive computational work. They're for taking notes during business meetings and college lectures, checking emails while you wait for a bus/train, and watching youtube videos in bed. Their battery life should be at least five or six hours, and they should never get hot to the touch. Your game selection on a laptop can and should be limited to what can run in that 15-20 watt envelope.
I have a 3.9L tiny PC, the issue with a dual fan 4060 and low profile cpu cooler, you really can’t push out crazy gaming performance. I can hit around 120 frames on war zone with mostly low settings
laptop should just come with separate keyboard that can be stack on top of the chassis with the price they come with, this wouldn't cost them that much, plus they can add more cooling and draw more power for both gpu and cpu
Anyone know what is the nice overlay that shows CPU and GPU temps? Looks so much cleaner than the MSI Afterburner
I travel a lot for work and am an avid PC gamer. I used to use a gaming laptop, but got sick of the noise, heat, and lack of upgradability. Now I travel with a Velka 5 and Asus XG17AHP portable monitor, these still fit in my carry on backpack without issue. My SFF PC build is way quieter, runs much cooler, and has far more parts flexibility even in such a small case.
Just to clear something up, you said you have to use a 4060 in a sub 5L case, but that isn't true. I have a 4070 FE in my 4.9L case.
Thank You for this video - i was contemplating to retire my itx desktop that resides in a big cooler master case when my 7i lands in two weeks but decided on the basis of this video to repurpose my desktop to an sff build since I already had the small form factor in a big case. Ordered the jade fractal as it’s my favorite color for everything and needed a new power supply. Will have to downsize the ssds in the case but otherwise I should be good. Thank you for this video it really inspired me to do this build. ❤
sub 20L PCs are the best way to go coming into this new era of laptops having zero upgradable parts
I went with the alienware m16 r2 gaming laptop. It has the ultra 9 processor and the 4070 gpu. I went with this because of its capabilities and portability. I like to play games but I also go to school. This works out perfectly. The other specs like the refresh rate, resolution, and fps are surprisingly good for a laptop. I just added a second ssd the Samsung 990 pro 2T for playing games. Good performing mobile pc that I love. Fan noise and warmth to the touch yes but, it's not all that bad.
never ending debate at all. devyn is right it depends on your usecase and lifestyle
The only benefit of gaming laptop is the portability and attached display. Performance take huge hit when you're running on battery. And keeping it plugged in all the time means the laptop battery is going to be damaged very soon.
That last part is complete nonsense.
I've almost exclusively had my gaming laptop plugged in for the last 3 years and battery is still rated for 95% of it's original capacity after 137 cycles.
Only thing I did was enable conservation mode.
I believe your best explanation of travel would be instead of a console game system. In this comparison it just makes sense. More games, platforms and compatibility.
Hey, what software are you using for the performance overlay?
same question
looks very neat
I like my Razer laptop a lot. That being said, I do miss having a dedicated PC I can upgrade when necessary. But my plan for this laptop was to have a solid 4 years out of it before I build myself a dedicated PC. So far, I'm nearly on 2 years. All the games I play run flawlessly, and my PC backlog of games will all run fine.
What camera do you use for video? Quality is awesome
Sony FX3
I have to add, with the recent influx of ultra tiny pcs loke the khadas mind or the um690, i would say thats another option for taking a desktop experience on the go, but without the advantages to desktop repairability and replacability
I would like to see this video again without it being sponsored...
i bought a laptop some 12 yrs ago, not for gaming and it was pretty much outdated within 7 months...i got it when touchscreens on laptop was a new commodity plus it would swivel and fold like a tablet.
Once technology on phones got better i haven't had a need to open my laptop since...it currently resides somewhere in my closet for the past 10 yrs...however, i am currently on the market for a mini pc with oculink...
destop pc's are just too big and bulky for my liking...a mini pc, i can just unplug and put it in my gym bag or coat pocket and plug into just about any tv if I'm traveling.
imo the actual use of small gaming desktop pc is not portability but to hide it, especially for some of us that wants a clean aesthetic on our desk, free from tech vibes. It is mind-blowing to me that not until now we have clean aesthetic cases like fractal north and terra with wooden accents for pc cases.
gaming laptop still the best option if you are travelling. no handheld can be that powerful and mobile at the same time. those laptops comes with DISCRETE GPU.
for those who are looking for small form factor desktop PC there are some from silverstonetek with the line up name "sugo" like the silverstone sugo 15, that is so small, but could pack three slot GPU and 240mm radiator/AIO.and micro ATX or ITX boards.i think its merely 15 liter in volume. you could fit it in your suitcase or duffel bags actually. 😅
those type could give you over a hundred FPS gaming anywhere. provided you carry a portable monitor too.
Brother what is that FPS counter?!
As someone who's been all around the spectrum, it all comes down to your wants/needs. Don't try to force yourself into a category that doesn't fit your needs. Currently rocking a SFF PC strictly for gaming.
0:43 HE IS USING INVERTED SCROLLING AHHHHHHHHH
I got myself a laptop instead of a desktop, since it saves space on my desk, is portable to go around places, i can slack on the couch with it and it has enough power to satisfy any needs i have. Im not rly into amazing graphics, i like the simple stuff that runs well.
Maybe you can write all the cases that you demonstrate in this video.
Difficult this find.
I travel on a weekly basis Monday thru Friday, was looking at possibly a portable setup for hotel gaming, might just go with a SFF setup
I don't think they are comparable. I have a max-sized ITX PC in an NR200. If I had a Dan case, I still wouldn’t consider traveling with it. It’s too bulky and heavy to carry on my back, even if there’s an extra monitor, mouse, and keyboard waiting for me at my destination. I don’t find the idea of a 'portable ITX' very practical, no matter how small it is-it really needs to be a laptop. If I were to buy something today, I’d go for a laptop with Oculink/USB4 or one of those mini PCs (with Oculink) if a monitor is already available at my travel location. AE might someday start selling GPU enclosures without the need for PSU. Otherwise, I’d just skip gaming during my trips. IF you are constantly on the move, THEN buy a gaming laptop instead of a pc.
for me portability is more about weight than about size, even extreme sff pc can easily be over 6kg, and gaming laptops are usually more than 2.7kg(including the power brick), they are both too heavy for me to carry in a backpack. For putting PC gaming on a backpack and not hurting my spine at the same time, I would just use a lightweight iGPU laptop for light gaming(waiting for AMD Strix Point and Intel Lunar Lake) or a windows handheld like ROG Ally. But yeah I hope laptop manufacturers can make more gaming laptops that are lightweight, powerful, and affordable, that will be ideal.
As a gaming laptop user for more than 8 years, just buy a tiny PC... you will be more satisfied on long term :) for portability, I would buy a legion go with logitech mx mini and a mouse.. i have a hp omen with 3070 and ryzen 7 and more upgrades from the default build(total price 2000$), and it's hard for me to sell this thing.. i wanted for 1 year to change to desktop PC and nobody wants to pay for it's true value(1200$), everybody offers 700-800$, so I decided to use it until it dies then buy something new... imo it's easier to sell a PC when you want to upgrade to something better, or selling the components for upgrades
You trying to sell that machine for >1000$ is your own mistake, better, newer hardware is out there for less.
On sale those legions with a rtx 4060 sell for $1k roughly so way cheaper than a desktop once you factor in that it comes with a keyboard, monitor, trackpad, speakers etc.
Laptops are best for portability and power, until u need to replace a soldered ram after warranty, to keep it running 😢
The price/perfomance on a laptop is terrible, but thats the tradeoff for portability.
What about a framework laptop? It’s expensive but completely upgradeable.
The reason i want small pc is because i do not want a huge thing on my roomand when gaming on a laptop i dont the heat and noise on the keyboard.
I regret purchasing a gaming laptop instead of just building a PC a couple generations ago. Full PC builds are so much better. Power is always going to reduce a laptop PC's CPU/GPU capabilities substantially. I am very excited for a time when there's less compromise.
Ditched my custom built desktop for a Legion 5. Never looked back. 👌🏼
Are people really still comparing laptops to desktops? If you're a basement dweller, care about upgradability, performance, then desktop. If you need a computer for portability, like a student or office worker, then buy laptop. It's literally not that hard.
Framework laptops are fully upgradable
I have the luxury of owning a gaming desktop, laptop, and handheld. Out of all three I use my ROG Ally the most. My rtx 3080 PC is used for editing photos and video mostly. My laptop collects dust in my TV entertainment center . It really is lifestyle choice that determines the best experience.
They should just build chonky gaming laptops without the battery and desktop specs due to not needing to rely upon a battery. Purpose being you get the whole package of monitor, keyboard, slim form factor, maybe more shock resistant, and mouse pad for convenience when you need to quickly check something. Basically a desktop for the person that very rarely uses it like a laptop.
Everyone has different opinions just for me I want more portable. I heard there is a mini small size PC. It’s good for gaming and you can use it to plug against external graphic card and make it as affordable around maybe $1000 cheaper
I want a small form factor PC as my home network storage or server
Is it possible to make a flat "tiny pc"
I like it when Legion laptops have only like 2 usb on the side and the rest of the I/O is on the back...
I game on my couch with a gaming laptop and my next upgrade will definitely be a sub 8 litter case since i no longer need to game on the go. (Probably will wait for next gen of gpu and will try to be low wattage as possible)
Ive been wanting to build a tiny PC for music production. I am lowkey waiting for you to put out your portable case design. Just saying
just allocate more on cpu ram and sound system
ive watched lowend 6 cores struggles w 20+ layers which is basic for music producing
A tiny PC can't do some of the things a laptop can (e.g., take it on vacation, during a trip, start it up in the train or car). A tiny PC is a good addition, but a gaming laptop is an all-rounder.
Do you think a gaming laptop provides ample power for productivity? I'm headed to college and need something that is small and somewhat portable. I plan to do rendering with software like blender, maya, etc. I've been debating between building a sff with a 4070 ti super or going with a gaming laptop. Would love to hear your opinion! Thanks
If you have never owned a gaming laptop, go ahead. Keep in mind, they draw power. Power makes heat, heat consumes components. 2 suggestions " I " would make to you is, consider the latest Framework laptop. and failing that, an M3 Apple Probook. That's my 2 cents Jay ! I personally " cherish " my MACbook Pro 2014 and have to stay on top of thermals ATT.
Gaming laptops are great for that stuff. I'd suggest to take a look at JarrodTech and JustJosh for their laptop reviews. Both are fantastic and will help determine what kind of laptop to get
Like laptops, Sff PCs are also only really viable if you have disposable income because itx motherboards, psus and cases are disproportionately more expensive. To make the most out of each $ (majority of the demographic) Matx is the way. Easier to manage thermals too
The latency with frame generation is very high for a pc. Definitely not recommanded in any fast action games.
If you want something portable, something to use anywhere, a laptop is better. If you want something transportable, something you can set up at a table somewhere, a sff PC is better.
been contemplating recently but realised from this video the fan noise is what would put me off a laptop
Using a laptop as a desktop for the long run, wouldnt it ruin its battery life ? What to do in this case plz?
Combine a cheap utility laptop with a desktop that's either standard sized or small form factor, depending on how often you need to move it around. You can get a cheap laptop and a gaming desktop for about the price of a gaming laptop, and you'll have two working machines - one that's highly portable and power efficient, while the other offers raw performance and a lot of upgrade options.
@@arthurwintersight7868buying 2 devices that do the same thing doesn't sound like a solution to the inquiry at hand; which is whether or not the battery would degrade over time...the solution would be to buy a new battery if possible or just leave it plugged in if not traveling.
I've had both gaming laptops and and DIY SFF PCs. And I can easily say that I will never own another gaming laptop. The only use case that makes having a gaming laptop worthwhile is if you travel a lot
If you're a road warrior and can game privately in hotel rooms or some other private space, then SFF PCs are great. If you game in public in libraries, coffeeshops, or even (if you dare) at work where there's a power outlet, then a gaming laptop is obviously the best unless you're an exhibitionist and desire weird looks from others. If you are constantly on the go in public transport, from buses, trains to aircraft, then a handheld is best, along with a beefy powerbank.
I don't get the fascination with high fps