Help with a gaming computer - which of those options would be better?

[Erasculio]

Hello,

I'm trying to find a replacement for my gaming computer. I'm in Brazil, and since we have a lot of unreliable sellers here, it's usually safer to buy a pre-built system from one of the big brands. I have a few options:

A. Laptop:

• 8ª Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK
• Windows 10
• RAM: 32GB, DDR4, 2666MHz, (2x16GB)
• Graphic card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080, 8 GB GDDR5X
• Hard disk 01: SSD PCIe 256GB
• Hard disk 02: 1TB (7200 RPM)

B. Desktop:

• 8ª Intel® Core™ i7-8700 (3.2GHz)
• Windows 10
• RAM: 16GB, DDR4, 2400MHz
  
• Graphic card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 6 GB, GDDR5
• Hard disk 01: 256GB SSD
• Hard disk 02: 2TB (7200 RPM)

C. Laptop:

• Intel® Core™ i7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7 GHz
• Windows 10
• RAM: 32 GB DDR4 (2400 MHZ)
  
• Graphic card: 2x SLi NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X)
  
• Hard disk 01:SSD M.2 - 256GB
• Hard disk 02:HD 2TB - 5400 RPM
  
• This one is from a less reliable seller, so I'm kinda worried about it

Which of the above would be best for my situation?

My current computer, for the sake of comparison, is:

Desktop:

• Intel Core i7-2600
  
• Windows 7
  
• RAM: 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz (4x2GB)
  
• Hard disk 01: 256GB RAID 0 (2 x 256GB SATA 3Gb/s) Solid State Drive
  
• Hard disk 02: SATA with 1TB (1024GB) 7200 RPM 3.0Gb/s - 32MB cache
  
• Graphics card: 2xATI Radeon HD 6950 2GB each w/ CrossFireX™

I bought that computer in 2011, and I'm hoping to get something that will last at least 6 years. I don't really like laptops - I'm not going to use the extra mobility for anything -, it's just that I have access to more laptop offers than desktops.

Answering questions from the sticky:

1. What is this computer for? Gaming with high settings, ideally for around 6 years.

2. Budget: don't worry about that. I have more issues with having few reliable sellers.

3. What country I'm buying things from: Brazil (go World Cup! ).

4. First two options are from Dell, the third is from Avell.

5. No brand preference. Don't have many options anyway.

7. No overclocking.

8. Resolution of 1900x1200

Any help, please?

 

[DaveSimmons]

A desktop is better since you can replace the graphics card and add RAM. The desktop processor will also be faster.

Does Dell (or their Alienware brand) not offer the GTX 1080 ti card for dektops? With the GTX 1060 you will need to replace it sooner. Also, what is the power supply in watts for the desktop Dell? (You can probably do a Google search to find out)

Acer also makes pretty good gaming desktops if they sell in Brazil.

 

[Erasculio]

Does Dell (or their Alienware brand) not offer the GTX 1080 ti card for dektops?

Unfortunatelly, they don't sell Alienware desktops here. The best I could get from them are the Alienware laptops (option B above), but even those don't have the GTX 1080 ti, only the GTX 1080 (at best).

Acer is more or less the same - the best laptop they offer has only 16 GB of RAM and a GTX 1050 ti, and their best desktop has only a GTX 1060.

There isn't much of a market for pre-built high end PCs around here. There are more offers of gaming notebooks than desktops, which is very unfortunate since I would rather have a desktop myself.

 

[aigomorla]

C. Laptop:

• Intel® Core™ i7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7 GHz
• Windows 10
• RAM: 32 GB DDR4 (2400 MHZ)
  
• Graphic card: 2x SLi NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X)
  
• Hard disk 01:SSD M.2 - 256GB
• Hard disk 02:HD 2TB - 5400 RPM
  
• This one is from a less reliable seller, so I'm kinda worried about it

The price of such a system with a 8700k + sli 1080 would be so astronomically high it would honestly be cheaper to get a desktop PC from Dell direct in USA, and have it shipped to Brazil even after paying custom tax.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/customize.php?productid=1356

Just customizing it from Sauger alone im seeing a price tag of
$4,138.00

It honestly seems a bit out of place in the list you gave us.
You could honestly buy the top 2 together and still be cheaper then this.

The middle choice desktop is too underpowered compared to the top and bottom.
Its not even in the same class as the laptops.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Are there any decent local stores around you that you can trust to do custom builds and will use name-brand parts like ASRock / Asus motherboards?

It's also really easy to build a PC yourself if you can find any reliable part sellers that will honor warranties in case you get a bad part.

 

[Erasculio]

The price of such a system with a 8700k + sli 1080 would be so astronomically high it would honestly be cheaper to get a desktop PC from Dell direct in USA, and have it shipped to Brazil even after paying custom tax.

Heh, everything is ultra expensive here.

Option A would cost US$ 5.777,57

Option B would cost US$ 2.043,09

Option C would cost US$ 7.565,47

Buying a desktop in the USA and having it sent to Brazil would likely cost 10 times more than that, because they are completely insane over taxes here. As in, way, completely, over the top insane. Plus it wouldn't have warranty, and for something that expensive I'm hoping to get a full warranty of at least 3 years, ideally 6.

That's life here. Not much I can do about those prices, other than saving a lot and trying to buy something that will last a while.

It's also really easy to build a PC yourself if you can find any reliable part sellers that will honor warranties in case you get a bad part.

The issue is in finding the reliable part sellers. Most wouldn't hold warranties.

 

[aigomorla]

goto america...

Buy a laptop here at best buys with cash.

Then take it with you on the plane back to brazil as a carry on.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Ouch!

Option B sounds like by far the best choice at those prices.

The i7-8700 CPU is great and will last 6 years. 16 GB RAM is plenty for gaming and it will be easy to add more RAM if you ever need it.

The 1060 is a good card for 1080p resolution. You can also replace it with a faster next generation card (GTX 1170 / 2070) next year and will still have $3,000-5,000 left over compared to the laptops. You could try putting in a 1080 now, but you'd need to see if the power supply is strong enough.

For the warranty you can keep the 1060, and put it back into the case if you need a repair.

 

[Campy]

What you ideally want is a desktop with a 8700K and a GTX 1080 or 1080 Ti. I agree with above poster that option B looks the best, when taking price into consideration.

The desktop with GTX 1060 is a significant improvement over your current setup, but you should plan to upgrade the graphics card at some point if you want the system to last 6 years, even at 1900x1200 @60Hz.

 

[Erasculio]

Not considering the price, would option A be significantly better than B? I wouldn't mind paying more as long as it's a significant advantage.

 

[Campy]

The CPUs are roughly equal between A and B, so what it comes down to is the graphics card. Is the 1080 better than the 1060? Yes, absolutely. But the price difference between a 1060 and 1080 is usually $200-250 USD, not $3700, it's definitely not worth it. (I'm sorry but it's very difficult to ignore the price when it's possible to build a monster rig just for the price difference )

This is assuming the laptop has a desktop version of the 1080, not an underclocked mobile version. If it's the mobile version it's an even worse value proposition and less of a performance advantage.
Also we're ignoring potential cooling issues and noise output that high end gaming laptops often have.

For the amount of money you're willing to spend you should be able to get a top of the line dream PC, but I understand you're in a bit of a difficult situation and need to compromise. Have you tried contacting Dell to see if they could build you a machine similar to option B but with a better graphics card?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Also, you could buy a second complete new desktop PC in 2 years and still save $1,777.

I agree about e-mailing or online chatting with Dell to see if they can build you a desktop with a GTX 1080 or 1080 ti. They might sell them by special order and just not list them on their website. It's worth a try to save $3,000

 

[Erasculio]

Thanks everyone for the insights, as usual this community is incredibly helpful. Option B it is, then.

For the amount of money you're willing to spend you should be able to get a top of the line dream PC, but I understand you're in a bit of a difficult situation and need to compromise. Have you tried contacting Dell to see if they could build you a machine similar to option B but with a better graphics card?

It's incredibly frustrating. I'm almost throwing money on my screen and they're not willing to sell. I tried getting in touch with Dell, but they just said "no".