Starting out: Should I get a Desktop or a laptop?

Hello, im gonna need to get a good gaming PC to catch up with modern humans when it comes to gaming. I haven't played games for so long now and im not a console gamer. I mostly play games (or used to) on medium settings on one of my laptops, nothing 'gaming experience' though. Last game I ever played was uh, MW2.

So let me start out by saying that even though I play games on the PC, I am a computer illiterate for the major part. Building my own PC would really be a hassle as I have to go into guides on how to build them and im a slow learner. If im gonna get a desktop im gonna have to pay someone to build it for me. Besides, let me mention that i've always been a laptop kinda guy as I get around in lan parties with my friends and whatnot. If i would want to get a desktop ill have to go though all the process of buying a desk to a mouse. But I really do wanna get to play a game on the PC without me having thinking "OH, I sure do suck because of my PC!"

So lets talk money. Im starting college now just to let you have a good idea. I currently have $4000 and im not willing to pay all of that on a gaming set. I also have no job (Please go ahead and laugh at me). I do get an allowance of $270 dollars a month (laugh at me more for mooching of my parents). But im also a very greedy man and over protective of my money (because it makes my heart bleed that im wasting my parents money and playing with it). I don't know specific prices now but i know a gaming laptop takes way much more. I myself would prefer a laptop but don't wanna feel like I wasted money and could have gotten the same specs on a desktop for a lower price. I also don't wanna worry about not being able to play future games.

What would be the best thing for me to do: get a laptop for both college work and gaming? Or get a whole desktop gaming set like most PC gamers out there?

Determine what method is my first step!

Get a gaming PC + a netbook for school.MonsieurX

In all honesty, building a PC is not difficult. If you know how to use a screwdriver and can follow directions, you're good to go. Building a PC as oppossed to buying a pre-built is gonna save you money and give the option of being upgradeable down the road. A lot of pre-built computers aren't able to be fully upgradeable, as they build them that way. On the flipside, buying a pre-built gaming computer is gonna run you a lot. I built a gaming PC for about $850, and it's able to run all newer games at high settings with ease, plus I can tinker with it as the years go by.

Go to newegg.com. There are a lot of resources available for choosing components, and they are just a good company to buy from. I'm also extremely computer illiterate, but ounce I started, the knowledge started building on itself. I now know about 500% more about computers and components then when I started.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw

Check these videos out, and if you still don't think you can build one yourself... well I don't know what to say. Believe me, it's WELL worth the effort. There is much more pride in what you've accomplished, and you will actually know what all those high-end components you invested in can do!

A good gaming laptop isn't easily portable!

The whole idea of a laptop is mobile, you can buy a 300-400$ 13,6" laptop that work just great for your class'es and a 1.2k desktop to play all the games you want.

Or you can dish out 1300-1400$ for a move-able heavy chunk of nonupgradable laptop that eats battery.

I would get the best of the two, a fully capable small cheap laptop and a good gaming PC with bells and whistles that can be upgraded for some kind of longlivety.

well if you think you're going to be on the move alot then a laptop would be good for you, otherwise a desktop is best. I say get a decent quadcore sandy bridge desktop and a cheap laptop for low end occasional gaming. A decent desktop would cost you about $800 without any of the extras like a monitor and desk, but with that included it will cost about $1200. Gaming laptops would also come to about $1200. If I had to pick i'd recommend getting a decent desktop, and then a cheap AMD APU based laptop for on the go and for some light gaming.

Gaming laptops are pretty expensive while for $4000 you probably could get a good gaming PC; however, the better solution would be that you could get a gaming PC and a cheap laptop for school for half that.

Get an i5 2500k, 6950/560 ti, 8GB RAM, P67 motherboard, 600+w good brand PSU desktop. If you build it would be about $800-$900. Prebuilt more like $1300-$1400. Also, as others have mentioned, get some cheapo netbook for your classes.

Learning how to build a computer is easier than learning how to drive, yes is that easy, heck is as easy as learning to ride a bike. Though you may want to stick with mid tower or smaller if you want the flexibility to haul it from dorm and home.

I would reccomnd reading up how to build one, its really no harder than putting lego's together. As everyone is saying get a desktop and then a cheap laptop

For the best possible gaming PC you can do, go with a desktop by far!!!

Ill Echo what the others have allready said, get a stationary for gaming, and a laptop for school (and such) There are a bit of advantages havint it split up, like if something messes up you STILL have your work on the laptop :P

And able to move documents from the lappy to the desktop for storage if you need an extra backup.

A Gaming Laptop usually aint worth it, they get too hot, have too short a lifecycle (due to the heat), eats up battery, is heavy as hell, and overall clunky to have. + It will almost never match a desktop, oftentime noteven a midrange desktop (the Lappy GPUs almostalways perform WAY worse then thier desktop counterparts).

So it will be cheaper to have two seperate systems, way more neat and tidy, and less headaches overall. And no worry about not being able to build one yourself, PC shops tends to give pretty good offers on average.

If you are strapped for cash you could in theory go withour a lappy completely, but for schoolwork those sure are nice :\

Thank you everyone, i'll have to go with the process of determining whether I can build a PC myself or not and then go from there on. But ill take all of your advice on not getting a gaming laptop, ill get a laptop for school and a stationary desktop for games.

Thanks!

Honestly, it's probably possible to build a PC without any outside help or knowledge. Not saying you shouldn't study it, just saying it is much simpler than you would think. Only tricky part is front panel connectors, but those are easy too if you RTFM.