2nd desktop or laptop? Not moving around much.

[wowcraftify]

I am thinking of getting a second computer for gaming, I travel between two houses a lot and have my current computer at the house I spend roughly 70% of my time at which would be fine but after a few days I start having gaming withdrawals (it's bad I know), I also visit relatives for the weekend about once every two months (only really an arguement for a laptop). I have an ancient single core 2ghz pentium, 512mb ram & 80gb hdd at the house where I spend the rest of my time that bugs the hell out of me. So my question is should I buy a laptop or a 2nd desktop system, I will use it almost exclusively for web browsing & gaming & have about £600-£650 to spend, my brother has a spare 1680x1050 monitor and I already have nice peripherals for the ancient relic that I'd use if I got a desktop.

What could I get out of a laptop for that money? I was thinking of looking for a dual core i3/i5, 8gb ram & gt740/750 or equivalent which I know isn't great but can play all games just about. Alternatively what could I get out of a desktop for the money? (Some example parts aren't on the PCS website, but they are merely examples) Maybe an i5 3330 (3ghz quad better than a good i3 I suspect) + an ATX asus board, 8gb ram & a gpu somewhere between a 7850 and a gtx 760/660ti. After reading this what do you think is the best option or as a secret option 3 I could buy a logitech G27 & then some more awesome peripherals + sennheiser PC360.

Thanks in advance.

 

[keynes]

mini desktop with an AMD cpu or skyfire for £699.

 

[Grimezy]

Mini pc would be a good shout, I personally have a bit of a soft spot for the BitFenix Prodigy cases.

You'll be paying a big premium for a laptop so it depends really how often you see yourself using it when you visit relatives, etc.

What about a cheap self-build for £500-£600 if you haven't done it before?

 

[wowcraftify]

Thanks for the replies, I never thought of a mini pc, I'll probably give a laptop a miss and look into a mini pc with carry handles. I would've mentioned self builds grimezy but I didn't know if it was allowed on the PCS forum, I've done a few in the past and quite a lot for friends who haven't the foggiest. How are small cases & tiny motherboards for expansion slots and beefy PSUs etc & going off topic but are PCS customers allowed to discuss a self build on the forum (obviously not in the sales advice section but I mean in general discussion) or am I best just going to tomshardware or some other forum?

 

[mishra]

I know how it sounds but would a console not be a better option for casual gaming in the other house Even PSP or something portable if you want.

 

[wowcraftify]

I already own an xbox 360 & ps3 (1 for each house) but they just don't come close to a good PC, it's so much more convenient to have a nice desktop because I use it for everything.

 

[keynes]

Case
COOLERMASTER 120 ADVANCED CASE + 450W PSU
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Processor i5-4570T (2.9GHz) 4MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H81I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7850 - DVI,HDMI,DP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 3 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5003AZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £617.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-top-spec-mini-pc/BHo0VbGcDn/