Laptop or a mini PC?

[toadofsky]

So my wife and I are batting the idea around of building a tiny house and moving into one. So far, it's simply talk, not a full blown thing, since we have to check out an ideal location, city ordinance laws, etc.. Given that it's a very minimalist lifestyle, I realize that we're going to have to do away with a lot of stuff. I have a very slim collection of games as it is, a mini SNES, a Wii U, and a PS4, and all of them are probably going to be gone minus of course whatever Nintendo does release in the future (I do plan in the near future to pick up that mini NES coming out). Most games coming to PS4 are going to PC anyhow minus exclusives which very few have really wowed me (Uncharted 4 and Ratchet and Clank remake the exception).

So here's my conundrum, should I invest in a good gaming laptop or maybe invest in a mini gaming PC? Granted, if we are able to travel around more, I could take the laptop with me, but the life expectancy of a laptop isn't very long especially if you start cranking the power like crazy (I don't plan to do that, though 60fps is something I want consistently). Now, I'm not a stickler on graphics, and I haven't been in on PC gaming in a while, and I'm really more interested in emulation of pretty much GameCube, DreamCast, and older hardware. Sure, I'll probably play modern games on it when I find something that interests me but it'll be a lot of emulation. I know that GC emulation via Dolphin has come a LONG way, and I'll probably be able to emulate PS2 easily as well given the proper hardware.

I'm looking at Alienware Alphas given their tiny size, but I also have friends that could probably build me a mini gaming PC capable of what I'm looking towards doing. The latter probably being my best bet.

What would be your suggestions? We are still ironing out the layout of the tiny house as well as what kind and if we'd be "on the grid". We may not even end up doing this depending on the ordinances in our area.

[vivianjames]

If emulating anything above the PS2 is your thing, then a gaming PC. Also you're going to miss out on lots of good modern games if you limit yourself with a gaming laptop.

[Deleted]

I bought a gaming laptop just about two years ago, and it still isn't showing its age yet. The problem there is that you have to pay twice as much as you would have for a regular desktop, and you can't upgrade it at all. I would say the desktop would be your best bet.

[Ace Whatever]

Portability shouldn't just be a perk of having a laptop over a PC, it should be about 90% of the reason. The other 10% being not hogging the presumably single TV in your living room if you and your wife plan on doing different things. Figure that out first.

Don't underestimate how demanding emulators for 6th gen consoles can be. I think you should make a comprehensive topic asking about the required specs and explaining your gaming plan in both the Dolphin and PCSX2's forums.

Dunno about the fps bit but that will probably push your specs requirements up even higher.

[elektrolurch]

Well, I use a Laptop with a dedicated graphics card. works ok, but for me, mobility and small size with computers is everything.

I am personally also thinking of getting a brixx gaming micropc, and I think this is something i would also suggest for you. Getting one is way cheaper than a laptop with the same power, the unit itself is bound to be even smaller;), plus you can mount it behind your tv so it basically takes up no space.

Recently I saw some old photos of LAN parties wie did as teenagers in 2002. It was crazy, remembering everyone had a big ass tower and a big ass crt, one car was needed to transport 3 systems.. glad those days are over.

[DrakeDwarf]

Jul 19, 2016 19:42:57 GMT -5 toadofsky said:

What would be your suggestions? We are still ironing out the layout of the tiny house as well as what kind and if we'd be "on the grid". We may not even end up doing this depending on the ordinances in our area.

See if you will have to move things frequently in your house - if yes, a laptop might be less hassle than a mini pc. Try and get your layout done first so you can decide do you want a better, cheaper pc or a laptop that doesn't have to worry about space.

[toadofsky]

Jul 19, 2016 22:17:30 GMT -5 vivianjames said:

If emulating anything above the PS2 is your thing, then a gaming PC. Also you're going to miss out on lots of good modern games if you limit yourself with a gaming laptop.

So far, I haven't felt like I'm missing too much. My taste in games has changed somewhat, and as I said exclusives haven't kept my interest quite so much as they used to.