Hello fellow Overwatchers! Like the question says should I build my own Desktop or buy an Alienware laptop.
Need more info like budget and usage. If you are going to just be gaming at home, desktop all the way, regardless if you build or buy. If you need the portability, then the choice should be clear.
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Thank you for your response! My budget is 1400 dollars, and I go to my grandmas every weekend so that is where I would be taking the laptop
Build a desktop. You’ll get more performance and probably pay less than what you’d get for with a laptop
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Personally I went with the “build your own” route.
It allows you to customize to match your budget much better, and allows you to upgrade components at a time without getting a whole new pc.
Plus, if/when something goes wrong, you’ll be in a much better position to fix it yourself, instead of paying through the nose for a repair shop to take a look.
If I were on the go more often, I would likely invest in a good gaming laptop.
As it stands, I heartily recommend a “DIY” desktop.
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If space or time, then Desktop
If less space or not that much into building, then prebuilt laptop.
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If you are gonna be moving a lot, use the laptop. I bought my Alienware 13 about 5 years ago and it still runs current games at good settings (default settings and up). If you got the know how and are gonna mostly be in one place Desktop, as good ones can be built really cheap.
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So It sounds like Alienware laptops last awhile
Ye, just finished my first year of uni with it, had it since I got it on sale as a high school freshman. Works great for gaming and school work.
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If you’re traveling a lot, go with the laptop. Desktops are a pain in the butt to continually move about, nor are they really designed for it.
That’s awesome! I’m a sophomore in high school right now lol
I prefer to build my own desktops. This allows me to control more intimate things like not getting a computer loaded with “bloatware” (something that HP and Dell is notorious for). If it comes time to get a new Laptop, I prefer the ASUS Republic of Gamers series. Speaking of which… I really need to get a new laptop, my 4 year old ROG has served its time well… 
If you are looking to build your own and want to plan ahead on building the most optimized system for Overwatch be sure to check out my maximizing performance for PC article in the technical support forum:
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I would build, personally. They come out to be cheaper (generally), and it’s a lot easier to upgrade bits and pieces.
And you know exactly what you are getting.
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If you’re going to be traveling with so often and can afford it then you’d be better off with the laptop.
Still, while Alienware is consistently decent and I’ve personally been reasonably happy with them, they are pretty damn overpriced and you can probably get a stronger laptop for less if you shop around a bit.
With Ryzen and cases like asrock DeskMini a300 + mobile display I would never recommend a gaming laptop ever again - and I used them for like 10 Years+.
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Never buy a pre built desktop. If you can plug things into things and use a screwdriver you can build a pc. Loads of vids on yt showing you the steps.
Personally I would build a desktop and use the money saved from not going alienware to buy a switch and bring that to grandmas place on weekends
I can chime in here… both having been building systems on and off since 1991 and owning something like six Alienware laptops and two desktops since 2010…
The laptops are generally good, but can run hot. I would avoid the “mobile” ones right now, the really thin ones. The “regular” are better all around, but heavier. The desktops are a good buy if you get the price down. I am on an 8700K AW Aurora as we speak, liquid cooled, I love it. That being said, quality of internal components is not as good overall as say custom built, but… here’s the thing, Dell tests components for a systems before final design through tens of thousands of tests for stability… you cannot do this on your own, and quality of components doesn’t guarantee compatibility. Something to consider.
And last, don’t hesitate to return a laptop if its flawed, Dell is very good about it in most cases.
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Thank you for your answer!
Agreed, I really like my Asus laptop it runs this game maxed out with good framerate. Plus I can play Overwatch while being comfy on my bed so there’s that.