[candi987]

I'm upgrading my old laptop and not sure exactly what to do - Got a desktop sitting (dead) in my office and use the laptop out of necessity.

Seen this computer and thought specs seemed good for price etc HP Pavilion P6-2190EA Desktop PC, Intel Core i7, 3.4GHz, 6GB RAM, 2TB

Buy HP Pavilion P6-2190EA Desktop PC, Intel Core i7, 3.4GHz, 6GB RAM, 2TB online at JohnLewis.com


But then seen this Samsung NP355V5C 15.6 inch Laptop (Silver) (AMD A10 4600M 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, DVD SuperMulti DL, LAN, WLAN, Webcam, Dual Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premioum 64-Bit)

Samsung NP355V5C 15.6 inch Laptop (Silver) (AMD A10 4600M 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, DVD SuperMulti DL, LAN, WLAN, Webcam, Dual Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premioum 64-Bit): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

and as a fan of Samsung i'm confused! Also laptop has graphics card so may be better for gaming? I'm after a machine that will allow me to play Minecraft and a few PC games e.g Left 4 Dead.

HELP

[LJx]

The CPU in the desktop is on another planet compared to what is in the laptop, the Core i7 2600 is one of the best around, if you installed a £50 graphics card in that PC even the gaming performance would be much better than the laptop. The laptop will be able to play the games you mention but you can buy a £350 laptop that can do just as well.
I would definitely avoid John Lewis too, you can get much better deals from the computer shops on desktop PC's eg. CCL, Scan, Aria

[brookheather]

If you want to play Minecraft (or other games) avoid an Intel laptop with integrated graphics as it struggles - go for something like the AMD models listed above or if you go Intel you will need dedicated graphics.

[matt1]

There are a number of reasons I'd recommend the desktop over the laptop, some of which have already been mentioned. You can build a very capable system yourself for not a lot of money if you have the confidence/know how (it's not difficult), otherwise buy a pre-built as mentioned from a reputable retailer.

Form factor is a big deal and despite having used solely a laptop for 2 years of work/gaming, moving back to a desktop solution was sublime.

Unless you really require the portability/form factor offered by a laptop, go for the desktop.