Laptop vs Small Form Factor?

Don't really know much about form factor PCs =/

Well a laptop has a battery.

Build a custom case with a micro atx, the main problem i see with this is the psu, i dont know any powerful and small one. This is the smallest case I've seen in person which could fit in a backpack http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy-m#specs

You can fit a full size GPU in mini ITX form factor. I think that's the smallest form factor possible for full power gaming PC. I'm not sure if that's portable enough for you, though. Look up Fractal Design Node 304 for size reference.

You can get a much smaller case if you use APU instead of GPU, but then you would lose quite a bit of performance.

Also, check this case.

Link to a guide
Basically I built something very similar.
Pictures (doesn't have a gpu though (only integrated), meant for office work etc)

The problems with this build (and small builds):

• it's going to be noisy (there are a bit larger cases from fractal design and cooler master that are more silent, but if you want this small it's going to be noisy - you can replace the cpu cooler for a silent one, but the gpu will be noisy especially if there are no case fans (such is the case here))
• may have temperature problems.
• The larger counterpart is going to be cheaper at same performance

I would recommend building it yourself:

• It's easier to upgrade at a later point
• it's going to be cheaper than pre built stuff (at same performance)

But it is totally doable - you have to choose the case first, that will ultimately determine what you can add and what you have to keep in mind

I posted this in another thread, was lazy and copy-pasted it here. For me the main selling point would be the upgradability. As you can see the build is small (it fits in my laptop bag easily).

The old laptop will work as a screen? Is that possible? Or it only takes video out.

I don't understand the use case. It sounds like you want a PC that you'll carry with you to use in various places that have power, but it's not clear how you'll carry it, what distances, how many places, how long you're going to use them.

Carrying a desktop, even a small one, would be less comfortable. It's not just the weight but the fact that you're carrying a box plus monitor plus keyboard. A USB monitor isn't good for gaming, so you'll probably want something better, and you'll probably want a monitor stand anyway.

That's not to say that the desktop way isn't practical in some constellations, but I think it would need special circumstances, and I can't tell what your are.

Also, given that you seem to be okay with a 1366x768 monitor, you're unlikely to need really powerful gaming hardware.

u cant use a laptop as monitor, they are dseigned only to send out data from the connector and not to recive, if u are and hardcore gamer or u are planning to play much on the go, yes probably if u have a power source is better a small for factor pc, at the moment asrock and gygabite are producing nice mini itx motherboards and with the right case and psu it could be somethin nice, if u dont have money problem u can go with the asrock m8 barebone series, its a really nice product. if u are not planning to play much maybe is better a laptop :)

Keep in mind that with a laptop you can't use it as a monitor for another computer. They just aren't made that way. You can hook up an external monitor to a laptop, but can't use its monitor on another computer.

Overall, I think a good portion of what is best is going to depend on the type of games you want to play on the go. Laptops definitely are much more suited for traveling since they fold up nicely and can fit quite well into a case. If you do go the route of a laptop, definitely get a mouse for it because gaming with a touchpad is a pain in the butt. You can get some nice small travel mice intended for laptops at least, I use a Targus Blue Trace one that is not even 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. If you want to be able to customize to a degree, go for a Sager because you do get a good amount of selection in what comes in it without also breaking the bank and that can be a nice compromise.

The real drawback though to a laptop is that it's really not possible to upgrade the GPU. You can increase the RAM, you can get more storage, but can't really change out the GPU at all. But at the same time, a small form factor is going to be more bulky for travel plus you'll have to lug around a monitor, keyboard and mouse. I can tell you from experience, desktop keyboards break much more easily when you lug them around, so you'll probably also want to invest in one of those keyboards that is flexible and can be rolled up. With the monitor you'll definitely have to pack it in such a way to ensure nothing can hit the screen. A laptop definitely has the advantage in ease of being able to pack it up. Just close the lid and remove anything plugged into it and shove it into the case and you are ready to go. Also, will you have a need to use the computer in places where you may not have power available? If so, definitely go laptop.

This is the smallest case I know of right now: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=89867&vpn=110-MA-1001-K1&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1315

Personally I would just go for a laptop and play indie or old games that don't ask for much power. If you can carry a small PC around though, I guess you could get a lot more gaming power.