[Elizabeth]

My current PC for gaming is 8 months old. It works fine but I lust for new new new
The main question is do I buy a laptop? a PC box and screen? or build my own?
I built from scratch a XP back in 1999.. I liked it.
I like the ease of using a laptop. but I wonder how much better can an equal priced box CP be? ($1200) is my target.

[zoom25]

What is the purpose for this device? Do you need portability?

Are you fine with Mac OS or Windows? Any particular apps/requirements?

With laptops, I prefer 15" Macbook Pros and have used 4 of them in the past decade plus. Nowadays, even the lowest Macbook Airs have Retina screens. They are fantastic to look at and easy on the eyes with great colours. On the Windows side, the only laptop I'd consider is a Surface Laptop 3 given your price. Macs are my #1 choice when it comes to laptops.

I love the Surface Laptop/Book (3:2) and Macbooks (16:10) because of their aspect ratio. Given the smaller screen size (13-15") they operate at, their aspect ratios allow them to do be useful for actual work. Most laptops tend to be 16:9 which isn't great for productivity IMO unless you plan on just watching movies on them.

You can either build a PC from scratch with buying all the components, or get something like a Intel NUC and Mac Mini and simply add a screen. You'll need a decent monitor to match the ones that come with the Macs.

With the Intel NUC (4 inch x 4 inch footprint), you only need to buy storage (SSD) and RAM. It took me 5 minutes to install it. Everything is already built in and you don't have to worry about compatibility or assembly. Plug those in and then install your OS of choice. I chose to go with Windows 10 LTSC. It's the best version of W10 and just gets out of the way, no-nonsense feel like Mac OS. The OS installation took an hour at most. I have a NUC for Roon, Spotify, and media playback. I can't hear the fan whatsoever and it hides in the room consuming little electricity.

[glynnw]

Keep in mind where you want the PC (or mac) to be and where you will sit.  I use a NUC in a fan-free case with a wall mounted TV behind the speakers as the monitor.  I can run JRiver with a wifi mouse from where I sit or use a Kindle or whatever to control it without the TV.  For me getting up to look at a laptop screen whenever I want to change something is a non-starter.

[FullRangeMan]

Build a PC yourself if you can or order someone build for you, I use a Nvidia 630 video board for two big monitors what I rec for you. A laptop can not be repaired easily or at low cost, the keyboard is laughable and does not allow fast typing, the video monitor is a postcard size and all this are battery powered 

[WGH]

Interesting question. I haven't built a computer in years, ever since games became too hard and first person shooters make me car sick. My i7 Asus motherboard keeps chugging along.

I always upgraded because the processor and graphics card were always too slow for the latest game. I like a mid-tower case because of all the stuff I can pack in, backups and storage are faster than a USB device. I like a bigger screen and my old indestructible full size IBM keyboard too. But I am locked in one seat without any portability.

I'm always amazed you can type anything in Google and get an answer, just for fun I typed in "$1200 gaming pc"

Amazing $1200 gaming PC build to dominate 1440p in 2020
https://pcgamehaven.com/amazing-1200-dollar-gaming-pc-build-1440p/

I have a new Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD mentioned in the article. It replaced a Samsung 850 EVO (which I put in my music server) and it is noticeable faster.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Build your own.  Take a few weeks  and buy parts as they go on sale or have rebates.  I built a high end desktop for music (no video card) with a Fractal Design quiet case and added low noise Noctua fans for much less than prebuilt- $1000.  You can even download windows for free it you don't want all the bells and whistles.

Or buy and customize a computer hear- https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/page/Intel/i7/?gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbty474E5423mSAMxuXDKCz9a_ErxB7xeFbnvKteqzXtaFBAIAyhtekhoCOQAQAvD_BwE

I have bought 3 computers from them over the years and have built 3 on my own.

The best time to build is a week or two before black friday since just about everything is on sale and/or comes with a rebate.

[Mag]

IMO it will depend on type of games you are playing.

The other day I was using photoshop on my laptop. I couldn't see very well with anything, I guess I've gotten use to a 55" monitor.

So for me the priority is HDMI output so that you can hook up to big screen TV. With a laptop I believe there is a Clone mode which I forget how to use. A laptop for me however is a PIA.

[jules]

Build! Cooling can be a big prob for high speed laptops, largely because the compact design can limit the cooling sinks on the processors and the air flow in, through and out of the units. A separate fan base is only partial solution.

[srb]

If you buy or build a computer that has one or more M.2 PCIe slots, you can get a Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 drive for 6X to 7X the read and write speeds of a standard SATA SSD.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

If you decide to build, take a look at this Fractal Design case.  I bought one for my music computer and it is the best case I have owned.  It is quiet, has spots for multiple fans and multiple pull out dust screens. 

Here is a video on it-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRZIdbdcIiU

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1561224-REG/fractal_design_fd_ca_def_r5_bk_define_r5_black.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0rr4BRCtARIsAB0_48OU1qH5hQPihIASrYsoyN7KrMDk3B_fgm1sc1fo-x4quDHqs8D4xogaArv1EALw_wcB

I think you can get it for less.  I bought mine on sale for $89.  The do have versions with glass but they are not as quiet.