Should I Get an SFF PC or Gaming Laptop?

OblFa on 17/06/2025 - 11:55
Last edited 17/06/2025 - 12:17

I leave to study in the UK for my bachelors in October and I've been in a bit of a quandary regarding whether I should build an SFF PC or just buy a gaming laptop. I'll only be in the UK for about half the year and would be flying back and forth about 3 times a year so portability is important. My budget is about $3,000 to maybe stretching to $4,000.

I currently have a PC that's a few years old with an i5 11400f and RTX 2070 Super which is starting to show its age so I'm due for an upgrade regardless. My university work would be primarily web browsing and word processing so this new device or PC would only be for my gaming which is primarily competitive shooters, strategy games (My current PC is trembling at the thought of running EU5), and the occasional RPG. I'd like to have at least a current gen i7/R7 and a 5070 Ti tier GPU to last me the full 4 years.

I think I have three options at this point:

  1. Build an SFF PC which I lug back and forth. This would be the cheapest option and give me the most performance and the possibility of future upgrade. However, this is the least portable and would entail the most setup and preparation each time I move. I would also need to buy a basic laptop for schoolwork as my current one is on its last legs. (Maybe a used MacBook Air?)

  2. Buy a gaming laptop that I can use for both school and gaming in my dorm. I don't really want to lug a thick gaming laptop to all my lectures and tutorials as I value my back and not being judged by all my classmates. As such, I'd need a smaller, thinner gaming laptop that is discrete. This is the easiest and most portable option as I only need to bring one device around. I'm looking at the ASUS Zephyrus G14 5080 which I can get from Officeworks for about $4,000 after my employee discount, discounted GCs and claiming TRS.

  3. Buy a cheaper, thick laptop just for gaming and leave it in my dorm room whilst also getting a daily driver for class. I'd probably try and get a cheap 4080 laptop on clearance and a MacBook to accompany it. Still relatively simple to carry around but would mean taking care of two devices without the ability to upgrade the gaming laptop later down the line.

What do you guys think I should go with or is there another idea I'm missing? Or maybe I should just touch grass?

Poll Options

  • 5
    SFF PC
  • 10
    Zephyrus G14
  • 2
    Gaming Laptop and separate daily driver
Computing Computer Desktop Computer Gaming Laptop Laptop

Comments

  • Hybroid on 17/06/2025 - 12:01
    +6

    Are you going to study or play competitive shooters? Seems like your focus is at odds. Regardless, obviously a laptop makes more sense in your case.

    No one in Uni is judging you on anything. From your residence to personal look to clothes to laptop/phone choice. That's a poor mindset to have.

    • OblFa on 17/06/2025 - 12:15

      I'd like to think I could balance school and play there. I just completed a semester at UniMelb whilst working 25 hours a week and still found time to play. You're right that it's probably all in my head but at the very least, most gaming laptops don't make great daily drivers as they don't have great battery life and are pretty heavy.

      • Hybroid on 17/06/2025 - 12:37
        +5

        There's going to be people in Uni that can barely afford a used chromebook and eat plain rice daily with protein only once a week (true story), and others that rock up to class in a brand new Range Rover Supercharged in fancy designer clothing at 18 years old (also true story). No one cares what your personal situation is so leave that thinking behind.

        Appreciate there'll be a balance between study and downtime, that's fair. I would suggest make the most of being there too, explore UK in general and Europe. It's a great opportunity to do so and don't squander it completely. Laptop still the way to go for best balance.

        • OblFa on 17/06/2025 - 12:42
          +3

          I'm definitely aware of the privilege to go overseas for study and I do intend to make the most of it by travelling and seeing new sights and people. Thanks for the perspective!

  • SnowDragon on 17/06/2025 - 12:08
    +6

    Why not both? Get a decent slim laptop for uni work and once you get to the UK get a 2nd hand PC on Marketplace and just sell it once you're done. $4k for a laptop is nuts.

    If all you're playing is competitive shooters and strategy games you won't need a 5xxx series GPU. Most of the big competitive shooters run on toasters.

  • thomasdaley on 17/06/2025 - 12:10

    ASUS Zephyrus G14 5080 which I can get from Officeworks for about $4,000

    That's a huge discount šŸ˜® very envious.

    Probably better budget wise to get a last year gaming model and a cheap slim for school.

    But I'd get the g14

  • Cyphar on 17/06/2025 - 12:14
    +4

    value my back and not being judged by all my classmates.

    LOL what kind of mentality is this? My brother, you need to grow up.

    You buy what you can afford. Personally your 2070 Super is fine and will likely allow you to game for a few years still. Just be OK with turning down the settings. I have a 3060ti. I usually turn off Ray Tracing and Shadows and games still run fine for me. Hell, I would accept even playing on low settings these days and let the upscalers do their work if I have to.

    If you need a laptop, buy one only for your needs. Plenty of Surface Laptop 3's and HP Probook/Elitebooks going for around $400 - $500

  • skid on 17/06/2025 - 12:15

    Hardly ever recommend a laptop, but in your case, go option 2. Don't have much more to add to that, a poll would be nice.

  • ReaperX22 on 17/06/2025 - 12:17
    +2

    Imo.

    Grab a Macbook Air/pro and call it a day. You're overseas. Connect with people, go for mini trips around the UK to the country. Explore. And study as you need to. Unless you specifically have like… I dunno some clan e sport obligation, take a break from gaming. Or get a Steamdeck to accompany you for casual gaming.

  • barge-in hunter on 17/06/2025 - 14:25
    +2

    Middle ground;

    Portability focussed windows laptop with a thunderbolt 4/usb 4 egpu

    This may give you more performance than a gaming laptop and a smaller device to lug around - but you would probably need an external screen in your dorm room?

    Edit; my next ā€œgaming deviceā€ will be a handheld pc, dock, egpu setup

    • Switchblade88 on 17/06/2025 - 16:31

      This would be my vote. Get a lightweight versatile laptop and then an eGPU dock.

      Without any experience, can't a dock 'backfeed' the output to the laptop monitor? I don't think you need the screen directly connected to the docked GPU on modern TB4 laptops.

    • OblFa on 17/06/2025 - 19:45

      I thought that the performance loss with TB4/USB4 is pretty massive. Are there any reasonably priced laptops with TB5 or Oculink?

      • barge-in hunter on 17/06/2025 - 20:03

        Itā€™s not great with a very high end videocard, but Iā€™m assuming that if youā€™re happy with laptop gpu performance, then the tier of card you use wouldnā€™t be impacted too much in real terms

        Oculink is definitely better, but I suspect there arenā€™t many laptops with it yet

  • payless69 on 17/06/2025 - 17:38

    Depending what you study and what matters.
    Low weight the Mac Air M4 is grunty, fast and light.

    • jk82 on 18/06/2025 - 08:02

      But the game library available on macOS is abysmal.

      • payless69 on 18/06/2025 - 14:34

        A valid reason to study more and game less?

  • jk82 on 18/06/2025 - 08:10
    +1

    I think the laptop is probably the logical way to go. If you're wanting to build a SFF pc small enough to transport on a plane multiple times a year you'd be wanting a ~6L case, which means you'd be looking at something like a 4060/5060 low profile card anyway, so while it'd be cheaper, performance would probably be on par with a 4090/5080 laptop chip.

    Of course there's the downsides of the laptop with the battery, heat and all of that but yeah. It makes the most sense

    If it was me, I'd still do SFF and I'd be looking at something like a Velka 5 case… maybe even the Velka 3 but I'd spec it up and see what fits, probably with a 5060 low profile paired with a 7800X3D (the 9800x3d draws more power and requires more cooling). And then I'd get either a surface pro or I'd look for a second hand M1/M2 macbook air depending on remaining budget.

    At least then once you're done moving you could transplant it and upgrade the GPU and still have a beast.

  • trankillity on 18/06/2025 - 08:46

    Additional option/food for thought - if it's only a year, just use any old laptop (even a Chromebook would do by the sounds of it) and get a GeForce Now subscription. Only complication would come in the reliability of the university network.

    Then you can look to build again when you finish your studies.

  • lew380 on 18/06/2025 - 09:01

    Laptops are lame. Get a SFF PC. I travel for work weekly(FIFO) and take a SFF PC. I find that a 5L case is just about right for fitting in the locker and not being too bulky, yet that limits your GPU and CPU selection. I got a 5070 and a 9600x into a velka 5 case, with some undervolt it runs well. I'd look at a case that can squeeze in the 5070ti obviously as the 5070 is shit.

  • User0001 on 18/06/2025 - 09:33

    Get the MBA M1 thats going for $500.

    Spend the time overseas exploring, building connections, and travelling around. You're in Europe, there's so much to do.

    If you really need that gaming fix, play some emulators. Or you can use those online gaming streaming services temporarily if you have a decent internet connection.

  • DaKraken on 18/06/2025 - 15:55

    Another alternative is to buy the uni laptop here and get the gaming pc/laptop over there. You'll have much better choice in the UK for new or used gaming hardware.

  • jk82 on 19/06/2025 - 07:18

    https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/s/P4zIAH9cM5

    Spotted this build this morning. Might give you some inspo ;)

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