Gaming Rig Recommendations - Small Form Factor Rig Needed for FIFO Worker (Budget $2000 - $2500)

xdigger on 04/06/2021 - 11:02
Last edited 04/06/2021 - 13:30 by 1 other user

Hi guys, my current gaming rig is close to ten years old now and I'm thinking of getting a new one. I mainly play games like Counterstrike GO, Starcraft, GTA, year old COD/BF.

I have a FIFO job spending up to a month interstate so need something portable that can be chucked into my checked-in luggage on flights for weekends gaming. I suppose I could hand carry a 24 inch monitor onto a flight.

Any recommendations for pre-built small form factor gaming rigs + 24 inch monitors with built-in speakers? My budget for rig + monitor is around $2000-2500. I guess the limiting factor would be my portability/small form factor requirement. I had a look at this Aftershock Impulse built. A AMD Ryzen 5 3600X + RTX 2060 6GB + 16GB RAM + 1TB SSD combo would cost around $2200.

https://www.aftershockpc.com.au/welcome/ProductconfigRec/imp…

What is the Ozbargain opinion on this? Happy for custom rig enthusiasts to make me recommendations for small form factor rigs. Cheers.

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • djkelly69 on 04/06/2021 - 11:09
    +17

    If there was ever a case for someone needing a gaming laptop, this is definitely it…

    • xdigger on 04/06/2021 - 11:20

      Haha fair point, I thought it would be better specc-ed + cheaper to get a desktop vs laptop but I see your point. Wouldn't hurt for me to have a look at gaming laptops I guess. Do you have any recommendations?

      • FireRunner on 04/06/2021 - 11:25
        +5

        With the current desktop GPU shortage, gaming laptops are actually a more affordable option in some cases
        I assume that size and battery life aren't that important since you were willing to bring a desktop + monitor around.
        This deal seems to be pretty decent for the specs

      • jiberz on 04/06/2021 - 11:40
        +3

        Piece of advice with gaming laptops. Some of the lighter ones while having good specs have heat issues. I have an I7 with 2070 in it and had to undervolt and limit the cpu to stop it from thermal throttling. Same with gpu but to a lesser extent. So if you are doing a comparison to desktop build it won't be apples to apples.

        • xdigger on 04/06/2021 - 12:03

          Yeah precisely why I thought to go for a desktop build.

          I bought a specc-ed up $2.5k++ ultrabook laptop for FIFO work a couple of years ago and was frustrated with the constant thermal throttling issues even on opening multiple chrome tabs, hence why I thought I get a small form factor PC rig this time.

          • jiberz on 04/06/2021 - 12:26
            +1

            @xdigger: Doing the undervolt and reduce cpu frequency does work. I mean it games fine. I think you take about a 10% hit on what you expect it perform at. An ultrabook no way though. They are designed to be light and will have even worse issues. I have an ASUS basically the same as linked but about 2 years old and that is about as light as I would go. I had an alienware once and it was just too heavy and was a burden when traveling. I would say the small form factor 2060 in the prebuilt would perform or slightly worse than the notebook 2070. Desktop cards are just ridiculous now. I felt bad forking out 1500 on launch night for my 3080 but now I have no regrets.

      • ItsMeAgro on 04/06/2021 - 18:11

        I thought it would be better specc-ed + cheaper to get a desktop vs laptop

        It always was, by miles, until the Great GPU Shortage of 2021.

        Now sometimes a gaming laptop is actually OK value for money when compared to the current insanity in desktop GPU prices.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 04/06/2021 - 11:25
    +2

    Gaming Laptop bro the benefit of the portability and easy to pack up and set up almost anywhere would be worth it

    honestly you can get the high end gaming PC for 3-4k - it is more expensive then the desktop but in your case it is worth it

  • TheBird on 04/06/2021 - 13:38

    I had a look at this Aftershock Impulse built. A AMD Ryzen 5 3600X + RTX 2060 6GB + 16GB RAM + 1TB SSD combo would cost around $2200.

    That looks good for your gaming requirements.

    A laptop might be your go to thing. While they often have thermal throttling, you're likely to end up with a similar issue with small form case anyway. While not impossible, it's can be a tough to get decent cooling in small spaces.

  • frondono on 04/06/2021 - 14:29
    +1

    I've seen quite a few built into pelican cases etc. for on the go with triple monitor setups that have quite beefy specs. I know some field engineers would use this sort of setup and there's probably companies to make it.

    Just a quick search found this.

    https://old.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/b5z9g5/rate_m…

    • pharkurnell on 04/06/2021 - 18:23

      thats pretty kewl

    • FireRunner on 07/06/2021 - 13:33

      Haha, that's awesome.
      Carrying around a briefcase that's actually a gaming PC.
      Wonder what airport security will think of it

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