I'm a college student who usually plays games in bed and don't have room for a desk. I'm considering building a desktop because I want to play demanding AAA games and have the option to upgrade components later. Gaming laptops with similar performance seem much more expensive and aren't as upgradeable. Since I can't use a TV, is there a practical way to connect the desktop to my laptop and use the laptop's screen and controls? I'm new to PC hardware, so I'd appreciate an explanation of how it would work and what limitations I should expect.
1 Answer
The most practical option is to run the games on the desktop and stream the video to your laptop using software such as Sunshine and Moonlight. The desktop handles the graphics, while the laptop acts as the screen and sends your keyboard or controller input back. You’ll want a strong home network, preferably wired Ethernet for the desktop and a good 5 GHz or 6 GHz Wi-Fi connection for the laptop. College or dorm networks may block or throttle this kind of traffic, so test the network before committing to the setup.
Would streaming reduce the graphics requirements? I’m guessing the desktop still needs the graphics card to run the game, while the laptop mostly decodes the streamed video.