I am not sure if this is possible or not so I am asking the great wisdom here on the Bethesda forums.

I am thinking of getting a newer laptop. Thing is do I get a desktop (is that what is called) or a laptop. What I was thinking of if I get a desktop computer can I hook it up to my Mackbook Pro earl 2013 and use that as a screen? Basically can I use my Macbook Pro as a monitor?

I like having a laptop so if I want to play games, I can still be beside my wife, not in another room playing games and also use it to take where ever I want. Now I want a newer computer to play games better and faster. So when we are down stairs could I say use my Mackbook Pro as a screen and have it connect to the desktop that would be beside the couch. Is that possible? I know I can hook up the desk top to the TV but 1) the graphics are not as nice on my lap top, and 2) can't use it if my wife wants to watch TV.

If this is not possible then I will just look at laptops that would let me play the games I want but knowing I will have a less powerful computer and not be able to upgrade if I got a desktop.

I tried the Steam streaming thing, sorry forget what they called it, and it seems jittery and not very smooth. Again could be my computers but want a nice smooth experience.

So if it can be done, how would I do it? What cables or what ever do I need to be able to do this? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Davor

I can't think of any remote control software to remote control your desktop from your Macbook that would be responsive enough for gaming. If Steam game streaming is stuttery for you, it probably has more to do with your network than the streaming software itself. For me, Steam's game streaming is very smooth, but I'm using it over a gigabit ethernet connection. Wifi tends to have higher latency and is much less stable than a wired connection. You might try Steam game streaming again using a powerline network adapter or something of that nature and see if it's more acceptable to you than the performance over your Wifi connection.

Desktops are definitely better bang for your buck than laptops, but if game streaming doesn't work for you and portability is a must, then that's the tradeoff you'd be looking at. I have a laptop for times that I need a portable machine, but I hate buying them because I know that they're a terrible investment compared to a desktop.

I'd get a desktop. Seems to me like they'd be easier to upgrade when the time comes.

Thank you for your comment. I guess I didn't explain myself enough.

Can I use a desktop computer, and use a cable to my Macbook so the Macbook is only a monitor and I would use a wireless mouse and keyboard on the desktop.

I like how the Macbook is nice and light and it's a Retina so the screen is nice. Just want to use is a monitor. Or is there monitors out there that I can use for my lap?

Now, this may all not stand correct as I never used apple products, so forgive me if it can't be done, but towers can definitely be hooked up on laptops and regular TVs, and I know for certain that laptops can be used on TVs and monitors as well. So tbh, if it has all the required plugs, I don't see why wouldn't your mac work with a desktop PC, unless Apple added something in that would prevent it from reading anything Microsoft related.

Which laptops have a video input that allows the display to be used as a monitor for another device? I'm not saying that they don't exist...I'm just not sure if I've ever seen one.

Not any device, but other laptops and PCs, I'm talking about VGA (my brother in law has one). Also, I didn't actually see those, but I've heard of laptops with HDMI-in sockets, I think I remember reading about someone playing his playstation 3 on his laptop's monitor.

Interesting. Yeah, not saying that they don't exist, but I've never seen one. The VGA/HDMI/etc. jacks on all the laptops I've every owned or used have always been output-only.

Here is another question I have. I am looking at some gaming laptops and they are the current version but why would I buy something 2.2 ghz when my 2013 Mac has a 2.7 ghz. I thought I read something about how these go up to 3.5 ghz but I don't know nothing about that.

So why would I buy a new 2.2 over an 2-3 year old 2.7 ghz? If so why? My processor is an i7. So I can't see how an 2013 2.7 ghz processor be slower than a 2016 2.2 ghz. Can someone please explain since I will have to explain to my wife, why something with lower numbers is actually faster.

Because clockspeed doesn't tell you how powerful the processor is. It only tells you how many cycles per second it performs. Different CPU architectures perform different amounts of work per clock cycle. If clockspeed determined CPU power, then there were Pentium 4 CPUs from a decade ago that would be as/more powerful than most current CPUs since they ran at very high clockspeeds.

Let's say you have two people that need to haul some water 100 meters to a reservoir. One has a 3,000 gallon tanker truck and the other has an 8oz. paper cup. The person with the paper cup can make about one round trip per minute. The person with the tanker truck can make one round trip every 10 minutes. Which one hauls more water per hour? The person with the cup is hauling with a higher frequency (clockspeed), but can only haul 8oz. at a time. This is how clockspeed relates to CPU power. Clockspeed can only tell you how powerful a CPU is if you factor in the average amount of work that the CPU can do per clock cycle. Without that information, clockspeed tells you pretty much nothing about how powerful the CPU is. When someone uses clockspeed to communicate how powerful a CPU is, it's a bit like communicating how much water someone can haul in terms of how many trips they can make per minute without also saying how much water they're hauling per trip.


So, while there were Pentium 4 CPUs that could run at stock speeds of 3.73GHz over a decade ago, they were hauling a lot less water per trip than modern CPUs do. That 3.73GHz Pentium 4 would have its doors absolutely blown off in benchmarks by a modern i5 running at 2.7GHz. That's one of the reasons that benchmarks are a much more effective way to assess a CPU than specs on paper.

Also, i7 just means that it's Intel's current high-end/pro model. Not all i7's are the same CPU architecture...in fact, it changes every generation. This generation's i5 is going to be significantly more powerful than a first-generation i7.

Thank you very much Softnerd. I didn't know that. So what should I be looking at when looking for a new laptop since it seems I can't connect a desktop to my Macbook Pro.

I saw some 2.2 ghz but not sure if that is good or not. Also what does it mean when "turbo boost" cpu? I saw 2.6 that says it can go to 3.5. I guess that means the processor can go faster to 3.5 ghz, but how is that done? Do we have to do that manual like over clocking in days past or is this done automatically and the computer decides to do this or not?

Technology has passed me by so I am not familiar with these new terms now and how things work.

It depends on the specifics. Do you have a model number or a link to a product info page?


"Turbo Boost" is a marketing-speak way of saying that the CPU can increase its clockspeed when it needs to. When the CPU is under heavy load, it can "overclock itself" to a higher clockspeed temporarily to accommodate a short-term need for more power. Essentially, it will top out at the maximum clockspeed until the CPU has been at high utilization for a certain amount of time. Then, it will temporarily increase its clockspeed up to the "Turbo Boost" speed until demand decreases or the CPU gets too hot to safely maintain the increased speed. CPUs these days are constantly changing their clockspeeds to strike a good balance between crunching power and low power consumption/heat levels. They also "underclock" themselves when there is low demand on the CPU to save power and keep the CPU cool. It also allows the CPU fan to throttle down so it's producing less noise.

Thank you once again greatly appreciated Softened. Just went to Bestbuy and Staples (wife knows someone who works there) and the guy at staples showed me the MSI Apache Pro ge62. I never herd of MSI. He said they only make gaming computers.

Here is a link I was looking at. http://www.staples.ca/en/MSI-Apache-Pro-GE62-6QD-274US-Gaming-Laptop-156-IntelCore-i7-6700HQ/product_1967874_1-CA_1_20001

I will see if they can knock down that price. Thing is, there was nothing at Best Buy and I like the idea of having an SSD hard drive in the game. I hate buying online since it's so foreign to me and my wife knowing the person might be able to get it cheaper or at least get something great with it support wise. I am shocked that the stores around me don't have much in high powered laptops since the price range is $1000 so not really suitable for gaming as you would know. Only thing I learnt from reading a lot of your posts.

So what do you think? What do you recommend? I live in Ontario Canada if that makes a difference.

was never a fan of msi personally, but mostly because of the terrible experience with one of their GTX 750 ti's (bought one once, had to RMA it 4 times in under 2 months)..


as for why you don't see your local stores carrying higher end laptops, they aren't in high enough demand.. most people who want that type of high performance go for a desktop, so you don't want a really expensive Laptop sitting on your shelf for so long it becomes antiquated.. if you really don't want to purchase online (which would be your best bet) you'd be better off going into a smaller locally owned shop (not a chain like Staples or Bestbuy) and telling them "hey, this is what I want, what do your suppliers provide that meets the criteria?"..



and as for Staples specifically, don't expect to get a whole lot of actual support from them.. an old acquaintance of mine from work had to go up there to set up their local server for them once, and he said their entire service department was a single machine that runs diagnostics, and afterwards they are sent into a regional facility for any actual service to be done.. so yeah, don't exactly expect good "Service" from staples as for the most part they are an office supply store (they don't actively have repair technicians on staff)..



as for the machine you linked, its not terrible (apart from being msi, which as i said i have had really bad luck with their hardware in the past, and i had to service an msi laptop once and getting at that fan/heatsink was a real pita).. however, I think you could find a better deal.. once again if your not comfortable ordering online (which once again is likely your best bet), i would sooner go see what a locally owned service shop could order you in, they would likely have a lower markup..

Staples in particular is known for flooding machines they sell with quite a bit of bloatware (granted, if you buy from them I would suggest a fresh install as soon as you get it home anyways)

Thank you funny bunny. Do you have any recommendations on online? For me it becomes trust and I just don't know what to trust. So if we are looking at a price range of $1500 Canadian, what would you recommend then? I am open to looking online now. The more options the more I can be informed correct? I will see what other shops are around me. I did go into a few of these shops and wasn't too impressed. But that was years ago. I might go tomorrow and check them out.

It would be nice to compare them to what you and who ever suggests.

Again thank you very much for your post greatly appreciated.