Author Topic: Recommendation for a new gaming laptop. (Read 11259 times)

Mako · « **on:** 2010-01-29 23:18:37 »

Hello all first off I'd like to apologize to Neocloudstrife I will hopefully be able to help you with the camera angles in soon

Well now here is the story I was working on an Opengl shader when poof!... BSoD (Freakin Vista) so I get a new GPU. A couple of days later AGAIN another BSoD so I tossed the PC in the closet of no return. So long story short I'm going to be out for a little wile...Sorry.

Now if you guys had to pick a 15" gaming laptop which one would you guys pick or you can offer you own suggestions...Budget $2000~#3000.

This one.
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g51jxa1-order-p-2724.html

Or this one (thou a 16").
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-studio-xps-16/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-xps-16&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=mn

P.S Looks are a plus for me I hate the way Sager/Clevo look. But I will use them if that's what you recommend.

Kudistos Megistos · « **Reply #1 on:** 2010-01-29 23:49:04 »

Gaming laptop? Do you need it to be a laptop? Because you can build a gaming desktop that'll easily outperform a laptop for a much lower price...

That said, out of the two you linked to, the Asus would probably be better for gaming AFAIK, owing to its better graphics card.

BTW, what kind of games are you intending to play? If you're playing games like Crysis, then you'll need something with a powerful graphics card, but if you're playing games that aren't very graphically intensive like World of Warcraft or The Sims or something like that, then a $1000 laptop will *easily* do everything you need.

sl1982 · « **Reply #2 on:** 2010-01-29 23:52:24 »

Well i dont know if this one is too big for u but i just placed my pre-order today

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=G73JH-A1&Category_Code=AS17&Product_Count=7

Jari · « **Reply #3 on:** 2010-01-30 00:01:01 »

Quote from: Kudistos Megistos on 2010-01-29 23:49:04

Gaming laptop? Do you need it to be a laptop? Because you can build a gaming desktop that'll easily outperform a laptop for a much lower price...

^ This. Does it absolutely have to be a laptop? Or, does the gaming and the laptopping have to happen on a single computer?

I'm almost willing to take Kudistos' claim even further; methinks for that money you'd be able to get a pretty decent gaming desktop and a laptop that's actually portable and does not have battery life from hell - both features that gaming laptops have issues with.

Dunno, but for me laptop's strong point is the portability - which is why I stick to 14" Thinkpads (have two these days, akshually), battery life and connectivity (a built-in 3G would be a very nice addition). For gaming and demanding work I have a desktop.

One-size-fits-all-solutions are always compromises. And when it comes to gaming laptops, they tend to be compromises that cost you quite a bit.

Mako · « **Reply #4 on:** 2010-01-30 00:01:16 »

God that's a great laptop but...its to big 17" almost 18" is something that I probably can't carry...Yup it needs to be a laptop I've got a lot of hours at work just sitting around in my cubicle that I gots nothin to do soooo yeah I NEED a laptop.

EDIT:Battery life doesn't matter outlet nearby.

2nd EDIT: The m11x from Dell looks great to plus its 11"!!!!!

sl1982 · « **Reply #5 on:** 2010-01-30 00:14:12 »

Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-30 00:01:16

God that's a great laptop but...its to big 17" almost 18" is something that I probably can't carry...Yup it needs to be a laptop I've got a lot of hours at work just sitting around in my cubicle that I gots nothin to do soooo yeah I NEED a laptop.

EDIT:Battery life doesn't matter outlet nearby.

2nd EDIT: The m11x from Dell looks great to plus its 11"!!!!!

It comes with a backpack carrying case

Mako · « **Reply #6 on:** 2010-01-30 00:18:14 »

LOL You know how ridiculous it is to try and carry a book bag with a purse and high heels in a business suit in cold weather is ?!...(If you do I apologize). But maybe...it is attractive.

pyrozen · « **Reply #7 on:** 2010-01-30 00:23:40 »

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220635&cm_re=x83vp-_-34-220-635-_-Product

try and find this laptop. I recently got it from newegg for $600 after rebates, and it is comparable to a $1000 laptop. The screen is small, but i hook up to a 20"LCD when i am at home, and i have good enough vision i don't need 18" monitor. A few games i can play are:

Far Cry 2 = High setting
C&C3 = high settings
HL2 = Ultra High

I know these are older games, but they're mostly what i play. I can play newer games as well at very acceptable quality and FPS. It was a steal for the price, either wait till newegg brings them back or find something with equivilant parts. There's no reason to spend more than $800 to get a good gaming laptop, unless you want a real screamer.

Lee

Mako · « **Reply #8 on:** 2010-01-30 00:29:28 »

Quote from: pyrozen on 2010-01-30 00:23:40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220635&cm_re=x83vp-_-34-220-635-_-Product

try and find this laptop. I recently got it from newegg for $600 after rebates, and it is comparable to a $1000 laptop. The screen is small, but i hook up to a 20"LCD when i am at home, and i have good enough vision i don't need 18" monitor. A few games i can play are:

Far Cry 2 = High setting
C&C3 = high settings
HL2 = Ultra High

I know these are older games, but they're mostly what i play. I can play newer games as well at very acceptable quality and FPS. It was a steal for the price, either wait till newegg brings them back or find something with equivilant parts. There's no reason to spend more than $800 to get a good gaming laptop, unless you want a real screamer.

Lee

That's a great one to I have a lot of games newer ones too Mass Effect 2 being the newest. It's just a little to under spec for me DD2 memory is what killed it. On another note I El ammo is right there is always something to sacrifice there is no such thing as the perfect laptop.

pyrozen · « **Reply #9 on:** 2010-01-30 00:33:49 »

if the DDR2 killed it, you must be in the market for a desktop killer

I haven't yet played ME2 on it, but i'm getting it soon and i have no doubts it will play it just fine.
Of course i am biased, i have this righ slowly appearing in my closet:

i7 920
Asus Rampage II GENE
6GB DDR3
ATI 5x series (x2)

It's gonna be a monster, in a little tiny form factor box. I'm slowly adding parts to it as i get extra cash, the laptop i got will hold me over just fine until i finish this beast.

Mako · « **Reply #10 on:** 2010-01-30 02:14:54 »

Wow I'm lookin at Sager's 9850 that thing's a monster

with SLI 280m...But at that point it stopped becoming portable and you can forget about battery life...

Jari · « **Reply #11 on:** 2010-01-30 13:16:25 »

Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-30 00:01:16

2nd EDIT: The m11x from Dell looks great to plus its 11"!!!!!

This is actually a very interesting laptop. If the battery life claims hold true, it could actually double as a true portable system, which does not need to be tied to an wall socket all the time. Some sources claim that it even comes with 3G... or something, considering it's claimed to have a place for SIM-card.

You should probably try a netbook with similar screen size, so you'd know whether it's large enough to provide enjoyable gaming experience. Since it is small.

Keyboard probably is undersized as well, considering the screen size. Whether that's an issue probably depends on how much you want to type, and if you can adapt to a smaller keyboard. I tend to make typos with my Aspire One... while the keyboard feel is decent enough for a modern laptop (read: plastic crap, especially compared to older Thinkpads), it is smaller than Thinkpad's keyboard, so I have some troubles hitting the right keys (I touch type, although not particularly well).

And of course, it's Alienware design, so the looks might or might not be your cup of tea.

Mako · « **Reply #12 on:** 2010-01-30 15:44:34 »

Yeah the Alienware m11x has some nice features the cons are its GAUDY I mean come on why do they have to brand there logo EVERYWHERE on the thing!...I think 14" is right ware I want to be...

Unfortunately I cant find a good 14' without some making huge sacrifices.

titeguy3 · « **Reply #13 on:** 2010-01-31 01:39:22 »

just goto HP.com and build one. They use top notch parts. I've had my Pavillion for 3 years and it runs the same as the day I got it.

I'd recommend a dv6t Quad Series, but if you're a fan of aesthetics and absolutely need the latest graphics card on your rig, see if you can afford an Envy series, though I'm skeptical of the cooling mechanism on it, since it's so small (~the size of a macbook).

Mako · « **Reply #14 on:** 2010-01-31 01:52:12 »

Quote from: titeguy3 on 2010-01-31 01:39:22

just goto HP.com and build one. They use top notch parts. I've had my Pavillion for 3 years and it runs the same as the day I got it.

Oh my god...Sorry just configured on and it is...TERRIBLE the gpu for a 15" I mean come on. Sorry thanks anyway another con is HP has really sh*t the bed as far as quality goes...my 2 zenny....

titeguy3 · « **Reply #15 on:** 2010-01-31 05:50:20 »

Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-31 01:52:12

HP has really sh*t the bed as far as quality goes

care to elaborate?

Mako · « **Reply #16 on:** 2010-01-31 17:07:10 »

Quote from: titeguy3 on 2010-01-31 05:50:20

Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-31 01:52:12
HP has really sh*t the bed as far as quality goes

care to elaborate?

Sure since you asked so nicely

I have a wonderful pretty chart for you with lots of colors...Plus its my own personal experience...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliability-survey-asus-and-toshiba-win-hp-fails/

obesebear · « **Reply #17 on:** 2010-01-31 17:18:58 »

I bought an Asus G50vt a few months back and it is wonderful. I paid $900 I think and it will play even the newest games at high quality. And comes with the ability to overclock itself.
It is significantly heavier than most laptops these days (8lbs or so), but to be able to take my computer to school AND play new games on it for such a cheap price is awesome!

KnifeTheSky77 · « **Reply #18 on:** 2010-01-31 17:57:59 »

I have a dell studio xps 1645, this is the only laptop you will find
at such a low price that comes with an RGBLED backlit screen.
FF7 looks 10 zilllionbilliontrillionwtflolomgbbq times better on this screen than
our sony bravia (manufactured this year) as does anything else
that you throw at it
it comes with an at hd 4670 which can play most games, i havent tried crysis or anything
but i like manipulating the threads, there are 8 of them btw.

The only problem with this laptop is its sub par battery life
But it comes with a core i7. It does last a good 2 hours though surprisingly (you can disable cores and throttle frequency to save extra power)
It runs vmware workstation+netbeans like doesnt even care
and can play the orange box games maxed out

Kudistos Megistos · « **Reply #19 on:** 2010-01-31 18:11:32 »

Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-31 17:07:10

Quote from: titeguy3 on 2010-01-31 05:50:20
Quote from: Mako on 2010-01-31 01:52:12
HP has really sh*t the bed as far as quality goes

care to elaborate?

Sure since you asked so nicely I have a wonderful pretty chart for you with lots of colors...Plus its my own personal experience...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliability-survey-asus-and-toshiba-win-hp-fails/

I've had my HP laptop for 13 months. The backlight went out this summer and the battery now goes off randomly when it's lower than 50% (which is after about 45 mins of use), meaning that I have to keep it plugged in most of the time.

Granted, I'm a very heavy user, but that's bad. I used my old Acer just as much and that hasn't had any problems other than a dead battery (which took twice as long to die as the HP one).

sl1982 · « **Reply #20 on:** 2010-01-31 19:11:52 »

I wonder how much of the HP reliability in that article had to do with the nvidia GPU's overheating and desoldering from the motherboard.

Mako · « **Reply #21 on:** 2010-01-31 19:37:02 »

Quote from: sl1982 on 2010-01-31 19:11:52

I wonder how much of the HP reliability in that article had to do with the nvidia GPU's overheating and desoldering from the motherboard.

Yeah it probably is a great contributor to most hp's dead...BUT every other laptop manufacturer seems to be dealing with it not HP they just point the finger at nvida. Its all about the cooling HP laptops sacrifice cooling for battery. That in my book is a big no-no I was looking at a HP laptop at best buy and it only had ONE VENT!!!!!!!. Very Very low quality materials also contribute to there early demise.

titeguy3 · « **Reply #22 on:** 2010-02-01 08:27:05 »

Odd, I guess it varies from machine to machine since I've got an Hp with an Nvidia card but none of my machine's parts have fried or otherwise effed up.

I think the core of this problem lies in that HP tends to vent it's air circulation out primarily through the bottom, and most half-brained nit-wit Laptop users leave their rigs on soft surfaces like beds or couches for hours on end, blocking the ventilation and trapping the hot air inside, causing the hotspots to melt. I've seen people do this a million and a half times. I'm glad I've got a 12-cell battery that raises the back end up so that there's more room between the vent and the surface it's on to make the air circulate better.

All laptops used to have this problem, but some companies have been wising up and making 100% of the air circulate out of the side. I think the HP Envy does this, but that model came out really recently and I don't know anybody who has one. The Pavillions (Dv**** series) still circulate 100% out the bottom, and that's HP's best selling notebook, so that might be causing HP's ratings to crash and burn.

Can anybody attest to this? where are the vents on your laptops and what model do you have?

Covarr · « **Reply #23 on:** 2010-02-02 02:09:31 »

My broken-ass Acer Travelmate 4060i has vents on the bottom and both sides. Overheating was probably the only problem it never had. Not HP, but I don't care.

My mom's laptop is a recent Compaq (which is owned by HP, for those who don't know), and it's got air vents only on the bottom. I don't know the exact model number, but it's a Presario.

Kudistos Megistos · « **Reply #24 on:** 2010-02-02 18:03:47 »

My HP dv7 has never had any overheating problems AFAIK, although that's probably because I hardly ever use it on soft surfaces; it's nearly always on a desk.

Author Topic: Recommendation for a new gaming laptop. (Read 11259 times)

Jari

Jari