Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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Lots of great info in here. Thanks for this thread and the contributions.

I've seen mentions of good screens, but is there a general consensus on which screen is considered the best? I plan on doing mainly gaming and some Lightroom/Photoshop on it (although the bulk of image work will be done on a U2711 desktop monitor). I need something pretty portable and light, too, so nothing larger than 15". Thanks!
 
Hey guys so I'm officially in the market for a new laptop. While I would like to be able to game decently, I also have other priorities that need to be fulfilled. They are as follows:

1. Gaming Performance (as mentioned) - can hopefully run games better than the 360/PS3, willing to get the best performance I can in my price range (see below)
2. Portability - screen size < 14" and weight < 5lbs
3. Battery Life - greater than 5 hours (medium brightness, web browsing)
4. Price - around $1000, preferably less.

All of the above are weighted equally. Is there anything out there that fits these criteria? I admit I'm ignorant when it comes to these things, especially due to the sheer number of models out their and the constant revisions they receive, but that Clevo mentioned on the previous page seems to fit the bill pretty well. Or am I better off waiting until new Ivy Bridge machines are announced?
 
Lots of great info in here. Thanks for this thread and the contributions.

I've seen mentions of good screens, but is there a general consensus on which screen is considered the best? I plan on doing mainly gaming and some Lightroom/Photoshop on it (although the bulk of image work will be done on a U2711 desktop monitor). I need something pretty portable and light, too, so nothing larger than 15". Thanks!

How light are we talking? And what's your budget?
Hey guys so I'm officially in the market for a new laptop. While I would like to be able to game decently, I also have other priorities that need to be fulfilled. They are as follows:

1. Gaming Performance (as mentioned) - can hopefully run games better than the 360/PS3, willing to get the best performance I can in my price range (see below)
2. Portability - screen size < 14" and weight < 5lbs
3. Battery Life - greater than 5 hours (medium brightness, web browsing)
4. Price - around $1000, preferably less.

All of the above are weighted equally. Is there anything out there that fits these criteria? I admit I'm ignorant when it comes to these things, especially due to the sheer number of models out their and the constant revisions they receive, but that Clevo mentioned on the previous page seems to fit the bill pretty well. Or am I better off waiting until new Ivy Bridge machines are announced?

Well, yeah, the 11.6" Clevo W110ER is the only machine which fits all of your criteria.

If you want Ivy Bridge, a 35W quad core will be offered for it after the 29th.
 
Well, yeah, the 11.6" Clevo W110ER is the only machine which fits all of your criteria.

Damn, I figured as much, but I think there needs to be a bigger market for people like me.

If you want Ivy Bridge, a 35W quad core will be offered for it after the 29th.

So if I wait until the 29th to order, I'll have the option to go with the Ivy Bridge? Will it be the same price as the i5-2450m? How much of a performance boost will it be? Sorry, I'm not well versed in all of these technical details.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.
 
Anyone ever done an SSD install for a Lenovo Y570 I7-2670QM?

I bought this as my gaming laptop, and it performs fine. However just curious how difficult it would be (or if it's just a simple plug and play) to install an SSD should I feel the need.
 
Anyone ever done an SSD install for a Lenovo Y570 I7-2670QM?

I bought this as my gaming laptop, and it performs fine. However just curious how difficult it would be (or if it's just a simple plug and play) to install an SSD should I feel the need.

The physical installation is really easy as long as the components are easily accessible. Software set-up is another story altogether. Not that it's difficult, but most would suggest just doing a clean install of your OS, and you'd have to do a few steps to ensure you're using your SSD to its full potential.

Here's a good place to start: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds
 
The physical installation is really easy as long as the components are easily accessible. Software set-up is another story altogether. Not that it's difficult, but most would suggest just doing a clean install of your OS, and you'd have to do a few steps to ensure you're using your SSD to its full potential.

Here's a good place to start: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds

Thanks. I get what you're saying - not my first SSD install. I was more concerned with this specific laptop and getting to, removing, installing components.
 
I posted the stuff below in another thread. After reading the last few pages it seems like its best to wait a week or two to buy an sandy bridge laptops?


I am looking for a laptop currently this is what I want

14" or below
i-5 minimum processor
good reliability (Pretty much sold on asus but willing to get something else)
dedicated graphics card if possible
below $750

I've found this...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UUS5PC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I would probably upgrade the ram to 8gb and consider a ssd

seems like a good deal but I don't know if I can find anything better or if prices are going to come down more on the Ivy Bridge laptops

I have a gift card at bestbuy so this zenbook falls into my price range

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+1...&skuId=5175791

refurbished doesn't really make a difference to me
 
Thanks. I get what you're saying - not my first SSD install. I was more concerned with this specific laptop and getting to, removing, installing components.

Ah, okay. Personally I used Crucial's tool to know what kind of SSD would fit in my specific netbook. You should do the same, if only to know if you need a 7mm or 9.5mm model. Apparently it's a recent regular laptop, so my bet would be any SATA2/SATA3 9.5mm SSD should do the trick, but you're better safe than sorry.
 
I am also in the market for a new Gaming laptop. From what I understand the AMD 6970m is the GPU to go with and Ivy Bridge processor. Any laptops out currently that have them both?
 
The 6970M is no longer available. Now it's all about the 7970M, which is 2x the speed of the 6970M, and is currently available for preorder in machines which will ship in Mid-May.

Options:

Alienware M17x
Alienware M18x
Clevo P150EM (Sager NP9150)
Clevo P170EM (Sager NP9170)

No one should worry about buying anything until the 29th NDA ends, because that's when we'll see the Ivy Bridge options.
 
The 6970M is no longer available. Now it's all about the 7970M, which is 2x the speed of the 6970M, and is currently available for preorder in machines which will ship in Mid-May.

Options:

Alienware M17x
Alienware M18x
Clevo P150EM (Sager NP9150)
Clevo P170EM (Sager NP9170)

No one should worry about buying anything until the 29th NDA ends, because that's when we'll see the Ivy Bridge options.

My bad, I meant the 7970m. :D
So Mid May is when I should expect the good stuff to come out then.
 
Clevo resellers and Dell/AW are currently giving preorders a May 22nd delivery date.

If you're going the Clevo route, let me know, because I can get you a discount at certain retailers.
 
I can't wait for ivy bridge laptops to come out >_<

I have a 256gb M4 on the way, now I just need a laptop with a 13.3 or 14 inch laptop with a 640m and ivy bridge, and its mine!

I saw the XPS 14z at a local store and actually love how it looks, really hoping they upgrade that to ivy bridge soon since thats the one Im eyeing at the moment (Doubt they'll put a 640m in there :( but Ivy bridge's integrated graphics should be enough for diablo 3 for me).


edit:

I can get a 14z for $560 refurbished... This is really tough waiting. I don't need it for gaming since I have a desktop, but it'd be nice to have on the go... Tough choice right now.
 
I will most likely be in the market for a new gaming laptop in late August after my summer job and I get my tax refund. Will Clevo/Sager with 7970M (and IvyBridge at that point) still be the way to go by then?
 
So my Macbook just bit it and I came in here to get advice on a new (PC) laptop. But it looks like I should be waiting a month before I start shopping? How much of a benefit will it be if I wait? A month is a long time without a laptop for me, especially since I'm traveling for work in about 3 weeks.
 
I'm looking into buying the Clevo W110ER. Unless there's some reason for it being a poor choice, it seems to fit the bill as a relatively affordable, small, decent gaming laptop.

Where is the best place to get it? I've seen Xotic and Mythlogic, and a few others. Also wondering when/if you can get ivy bridge as an option.
 
How does that look for 1.4k?

15.6&#8221; FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen (SKU - X1R354)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Contact us about our Significant Savings on our 30-Day No Dead Pixel Warranty. Heavily Discounted!
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core&#8482; i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Limited Availability (SKU - X2N167)
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU &#8211; X3R518)
- No Video Adapter
- 12GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Memory (3x4GB SODIMMS) (SKU - X4N243)
- Standard Finish
- 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R304)
- No Second Hard Drive (Primary Hard Drive Required When Adding a Secondary Hard Drive) (SKU - X6R953)
- No Caching Solid State Drives
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- No Back Up Software
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card (SKU - X8R001)
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 1 Year Complete Care Warranty - 1 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty (SKU - X9R000)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear
$1,436.00

Sub-Total: $1,436.00
 
I'm looking into buying the Clevo W110ER. Unless there's some reason for it being a poor choice, it seems to fit the bill as a relatively affordable, small, decent gaming laptop.

Where is the best place to get it? I've seen Xotic and Mythlogic, and a few others. Also wondering when/if you can get ivy bridge as an option.

It's an awesome looking laptop. I would buy it except the 7970M made me sacrifice my size preference.

Ivy Bridge configs are up today.
 
Asked this question in the New PC thread but never got an answer, reposting here with the hope of assistance since its a laptop question:

So I posted a couple pages back about having a starting-to-get-outdated-a-little gaming laptop (asus g60vx) and I've got the itch to upgrade. I was weighing salvaging my laptop parts to make a new desktop cost less/have more power but was sad to learn aside from the hard drive I couldn't salvage any of the parts.

What do you guys think I should do? I have the money to put together a decent rig, plus if I'd ebay my laptop or something I could get a decent chunk of cash for it. I'm a little wary because I'm not a huge PC gamer, I usually try MMOs every now and then, plus I'm hyped for planetside 2, but aside from that I don't PC game very much, so I'm not sure it would be smart to drop a lot of money on a new desktop (a lot in this case being about a grand) for something I won't get full use out of. Like I said I have the money, but with no job I feel like I should be conservative with the monies.

What about upgrading a laptop? Is that a viable option? Could I just upgrade a few parts?
 
Asked this question in the New PC thread but never got an answer, reposting here with the hope of assistance since its a laptop question:

Pretty unlikely you can upgrade that laptop and satisfy whatever craving you have. There are two things that apply to *most* laptops - non-upgradeable CPU, non-upgradeable GPU...so you're left with upgrading RAM and upgrading your storage to something super fast like an SSD as your only options.

So, if I were you - I'd look to see what that lappy is worth on eBay and if it's a decent chunk of change, invest into a desktop PC (if you no longer need portability). It sounds like you're short on cash, so you can get the most gaming quality for your money by building a desktop. As laptops are typically 1.5-2x more expensive for similar performance.
 
So my Macbook just bit it and I came in here to get advice on a new (PC) laptop. But it looks like I should be waiting a month before I start shopping? How much of a benefit will it be if I wait? A month is a long time without a laptop for me, especially since I'm traveling for work in about 3 weeks.

A month? No. More like a week.
The 7970M made me can my W110ER purchase. :) Went with a Clevo P150EM, instead (from MYTHLOGIC). Estimated ship date is May 18 (I pre-ordered it a week ago).
Thanks for the informative posts, K.Jack - led me in the right direction. :)

I like the guys at Mythlogic, so I'll assume you've noticed that their machines carry a premium over what you'd pay at other Clevo resellers.

And yes, the 7970M is absolutely mad. I should have one soon as well, though I may hang back to see what Nvidia brings with the GTX 680M. I do still have a 6970M, so it's not like I'm hurting with playing today's games at 1080p/30fps.

How does that look for 1.4k?

Check that again. The base CPU is now the i7-3610QM.

And are the GPU upgrades beyond your budget? If this is being built primarily for gaming, I'd sacrifice every upgrade dollar (such as RAM) for the opportunity to have the 7970M.

I'm looking into buying the Clevo W110ER. Unless there's some reason for it being a poor choice, it seems to fit the bill as a relatively affordable, small, decent gaming laptop.

Where is the best place to get it? I've seen Xotic and Mythlogic, and a few others. Also wondering when/if you can get ivy bridge as an option.

I bought my last Clevo through Xotic, the one before that through RJTech, the one before that through Pro-Star. I guess what I'm getting at is that there's a lot of quality resellers out there. Mythlogic is the most expensive of the bunch, but they also offer the most customization options and the future upgrade program.

Xotic PC is definitely the safest place from which to order, as their high volume guarantees they'll be around for a while.


In that price range, the Sager NP6165 / Clevo W150ER gives you both a significantly faster GPU and a 1080p LCD.
 
So right now it's 7970m>>GTX 680M.. Or is that still undecided?

I've been going through some customization options at Xotic. It looks like I'll be spending no less than 2k. I'm going all out this time. My problem has always been picking the wrong GPU. I don't want to repeat that mistake.
 
Is this a good deal?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215269

Acer Aspire AS7739G-6676 Notebook
Intel Core i5 480M(2.66GHz)
17.3"
4GB Memory DDR3
500GB HDD
5400rpm DVD Super Multi
NVIDIA GeForce GT 610M

For $599

I want a good laptop that can at least make Minecraft not lag so much (my current laptop rarely runs Minecraft smoothly, the framerate is choppy as hell otherwise). I also hope this Laptop can run Sonic Generations well (my laptop cannot boot up Generations, period.) I don't need something very high-end, just something that makes PC gaming a lot more tolerable.

Here's my current Laptop's specs so you can compare it to the laptop I want above:

Gateway NV59C
Intel Core i3 330M CPU (2.13 Ghz)
Intel HD Graphics
320GB HDD
15.6"
4GB DDR3 Memory

I know it doesn't look that different but Intel HD Graphics is really damn terrible for gaming.

What do you think? Go for it or is there a better deal around the price range?
 
I bought my last Clevo through Xotic, the one before that through RJTech, the one before that through Pro-Star. I guess what I'm getting at is that there's a lot of quality resellers out there. Mythlogic is the most expensive of the bunch, but they also offer the most customization options and the future upgrade program.

Xotic PC is definitely the safest place from which to order, as their high volume guarantees they'll be around for a while.

Thanks. I've found a few other places too. LPC Digital is slightly cheaper than Xotic. Still considering Mythlogic because of the matte screen option, but I've read that the other places might get that option too.
 
I like the guys at Mythlogic, so I'll assume you've noticed that their machines carry a premium over what you'd pay at other Clevo resellers.

And yes, the 7970M is absolutely mad. I should have one soon as well, though I may hang back to see what Nvidia brings with the GTX 680M. I do still have a 6970M, so it's not like I'm hurting with playing today's games at 1080p/30fps.

Yup. I had been kicking the tires there back when I went with an M14x (and that ended up being a debacle - Dell QC issues). Went MacBook Pro that time, but now with all my work travel I want to game while on the road (and I'm a graphics-quality whore so that 6770M wasn't gonna cut it - not to mention the heat issues!). I'm fine with the price premium. They seem to be worth it. I'm happy to support a Midwest-based company (they're in MI, I'm in MN) and that should mean shipping will be quick, etc. They have been awesome pre-sale/post-sale so far. Excited to receive it.

Next hope is that the 7970M supports Enduro or manual graphics switching. But if not, not a huge deal for me. I'm not going to be on battery much.
 
I'm running a laptop from about 2ish years ago. Dual core processor, 4GB RAM, GeForce GTX 260M.

I'm guessing the difference moving up to the Ivy I7-3610QM, 8GB dual channel RAM, and Radeon 7970 would be an insane upgrade?

Right now Oblivion can get choppy at 720p and Nehrim chugs through all the extra foliage added. Haven't even bothered getting Skyrim or Witcher 2...just stuck with 360 versions.

I'm thinking this would be a worthwhile $1500 purchase for a latest quad-core laptop with the 7970 card.

Those 7970 numbers are very impressive.
 
Alright, now that Xotic has Ivy Bridge for the Sager model I want, I have a few questions:

1. Is it worth it to spend $160 more for a slightly better processor? By that I mean is it worth upgrading from a i7-3610QM to a i7-3720QM for that much money?

2. Is the IC Diamond Thermal Compound worth the extra $35?

3. Is a GTX 675m worth the extra $100 over the GTX 670m? If so, why?

4. Should I get a mSATA SSD Drive in addition to a primary harddrive?

5. Should I keep the CD Drive or put another harddrive in there?

6. What is the difference between the built-in wireless network card and the Intel Ultimate-N 6300 card that costs $35 more?

7. Should I get a notebook cooler?

I know there are a lot of questions but I want to be absolutely sure I'm doing the right thing before I spend more money than I did on my car :P
 
I'm looking into buying the Clevo W110ER. Unless there's some reason for it being a poor choice, it seems to fit the bill as a relatively affordable, small, decent gaming laptop.

Where is the best place to get it? I've seen Xotic and Mythlogic, and a few others. Also wondering when/if you can get ivy bridge as an option.

I had a m11x R1 and loved the little machine but now I'm selling it because the LCD is just not up to par with what other screens I own. As far as I can tell they never had a good LCD in the m11x line because no one made them; and no one still does. Anyone know if this new Clevo has a good screen in it? That would be the only thing that would tell you could be bad about it since I've never seen a good 11.6 display outside of the MacBook Air 11," which Apple makes itself from what I hear.
 
I have a friend at work who is looking at picking up a new laptop. He is not a gamer but he does want good performance. Here's a couple of questions:



- Is the i5 the sweet spot with laptops like it is with desktops? And did I hear something about 3rd generation cpus just being released?

- Can he connect a new laptop to his old laptop and kind of use the old one as a data/external drive? What does he need to do this?

- He is also looking to replace the battery on his old Dell Inspiron laptop. Is this simple? Or does Dell use a proprietary battery?
 
I don't see why not. Your face is only slightly further away from the screen as it might be while using a 3DS or Vita. Gaming on my m11x was great.
 
That's just the same re-branded Clevo W110ER we've been talking about for about the last 2 pages. :-P

Clevo -> Sager -> Eurocom

Or something like that...
 
Alright, now that Xotic has Ivy Bridge for the Sager model I want, I have a few questions:

1. Is it worth it to spend $160 more for a slightly better processor? By that I mean is it worth upgrading from a i7-3610QM to a i7-3720QM for that much money?

2. Is the IC Diamond Thermal Compound worth the extra $35?

3. Is a GTX 675m worth the extra $100 over the GTX 670m? If so, why?

4. Should I get a mSATA SSD Drive in addition to a primary harddrive?

5. Should I keep the CD Drive or put another harddrive in there?

6. What is the difference between the built-in wireless network card and the Intel Ultimate-N 6300 card that costs $35 more?

7. Should I get a notebook cooler?

I know there are a lot of questions but I want to be absolutely sure I'm doing the right thing before I spend more money than I did on my car :P

If it's the SAGER model I'm looking at with the 7970m option, it would be worth the $200 more than the GTX 670m to upgrade to 7970m.
 
edit:

Oh wait! I misread that site. I thought it was marked down to $1099, not $1999. In that case, I don't think it's such a fantastic deal compared to SAGER models with the ATI 7970 card running for cheaper.

I don't really care about bluray burning, and I don't think you see amazing performance difference to justify raiding out SSD drives for all the additional costs.
 
Moved from new PC thread:

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new laptop for work/home use, but I've never really been in the laptop market so I don't know what's good value.
I work as a 3d Animator and sometimes compositor, so 64bit is a must. But mostly just for tinkering, so 3d software performance doesn't need to be stellar.
Gaming wise, it would be nice if it ran Diablo 3, other that that I don't really care much.
I was thinking an alienware m17x would be alright.
The Toshiba Tecra also looks good.
I've also heard good things about the upcoming Tegra ultrabooks.
Laptop size (thickness and weight) arent really an issue, but 13" minimum screen really...

Any suggestions?
 
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