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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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K.Jack said:
I'd like to know the specs of the broken laptop, so I can tell you where those listed stand in relation. CPU and GPU are all that matter.
Click to expand...

It was a 5 years old laptop which couldn't run Super Meat Boy, so anything is going to be better :p
But since I'm getting a new one, I'd like to be able to run some games on it.
 
Santiako said:
It was a 5 years old laptop which couldn't run Super Meat Boy, so anything is going to be better :p
But since I'm getting a new one, I'd like to be able to run some games on it.
Click to expand...

I went through your price range (which I assume is ~600) on that site, and this Acer is the one to buy.

edit: with the GT 630M, you can play most any console port at medium settings @ 720p.
 
Just got my Sager from XoticPC. Very happy with it, but I'm shocked at how terrible the speakers are. I wasn't expecting anything mindblowing, but I cant' even stand listening to these at all. Ah well, thats what headphones are for I guess.
 
I've been thinking about getting this....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008EJGJHC/

Processor Speed AMD 2.3 GHz
Memory 8 GB
Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 7660G & HD7670M


Not the strongest CPU, 2.3Ghz Quad Core AMD Trinity, but with the dual Gfx card setup, definitely seems to be a case of 'greater than the sum of it's parts'.

Seems a good budget Laptop.
 
The asymmetrical Crossfire has horrible driver support and rarely works.

With that said, it's better to find a laptop with a Core i5.
 
K.Jack said:
On a 768p screen, the 6770M will play almost everything out at high settings.

That's a good deal.

As far as 6770M vs 540M, the AMD card is close to 40% faster than the 540M.
Click to expand...

thanks for the help, man! what about 6770M vs geforce 630m?

till yesterday i wanted to build a gaming pc. but due to the fact that i'm planning some travelling i decided to spend 750-800€ on a fast laptop.
 
Blablurn said:
thanks for the help, man! what about 6770M vs geforce 630m?

till yesterday i wanted to build a gaming pc. but due to the fact that i'm planning some travelling i decided to spend 750-800€ on a fast laptop.
Click to expand...

Oops, typed the wrong name, but the 540M and 630M are the exact same card, so the comparison stands.

In exactly what country are you? Just want to check some other sites in your area.
 
K.Jack said:
Oops, typed the wrong name, but the 540M and 630M are the exact same card, so the comparison stands.

In exactly what country are you? Just want to check some other sites in your area.
Click to expand...

germany!

they are the same cards? so i should go for the 6770M instead?

thanks for the help! appreciate it!
 
So...I need to travel for 4-6 months and want a laptop that can play Guild Wars 2, FIFA 13 at Medium settings at least.

Prefer, 15" or less screen size, as light as possible. Cheaper the better obviously.

Any recommendations?
 
Any recommendations for the 600-700 euro range? Also, does anyone know what it would cost to import from amazon.de or possibly newegg.com (I'm in Belgium)?
 
Blablurn said:
today i read that many people on the internet say the gt 650m is the graphics card to go for (in the 700-800 euro range). is it really that good? any guys with some experience here?

i have one eye on this one: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00857W7UQ/
Click to expand...

What is the difference between the 650 and 660 overall?

I haven't been able to find anything on the N76 model from ASUS, since I"m not a heavy dudebro gamer , I'm wondering if I can get away with a less powerful graphics card.
 
 
Been looking at 13-14" slim laptops and even though it's pricey I think I'm going to get the Sony Vaio S13 Premium. Looking at ~$1200 and then dropping an SSD in later. That BIOS mod for the 640M LE for overclocking apparently does amazing things. Anyone have any experience with them before I throw down hard earned cash for one?

i5-3320M CPU ($50 upgrade from default 3210M so why not)
13.3" 1600x900 screen
2GB 640M LE GPU (see above)

This will be my main laptop/secondary gaming PC.
 
cartoon_soldier said:
So...I need to travel for 4-6 months and want a laptop that can play Guild Wars 2, FIFA 13 at Medium settings at least.

Prefer, 15" or less screen size, as light as possible. Cheaper the better obviously.

Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Need a max price.

X05 said:
Gaming Laptop Thread - Is such a thing even possible? Yes it is!
Click to expand...

Haha not bad.

Blablurn said:
today i read that many people on the internet say the gt 650m is the graphics card to go for (in the 700-800 euro range). is it really that good? any guys with some experience here?

i have one eye on this one: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00857W7UQ/
Click to expand...

Oh yeah this is the one to go with, definitely. I didn't realize the V3 was in your price range.
Dascu said:
Any recommendations for the 600-700 euro range? Also, does anyone know what it would cost to import from amazon.de or possibly newegg.com (I'm in Belgium)?
Click to expand...

Don't import from a US site, like Newegg; the shipping and duties would be heavy, and you'd likely have no warranty unless you bought an ASUS w/ global warranty.

Blablurn said:
lol, the more i read about it, the more i wanna go for a 660m!
Click to expand...
Well, this is your cheapest path to the GTX 660M.

Talamius said:
Been looking at 13-14" slim laptops and even though it's pricey I think I'm going to get the Sony Vaio S13 Premium. Looking at ~$1200 and then dropping an SSD in later. That BIOS mod for the 640M LE for overclocking apparently does amazing things. Anyone have any experience with them before I throw down hard earned cash for one?

i5-3320M CPU ($50 upgrade from default 3210M so why not)
13.3" 1600x900 screen
2GB 640M LE GPU (see above)

This will be my main laptop/secondary gaming PC.
Click to expand...
Check posts #4485 and #4742
 
with a 1080p screen, how is downscaling? eg running it at 720p to get higher detail settings or AA? Does it take anything out on the GPU or is it basically 'free'? Does it look terrible or depends on the screen?
 
Blablurn said:
Thanks to the GDDR5-VRAM, the gaming performance of the GeForce GTX 660M is well ahead of the GT 650M DDR3 and on par with the AMD Radeon HD 6950M. Even the older high-end Fermi-GPU GTX 570M is only slightly faster. Therefore, current games as of 2011 should run moderately well in 1080p resolution and high details. Only a few very demanding games, such as Metro 2033 or Crysis 2, may need reduced graphical settings for smoother gameplay.

edit:

lol, the more i read about it, the more i wanna go for a 660m!
Click to expand...

I bought a lenovo y580 and love it. similar price to the link before once you spec it up to an i7. 999 euro, i7-3610 quad core, 660m with 2GB ram, 1080p screen, 8GB ram, 750GB HDD + 32GB SSD for caching (separate mSSD slot if you want to update later on), bluray drive, DVB-T tuner.


http://www.lenovoshop.com/de/prod/Lenovo%C2%AE+IdeaPad%C2%AE+Y580+%28M772GGE%29/55006679A1

869 euro for the i5-3210 version (4GB ram, 1366x768 screen, no SSD, no bluray)
http://www.lenovoshop.com/de/prod/Lenovo%C2%AE+IdeaPad%C2%AE+Y580+%28M772EGE%29+inkl.kabellose+Tastatur+%28N5901A%29/155006681
 
mrklaw said:
I bought a lenovo y580 and love it. similar price to the link before once you spec it up to an i7. 999 euro, i7-3610 quad core, 660m with 2GB ram, 1080p screen, 8GB ram, 750GB HDD + 32GB SSD for caching (separate mSSD slot if you want to update later on), bluray drive, DVB-T tuner.


http://www.lenovoshop.com/de/prod/Lenovo%C2%AE+IdeaPad%C2%AE+Y580+%28M772GGE%29/55006679A1

869 euro for the i5-3210 version (4GB ram, 1366x768 screen, no SSD, no bluray)
http://www.lenovoshop.com/de/prod/Lenovo%C2%AE+IdeaPad%C2%AE+Y580+%28M772EGE%29+inkl.kabellose+Tastatur+%28N5901A%29/155006681
Click to expand...

guess i will go for one of those... the graphics card seem to rock.

btw, kudos to K.Jack. i read most of the thread yesterday and ur contribution here is fantastic.
 
Blablurn said:
guess i will go for one of those... the graphics card seem to rock.

btw, kudos to K.Jack. i read most of the thread yesterday and ur contribution here is fantastic.
Click to expand...

if you can squeeze to the 999 its definitely worth it. The screen is beautiful and gives you a lot more working space, and the quad core will help it last much longer before being out of date. SSD is a nice bonus :)
 
mrklaw said:
if you can squeeze to the 999 its definitely worth it. The screen is beautiful and gives you a lot more working space, and the quad core will help it last much longer before being out of date. SSD is a nice bonus :)
Click to expand...

maybe i will try. but i will definitely tell no one how much i paid for it.. i mean. if 850.. or 999... :D

we'll see hehe.
 
Blablurn said:
maybe i will try. but i will definitely tell no one how much i paid for it.. i mean. if 850.. or 999... :D

we'll see hehe.
Click to expand...

laptops fall into that special category alongside cameras where my wife just assumes a single price point for all of them because they're just black boxes ;)
 
mrklaw said:
with a 1080p screen, how is downscaling? eg running it at 720p to get higher detail settings or AA? Does it take anything out on the GPU or is it basically 'free'? Does it look terrible or depends on the screen?
Click to expand...

To me, higher resolution with lower settings is almost always the superior choice.

edit: how poor running below native res looks can depend on the screen and be a per game thing. I turned on Mass Effect 3 then lowered it to 900p, and couldn't tell the difference

In general though, you should be able to just get over the lower IQ once you start playing for a while.
 
What do you need for the Sony Back to School promotion? Just a .edu email?

How do these specs look? I will get additional 4GB RAM from Newegg for the free slot.

Sony Vaio S15.

3rd gen Intel® Core™ i5-3320M processor (2.60GHz / 3.30GHz with Turbo Boost) [$50.00]
Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
No Fresh Start
Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
15.5" LED backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology [$130.00]
500GB (7200rpm) hard drive [$20.00]
4GB (4GB fixed onboard + 1 open slot) DDR3-1333Mhz
CD/DVD player / burner
Internal lithium polymer battery (4400mAh)
Color: Silver
No engraving
Kaspersky® Internet Security (30-day trial)
No Installation Option
No additional coverage
No Accessories Selected
Click to expand...

Total: $949.99
 
mrklaw said:
it'll be fine. lower res screen so actually you'll be able to turn the details up because less to draw. Only a dual core CPU but should be ok with games at the moment. Might run out of steam a little in a couple of years.
Click to expand...

found a 4 core one for 900€. just 30€ more expensive. guess, it will be this one! guys, thanks for the help in the last days. had no idea what to look for in the beginning.
 
I'm looking for a laptop for around £500, not to fussed in the specs, my only concern is that it has decent cooling, hopefully something that doesn't vent from the bottom. Does anyone have any suggestions??
 
mil6es said:
I'm looking for a laptop for around £500, not to fussed in the specs, my only concern is that it has decent cooling, hopefully something that doesn't vent from the bottom. Does anyone have any suggestions??
Click to expand...

Try saveonlaptops.co.uk and their 'gaming laptops under £500' - should be something there with sandy bridge i3/i5 and maybe a gt540M
 
cartoon_soldier said:
What do you need for the Sony Back to School promotion? Just a .edu email?

How do these specs look? I will get additional 4GB RAM from Newegg for the free slot.

Sony Vaio S15.



Total: $949.99
Click to expand...

IMO you could probably get something from dell that has a better video card and get a student discount.
 
So my laptop's power adapter just broke, and since I was going to buy a laptop anyway I decided I should just get it now.

I've decided on the Lenovo IdeaPad Y580:

i7-3610QM
GTX 660M 2GB
8GB RAM
1920x1080 display
500GB hard drive (7200 rpm)
Blu-ray player

I was trying to decide between this and the Sager NP9130, but decided on this one because it looks nicer, is a bit lighter, the battery life is better, and its about $250 cheaper. The Blu-ray player is a nice bonus, but I'm giving up a bit of performance since the Sager has:

GTX 670m 1.5GB
16GB RAM

If someone can convince me that its worth the extra $250 and heft, then I'll re-consider. Otherwise, I'm getting that Lenovo.
 
The GTX 660M has the exact same performance as the GTX 670M, so you're losing nothing there.

The Sagers you should compare it to are the NP6350 and 6370. The 9130 is now obsolete in my eyes, except that it's one shining merit is that it can accept future GPU upgrades, where as the Y580 and lesser Sagers cannot.

But then again, it's an extra $250, just to know you'll have access to $500+ graphics cards down the road, which is like buying another midrange laptop a year from now. That's not appealing to the vast majority, I'd imagine.
cartoon_soldier said:
What do you need for the Sony Back to School promotion? Just a .edu email?

How do these specs look? I will get additional 4GB RAM from Newegg for the free slot.

Sony Vaio S15.

Total: $949.99
Click to expand...

Seems like a good deal. Black is sexier though.
 
cartoon_soldier said:
What do you need for the Sony Back to School promotion? Just a .edu email?
Click to expand...

You don't even need that. You can use any email address you want.

How do these specs look? I will get additional 4GB RAM from Newegg for the free slot.

Sony Vaio S15.

Total: $949.99
Click to expand...

Depending on what you do with it, the quad-core upgrade may benefit you. Otherwise everything else is base, as it should be, and you can replace the HDD with the SSD of your choice.

charsace said:
IMO you could probably get something from dell that has a better video card and get a student discount.
Click to expand...

The Dell won't have an IPS screen, and the Sony has been BIOS hacked to overclock it to GT 650M speeds.
 
Unknown Soldier said:
You don't even need that. You can use any email address you want.



Depending on what you do with it, the quad-core upgrade may benefit you. Otherwise everything else is base, as it should be, and you can replace the HDD with the SSD of your choice.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

My laptop will initially be used for gaming for 4 months or so (Guild Wars 2, FIFA 13 at Medium settings works for me) and then for work (hence wanting it to be on the lighter side).
 
I've narrowed my options down to these three (from more to less expensive):
http://www.komplett.be/Komplett/pro...5qsf_s1123v_be_i7_2630_6gb_750gb/details.aspx
http://www.komplett.be/Komplett/pro..._g780_m842ymh_i5_3210m_6gb_500gb/details.aspx
http://www.komplett.be/Komplett/pro...ion_g6_2004sd_i5_3210m_4gb_500gb/details.aspx

Website's in Dutch, but I'm sure the specs are intelligible.

The first option, 800 euro is quite pricey and a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Then again, the CPU (i7) and GPU (GT555M) seem like they're a fair bit stronger than the other two. Is the premium price worth it? For what it's worth, I'd like to be able to comfortably play some upcoming releases like Dishonored and Company of Heroes 2. This laptop will be my primary gaming device for the next year.
 
Kod1ak said:
Are there any decent laptops that have good gaming performance that also have decent battery life? I can use one at work, but recently they passed a policy in which we can't have them plugged in at our desks. My current laptop dies after about 20 minutes of gaming.
Click to expand...

Just bought this Acer Aspire Timeline M5-581TG-6666 for $829 from Microcenter - the link is Newegg - Microcenter doesnt havent it on their website anymore for some reason - same exact pc.
I am getting about 6-8 hours battery life just web browsing using the Power Saver power plan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215401
i5-3317u - 2 cores
6 gb ram
500gb hard drive
20 gb ssd for quick boots

Gpu is advertised as a gt640m le but it appears to actually be a gt 640m kepler - see below.
The device manager shows it as a gt 640m and gpu-z shows the specs as follows:

GT640M
GK107 gpu 28nm
384 shaders
1024 MB gddr5
645 gpu clock
1000 mhz memory clock

The specs seem to pretty much match the specs for a gt640m from these pages:
2nd chart - http://www.anandtech.com/show/5697/...es-keplers-and-fermis-and-die-shrinks-oh-my/2
 
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