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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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It's unlikely you be able to OC it that much with just software. Most OEMs place locks on how far you can OC the mobile GPUs in BIOS. I was able to massively OC my laptop's GPU because someone actually modded the BIOS to set the base clockspeed higher.
 
As this console generation is simply dragging on for way too long, I decided to get back into PC gaming. Ordered myself the following laptop, and would like to know what you guys think I can expect from it gaming wise:
MSI SKU 001756 GE70H-i789W7H
- Intel Core i7 3610QM @ 2,3GHz
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB SSD + 750GB HDD
- NVIDIA GTX 660M 2GB
- 1080p non glare display
 
soooo, is there a way to overclock the 650m?

Read this first off.

Then read this.

As this console generation is simply dragging on for way too long, I decided to get back into PC gaming. Ordered myself the following laptop, and would like to know what you guys think I can expect from it gaming wise:
MSI SKU 001756 GE70H-i789W7H
- Intel Core i7 3610QM @ 2,3GHz
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB SSD + 750GB HDD
- NVIDIA GTX 660M 2GB
- 1080p non glare display

You can game at 1080p for the next year or so. How much did you pay?
 
I'm looking for a desktop replacement but the prices are just terrible. I'd like to get something from the ASUS G75 line as they seem to have the best cooling and to me the best styling compared to other gaming laptops, but they really overprice them compared to MSI and such. Do sites like xotic typically have much in the way of deals in nov/dec?

I'd also like to get a 670MX or 675MX when they're widely available, but I don't see how nvidia justifies them being so much more expensive than the fermi cards
 
Help me, Laptop-GAF! In the market to replace my 3-year-old netbook with something that has more screen real estate (in the 15-inch range) and I figured I might want something that can handle some low- to mid-range PC gaming. Looking to spend about $400 to $550 at max, and I'd love if you could give me some suggestions or overall guidance, as I literally haven't kept up with any PC gaming trends since 2002.

I know virtually nothing about modern video cards and mobile processors. I was looking at possibly one of these two: One's an Acer Aspire with an i3 Intel processor for $519 (this was mentioned upthread), and one is an HP Envy Sleekbook with AMD processor for $529. Any feedback or other recommendations would be fantastically appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085H64E6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Intel core i3 2370M 2.4 GHz (3 MB Cache)
4 GB SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen,
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit , 4.5hours Battery Life

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085RV0AO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

2.6GHz/2.1GHz AMD Dual-Core A6-4455M Accelerated Processor
4GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 DIMM),
500GB 5400RPM hard drive
15.6-Inch
AMD Radeon HD 7500G Discrete-Class graphics
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 9 hours Battery Life
 
Help me, Laptop-GAF! In the market to replace my 3-year-old netbook with something that has more screen real estate (in the 15-inch range) and I figured I might want something that can handle some low- to mid-range PC gaming. Looking to spend about $400 to $550 at max, and I'd love if you could give me some suggestions or overall guidance, as I literally haven't kept up with any PC gaming trends since 2002.

I know virtually nothing about modern video cards and mobile processors. I was looking at possibly one of these two: One's an Acer Aspire with an i3 Intel processor for $519 (this was mentioned upthread), and one is an HP Envy Sleekbook with AMD processor for $529. Any feedback or other recommendations would be fantastically appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085H64E6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Intel core i3 2370M 2.4 GHz (3 MB Cache)
4 GB SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen,
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit , 4.5hours Battery Life

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085RV0AO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

2.6GHz/2.1GHz AMD Dual-Core A6-4455M Accelerated Processor
4GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 DIMM),
500GB 5400RPM hard drive
15.6-Inch
AMD Radeon HD 7500G Discrete-Class graphics
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 9 hours Battery Life

Engadget's review of the SleekBook:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/13/hp-envy-sleekbook-6z-review/
Executive Summary: DON'T BUY ONE
 
I'm looking for a desktop replacement but the prices are just terrible. I'd like to get something from the ASUS G75 line as they seem to have the best cooling and to me the best styling compared to other gaming laptops, but they really overprice them compared to MSI and such. Do sites like xotic typically have much in the way of deals in nov/dec?

I'd also like to get a 670MX or 675MX when they're widely available, but I don't see how nvidia justifies them being so much more expensive than the fermi cards

Welcome to the world of gaming laptops. There is no objectively "good deal", only what you can stomach.

The best deals out are the unbranded MSI machines. With this MSI 16F3, you can get a GTX 680M equipped notebook for a little over $1500.

Help me, Laptop-GAF! In the market to replace my 3-year-old netbook with something that has more screen real estate (in the 15-inch range) and I figured I might want something that can handle some low- to mid-range PC gaming. Looking to spend about $400 to $550 at max, and I'd love if you could give me some suggestions or overall guidance, as I literally haven't kept up with any PC gaming trends since 2002.

I know virtually nothing about modern video cards and mobile processors. I was looking at possibly one of these two: One's an Acer Aspire with an i3 Intel processor for $519 (this was mentioned upthread), and one is an HP Envy Sleekbook with AMD processor for $529. Any feedback or other recommendations would be fantastically appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085H64E6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Intel core i3 2370M 2.4 GHz (3 MB Cache)
4 GB SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen,
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit , 4.5hours Battery Life

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085RV0AO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

2.6GHz/2.1GHz AMD Dual-Core A6-4455M Accelerated Processor
4GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 DIMM),
500GB 5400RPM hard drive
15.6-Inch
AMD Radeon HD 7500G Discrete-Class graphics
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 9 hours Battery Life

Take the Acer V3, all day every day
 
I have one similar to this (mine is an i5 though), and I'm playing things like Borderlands 2, Darksiders 2, Sleeping Dogs, Crysis, etc with no problem at 60 fps.

whaaaaaaaaaa.gif


Please, go into detail about what resolution and settings you're using to get 60fps in the games you've listed.
 
With same games, when i scale the resolution below 1080p i often get strange black borders around the game picture. Even though its fullscreen mode. But it doesnt use the full screen :/
 
whaaaaaaaaaa.gif


Please, go into detail about what resolution and settings you're using to get 60fps in the games you've listed.

1366x768, in BL2 I have everything on max except PsyX and ambient occlusion, in the rest most things on high and some on medium.

edit: in Darksiders 2, i only get ~40 fps.
 
Take the Acer V3, all day every day
Was leaning to that one. :) What sort of performance difference would I see in an i3 versus i5?

I have one similar to this (mine is an i5 though), and I'm playing things like Borderlands 2, Darksiders 2, Sleeping Dogs, Crysis, etc with no problem at 60 fps.
That would blow my face off. I'm coming from a netbook that can't even run Psychonauts.

And UnknownSoldier, thanks for the Engadget review - sounds pretty janky.
 
Which mouse do you think is the best for gaming. Which one do you use with your laptop. I doubt anyone uses the touchpad for gaming. Lol
 
With same games, when i scale the resolution below 1080p i often get strange black borders around the game picture. Even though its fullscreen mode. But it doesnt use the full screen :/
Have you gone into the Nvidia cont
1366x768, in BL2 I have everything on max except PsyX and ambient occlusion, in the rest most things on high and some on medium.

edit: in Darksiders 2, i only get ~40 fps.

What laptop do you have?
 
With same games, when i scale the resolution below 1080p i often get strange black borders around the game picture. Even though its fullscreen mode. But it doesnt use the full screen :/
Have you gone into the Nvidia control panel, and set the scaling options to Fullscreen?
1366x768, in BL2 I have everything on max except PsyX and ambient occlusion, in the rest most things on high and some on medium.

edit: in Darksiders 2, i only get ~40 fps.

Oh, ok. What laptop do you have?

Which mouse do you think is the best for gaming. Which one do you use with your laptop. I doubt anyone uses the touchpad for gaming. Lol
I do, but I'm the idiot savant of touchpad gaming.

The list of games I've finished with the touchpad is immense.
 
An acer aspire 5750G (i5-2450M, GT630M 2GB, 4GB RAM), you recommended it to me between the options I had (thanks!) in this thread about six weeks ago.

Cool I'm glad it's working out. It's always good when people come back with impressions on what they've bought.

Black Friday laptops are usually bottom-of-the-barrel junk. You won't be gaming on a BF lappy, but your parents might enjoy one for web browsing and email.
Pretty much. At best you'll get something with one of those crappy AMD CPUs.

I doubt there will be a deal much better than this $519 Acer we've been discussing.

Was leaning to that one. :) What sort of performance difference would I see in an i3 versus i5?

Well the i3 doesn't have Turbo Boost, so the CPU speed is fixed, instead of ramping up while gaming like the i5. The i5 version of this Acer is $599.
 
You should be able to play most of games on 720p setting.

Good shit. i was looking to get some kind of ultrabook because they are easier to carry around for school and stuff, but screw it the really powerful ones are like twice as expensive. I'll just lug it around in a backpack.

Also, i don't know much about this stuff but isn't the processor speed kind of low?
 
Have you gone into the Nvidia control panel, and set the scaling options to Fullscreen?


Oh, ok. What laptop do you have?


I do, but I'm the idiot savant of touchpad gaming.

The list of games I've finished with the touchpad is immense.

I checked the control panel already but i cant find that option unfortunately. The problem only happens with a few games. Not with all of them.
 
Which mouse do you think is the best for gaming. Which one do you use with your laptop. I doubt anyone uses the touchpad for gaming. Lol

I like the logitech m705. Have to - one for home and one for office. Fits my hand nicely. If you want something smaller, I also like the m525

Much prefer the logitech ones for the clicky mouse wheel, don't like smooth ones. And the m705 has a weighted one so it spins nicely.
 
My kid have an acer aspire 5750 with i5 sandy bridge and gt540m, but its still pretty chuggy in minecraft. Any tips to speed things up? I know it can be a surprising resource hog.
 
Could do with a hand please Gaf.

I'm looking for a laptop ideally below 15" as I need that portability factor (if it's 15" but fairly portable then I'll consider it).
The laptop needs to be as powerful as possible as i'm a 3D Games artist, so use a lot of intensive 3D programs such as 3DS Max, the Unreal Development Kit, Photoshop etc.

Battery life could do with being decent as well, as this laptop will be used for working on the move (I've been considering the Retina Macbook pro 15", as the battery is 7 hours, but will it be powerful enough?).

I know i'm asking a lot, but if there's a powerful, portable laptop out there for obviously as little as possible, I know LaptopGaf are the ones to ask... My budget is up to £1500.
Thanks for your help!
 
if you can stretch to the retina 15" MBP that would be a good choice. decent battery, quad core for your tools, overclocked 650m graphics on par with 660m so would be decent for gaming too.

Not sure if there are any issues bootcamping into windows, running that res though.
 
Could do with a hand please Gaf.

I'm looking for a laptop ideally below 15" as I need that portability factor (if it's 15" but fairly portable then I'll consider it).
The laptop needs to be as powerful as possible as i'm a 3D Games artist, so use a lot of intensive 3D programs such as 3DS Max, the Unreal Development Kit, Photoshop etc.

Battery life could do with being decent as well, as this laptop will be used for working on the move (I've been considering the Retina Macbook pro 15", as the battery is 7 hours, but will it be powerful enough?).

I know i'm asking a lot, but if there's a powerful, portable laptop out there for obviously as little as possible, I know LaptopGaf are the ones to ask... My budget is up to £1500.
Thanks for your help!

The Clevo W110ER is the most portable and powerful laptop on the planet, at just 11.6" with a quad core i7 option and the GT 650M.

Too small?
 
K.Jack, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable: which Windows laptops have trackpads that are comparable to Apple trackpads? I have a Macbook at the moment and I'm thinking about switching back to a Windows machine next. It's just for on the side - I have my desktop PC to properly play games -, and I'd prefer a maximum screen width of about 13 inches.
 
K.Jack, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable: which Windows laptops have trackpads that are comparable to Apple trackpads? I have a Macbook at the moment and I'm thinking about switching back to a Windows machine next. It's just for on the side - I have my desktop PC to properly play games -, and I'd prefer a maximum screen width of about 13 inches.

I'm loving the trackpad on my lenovo y580 - other lenovo ideapads may be the same.

Large, smooth, no separate click buttons (you just click the pad). Using a small utility I can get two finger tap for right click too.

first trackpad on windows that I've found comparable to a MBP
 
Are there any downsides to the Sager NP6110? It seems like an amazing beast in a very small package. I'm really considering picking it up. Is it worth it to get the upgraded CPU or the Matte screen?
 
K.Jack, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable: which Windows laptops have trackpads that are comparable to Apple trackpads? I have a Macbook at the moment and I'm thinking about switching back to a Windows machine next. It's just for on the side - I have my desktop PC to properly play games -, and I'd prefer a maximum screen width of about 13 inches.

What's true is that a lot of the big name PC houses are trying to emulate the Mac pad, and failing.

The HP Envy line is closer than everyone else, so you may want to start by looking into the Envy 14 Spectre.
Are there any downsides to the Sager NP6110? It seems like an amazing beast in a very small package. I'm really considering picking it up. Is it worth it to get the upgraded CPU or the Matte screen?

The quad core does get a little toasty in there. The matte screen is definitely a good buy, as it has better contrast and viewing angles.
 
I would like some advice.
I'm looking to buy my first laptop, I have around £500 to spend (I'm in the UK) and would like it to be able to run games such as Diablo III and Sim City 5, nothing too intense like FPS' really. I'll also be using Photoshop a lot and would like at least a 750gb hdd.
Any help is appreciated!
 
I'm loving the trackpad on my lenovo y580 - other lenovo ideapads may be the same.

Large, smooth, no separate click buttons (you just click the pad). Using a small utility I can get two finger tap for right click too.

first trackpad on windows that I've found comparable to a MBP

What's true is that a lot of the big name PC houses are trying to emulate the Mac pad, and failing.

The HP Envy line is closer than everyone else, so you may want to start by looking into the Envy 14 Spectre.

Thank you both.
 
I would like some advice.
I'm looking to buy my first laptop, I have around £500 to spend (I'm in the UK) and would like it to be able to run games such as Diablo III and Sim City 5, nothing too intense like FPS' really. I'll also be using Photoshop a lot and would like at least a 750gb hdd.
Any help is appreciated!
If you're shooting for the bare minimum laptop, here's an Acer Aspire, with Core i3, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and a GT 630M, for £399.97 inc VAT.

If you want more control, we could customize this laptop, which starts at £397.00.

Config:

CPU: i5-3210M
Memory: 4GB Samsung
Graphics Card: GT 640M
Hard Disk: 750GB WD Scorpio

Total: £567.00 inc VAT
 
Hey all.

Need to get a laptop for my son. Requirements:

-as lightweight as possible
-decent gaming (able to play something like Portal 2 at medium settings with fast FPS)
-price point around $500

I realize the light weight part is going to be the first thing to go and the Acer mentioned on the last page is likely the best fit - but if there's a decent light weight option, please let me know.
 
The Clevo W110ER is the most portable and powerful laptop on the planet, at just 11.6" with a quad core i7 option and the GT 650M.

Too small?

Wow that's impressive, although yeah it is a bit small. Maybe something around the 13" / 14" mark that isn't chunky?
 
My Inspiron 17R 7720 will be here tomorrow, I'm so excited :) I'll post my impressions as soon as I can, for OniShiro and anyone else that might be interested.
 
Hey all.

Need to get a laptop for my son. Requirements:

-as lightweight as possible
-decent gaming (able to play something like Portal 2 at medium settings with fast FPS)
-price point around $500

I realize the light weight part is going to be the first thing to go and the Acer mentioned on the last page is likely the best fit - but if there's a decent light weight option, please let me know.

At/around $500, given your power reqs, the Acer is the only feasible option. Everything else uses some integrated GPU solution, which will pale when compared to the GT 630M. For a card which can play nearly every game out at 720p with Med/High settings, the 5.74 pounds isn't too bad of a compromise.

It also just popped up on Newegg for $499.99 shipped.

Wow that's impressive, although yeah it is a bit small. Maybe something around the 13" / 14" mark that isn't chunky?

Exactly how much GPU power do your programming tasks need?

Anyway, have a look at the HP Envy 15, and tell me if that's too large. They went for the Macbook Pro approach so it should be much slimmer than most 15" gaming laptops.
 
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