oooh, i thouht it said gt 650m.
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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread
- Thread starter dLMN8R
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oooh, i thouht it said gt 650m.
Someone tell me about this thing because I'm kind of baffled by it. I'm not currently shopping for myself, but I do like to keep up with the gaming laptop market since I really like them.
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=381
It looks like they went to AMD's mobile processor to cram in a 7970m at a killer price (they're 1200 on Newegg). Worthwhile tradeoff? How is MSI as a brand in general?
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=381
It looks like they went to AMD's mobile processor to cram in a 7970m at a killer price (they're 1200 on Newegg). Worthwhile tradeoff? How is MSI as a brand in general?
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Getting this primarily for school, but how would it fare for some light gaming?
• Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)
• Windows 8 64
• 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 3x3 Antenna
• Intel HD 4000 Graphics in Intel Core i5-3210M Processor
• 8 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (2 DIMM)
• UltraNav™ with TrackPoint® and buttonless multi-touchpad
• 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
• No Optical Drive
• 9 Cell ThinkPad Battery X44++
• Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
• Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
• Mobile Broadband upgradable
• 1 Year Depot/Express Warranty
I guess it's the integrated card that really dumbs it down.
It's the Lenovo x230 btw.
• Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)
• Windows 8 64
• 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 3x3 Antenna
• Intel HD 4000 Graphics in Intel Core i5-3210M Processor
• 8 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (2 DIMM)
• UltraNav™ with TrackPoint® and buttonless multi-touchpad
• 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
• No Optical Drive
• 9 Cell ThinkPad Battery X44++
• Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
• Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
• Mobile Broadband upgradable
• 1 Year Depot/Express Warranty
I guess it's the integrated card that really dumbs it down.
It's the Lenovo x230 btw.
Think I'm gonna go for the same. Hope it serves me well.
daemissary
Member
Is the Lenovo deal good enough where I won't be able to find a better deal around Jan/Feb? I want a gaming laptop but my backlog on consoles is so big that I probably wouldn't get around to PC gaming for a couple of months.
Thanks. I ended up going with the Y580. Hope the wait isn't too long.
polyh3dron
Banned
Playing Dishonored at 60FPS on my 2.6 GHz 15" Retina MBP at almost full graphic settings w/ MLAA at 1280x800.
This thing can game.
This thing can game.
LyarVonLyar
Neo Member
I've browsed the last couple of pages but haven't found requests similar to mine.
My budget is 1,000-1,500usd and I'm looking for the most bang for my buck in a 15.6" laptop. I don't want to drag a 17.3" laptop around the world again. I found this MSI on newegg and from looking around newegg, tigerdirect, amazon it seems to be the best performance for the money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152368
Is there anything similar/better for the price? My requirements are greater or equal 1600x900 res, preferably i7 (apparently the a10s are meh), most powerful gpu I can get in this price range, and preferably faster than 5400rpm hdd and hdd capacity isn't not an issue.
Newegg has the similar msi with the a10-4600m and the 7970m for 1200ish, wondering if it's worth it.
My budget is 1,000-1,500usd and I'm looking for the most bang for my buck in a 15.6" laptop. I don't want to drag a 17.3" laptop around the world again. I found this MSI on newegg and from looking around newegg, tigerdirect, amazon it seems to be the best performance for the money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152368
Is there anything similar/better for the price? My requirements are greater or equal 1600x900 res, preferably i7 (apparently the a10s are meh), most powerful gpu I can get in this price range, and preferably faster than 5400rpm hdd and hdd capacity isn't not an issue.
Newegg has the similar msi with the a10-4600m and the 7970m for 1200ish, wondering if it's worth it.
I just thought I'd let everybody know that for anyone on the VERY cheap, I bought this bad boy for $279 at Best Buy a few months ago and have been really pleased with it, especially after I upgraded it to 4 gigs of RAM.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005J2E2US/?tag=neogaf0e-20
It's no power house of course, but my wife and I are very poor right now. The craziest thing to me is that it can run pretty much any game my 6 year old Macbook Pro can in Bootcamp and that thing cost me $2,200. Never again.
You're not going to be playing Borderlands 2 or Skrim anytime soon, but I've had no troubles playing Torchlight 1 & 2, The Walking Dead, Legend of Grimrock, Amnesia, Warsow, The Real Texas, WoW, and plenty of others. Not bad for a netbook that costs less than a WiiU
It also does great with last gen games like Fable, KOTOR, The Thing, Warcraft 3, Jade Empire, Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2, etc. Emulation is wonderful for the most part as well. I love playing SNES and Playstation games on it. You may have some trouble with N64 emu though. And of course, all your favorite 2D indie hits run great as well with few a strange exceptions.
Overall, this cheap little netbook is great for light gaming on a budget. I would never suggest it to someone who's looking to play a bunch of current gen giants (although I have gotten Dragon Age: Origins to run on it), but if you're poor and want to play Torchlight 2, FTL, or Hotline Miami at school, go for it!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005J2E2US/?tag=neogaf0e-20
It's no power house of course, but my wife and I are very poor right now. The craziest thing to me is that it can run pretty much any game my 6 year old Macbook Pro can in Bootcamp and that thing cost me $2,200. Never again.
You're not going to be playing Borderlands 2 or Skrim anytime soon, but I've had no troubles playing Torchlight 1 & 2, The Walking Dead, Legend of Grimrock, Amnesia, Warsow, The Real Texas, WoW, and plenty of others. Not bad for a netbook that costs less than a WiiU
It also does great with last gen games like Fable, KOTOR, The Thing, Warcraft 3, Jade Empire, Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2, etc. Emulation is wonderful for the most part as well. I love playing SNES and Playstation games on it. You may have some trouble with N64 emu though. And of course, all your favorite 2D indie hits run great as well with few a strange exceptions.
Overall, this cheap little netbook is great for light gaming on a budget. I would never suggest it to someone who's looking to play a bunch of current gen giants (although I have gotten Dragon Age: Origins to run on it), but if you're poor and want to play Torchlight 2, FTL, or Hotline Miami at school, go for it!
threetri333
Banned
Does anyone know of Cyber Monday deals for laptops for ~$800?
Read through this.
Depends on if any new notebooks are announced at CES in January, and how far into Q1 Intel releases the new Haswell CPUs.
It's an interesting proposition. The A10 is going to bottleneck the 7970M's power, but it's still the only way to get a 7970M for less than $1.7k.
Hopefully NotebookCheck gets a review unit soon, and they compare it to a standard i7+7970M combo.
The GT60 is a good deal. I'm not sure about the A10 machine yet.
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Thanks man, really helpful.
I'm thinking I might get this Sony Vaio E Series 14P (SVE14A390X Premium) if I don't see anything better this weekend. It's got an i7-3632QM, 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7670M, 1600 x 900 14" LED screen, 750GB 7200rpm HDD, and 8GB of DDR3-1600MHz RAM. Is this a good deal at $819.99 + tax? I'm gonna go digging through this thread for laptop video card benchmark comparisons now. ~_~
edit: looks like a decent computer, just wondering about the value now. Probably just "ok."
edit: looks like a decent computer, just wondering about the value now. Probably just "ok."
There's a review here. Predictably bad at CPU intensive stuff, and I'd like to see something more exhaustive for gaming benchmarks. I think if I were buying today the y580 discounts would be too hard to ignore, but it's worth digging up info about this.
Laptop video card benchmark comparisons, you say?
Yeah, I Googled that one myself. Thanks though, very helpful.
Bought a laptop on Dells black Friday sale.. was too cheap to pass up.
3rd Gen i7 3612QM
Radeon HD7730M 2GB
6GB DDR3 1600
Good enough for todays games. I have no idea as not been a pc gamer since 2000 ish lol.
£499 with 11% cashback seemed cheap enough compared to other laptops in that spec.
3rd Gen i7 3612QM
Radeon HD7730M 2GB
6GB DDR3 1600
Good enough for todays games. I have no idea as not been a pc gamer since 2000 ish lol.
£499 with 11% cashback seemed cheap enough compared to other laptops in that spec.
Lv99 Slacker
Member
My first gaming laptop (have only owned a netbook prior) arrived today. Got a question: Am I supposed to disable the integrated graphics (Intel Graphics 4000) if I have a more powerful, discrete gpu?
It'll do well at 720p.
If game doesn't automatically recognize the discrete card, you'll need to go into the graphics control panel and set it manually.
What laptop?
That's good then as my screen isn't 1080p anyway. Not like ill notice much difference on a 15" screen anyhow i should think.
Hope Far cry 3 runs well, if not i may have to settle for the xbox version.
Hey guys this seems like a pretty good deal: Lenovo G780 - $699
So my search for a gaming laptop with FR keyboard layout seems to have come to an end.
My 2 best bang for my buck options are either the Lenovo Y580, that I finally managed to find on a french website, or a MSI GE60 0ND-277FR, (available here or here).
Both are very easy to upgrade since the cover gives full access to the internals. I'll probably put a SSD in, they both support Mini SATA. The Lenovo has some little disadvantages compared to the GE60 : glossy screen, 5400rpm HDD (but it's 1To), only 6Go of RAM, no accessories included (the MSI comes with a mouse and a bag). But it also has some advantages : backlit keyboard, a bit cheaper than the MSI, has a Blu-Ray drive whereas the MSI only has DVD (but I don't see myself using the optical drive very much) and the Lenovo doesn't scream "gamer laptop", it's more discrete. Finally, The Lenovo seems to have a bit more battery life, but is a bit heavier than the MSI.
So... if someone has a definitive tie-breaker between those too, I'd be glad.
edit : And of course, when I thought I was almost through, I began looking at Sager netbooks, since they can be entirely configured. It's the devil.
My 2 best bang for my buck options are either the Lenovo Y580, that I finally managed to find on a french website, or a MSI GE60 0ND-277FR, (available here or here).
Both are very easy to upgrade since the cover gives full access to the internals. I'll probably put a SSD in, they both support Mini SATA. The Lenovo has some little disadvantages compared to the GE60 : glossy screen, 5400rpm HDD (but it's 1To), only 6Go of RAM, no accessories included (the MSI comes with a mouse and a bag). But it also has some advantages : backlit keyboard, a bit cheaper than the MSI, has a Blu-Ray drive whereas the MSI only has DVD (but I don't see myself using the optical drive very much) and the Lenovo doesn't scream "gamer laptop", it's more discrete. Finally, The Lenovo seems to have a bit more battery life, but is a bit heavier than the MSI.
So... if someone has a definitive tie-breaker between those too, I'd be glad.
edit : And of course, when I thought I was almost through, I began looking at Sager netbooks, since they can be entirely configured. It's the devil.
Decided on an Asus v56vz as my work/gaming/desktop replacement
Standard 1080p screen, i7-3630, 750GB 7200RPM, DVD/BR (wish this was optional to bring down cost). I know the 650m gddr3 is quite a few notches below the top mobile cards, but as long as it lets me play higher end games on decent settings for awhile I'll be happy. My current laptop is an Asus Eee PC, so when I get the n56 next week I imagine it'll be like going from a wheelbarrow with a broken wheel to an F-15 fighter jet.
Was kind of disappointed in my search as there really didn't seem to be many laptops that fit all my needs (powerful, decent GPU, good cooling, sufficient battery, professional looking). Right now it seems no matter what you have to compromise even if you have a huge budget, and my choice doesn't fit all my requirements due to the battery not being great. I also really don't see why gaming laptops so often have to have such silly styling, it took brands like MSI out of consideration.
If it wasn't for Lenovo's 4+ week shipping time I think I would have gone with the Y580 as it fit all my requirements at a slightly cheaper price (I'm in canada, and it's not as heavily discounted) and the 660m.
Standard 1080p screen, i7-3630, 750GB 7200RPM, DVD/BR (wish this was optional to bring down cost). I know the 650m gddr3 is quite a few notches below the top mobile cards, but as long as it lets me play higher end games on decent settings for awhile I'll be happy. My current laptop is an Asus Eee PC, so when I get the n56 next week I imagine it'll be like going from a wheelbarrow with a broken wheel to an F-15 fighter jet.
Was kind of disappointed in my search as there really didn't seem to be many laptops that fit all my needs (powerful, decent GPU, good cooling, sufficient battery, professional looking). Right now it seems no matter what you have to compromise even if you have a huge budget, and my choice doesn't fit all my requirements due to the battery not being great. I also really don't see why gaming laptops so often have to have such silly styling, it took brands like MSI out of consideration.
If it wasn't for Lenovo's 4+ week shipping time I think I would have gone with the Y580 as it fit all my requirements at a slightly cheaper price (I'm in canada, and it's not as heavily discounted) and the 660m.
I don't know if this is the best place to ask but can anyone help me out? For over a month or so I haven't been able to use my AMD card at all. My laptop suddenly started saying that no driver was installed, and whenever I tried to download and update the driver from AMD's site it would say that the hardware is incompatible. I never had a problem with my card before then. Today I finally decided to go back to HP's site and download their driver and it works but it seems to be seriously outdated (The copyright goes up to 2010 and it's using the old UI) . AMD's catalyst installer is still saying that my hardware is incompatible for some reason. Has AMD stopped supporting my card (Mobility Radeon HD 5470) or have the just stopped supporting manufacturer specific cards all together?
Edit: I just noticed that the auto detect is saying that my is Vista 64, but I'm running Win7-64. This is weird, and I never really had a problem with the drivers before all of this auto detect stuff. I was also using the new UI for a long time.
Edit: It's saying Win7 now but I'm still getting a incompatible hardware error.
Edit: I think this is why I'm having trouble. I'm using a switchable card.
This sucks, and I don't know which of the lasted versions of CCC still supported them.
Edit: I was finally able to update to a more recent version (12.1) through this link. http://www2.ati.com/DriVeRs/mobile/12-1_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl.exe
I don't know why AMD won't officially support switchable graphics cards.
Edit: This has me completely covered. http://leshcatlabs.net/index.php/2012/11/catalyst-12-10-whql-unifl-for-amdintel-graphics/
Edit: I just noticed that the auto detect is saying that my is Vista 64, but I'm running Win7-64. This is weird, and I never really had a problem with the drivers before all of this auto detect stuff. I was also using the new UI for a long time.
Edit: It's saying Win7 now but I'm still getting a incompatible hardware error.
Edit: I think this is why I'm having trouble. I'm using a switchable card.
This sucks, and I don't know which of the lasted versions of CCC still supported them.
Edit: I was finally able to update to a more recent version (12.1) through this link. http://www2.ati.com/DriVeRs/mobile/12-1_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_ocl.exe
I don't know why AMD won't officially support switchable graphics cards.
Edit: This has me completely covered. http://leshcatlabs.net/index.php/2012/11/catalyst-12-10-whql-unifl-for-amdintel-graphics/
The MSI is ugly. Does that help?
Did you look into something like the Sager NP6350?
Lv99 Slacker
Member
Alienware m17x. Integrated = Intel Graphics 4000 | Discrete = Nvidia 680m.
Yeah, I'd stay away from Lenovo for the Holidays. I ordered the Y480 with the 650M 2GB and I'm seeing my shipping date change every day or so. It seems set on the december 12th with an arrival in Januray. Quite messed up.
I just hope I get the correct system and not some old Y480 with a 640M-LE.
God, their site is just terrible.
Collete
Member
I only have an hour or two to decide (don't ask why) but basically I need a new laptop.
I want it for gaming and general college purposes.
My budget I'm guessing is around 700-800$.
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
Edit: actually was given another day or so. Never mind on the hour or two.
I want it for gaming and general college purposes.
My budget I'm guessing is around 700-800$.
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
Edit: actually was given another day or so. Never mind on the hour or two.
Not that they make gaming laptops per se...
but there is this issue with ASUS and their keyboards, where they don't pick up all the strokes if you are typing (gaming) fast.
It's been going on in various models of theirs for years, and continues to not be addressed.
One of my pals is having major issues with it and its a nightmare.
I would never ever suggest buying one of their products.
My buddy sent it back for repair, and the one they sent back started developing the same issue. It has to do with a design that lets the ribbon connector get dirty so not enough voltage gets through or something crazy like that.
but there is this issue with ASUS and their keyboards, where they don't pick up all the strokes if you are typing (gaming) fast.
It's been going on in various models of theirs for years, and continues to not be addressed.
One of my pals is having major issues with it and its a nightmare.
I would never ever suggest buying one of their products.
My buddy sent it back for repair, and the one they sent back started developing the same issue. It has to do with a design that lets the ribbon connector get dirty so not enough voltage gets through or something crazy like that.
Going to mess around with settings/try to Google more, but since chances are good that someone here knows the solution already: I have a Lenovo G780 w/ i5 3210M and 2GB GeForce GT 635M, and for some reason League of Legends gets 100 fps when I choose to run it using the integrated graphics, as opposed to 40 using the dedicated graphics card. What is going on here? I've tried tweaking the settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel a bit, changing the laptop power options, as well as different in-game settings.
Consider this.
Specifically what laptop though?
That is strange. I can't imagine why it'd run slower on the 3x faster GPU.
So, I finally have a functional lenovo y580.
First lenovo had a bad windows image that didn't want to update. Trying to boot in safe mode fucked up the boot. Called support, and I used the one-key recovery thing. It worked, but still had the bad windows image.
Format and clean install my own windows, pluss the gazzillion drivers needed.
Now I find out something is wrong with the GFX card. All my games are crashing and having random stuff popping in and out. Call support, and send my computer to repair. After I week, I get it back reformated and a message that it was a driver issue. The problem still remained.
So know I'm pissed off, as I need the PC for school. When chance comes, I send it back to repair again, after complaining a lot on support. This time, no reformat and motherboard changed.
Everything is working. Games play great!
However, the fan is now noisy. Will look into that when I have time.
Guess I was just unlucky.
First lenovo had a bad windows image that didn't want to update. Trying to boot in safe mode fucked up the boot. Called support, and I used the one-key recovery thing. It worked, but still had the bad windows image.
Format and clean install my own windows, pluss the gazzillion drivers needed.
Now I find out something is wrong with the GFX card. All my games are crashing and having random stuff popping in and out. Call support, and send my computer to repair. After I week, I get it back reformated and a message that it was a driver issue. The problem still remained.
So know I'm pissed off, as I need the PC for school. When chance comes, I send it back to repair again, after complaining a lot on support. This time, no reformat and motherboard changed.
Everything is working. Games play great!
However, the fan is now noisy. Will look into that when I have time.
Guess I was just unlucky.
So I'm looking to buy a Laptop though it's not for Gaming purposes. (I couldn't find a non-gaming thread, forgive me if this is the wrong place.)
I'm planning on buy a Laptop for University around Christmas and I've got a budget of up to 500 I want it primarily to be easy to carry and good for word processing, web browsing and watching movies. Again apologies if this is the wrong place for this, I'd really appreciate some advice.
I'm planning on buy a Laptop for University around Christmas and I've got a budget of up to 500 I want it primarily to be easy to carry and good for word processing, web browsing and watching movies. Again apologies if this is the wrong place for this, I'd really appreciate some advice.
Thanks I'll try it! I took advantage of thqs humble bundle and holy shit these games on high settings destroy 360. I have to tone the rez down slightly for smooth framerates on metro 2033 but wow. And I haven't tweaked anything either. Playing with a 360 controller hooked to the tv is great. Cheap steam games OMG. Next gen is here! I'll be double dipping on gta 4 for mods for sure.
I figured out my League of Legends FPS problem I guess, I had the in-game framerate cap setting on "high" originally. When I switched to "benchmark" things worked as expected; still doesn't explain why the Intel HD 4000 outperformed the dedicated graphics card but at least I'm getting a decent framerate with the dedicated card now.
i had the same problem when i got the y580 some months ago. the exact same problem. all games crashed. this is when i decided to go for the N76VZ. and so far i cannot complain at all. its a hell of a machine.
March at the earliest, is my guess.
Something like Dell's Inspiron 14z would work well, I think.
Maybe the HD 4000 wasn't detected by the game, and thus bypassed the frame cap.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
So here's a monumental task/question. My mom called me and told me that one of her co-workers wants to get her son a laptop for Xmas. Said he playes Minecraft and CoD and the laptop needs to play them. Thing is, she wants it for $500 or less. I explained that it was not a good scenario and that you might be able to get an ok desktop for that, but a laptop would be even harder.
Does such a thing exist? A laptop that will play CoD decently for under $500?
Anything like this?
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-A53Z-AS61-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Mocha/dp/B007MW13PA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1354552481&sr=8-7&keywords=asus+gaming+laptops
Suggestions?
Does such a thing exist? A laptop that will play CoD decently for under $500?
Anything like this?
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-A53Z-AS61-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Mocha/dp/B007MW13PA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1354552481&sr=8-7&keywords=asus+gaming+laptops
Suggestions?
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Any help on my question? Is there any kind of laptop that will play something like CoD decently for $500?
This is slightly over $500, but this laptop is the ideal cutoff point.
Wow, a full three stacks? What are the specs? I'm pretty sure the GTX 680M is a given.
ThanksVision
Member
I've had an Asus ul80jt for a few years now and it's definitely showing its age. One thing I don't understand: why does this thing suck at gaming? It has 4GB ram, i3 dual core (I dunno what this means, it has two things listed, both at 1.20 GHz) and graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce 310M+Intel GMA HD with one GB of DDR3 ram. I know this thing isn't a beast or anything, but it lags on games like audiosurf and super meat boy. I would think oblivion would at least RUN on my machine. What gives?
PapaEmeritus
Member
I grabbed the Asus G46VW that just came out. Portable and pretty badass. only thing is screen res at 1366x768, but all games run at max on a 14" laptop. They keyboard is my favorite I ever used I think as well. Ultra responsive and has a rubberized coating. $999 at Best Buy only for now.
It's simple, really. It's a laptop from ASUS' ultraportable line, and power was the first and last thing sacrificed.
The 310M was the lowest powered Nvidia part available, when it released. It's basically an integrated GPU, and I'm pretty sure it's only there to ensure smooth HD video playback. It's simply a part which was not designed with any gaming power in mind.
This particular laptop's case is not helped by the fact that the CPU is an ultra-low-voltage variant, meaning it's designed around consuming a low amount of power, at the expense of performance.
ThanksVision
Member
thanks for the explanation. Informative! Luckily it's almost time for an upgrade...
How is the battery life for gaming and non-gaming? I'm really interested in this model and the battery life is very important since I'd be using it on battery the majority of the time.
Also, do you think it would be wise to wait and get the 1080 screen if they ever release it or is the 1366x768 just fine? I think my current laptop (ASUS G50VT-X1) has the same resolution on a slightly bigger screen and I'm more than happy with it.
My first laptop in 2004 was 1366 x 768. It's not fine, lol.
Collete
Member
I actually considered increasing my budget just a tad by $100.
After looking a bit, I'm thinking of getting the Lenovo y580
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310660
Didn't want to order directly from Lenovo since I hear horrible stories of the handling on shipping.
Thoughts?
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