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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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mclem said:
I'm musing on treating myself to a laptop for my birthday/christmas, and am just starting to gently take a look at the various options on the market.

At the moment, through work, I can get discounts on Dell (and therefore Alienware) gear, which does make the M15X look rather tempting, but before I commit to that, I thought it'd be worth getting opinions over here.

My overall goal is to get something roughly on a par with my desktop; that's an (overclocked) i5-750 with a Radeon 5850 and four gigs of RAM; however, there's space for the system to be a bit weaker given what I actually generally *do* with it (which is, basically, mostly WoW :-). Still, approximate consistency between desktop and laptop would be nice.

One factor that I should take into account is that I can get more significant discounts on the less games-focussed Dell range (in particular an i7 XPS 15 with a GT 435M), but I've no idea how those systems stand up to modern gaming requirements.

At the moment, it appears the best options are:
XPS 15, i3-370M, GT 420M, 4GB ram: £580

XPS 15, i7-740QM, GT 435M, 6GB ram: £830

Alienbrain M11X, i5-520UM, GT 335M, 4GB ram: £840

Alienbrain M15X, i5-520M, HD 5730, 4GB ram: £1050

Any idea where the best choice lies? Or should I abandon Dell and look elsewhere?
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Let me help a bit, especially with the bolded. There is currently no single mobile GPU, which is even close to on par with the desktop 5850.

That said, there are very competent GPUs, which can be had. Right now, those are the Mobility 5850, Mobility 5870, and GTX 460M. Every GPU you've listed there will be at best 1/2 the speed of these.

If you go M15X, you've really got to consider dropping extra ducats for the Mobility 5850. With the Mobility 5730, you can just as easily spend way less the XPS 15 w/ GT 435M (which is faster than the 5730 anyway). You pay extra for Alienware to have high level gear, and the 5730 is not that.

Of the options you have listed, I'd choose this one...
XPS 15, i7-740QM, GT 435M, 6GB ram: £830
Click to expand...
...but I'd choose M15X w/ Mobility 5850 over that.

d[-_-]b said:
http://www.buy.com/prod/toshiba-qos...-i5-450m-2-40ghz-4gb/q/loc/101/216459075.html

Team is this any good?
Click to expand...
At $900, yes sir, it is.

As long as you realize how monstrous an 18.4" machine is in person.
 
Thanks for the help. There's now also an XPS-17 with a 445M option available, I'm not sure how that fits in to everything.

There is also a 460M option for the M15X that's just been added.

Any help with those?

(Also, tiny hard disks. Grrr. Will have to upgrade those)
 
mclem said:
Thanks for the help. There's now also an XPS-17 with a 445M option available, I'm not sure how that fits in to everything.

There is also a 460M option for the M15X that's just been added.

Any help with those?

(Also, tiny hard disks. Grrr. Will have to upgrade those)
Click to expand...
The GT 445M is a 128-bit GPU w/ GDDR3, so it still still isn't considered a high-end chip.

re: GTX 460M, it's performance is about on par with the Mobility 5850, so it really isn't worth the extra money, unless you just prefer Nvidia.

Just for clarity's sake, the Mobility 5850 is a downclocked version of the desktop 5770. The GTX 460M is essentially the GTS 450.

......

Furthermore, it's very important to note, that the Mobility Radeon 6000 series is just a few months from release. Their will be a Mobility 6970 and 6870, and these will be derived from the desktop 6870/6850. That will obviously bring a huge jump in mobile performance, as just overclocking one of these GPUs will be nearing the desktop 5850 performance you seek.

Buying a high-end machine, right now, is a pretty awkward time, as Intel's new beefed up CPU and AMD's game changing GPUs coming in January, February at the latest.

p.s. - The M15X will receive this 6800 GPU upgrade as well, likely at the current Mob. 5850 pricepoint.
 
What laptop is going to give me and my wife the best bang for the buck either at $800 US or below? She uses Photoshop, I game. Want something fairly mobile, likely in the 15" or below display size. Just want something fast and reliable. We'll be stuck with it for at least three years.
 
K.Jack said:
Buying a high-end machine, right now, is a pretty awkward time, as Intel's new beefed up CPU and AMD's game changing GPUs coming in January, February at the latest.
Click to expand...

Given the circumstances - and what I'm likely to actually end up doing with it - I suspect the smart choice is to abandon the idea of parity with my current desktop then and instead go for something that's effective enough for general usage; maybe go for a bleeding-edge laptop in a few years when it could reasonably outperform the warhorse on my desk.

Thanks for the help.
 
I'm looking into Netbooks as i'll be getting one around Xmas time, mainly for lecture notes and stuff as i found i haven't been taking my laptop out with me as i just can't be arsed lugging a 15" i5 laptop every bloody day.

But holy crap there's so much to go with. I need recommendations, there will be mild gaming, no doubt i'll put WoW and such on it, looking at spending no more than £250, that is definitely my upper limit...
 
Looking for a good gaming laptop, able to run games like Dragon Age, TF2, and Neverwinter Nights 2 at max or near max settings.

Also preferably should include a DVD Drive.

$800 is my preferred price, but $1000 is my max.

I saw an Alienware at Best Buy for 800 bucks, but it didnt come with a DVD drive.

Thanks
 
not sure you max a lot of games with your budget. you can get something runs decent across the board though. im a firm believer in the toshiba satellite a600 series. got my a665-6065 for 935 and only had one problem with gta-san andreas running with the ENB mod.

im running fallout new vegas with mods, nba 2k11, civ 5, sims 3, batman AA, and other stuff all at moderate settings with zero framerate issues. and they look good as hell even though they arent maxed out

edit: here take a look at the 6092 or the 6093
http://us.toshiba.com/computers/lap...6+4294965347+4294965535+4294965535+4294965718

if you can take a tiny hit in graphics, best buy has the 6094 for $900
 
What is a good site to read up on current laptop graphics cards and processors. I've always bought desktops in the past but this will be my first laptop purchase. I know I don't want integrated graphics. I'm wanting to do the basics of web browsing, word processing, etc, as well as play games around medium spec if possible. My budget is $800-$1000. I'm trying to get an idea of what I want and then pay attention to any holiday deals coming up...
 
kai3345 said:
Looking for a good gaming laptop, able to run games like Dragon Age, TF2, and Neverwinter Nights 2 at max or near max settings.

Also preferably should include a DVD Drive.

$800 is my preferred price, but $1000 is my max.

I saw an Alienware at Best Buy for 800 bucks, but it didnt come with a DVD drive.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Can you push your budget for something like the GX640 or GX740?

Blergmeister said:
What is a good site to read up on current laptop graphics cards and processors. I've always bought desktops in the past but this will be my first laptop purchase. I know I don't want integrated graphics. I'm wanting to do the basics of web browsing, word processing, etc, as well as play games around medium spec if possible. My budget is $800-$1000. I'm trying to get an idea of what I want and then pay attention to any holiday deals coming up...
Click to expand...
Notebookcheck.net is good for the basics of mobile GPUs.

If you have any specific questions, I'm willing to answer any.
 
Can You Run it is a great way for someone who doesn't know much about computers (such as myself) to see if a game will run on their computer or not.

Is there a similar service out there that can be used to check and see if a game will run on a computer besides the one you're using?
 
Okay, I posted in this thread a couple months ago but I never purchased the laptop I was going to get because I decided to wait on it.

Is it still good to get the MSI GX660R-060US or have things changed since then? I remember talk about the laptop scene changing during the end of this year to early next year so is it more beneficial for me to wait or should I just go ahead and get that one?

Are there any recommended sellers of that laptop? I know of Xotic PC but forgot the others.

One of the main reasons I am interested in the 660 is because of the cooling system although now I'm hearing that there is a problem with the HDD and other faulty issues.

I want a gaming machine to handle a lot of lower end games (Blizzard and Valve games with the one BioWare game being TOR) but I also want great build quality (my price point is anything at or under $1500 - I can extend this a little, but not by much).
 
Apart from specific machines, what manufacturer and series in general would people recommend overall?

The Asus G series, the Alienware M series for example?
 
I asked in the I need a new PC thread without realizing there was a laptop thread. Can anyone provide thoughts on the Envy 14? I'm a fan of the design, specs, and the price seems great - but I'm hesitant to buy anything that is this expensive site-unseen.

I plan on using it for combined web-browsing and photoshop use which I'm sure it will handle no problem. But as well as light gaming. I currently have a desktop with an 8800GT, how will it compare to that in terms of gaming?
 
Team, HELP!

I want to play Vindictus, it's a fast action RPG game. And also for Diablo 3 in the future.

here's Vindictus spec

table-specs.png


009VN-9fa7d5ad-4047-4c0e-b798-dba100361a60.JPG


For $1200, can I fulfill the high-end requirement for this game? If so, what laptop are you guys suggesting?

I want to have a nice graphic card, but my plan is to hookup this laptop to my 46'' Panasonic Plasma.



Thanks in advanced
 
ripsa said:
Apart from specific machines, what manufacturer and series in general would people recommend overall?

The Asus G series, the Alienware M series for example?
Click to expand...
Clevo/Sager is the highest, for performance and build quality, if battery life is not a priority.

Asus for overall good performance. Also have more decent battery life than a Clevo.

Alienware for more style over function. High quality build, but you pay a premium for the AW logo.

MSI wins the price:performance battle, but can have build quality issues.
canova said:
Team, HELP!

I want to play Vindictus, it's a fast action RPG game. And also for Diablo 3 in the future.

here's Vindictus spec

table-specs.png


009VN-9fa7d5ad-4047-4c0e-b798-dba100361a60.JPG


For $1200, can I fulfill the high-end requirement for this game? If so, what laptop are you guys suggesting?

Thanks in advanced
Click to expand...
This version of the Asus G73.


Obsessed said:
What gaming laptop under $1500.00 would you guys recommend? I'm looking for something that can handle some of the more demanding games out there, and something that will have a decent battery life while I am not using it for gaming.

All suggestions appreciated.

edit: Is this any good?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220695&cm_re=G73Jh-_-34-220-695-_-Product
Click to expand...
Yeah that's a good buy.

EDIT: or the 15" G53.
 
Only if you bought it specifically for gaming as the first thought.

Otherwise, it's an extremely high quality machine, which also happens to be "good enough" for some gaming on the side.
 
I bought msi GX660R-060US about a month ago, it has an ATi 5870, two 7200 drives in RAID 0, 1080p, 15.6", blu-ray drive, core i7 740, USB 3.0. So far it is okay. The screen is too reflective but I bought this anti-glare sheet that I use. I think I think I will end up buying a new HDTV soon and just connect my laptop to that.

It is able to get over 20 fps in Crysis at 1080p, full AA, all details on high.

It can play most games with all settings maxed. Just Cause 2 was slow, IIRC Mafia 2 was okay with all settings maxed.
 
I'm looking for a laptop that has good battery life, is small-ish, so no big 17" screens, and sub 15" preferred, and will be fast enough to run auto-cad for my engineering program in schooll. The laptop I'm on now is a little too slow, and the screen was broken one night.

I've been looking at the alienware m11x, but if there are any better/cheaper options that anyone knows about I would greatly appreciate it.
 
K.Jack said:
Can you push your budget for something like the GX640 or GX740?
Click to expand...
Would either of these be ideal for HD video editing and after effects, etc.?

I always assumed that Gaming computers and Video editing computers fell under pretty much the same category. But someone told me that that's not necessarily true, that there are subtle differences and stuff (I know nothing about computers).
 
K.Jack said:
Clevo/Sager is the highest, for performance and build quality, if battery life is not a priority.

Asus for overall good performance. Also have more decent battery life than a Clevo.

Alienware for more style over function. High quality build, but you pay a premium for the AW logo.

MSI wins the price:performance battle, but can have build quality issues.

This version of the Asus G73.



Yeah that's a good buy.

EDIT: or the 15" G53.
Click to expand...


thanks for the recommendation, my hands are aching for Vindictus. January can't come soon enough
 
My girlfriend wants to get me a new laptop for Christmas. I've been using the same old white Macbook since 2005. I would like to be able to do a little bit of gaming on it, and the 3820TG seems like a good fit for her budget.

My question is, should I even bother picking one up now, or should I wait until after Christmas when the new AMD Mobility chips are out and hope there is basically an upgrade or refresh on the 3820TG?
 
Just checking in to say that my Alienware m11x is still kicking ass.

Less than $1000 for a superbly-built, very compact machine that is running Mass Effect 2 at a smooth 30+ FPS, maxed out, and 1366x768 resolution, and same goes for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Such a pleasure to travel with this thing!
 
dLMN8R said:
Just checking in to say that my Alienware m11x is still kicking ass.

Less than $1000 for a superbly-built, very compact machine that is running Mass Effect 2 at a smooth 30+ FPS, maxed out, and 1366x768 resolution, and same goes for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Such a pleasure to travel with this thing!
Click to expand...
Have you had any problems with it?
 
theRizzle said:
My girlfriend wants to get me a new laptop for Christmas. I've been using the same old white Macbook since 2005. I would like to be able to do a little bit of gaming on it, and the 3820TG seems like a good fit for her budget.

My question is, should I even bother picking one up now, or should I wait until after Christmas when the new AMD Mobility chips are out and hope there is basically an upgrade or refresh on the 3820TG?
Click to expand...
The X-factor is that we're not sure when the new Mobility chips will hit retail machines. It could be as early as January, or pushed back to Feb/March. There's a serious NDA in effect, probably because AMD wants to formally announce Mobility 6000 at CES, in January.

And even then, you can never be sure when a company will refresh their existing product lines.

The wait is most def a gamble at this point. I have a very capable gaming notebook, so waiting until March is easy for me.
 
Can anyone give me a recommendation for a laptop that can play SC2 on Ultra with a steady framerate and, most importantly, doesn't toast my thighs?

HDMI output is a must. Non-glossy finish and a backlit keyboard would be nice too. Looking to spend less than $1500.
 
I bought a MSI FX600 for $700 Canadian... it's not top of the line, but it plays StarCraft 2 at medium-high with 0 slowdown and TF2 at medium with 0 slowdown.

i3, 1gb vid card, 4gb ram, 500gb, usb 2.0 AND blu ray player all in one... not too bad if you don't need to play at max settings.
 
kai3345 said:
Have you had any problems with it?
Click to expand...
Being the Core i5 model, the battery life isn't *as* good as I'd hoped. But that means I get "only" 5 hours of web browsing or 2 hours of playing games instead of 7-8 and 3.

The screen could be better, but it's only a problem if you're using it in a really really sunny room or outdoors...neither of which I plan to do or have done, but that might be different for someone else.

And finally, since all switching is done by Optimus, for brand new games you need to sometimes manually add the game to the NVIDIA profile to tell it to use dedicated graphics instead of integrated. But you need to do that once for a game and that's it, not really a big deal.


Other than that, no problems at all!
 
dLMN8R said:
Being the Core i5 model, the battery life isn't *as* good as I'd hoped. But that means I get "only" 5 hours of web browsing or 2 hours of playing games instead of 7-8 and 3.

The screen could be better, but it's only a problem if you're using it in a really really sunny room or outdoors...neither of which I plan to do or have done, but that might be different for someone else.

And finally, since all switching is done by Optimus, for brand new games you need to sometimes manually add the game to the NVIDIA profile to tell it to use dedicated graphics instead of integrated. But you need to do that once for a game and that's it, not really a big deal.


Other than that, no problems at all!
Click to expand...
Thank you sir, you just sold me on this laptop.
 
 
Anyone know if the 3820TG has been discontinued in the UK?
Every single retailer seems to be out of stock with no word on more to come..
 
kai3345 said:
whats the difference between i5 and Core 2 Duo?

I know nothing about computers
Click to expand...
Just know that a Core i5 will be faster than a similarly clocked Core 2 Duo.

That doesn't really matter with the M11x, as it's processors are ultra-low voltage variants, so they won't compare to any standard Core 2 Duo or Core iX processor.
 
There's a decent performance improvement in the i5, but the key is that the i5/i7's come with Optimus which I like.

Optimus means automatic graphics switching from integrated to dedicated, and also guaranteed future driver updates. Graphics switching in the v1 (non-Core) is manual, and drivers are pretty out of date at this point I think.
 
Okay guys, I think I'm going to dive in for a Laptop and I was looking if you guys could suggest a machine based on my preferences/uses:

1. I'm willing to spend 1000-1200 and my parents are willing to put in 600-700 more as a christmas gift (This is max, if I can get something closer to the 1500 total range that would be sweet)

2. The main reason I want this laptop is to LAN some Diablo III at a friends house. I want a good gaming Laptop that will stay relevent for a few years. We also tend to LAN L4D2, Call of Dutys, and other misc titles.

3. Having super maxed out ultra perfect graphics aren't a huge deal to me, I mean I'll take the best I can get but as long as the games perform well and look good enough I'm golden. Again I'd like to be able to play games and maintain the performance and pretty good graphics for at least 2+ years

4. I'm not planning on taking this thing with me everywhere, so if it is a little bigger and heavier I won't mind, in fact I'd rather like a nice sized screen. I only intend to really take it to friends' houses on the weekends for the most part.

5. I also do a ton of writing, which this machine will be useful for, don't know if that really matters as I'll probably just plug in a usb keyboard when I plan on typing.


Anyone have some good suggestions?
 
I think I have made my final decision, I am going for the ASUS G73JW. It's a little pricey, but I figure if I am getting a gaming laptop, I may as well spend as much as I can to get the best bang out of my buck. I've heard of ASUS and, as far as I am aware, they have a good reputation.

Of course, if there are any other recommendations then please feel free to tell me.
 
the asus g73 is HANDS DOWN the best price/performance laptop deal on the market. seriously: there's no competition. i have the g73 and it has been rock solid.

there's some crazy clevo with a desktop hexacore i7 and two 460Ms in sli for $4300 if money is no object, though~
 
Drinky Crow said:
there's some crazy clevo with a desktop hexacore i7 and two 460Ms in sli for $4300 if money is no object, though~
Click to expand...

Heh. That's quite a bit out of my price range. :lol

I had a friend once build a 20k desktop on this computer site (he didn't buy it obviously, but I couldn't dream of a 20k computer).

cubicle47b said:
I bought the G73 on Tuesday. An i7, 5870, and 6 gigs of ram for $1200 really can't be beat.
Click to expand...

Where did you get it for $1200?
 
So far I've only played Half-Life 2 (which is smooth as silk on high settings), Torchlight (ditto with everything maxed), and Civ V (also runs great, but I haven't looked at the settings, I just ran it on whatever it recommended). Love it so far.
 
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