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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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JoeBoy101 said:
Any direction you can point me in for said cupans?
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BHW1L0MX0D?MCX

That code takes an additional $50 off of the price, and when I got to checkout shipping charges were automatically deducted.

I'm not sure if shipping is still free though, I ordered mine on 1/12/11.
 
asdad123 said:
Right now the R1 with a student discount is $499 for the base :D

Well worth it. I have a R2 and my mom likes it because of the "colorful lights" lol. I was about to order her the R1 for web browsing.
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How are you getting $500? I can't stack the $50 coupon with the student discount, and the student discount I'm getting is only like an extra $11 off the already $200 off the M11X. The lowest I'm able to get it is $550 with the $50 off coupon.
 
Naked Snake said:
Ah, I forgot this is a "Gamer-approved" thread, totally missed that :)

I haven't been playing games in a long time, so I find the benefits of a next-generation processor and chipset easily outweigh having a low/mid-range mobile GPU.

Of course he wants to game on the laptop, the dedicated GPU is a no brainer.
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Having a mobile GPU is still better because you're not going to be able to watch HD video with no framedrops without GPU support on a netbook.

edit: Looks like it was a full notebook, but the same rule may hold.
 
SapientWolf said:
Having a mobile GPU is still better because you're not going to be able to watch HD video with no framedrops without GPU support on a netbook.

edit: Looks like it was a full notebook, but the same rule may hold.
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No it doesn't. Intel 2nd Generation Core (Sandy Bridge) matches or surpasses today's top of the line GPUs in HD video decoding (and far surpasses them in encoding). The previous generation Cores (i3, i5, and i7) also fully support in-hardware decoding of all mainstream HD codecs.
 
Firestorm said:
Cousin needs a laptop for school + WoW. Is this good or should he wait for SandyBridge fixes?
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_367&item_id=036050

Acer AS3820TG-6829 - $750
Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz
13.3" LCD
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
AMD Radeon HD 6550 1GB
No ODD
Wireless BGN
Bluetooth
HDMI
Webcam
Windows 7 Home Premium
Click to expand...

I don't know what the battery life will be like, but that will blow away WoW and should be able to play even the latest games. It actually seems a little overkill if he is just going to be doing random school work and WoW.
 
Well, he gave me $1000 as a budget (showed me a $950 laptop with the graphics listed as "Intel HD") and he does play some games or might want to... it's just WoW is the one I know he plays most. This is $200 less than the one he showed me. Would like it to last. Was also maybe thinking of the $1000 Dell XPS if he needs a larger screen as it comes with a comparable video card (+tv tuner), much better processor, and a 92 WHr battery.
 
Firestorm said:
Well, he gave me $1000 as a budget (showed me a $950 laptop with the graphics listed as "Intel HD") and he does play some games or might want to... it's just WoW is the one I know he plays most. This is $200 less than the one he showed me. Would like it to last. Was also maybe thinking of the $1000 Dell XPS if he needs a larger screen as it comes with a comparable video card (+tv tuner), much better processor, and a 92 WHr battery.
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I have the 3820tg with a i5 460m and a 5650m. It's an awesome laptop. Small, lightweight but very powerful. Battery life is decent too I get 5-6hrs on battery when using the integrated intel graphics, wi-fi and basic browsing.
 
Firestorm said:
Cousin needs a laptop for school + WoW. Is this good or should he wait for SandyBridge fixes?
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_367&item_id=036050

Acer AS3820TG-6829 - $750
Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz
13.3" LCD
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
AMD Radeon HD 6550 1GB
No ODD
Wireless BGN
Bluetooth
HDMI
Webcam
Windows 7 Home Premium
Click to expand...
That's an awesome laptop and the 5650 gets crazy OCs in it.

Check out the large thread at notebookreview.com on it.

It will kill WoW

Edit: actually I see that has a 6550 in it? Dunno how that card is but you should be good.
 
What kind of performance boost can you get by overclocking today's silicon? I never bothered with it as I always worried about overheating and shortening the life of the chip.
 
Firestorm said:
Heh looks like he's going for an HP Envy 14 instead =/
Click to expand...

Id actually advise against that. I owned it before trading it for my m11xR2

It was pretty heavy for a 14 inch laptop, especially with the battery slice, the battery life was pretty mediocre (I got 3.5 hours without the battery slice, and 6 hours with the slice. This is with the i5 switchable graphics and lowest brightness), and the 5650 is underclocked and under-preforms.

The only good part about it was the 1600x900 screen (which wasnt THAT great. It was a good display but not worth the extra 300 HP was charging. Luckily I got it when it was standard), and now the screen isnt even available.

edit: Just read up on it and it looks like the 6550 is a more powerful 5650. The acer is a much better buy than the Envy 14. Less expensive and more powerful.
 
Firestorm said:
That's $1100 and in Canada it's $1200 - $1300. Too expensive.

I think he may be considering the Acer again. I didn't realize the HP Envy no longer has the Radiance screens. Seems to defeat the purpose.
Click to expand...


Wow, tempting. Too bad that Newegg doesn't deliver goods to Europe :(


Also :

http://www.enternet.org/3543797/intel-affirms-design-error-in-chipsets/

Intel Affirms Design Error in Chipsets

Last week, Intel declared that it has pin pointed and altered a design slip-up in the chipset that facilitates its most recent Sandy Bridge Core processors, probably effecting the even out agenda of quite a few mainstream desktop designs such as Apple’s next-generation iMacs.

According to The Associated Press, Intel said: “As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives.”

The biggest international chipmaker also announced that it has closed down shipments of the impacted support chip from its industrial premises and has started to produce an altered version which will rectify the problem. Furthermore, the Sandy Bridge microprocessors on its own are not affected by the error, nor are any other products from its portfolio.

Intel also said: “For computer makers and other Intel customers that have bought potentially affected chipsets or systems, Intel will work with its OEM partners to accept the return of the affected chipsets, and plans to support modifications or replacements needed on motherboards or systems.”
Click to expand...

No Sandy Bridge anytime soon on laptops ?



edit : more bad news, this time it hurts


http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=7039

Sandy Bridge delay leads to higher prices for notebooks

A notebook that just a month ago would have gone on special for not much more than $600 is now $799, as retailers jack up prices following the recall of Sandy Bridge laptops.



It hasn't taken long - the delay in shipments of notebooks with Sandy Bridge processors /Series 6 chipset is now forcing retailers to ramp up prices of 1st Gen core notebooks.

Sandy Bridge is Intel's 2nd generation Core processor family, and it was due to start hitting retail stores en-masse by the middle of this month. However, the discovery of a bug in the SATA controller of the Cougar Point series 6 chipset that comes with the processors has meant that all 2nd gen Core notebooks on their way to retail stores (and those already sold) have had to be returned to Intel. Versions without the fault are now not expected back in the market until mid-April at the earliest.

This means that instead of frantically clearing the shelves of notebooks with 1st generation Core processors to make way for Sandy Bridge ones (as they were starting to do), notebook retailers now have to try and hold on with current stock for all February, March and April, if not longer. Some retailers will be hit by the fact that they were already running down 1st generation stock. One told APC that some 1st generation Core processors now are almost impossible to get, and expected their cost to start soaring.

So retailers can now be expected to start ramping up prices for 1st Gen stock, to levels of about six months ago. You can see this in Harvey Norman's notebook pricing already. In late December 2011 and in Jan 2011, Harvey Norman had two of the best specials ever seen: an Intel Core i3 notebook with 4GBs of RAM selling for $598, and the first ever Intel Core i7 notebook for under $1,000.

Today, Harvey Norman is also advertising a "Computer price bliz," but the specials are no longer in the same league. A Toshiba 15.6in notebook powered by a Core i3 processor, with 4GBs of RAM is on special for $799. Compared to the $598 HP Pavilion that was on special earlier, it has a bigger hard drive (500GB vs 320GB) but that should not account for a $201 difference in price two very similar notebooks.

And the cheapest Core i7-powered laptop today at Harvey Norman today is back up to $1,399, compared to $999 in December.

The only exception to the rising prices found by staff on our Notebook Hunter service is a special already listed on apcmag.com, from the Laptop Factory Outlet, in which a Core i5 notebook is selling for $698 (or $598 with cashback). The principal, Derek Ozen explained that he bought the shipment before the Sandy Bridge dramas, and was intending to keep this as originally advertised as a marketing ploy to promote his business's expansion across Australia.
Click to expand...
 
I don't know which one pisses me off more, the fact that this error happened or the fact that AMD is such a woeful non-competitor in the CPU market that this can all happen without a performance war going down and keeping these prices down. I couldn't shake my head any harder at all of this if it was in a fucking washing machine. =\
 
Kenka said:
No Sandy Bridge anytime soon on laptops ?
Click to expand...
How did you get that, out of that article? It's still mid to late March for sales to resume.

And your second article uses a single Australian retailer as a reference. Not panic mode time for the rest of the world.
 
Firestorm said:
Heh looks like he's going for an HP Envy 14 instead =/
Click to expand...

I do like how the envy has the form factor of the unibody MBP but with better specs at affordable prices.

However, just about everyone who I've asked said that the battery life is shit bad. Like doing some on-the-go video editing/photo editing kills the battery in less than 4 hrs. It is even worse with movies and games. :(
 
twinturbo2 said:
The ASUS G73SW series, are they good?

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KeYVsP7c4mgNmh2B
Click to expand...

I just purchased one of these last week. Solid design (looks like a black stealth bomber plane/weapon or something, very masculine, not for everyone) and great illuminated keybaord and a gorgeous screen (17' 1080p).

Runs Crysis on high settings fine at 30 - 60fps (no AA). Games like The Witcher run perfect maxed and Portal/Half life look perfect maxed out

The only issue would be Asus are doing a recall of these models due to the sandy bridge design flaw which affects the Optical SATA drive (saying it will deteriorate over time). You have the choice of a refund or wait it out til Asus have the parts/chipset sorted out and either replace it or repair it at a service center (check where your nearest one is on Asus site).

Personally, havent used optical drive much. So I am holding on to mine until Asus can do something. All up the laptop is great, heaps of keyboard room (full keyboard, backlit) and great design all round. The native wireless card doesnt come with 5ghz band wireless N so if you need that, upgrade this at checkout. Comes with Laptop backpack (Targus, great) and gaming mouse (Razor, also great).

The sound is pretty reasonable for a lappy and all up with backpack and cords weighs about 4kg on the back so not great for travelling. Excellent desktop replacement and will run Direct X11 for what its worth.

Hope it helps.
 
I'll wait it out until the Sandy Bridge issue is worked out, I'm not in a rush. Besides, I want the version with the Blu-ray burner, that might come in handy, and I don't see it in stock yet.
 
the G73 series laptops are best bang for your buck, but some of them have issues, it can be fixed but would require you to do some work.

G73jh
1.) infamous GSOD, fixed via bios upgrade
2.) infamous keyboard/trackpad issues, no fix yet, beta bios on-going
3.) creative/realtek driver issues potential locking up laptop, fix by updating to latest realtek and remove creative (losing audigy)

G73jw
1.) laptop shutsdown randomly, seems isolated but i do experience this issue, no root cause found yet, speculation range from USB 3.0 to battery...
2.) keyboard/trackpad issues, uncommon on this laptop but does happen
3.) creative/realtek driver issues, same as above.
4.) the stock wifi card sucks, upgrade to intel's wifi card.

if you are willing to get your hands dirty, this is a great notebook.
 
hteng said:
4.) the stock wifi card sucks, upgrade to intel's wifi card.
Click to expand...
+1 to this. Mine won't pick up 5ghz band. Which I kinda needed for school site work and should have done my research. Lazy assumptions.
 
So here's my plan, guys - let me know what you think.

Today I picked up a refurb. Alienware M11x R2 (i5, 4GB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm HD) from the Dell Outlet for $786.37 after tax. I am hoping to haggle them down to around $715 total after I receive the unit (I already had them cut off $60). They gave me a 21 day, no restock fee return period so I have a decent amount of leverage.

Anyway - the M11x will tide me over until around May or so when Lenovo releases their IdeaPad Y470 - 14", i7 Sandy Bridge, and GT555m (I imagine around $1200 or so). At this point I can stick with the M11x if it is suiting my needs, or dump it on eBay (one reason I bought it - the resale value is pretty solid...nearly Apple-levels) and buy the Y470 with my employee discount.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan of action? My main goal now is to play BF:BC2 (CPU-bound) so that's why I splurged on the i5 versus C2D M11x.
 
sk3tch said:
So here's my plan, guys - let me know what you think.

Today I picked up a refurb. Alienware M11x R2 (i5, 4GB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm HD) from the Dell Outlet for $786.37 after tax. I am hoping to haggle them down to around $715 total after I receive the unit (I already had them cut off $60). They gave me a 21 day, no restock fee return period so I have a decent amount of leverage.

Anyway - the M11x will tide me over until around May or so when Lenovo releases their IdeaPad Y470 - 14", i7 Sandy Bridge, and GT555m (I imagine around $1200 or so). At this point I can stick with the M11x if it is suiting my needs, or dump it on eBay (one reason I bought it - the resale value is pretty solid...nearly Apple-levels) and buy the Y470 with my employee discount.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan of action? My main goal now is to play BF:BC2 (CPU-bound) so that's why I splurged on the i5 versus C2D M11x.
Click to expand...

sounds very good, im not sure about lenovo laptop quality (they better be good since they make thinkpads too) but the 555m is nice upgrade from 335m.

maybe if you stick around longer you can even wait for Ivy bridge, rumored to be out by 2nd half of 2011.
 
This is sort of OT, but I need help.

I don't know much about laptops/pc's, but my friend asked me for help choosing a laptop as she knows a tech geek.

So, I need a laptop recommendation for a non gamer. It doesn't need to push a high tech stuff, seeing as she isn't into games (minus some iPhone games). She will be just casually watching videos, listening to music, etc etc etc.

Her max is apparently $500-$550.
 
I have a MSI gaming laptop, it's worked flawlessly for me so far and I paid 800 after taxes for it. I can't rememebr the model off the top of my head, it might be a FX600? GX600? something like that.. 1gb nvidia gfx, i5, blue ray, 500gb, 4gb ram, 15" screen 720p.

got it from ncix, after a pricematch. I think it normally goes for 1100 ish... but it's not cutting edge by any means. gets the job done though, plays SC2 on medium @ 60fps, down to 20-30 in big battles.. but never chunks up!
 
^what exactly is the GPU?

EDIT: nvm FX600 has the 325M

gdt5016 said:
This is sort of OT, but I need help.

I don't know much about laptops/pc's, but my friend asked me for help choosing a laptop as she knows a tech geek.

So, I need a laptop recommendation for a non gamer. It doesn't need to push a high tech stuff, seeing as she isn't into games (minus some iPhone games). She will be just casually watching videos, listening to music, etc etc etc.

Her max is apparently $500-$550.
Click to expand...
I just bought this for my mom.
 
gdt5016 said:
This is sort of OT, but I need help.

I don't know much about laptops/pc's, but my friend asked me for help choosing a laptop as she knows a tech geek.

So, I need a laptop recommendation for a non gamer. It doesn't need to push a high tech stuff, seeing as she isn't into games (minus some iPhone games). She will be just casually watching videos, listening to music, etc etc etc.

Her max is apparently $500-$550.
Click to expand...

just got this in my email from Frys - $329.99 Lenovo lappy, dual core P6200, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 15.6" screen...for basic stuff...pretty damn good.

http://www.frys.com/category/Outpost/Notebooks+&+Tablets/Notebooks?site=frysecampaign

EDIT:

and to update on my M11x purchase above, I'm returning the refurb (it's coming Monday) since I was able to buy a more loaded NEW one today during their brief sale (although it's still going on in the EPP site) - $660 for R2/i5/8GB RAM/320GB 7200RPM HD
 
Can someone please tell me if these specs are any good?

* 11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution
* Up to 5 hours of wireless productivity plus up to 30 days of standby time
* 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus.
* 64 GB flash memory storage
* 2 GB installed RAM (1066 MHz DDR3; supports up to 4 GB)
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor (with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)

It's a Macbook Air and it's $1000.

Yea or nay? Alternative?
 
NEOPARADIGM said:
Can someone please tell me if these specs are any good?

* 11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution
* Up to 5 hours of wireless productivity plus up to 30 days of standby time
* 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus.
* 64 GB flash memory storage
* 2 GB installed RAM (1066 MHz DDR3; supports up to 4 GB)
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor (with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)

It's a Macbook Air and it's $1000.

Yea or nay? Alternative?
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty poor for the price, but I'm not the one to ask.

My parents have discussed buying me a new laptop as a college graduation gift. They'll probably want to spend <$1,500. I'm not a huge PC gamer but I would like to play Trine without it looking like a PS1 game. I tend to keep my laptop plugged in all the time, so battery life isn't a huge concern. Keep in mind my biggest issue with my current laptop, which I got May 2007, is overheating. I need to have it propped up for ventilation.

My friend recently purchased this and loves it. Any recommendations?
 
NEOPARADIGM said:
Can someone please tell me if these specs are any good?

* 11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution
* Up to 5 hours of wireless productivity plus up to 30 days of standby time
* 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus.
* 64 GB flash memory storage
* 2 GB installed RAM (1066 MHz DDR3; supports up to 4 GB)
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor (with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory)

It's a Macbook Air and it's $1000.

Yea or nay? Alternative?
Click to expand...
An Alienware m11x configured to the same price would:

-Have the same battery life
-Have a faster CPU
-Have double the RAM
-Have a much much faster GPU

On the downside, it would have a 7200RPM hard drive instead of SSD, and the screen isn't as high-quality. But my machine has never been held back by the hard drive, and if you're planning to put games on the thing, 64GB of hard drive space simply won't cut it.

Also, of course, the m11x is thicker and heavier, but it's still very compact considering how powerful it is and how great the battery life is.


This is a thread about gaming laptops, which is why I'm focusing on the m11x. If you don't care about gaming at all, I've heard great things about the Macbook Air. But while the 320M GPU is better than integrated graphics, it'll still be less than stellar for playing modern games at anything but low, possibly medium settings.
 
Yeah that's the new 15" Clevo the P150HM. The 2920XM is a total waste of money. i7-2630QM is more than enough for everything.

Pay close attention to the 6970M vs 485M benchmarks. That's why I've been telling people to wait for this chip. It's going to match the 485M's performance when it matters at less than half of its cost.

A base P150HM w/ 2630QM and 6970M will go for about $1500. Overclock the 6970M and you literally have a desktop 6850 in your notebook. Beastly.

I'm getting the 17" variant, the P170HM, with the i7-2720QM and 6970M. Will be about $1700.
 
Hey GAF, I'm in the market for a good gaming laptop ...yep i'm finally ready to convert

My info:

Basically looking for something as powerful as possible with portability in mind (15 inch screen, etc.)
Looking to play most modern games reasonably like Bro-ops, DNF, Crysis2, etc.

My budget is around $1500

Sorry for the vague/broad info, but this is actually my first serious gaming Notebook

Thanks again!
 
Can you wait a month or so? Once the Sandy Bridge notebooks come back, the 6970M comes with them.

To put things into perspective, the 485M and 6970M match or exceed the performance of GTX 460M in SLI, in a lot of benchmarks.
 
Is it worth it to get a 2720 over the 2630 if I'm planning on using ps2 emulation? It seems like the 400 mhz difference in DC turbo could make a decent difference.
 
Quixzlizx said:
Is it worth it to get a 2720 over the 2630 if I'm planning on using ps2 emulation? It seems like the 400 mhz difference in DC turbo could make a decent difference.
Click to expand...
At what cost, $160? That's only a 12.5% difference.

And do keep in mind that a Sandy Bridge is much faster clock-for-clock, so a 2630QM running at 2.8Ghz will be like a previous gen dual core running at well over 3Ghz.

I'd vote no, depending on how much the premium is...
 
I'm going off to university for Computer Science in a few months (hopefully Cambridge :D), and I'm thinking about replacing my old MacBook, which is a bit weak (not to mention its battery is almost dead). I'd rather not get a desktop PC, as I don't want to be lugging a heavy machine between home and uni several times a year.

I'm in the UK, and I'm willing to spend about £800; however, I'm willing to spend a little more if it means a significant upgrade in what I get. I don't mind waiting a couple of months for such an upgrade if I have to, either.

I don't really play that many games on my Mac/PC (I'm primarily a handheld gamer; my DS backlog is pretty big); I'd mostly be using it for programming, internet (i.e. GAF) and work. However, I do play Minecraft (without mods, I can barely get 30FPS on Short draw distance on my crappy integrated GPU; with mods, I have to switch to Tiny); being able to play smoothly on higher settings would be a godsend. I'd also love to be able to run Dolphin decently, otherwise my Wii games would be going to waste (I still haven't beaten either Mario Galaxy or Zelda TP, and am holding out hope for a Xenoblade release). And finally, a decent GPU would be useful when dabbling in game development ;)

So basically, I'm looking for something affordable, but decently powerful. Any recommendations?
 
K.Jack said:
Can you wait a month or so? Once the Sandy Bridge notebooks come back, the 6970M comes with them.

To put things into perspective, the 485M and 6970M match or exceed the performance of GTX 460M in SLI, in a lot of benchmarks.
Click to expand...

Wait, Asus finally came out and said 6970s in their next laptop are go? Or did I overlook this info earlier in the thread? Either way, excellent news.
 
Anyway, I found this laptop. It's slightly more expensive than my budget, but I guess I can forgo my previous plans of getting a DSi XL (for now).
Summary: Core i7 quad-core CPU, nVidia GeForce GT 540M GPU, 8GB DDR3 RAM (going for the top option RAM-wise) for ~£900. Sound reasonable, or is there anything similar I could get for less?
 
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