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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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Loving my new laptop! Hope it can handle BF3 well enough!

Malibal Satori P170HM
17.3" 1920 x 1080 FHD LED Backlit 120Hz (3D)
Intel® CoreT i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache 2.0-2.9GHz
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 580M 2GB GDDR5
(8GB) 8192MB, PC3-10660/1333MHz DDR3 - 2 SO-DIMM
500GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA 300 Hybrid w/ 4GB NAND Flash
6X Blu-ray Reader 8X DVD+/-R
 
littleworm said:
Is it even possible to get a 6990 in a 15 inch laptop?
Click to expand...
Only in the Clevo P150HM, Sager NP8150, or whatever they call it in your region.

In the US, it will cost about $1,600.
 
Okay GAF, I'm finally getting a new laptop (after having my old one for 4+ years and not being able to play anything on it) and I'm looking to get a gaming laptop. My budget is around $1000 and I don't really know much aside from basic computer spec knowledge. So where should I start?
 
Zoramon089 said:
Okay GAF, I'm finally getting a new laptop (after having my old one for 4+ years and not being able to play anything on it) and I'm looking to get a gaming laptop. My budget is around $1000 and I don't really know much aside from basic computer spec knowledge. So where should I start?
Click to expand...
Around $1k you should be targeting a machine with i7-2630QM and GTX 460M or 560M.

littleworm said:
Would there be any potential problems with a 6990 in a 15 inch laptop?
Click to expand...
None.
 
Kind of a bump and a change. I realized the 540m has been having a TON of problems based on the Nvidia forums. Anyway, I'm currently going with this

HP Pavilion 6vtse
15.6"
2.0 GHz Quad Core i7-2630QM
1GB GDDR5 Radeon HD 6770M
6GB RAM
750GB 5400rpm HDD
Bluray drive (a nice touch)

$788
 
I will never buy an Asus laptop again.

Over the last 18 months, I've had two hard drive boot sector corruptions (pain in the butt to fix since their system repair disk doesn't have the recovery environment on it. I basically had to live-boot ubuntu, download super grub disk and make a bootable usb stick with SGD on it, boot into SGD and fix the MBR, and finally, perform an EMS windows setup), a power supply failure, a CPU failure, all on separate occasions.

After the second time the boot sector conked out on me (last Thursday), I had enough. I went online and bought a dell inspiron 17R for ~$700 after tax thanks to an employee discount program I have with my employer. It should arrive at my apartment tomorrow.

Going from a Core 2 Duo/GTX 260M to an i5/GT 525M.


Edit: probably will overclock the 525M to 550M speeds. 525M, 540M, and 550M are all the same card clocked differently, and th 525M is typically for 15" laptops (mine's 17")


In raw performance I believe the 550M is roughly a 10% decrease over the 260M (memory bandwidth definitely is a huge bottleneck), but the DX11/OpenGL4.1/Vertex Shader 5.0 support (versus DX10/OpenGL3.3/Vertex Shader 4.0 in the 260M) should make it a bit more future proof and provide better performancec except in worst-case scenarios.
 
GaimeGuy said:
Edit: probably will overclock the 525M to 550M speeds. 525M, 540M, and 550M are all the same card clocked differently, and th 525M is typically for 15" laptops (mine's 17")

In raw performance I believe the 550M is roughly a 10% decrease over the 260M (memory bandwidth definitely is a huge bottleneck), but the DX11/OpenGL4.1/Vertex Shader 5.0 support (versus DX10/OpenGL3.3/Vertex Shader 4.0 in the 260M) should make it a bit more future proof and provide better performancec except in worst-case scenarios.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure where you're getting your info, but the 525M is a full performance class lower than the 260M. You just took a 40 to 50% performance hit.

twdnewh_k said:
UAE
Click to expand...
I see. Then I'd target Asus or MSI. Buying a new notebook, with zero warranty, is insane.

Look for the MSI w/ GTX 570M.
 
K.Jack said:
I'm not sure where you're getting your info, but the 525M is a full performance class lower than the 260M. You just took a 50% performance hit, at the least.


I see. Then I'd target Asus or MSI. Buying a new notebook, with zero warranty, is insane.

Look for the MSI w/ GTX 570M.
Click to expand...
Right, but consider that my CPU was a core 2.
 
The CPU upgrade matters little, when your new GPU is 40 to 50% slower than the old one. The 525M is simply too slow to reap the benefits. You're going from 256-bit GDDR3 to 128-bit DDR3, 112 shaders to 96, and 16 ROPS to just 4.

To equal the GTX 260M, with 2011's GPUs, you need a 6770M or 192-bit GT 555M.
 
So.... stupid question, but I don't know anything about laptops, so here goes:

Could I buy a, say, HP laptop with a decent i5 processor, and later down the line buy an aftermarket graphics card and put that into the laptop, or are graphics cards kind of just built into the hardware and I have to buy them already with that setup included?
 
Ellis Kim said:
So.... stupid question, but I don't know anything about laptops, so here goes:

Could I buy a, say, HP laptop with a decent i5 processor, and later down the line buy an aftermarket graphics card and put that into the laptop, or are graphics cards kind of just built into the hardware and I have to buy them already with that setup included?
Click to expand...

It is rather tough to upgrade a laptop. You can swap hard drives and RAM but the rest, pretty much not.
 
The only brands which are set up to upgrade later are: Clevo, Alienware, and MSI, with Asus being in a case-by-case situation.

What's your budget?
 
Any idea how much I could sell this laptop for?

Dell Studio 1749 (1 year old)
17"
Windows 7
i3 @ 2.27
Integrated graphics
6 gigs ram
 
got my laptop from Amazon, it's the 3830TG. Everything has been running smooth and I have yet to experience the throttling issue that it's known for, have ThrottleStop just in case. Overall, I'm loving it, especially the battery life. The only thing that annoyed me at first is that it had a jumpy touchpad after a few days of use, but it seems to have gone away after a driver update... I hope.
 
K.Jack said:
The only brands which are set up to upgrade later are: Clevo, Alienware, and MSI, with Asus being in a case-by-case situation.

What's your budget?
Click to expand...
Just short of $900--more like $850 or less if possible.

I want a good gaming laptop that I can do 3D rendering on and other art design stuff, and I kind of want to future proof it as much as possible.

Looking at these (http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gamin...ive-professional-laptops-ct-118_101_109.html), I feel like its really difficult trying to find the right balance between price, battery life, and screen size, lol.
 
Ellis Kim said:
Just short of $900--more like $850 or less if possible.

I want a good gaming laptop that I can do 3D rendering on and other art design stuff, and I kind of want to future proof it as much as possible.

Looking at these (http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gamin...ive-professional-laptops-ct-118_101_109.html), I feel like its really difficult trying to find the right balance between price, battery life, and screen size, lol.
Click to expand...
Well, there's no such thing as future proof under a G. The DV6 in post #2808 looks up your alley. That''s by far the fastest CPU/GPU combo you'll find at ~$800. Though your work will probably be needing the 1080p screen upgrade.

Zoramon089 can probably help you work the discounts.

Otherwise, you have the NP5165 or a whole slew of weaker machines on Newegg.
 
So.... I think the only discount code I've come across that's functional for the HP DV6TQE w/ the same exact specs as Zoramon's was this: MU7608, which just knocks off $50, lol :S

Despite free shipping, the tax and fee murders the cost up to $882.88

Am I doing something wrong? lol

(it doesn't help me that the student free 360 thing is there teasing me with its "lol no free shipping for you," raising the cost up to $954.65 if I were to go that route :S)

I hate that they don't let you stack :(

Maybe I should be aiming lower...
 
GAF, halp!

Do I get the Toshiba Satellite P755-S5270 with i5 dualcore with 6gb ram and NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (and yes, I know that it supposedly has problems according to Zoramon's research)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054QJ3TY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

or the HP Pavilion DV6TQE i7 quad core w/ 6gb and Radeon HD 6770M?
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...p/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/Students/dv6tqe_series

The Toshiba's $799 on Amazon w/ no tax and free shipping, plus the credit for the free 360 as a student

The HP's $804.49 w/ free shipping but tax totals to $882.88 and I miss out on the 360 (though opting in raises the price to $954, which I don't plan on doing)

augh! My mind tells me I don't need the 360, but my selfishness pokes at me saying "this is an opportunity! Grab it!"

Dammit, HP, why couldn't you have no tax :(

edit: I moved forward with the HP.

:|

I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360....
 
Ellis Kim said:
I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360 I don't need a 360....
Click to expand...
You may end up finding a good Black Friday 360 deal later this year anyway.
 
Hi GAF. I'm currently running the following rig:

ASUS G71G
Core 2 Duo P8700 @2.53ghz
Nvidia GTX260M
6 GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM

I'm looking at upgrading to this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230100
ASUS G74SX-XN1
Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.00GHz
GeForce GTX 560M
12 GB DDR3 1333

Will the upgrade be worth the price? I wanted to keep it under $1500 and I really like the 12 month financing from the Newegg card. Thanks for your help!
 
InVinoVeritas said:
Hi GAF. I'm currently running the following rig:

ASUS G71G
Core 2 Duo P8700 @2.53ghz
Nvidia GTX260M
6 GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM

I'm looking at upgrading to this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230100
ASUS G74SX-XN1
Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.00GHz
GeForce GTX 560M
12 GB DDR3 1333

Will the upgrade be worth the price? I wanted to keep it under $1500 and I really like the 12 month financing from the Newegg card. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Well, the i7 is probably 3x the speed of the C2D, and the 560M has a nice 50 to 60 percent lead over the 260M. Does that pass your smell test?

littleworm said:
Just thought I'd throw this out there Newegg has a great deal on the ASUSG53SW

It has:

CPU:I7-2630QM 2.0 GHz
RAM:6GB DDR3
Hard Drive:500GB
GPU: Nividia GTX460M
VRAM: 1.5GB GDDR5

Its 200 dollars off so you get it for 892.99 and you can get an additional 100 dollars off with a mail in rebate from ASUS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo
Click to expand...
WOW AMAZING DEAL.

Anyone shopping under or around $1k needs to scoop this up ASAP.
 
Hey guys. I've been wondering how Skyrim will run on my laptop. I've been playing other current-gen games without problems so far.

Here are my specs:

Windows 7 64-bit
Intel Core i3 CPU M 370 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
4gb RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 550v
 
Unfortunately, no one outside Bethesda - to my knowledge - has even seen Skyrim on PC, nor have we seen how their new engine, Creation, performs on a PC - much less a mid-range one. Right now, that means educated guesses are the best anyone can really offer, but if you're playing other recent games just fine, then the chances are at least good. I wouldn't expect superb detail at 60fps, but maybe you can get one of those two as a trade-off.
 
RelentlessRolento said:
Is this better than what you linked for me? if so I'll bite finally.


EDIT: Fuck, outa stock
Click to expand...
Go with the HP I mentioned above. It's only around $40 more and I think the Radeon 6770m is comparable if not better than the GTX460m from what I've read
 
foogles said:
Unfortunately, no one outside Bethesda - to my knowledge - has even seen Skyrim on PC, nor have we seen how their new engine, Creation, performs on a PC - much less a mid-range one. Right now, that means educated guesses are the best anyone can really offer, but if you're playing other recent games just fine, then the chances are at least good. I wouldn't expect superb detail at 60fps, but maybe you can get one of those two as a trade-off.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for the response.
 
Mafro said:
Just wondering, what's roughly the desktop equivalent of the GT 555m 3GB?
Click to expand...

Don't know the exact equivalent, but it can only run Witcher 2 on low settings and maybe mid settings with subpar fps.
 
Zoramon089 said:
Go with the HP I mentioned above. It's only around $40 more and I think the Radeon 6770m is comparable if not better than the GTX460m from what I've read
Click to expand...
460M wins by 30%

Mafro said:
Just wondering, what's roughly the desktop equivalent of the GT 555m 3GB?
Click to expand...
555M = on par with the 9800 GT

Also, don't pay extra for the version with more video memory. It's a waste of money.
 
graywolf323 said:
is it worth returning this laptop - http://tinyurl.com/3ox7tee

to get this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230100
Click to expand...

BB version
HD display (1600? definitely not 1920)
8GB Ram, good enough
1TB HDD
WiMAX

NewEgg version
FHD (1920x1080) display
12GB Ram, seems excessive
500GB HDD, can be upgraded later
no WiMAX

i think the display itself is pretty superior and i think the newegg one comes with backpack? you'll need it if you are planning to carry this around
 
graywolf323 said:
is it worth returning this laptop - http://tinyurl.com/3ox7tee

to get this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230100
Click to expand...

I was making the decision between these two laptops earlier this week. I read on a few forums that the Best Buy version of this laptop's video card has a memory bus of 128 bit, whereas the Newegg version has a 192 bit memory bus. I'm not entirely sure what all that means, but with the help of those forums and the previous posts by K.Jack, I ordered the Newegg version today.
 
So my brother's planning on buying a new laptop.
What's a good one that can run PSX emus+filters to make them look like DC games-quality graphics?
Running PS2 emulation would be a nice bonus too.
Anything around 1000 dollars or lower would be fine, but if there's one that's more pricey, list it anyway I'll show it to him.
EDIT: Oh and he doesn't want Dell, ACER or HP
EDI2: As well as 3D option and Bluray player and if possible reader
Taking into consideration the last edit, finding one for 1000 or less is not possible, but recommend what you can =)
 
Tizoc said:
So my brother's planning on buying a new laptop.
What's a good one that can run PSX emus+filters to make them look like DC games-quality graphics?
Running PS2 emulation would be a nice bonus too.
Anything around 1000 dollars or lower would be fine, but if there's one that's more pricey, list it anyway I'll show it to him.
EDIT: Oh and he doesn't want Dell, ACER or HP
EDI2: As well as 3D option and Bluray player and if possible reader
Taking into consideration the last edit, finding one for 1000 or less is not possible, but recommend what you can =)
Click to expand...
Sager NP8130?

Has everything but 3D. A 3D display takes you up way over the given budget.
 
Welp

A rich friend of mine is going to the US and believes that alienware equals most awesome laptops available. I've been trying to convince her otherwise, but she's pretty adamant and wants to expend a lot of money on this. Therefore:

1 - Can you buy alienware in regular stores like Wallmart, Best Buy and etc?
2 - What's the best stock alienware laptop available?
3 - What's the best NON-alienware laptop available (I'll try to convince her to buy this instead)?

As I said, money is not an issue and she doesn't care if it is a tank sized laptop...
 
luiztfc said:
Welp

A rich friend of mine is going to the US and believes that alienware equals most awesome laptops available. I've been trying to convince her otherwise, but she's pretty adamant and wants to expend a lot of money on this. Therefore:

1 - Can you buy alienware in regular stores like Wallmart, Best Buy and etc?
2 - What's the best stock alienware laptop available?
3 - What's the best NON-alienware laptop available (I'll try to convince her to buy this instead)?

As I said, money is not an issue and she doesn't care if it is a tank sized laptop...
Click to expand...

1.) Don't think so, Alienware are usually custom built from Dell directly, you can however get them from ebay (they also get from dell).
2.) depends on what size is her preference, there's 11, 14, 17 & 18inch. All stock alienwares are cheaply spec-ed imo, most people that buy usually will get better the GPU , CPU or Display options.
3.) I'd say Sager, they compete in the performance laptop market, they can offer anything that alienware can come up with (besides the backlight keyboards, wireless HD, fancy stuff..etc), and they are very friendly in terms of upgrading, plus they are cheaper.

Generally it comes down to the fancy lights and the aggressive look of the alienware or the no non-sense, professional, low key look of the Sager. Alienwares do have Dell's next business day support, which imo is better than any other brands. Sager/Clevos are way cheaper though.

Sager
8170.jpg

Alienware
7536.Alienware_2D00_m17x_5F00_thumb_5F00_615790D9.jpg
 
Thanks!

I really like the Sager, far more hardware and much cheaper. And as you said, much lower profile.

I'll try to convince her...

Thanks for the help!
 
I am actually convinced by the x121e with Zacate processor. Does GAF recommend me to wait for the next wave of x121e which is (hopefully) equipped with Ivy Bridge or to go for it now ?

I am primarily using it as a laptop I can take with me anywhere. The chassis qualities are ok and the screen is mate. Also, it allows me to run DotA easily and to play a wide arrays of legacy titles.
 
I'm looking for a laptop to replace my ancient PC and I was wondering if you guys could help me pick a good one. I'm looking to spend upwards of $1,200 or a bit more (after taxes/shipping etc). I would prefer something in the $900-$1050 range. I was looking at these:

G74SX-BBK7

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ASUS+-+...lack/2712579.p?skuId=2712579&id=1218346639131

X17L-781ELS

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+...lver/2817237.p?id=1218353394481&skuId=2817237

Anyone have any opinion of these or a better suggestion?
 
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