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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread

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Is it OK to ask for recommendations on laptops that can offer the best performance for running certain emulators?
 
Tizoc said:
Is it OK to ask for recommendations on laptops that can offer the best performance for running certain emulators?
Click to expand...
AFAIK, emulators around are strongly relying on CPU-power. The better the CPU, the merrier the party.

That would be for you a Ivy-Bridge-based machine but maybe if you factor price in, you'd be better with a traditional Sandy Bridge build. Throw in a 650m and you're good to go for Dolphin and PCSX 2.0 although the performance is not exactly the same as in a desktop computer. Actually, if you don't need to play on the go, I'd recommend you stick to PC for emulation.
 
Hi laptopgaf, question.

How can I tell what the maximum supported memory my laptop has? It is a Dell XPS L702x with an i7-2670qm

Thanks. Tried googling and get conflicting things..
 
Khold said:
Hi laptopgaf, question.

How can I tell what the maximum supported memory my laptop has? It is a Dell XPS L702x with an i7-2670qm

Thanks. Tried googling and get conflicting things..
Click to expand...

Notebookchecks review says 4 slots, 16gb max - though that's probably because they were using Home Premium. If you're running 64-bit Professional or Ultimate you should be able to install and use up to 32gb.
 
Majik said:
Notebookchecks review says 4 slots, 16gb max - though that's probably because they were using Home Premium. If you're running 64-bit Professional or Ultimate you should be able to install and use up to 32gb.
Click to expand...

Edit: I am running home premium..could you link me the page? Having trouble navigating the site.
 
Majik said:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-XPS-17-Notebook-i7-2630QM-GT-555M.51949.0.html

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778(v=vs.85).aspx

With Home Premium the max supported it 16gb.
Click to expand...

Thanks...may have to think about upgrading to ultimate...amazon seems to have the disk of the "anytime upgrade" at a decent price.

Last question (I mean it!) How do I know what type of memory to buy? I am not well versed in this. Let's say I wanted to go overkill and get 4 8gb sticks...which ones do i get?
 
Khold said:
Thanks...may have to think about upgrading to ultimate...amazon seems to have the disk of the "anytime upgrade" at a decent price.

Last question (I mean it!) How do I know what type of memory to buy? I am not well versed in this. Let's say I wanted to go overkill and get 4 8gb sticks...which ones do i get?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get notebook memory for a start :-) Other than that, any DDR3 ram up to 1600mhz should be perfectly fine. Don't worry about voltages as they'll adjust themselves automatically if necessary. You could go faster than 1600mhz but you won't see any discernible performance increase.

I don't live in the states so somebody else might be able to point you to a better deal, but something like is would be fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233217
 
The 650M can game with medium/high @ 1080p, so 1680x1050 would be a really solid resolution for it.

Unrelated, I'm wondering if anyone has seen how gaming on the the Retina display looks below native res.
 
Majik said:
Make sure you get notebook memory for a start :-) Other than that, any DDR3 ram up to 1600mhz should be perfectly fine. Don't worry about voltages as they'll adjust themselves automatically if necessary. You could go faster than 1600mhz but you won't see any discernible performance increase.

I don't live in the states so somebody else might be able to point you to a better deal, but something like is would be fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233217
Click to expand...

Thanks, dude.
 
K.Jack said:
The 650M can game with medium/high @ 1080p, so 1680x1050 would be a really solid resolution for it.

Unrelated, I'm wondering if anyone has seen how gaming on the the Retina display looks below native res.
Click to expand...
I am wondering that too.

Rocket Scientist said:
I wish it wasn't too much to ask for a Thinkpad with a high end graphics card.
Click to expand...
That would be a sweet dream. I run a ThinkPad now and I won't even consider any other brand for work. A ThinkPad with 256GB SSD and 660m is pure fictional heaven.
 
My girlfriend is in the market for a new laptop. She wants a good 14-ish inch laptop with no number pad, at least 6GB of RAM and a decent processor with at least 500GB of HDD space.

I found this one on BestBuy.com: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony---...Id=5690479&id=1218682372526&fb_source=message

and built this one on HP's website: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...ation.do?destination=review&config_id=7246493

Was hoping someone had any suggestions. She doesn't really need a gaming laptop, hence why both of those use Intel 3000 HD, but yeah. $800 is the absolute limit on price.
 
Kenka said:
That would be a sweet dream. I run a ThinkPad now and I won't even consider any other brand for work. A ThinkPad with 256GB SSD and 660m is pure fictional heaven.
Click to expand...
They freaking built this monster right here, yet they don't want to give us something to max out our games on =(

8lq7h.jpg
 
Kenka said:
That would be a sweet dream. I run a ThinkPad now and I won't even consider any other brand for work. A ThinkPad with 256GB SSD and 660m is pure fictional heaven.
Click to expand...

Ugh, and just like that this thread has made me hard again.

The new retina MBP is pretty interesting but a 650m isn't going to be enough to actually game on it and I know I'd just end up installing Windows on it like all the other macs I get my hands on.

da_stabbah said:
here is a bit about it on AnandTECH
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5998/macbook-pro-retina-display-analysis
Click to expand...

Aww 20 fps at native 2880x1800 in what's likely act 1 or 2. The settings screen showed everything on high except for shadow quality at medium. Act 3 with the flame effects will bring this thing to its knees.
 
It seems like there aren't going to be any more revisions to the Alienware m11x. I was very happy with my R1 for the past couple of years, but it's showing its age now that the hinges have gone it's not really viable for lugging around with me.

I'm looking for another 11" powerhouse netbook... any ideas? My m11x R1 managed to run Skyrim (albeit only just), and even the R3's old now. There must be some kind of successor to these... right?

Recommendations appreciated!
 
Looks like the 7970's are in. It's still going to be another 2-3 weeks before I even see my order. Going Alienware now, no longer makes sense. The ship dates would be identical. The wait continues.
 
Do they not do 18.4" laptops now?

I was just recently looking online for new laptops, seeing what prices they were etc for maybe a new one nxt year but I couldn't find a one above 17". And considering the one I have now is 18.4" I don't want to be losing screen space. Or maybe it's just worth upgrading my current one when the time comes?
 
caffeinedreamer said:
I'm looking for another 11" powerhouse netbook... any ideas? My m11x R1 managed to run Skyrim (albeit only just), and even the R3's old now. There must be some kind of successor to these... right?

Recommendations appreciated!
Click to expand...
You could get the 11" Clevo, which is sold by Sager, Xoticpc, LPC, etc. The main complaints are the heat and the crappy screen. But it's a powerhouse with the processor and 650m.

Looks like they have a matte screen now, which might be better.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6110-clevo-w110er-p-4343.html
 
K.Jack said:
Any modern day i7 mobile quad will run emus just fine.
Click to expand...

Kenka said:
AFAIK, emulators around are strongly relying on CPU-power. The better the CPU, the merrier the party.

That would be for you a Ivy-Bridge-based machine but maybe if you factor price in, you'd be better with a traditional Sandy Bridge build. Throw in a 650m and you're good to go for Dolphin and PCSX 2.0 although the performance is not exactly the same as in a desktop computer. Actually, if you don't need to play on the go, I'd recommend you stick to PC for emulation.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I'm mostly looking to get a new laptop by the end of the year, and want to use Dolphin, N64 & ePSXe to get the best visual output.
 
A coworker is selling this alienware laptop. I know it's not brand new, but is this a good deal?

1.20GHz Intel Core i7 640UM (4MB Cache, max turbo frequency 2.266GHz)
4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 x 2GB)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
11.6" WXGA WideHD
LED Backlit display (1366x768)
Upgraded to Seagate's Momentus xt hybrid hdd 500GB
Nvidia GeForce GT 335M Discrete Graphics (1GB GDDR3) with switchable Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics
802.11b/g/n, 10/100 LAN
3-in-1 card reader
8-Cell Li-ion 64WH battery
Weight: 4.4lbs 1year Warranty

Selling price: $500
Including Alienware headset, Alienware mouse, and case

 
Here's the response I had to a similar query a couple of months ago:

Others might disagree but I would say NO. It's 3 years old and that exact spec model was on sale for around $550 brand new at both Dell (online) and Staples (in-store) last year.

If you absolutely need something in that size then save just a bit more to go Clevo. You will at least get a modern CPU and GPU

If you're just looking for the cheapest gaming capable laptop around $600 then just look for the cheapest i5/GT540 or i5/GT630 laptop from either Acer or Asus or Lenovo that you can find online. A few great examples were already listed in this thread earlier.

The model is specced slightly higher that the original post I replied to had but honestly, anything that you can find new at around $550-$650 with a core i5/i7 and a gt540m or 630 or better will be a much better buy. You won't have the portability but will at least get something new. For portable devices, a laptop has so many moving parts and one that's been used for gaming will have been stressed much more than normal and I would never suggest that anyone buy them 2nd hand unless it was a business machine or macbook from a nongamer.
 
You guys are too harsh on 650m. It's VERY impressive that Apple has fitted that into the MBP15. Have you seen how thin it is? THE FUCK. Their cooling better be some serious mojo or that thing is gonna be hot. 650m runs Skyrim and BF3 on high very fluidly; http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-650M.71887.0.html - So saying it's not good enough for gaming is crazy.


Machine is super impressive.
I wish they had given the same treatment to regular MBP 13. Retina, and 650m graphics. And just removed the optical drive. MBP13... Besides some more processing power, it's not worth it over an air. It's size, weight and power does not make sense. It does not justify it's own product line.






Vaio Sp has been released. 13-inch powerhouse. Now with 640m LE, and Premium Display. They say it's the same type as the fabled Vaio Z. i7 processor, possibility of blu-ray burner and 16 gigs of ram and 1 TB of SSD. It's gonna cost, but the carbon fiber casing is hot. are temperatures and noise levels down though?
 
An issue, hope somebody can help me:

HP dv6-6185la, Radeon HD 6770M, Windows 7 64-bit.

I tried to update my card drivers (and software) through AMD, but when I try to install it, the software tells me that AMD Catalyst Mobility is incompatible and I should ask the manufacturer for updated drivers/software.

The thing is, HP hasn't updated anything since release.

Is there any way I can install AMD's drivers directly?
 
Free PS3 or Vita with a Sony VAIO laptop at the moment.

I'm eyeing the VAIO S15 with the i7-3612QM 2.10 ghz, 15.5" IPS 1080p screen and GT 640M LE. It looks like the poor man's Macbook Pro, and the screen has a sane resolution. Sorry, I don't the buy the hype about Retina Display on a laptop that every app won't make any use of except for Apple's own, plus I doubt Windows will benefit from it.

Can this thing run games pretty decently at the native 1920x1080 resolution? Mobile GPUs are a mystery to me, so I have no idea where GT 640M LE fits in the mobile GPU hierarchy of power.

edit: Okay fine, so I'm not COMPLETELY lazy:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-640M-LE.72199.0.html

So it's 20% lower clocked GT 640M. I wonder if you can OC it back to the standard GT 640M's speed and not set the laptop on fire. Too bad nothing there can tell me shit about how well it will run Diablo III. Anybody has a laptop with this GPU and can tell me?
 
Kenka said:
That would be a sweet dream. I run a ThinkPad now and I won't even consider any other brand for work. A ThinkPad with 256GB SSD and 660m is pure fictional heaven.
Click to expand...

I would like for Lenovo to stop putting the worst TN panels on the face of the Earth in Thinkpads first. My current laptop is a T400 and after that I will never buy another Lenovo laptop again until they start using decent panels in them.

Lenovo has really run the Thinkpad name into the ground, back in the day Thinkpad was known for the "FlexView" IPS panels you could get as a (very expensive) upgrade
 
How good are the screens on the sagers, really? I'm looking at the NP9150 with the 1980x1050 & 95% color gamut screen - which is backordered till an estimated June :( Any reviews to point me towards? I can't seem to find any.
 
I'm still shopping around for a laptop and looking to spend around $800-$1000.
My main uses/wants:
-Multitasking! I open up a lot of programs and run a bunch of programs at the same time.
I want an i7.

-Emulation
I hope to be able to run PS2 emulation mildly. I don't plan to play hard to emulate games on my laptop, but maybe some easier to run games. I plan to update my normal PC end of this year, for a more thorough emulation experience.

-Nice screen
I plan to watch movies as well and a nice screen makes a big difference to me.

-Gaming
Diablo 3 is going to be my highest requirements game. I will occasionally go to a friends or relative's place, and will want to play Diablo 3.
So I'm thinking I need a mid-range graphics card. I have a gaming PC so I will use that for more intensive required games.


So my priorites would be:
i7 quad core CPU
Nice screen
Stable (doesn't overheat too easily, not too many problems)
3+ USB Ports and maybe other quirks that I can't think of now
Medium range graphics card (I only plan to play Diablo 3 and other low spec. requirement games)

So can someone let me know some graphics card I should look into?
I'm want to look for sales, and don't really have a deadline for pulling the trigger.

Thanks
 
bigmit3737 said:
I'm still shopping around for a laptop and looking to spend around $800-$1000.
My main uses/wants:
-Multitasking! I open up a lot of programs and run a bunch of programs at the same time.
I want an i7.

-Emulation
I hope to be able to run PS2 emulation mildly. I don't plan to play hard to emulate games on my laptop, but maybe some easier to run games. I plan to update my normal PC end of this year, for a more thorough emulation experience.

-Nice screen
I plan to watch movies as well and a nice screen makes a big difference to me.

-Gaming
Diablo 3 is going to be my highest requirements game. I will occasionally go to a friends or relative's place, and will want to play Diablo 3.
So I'm thinking I need a mid-range graphics card. I have a gaming PC so I will use that for more intensive required games.


So my priorites would be:
i7 quad core CPU
Nice screen
Stable (doesn't overheat too easily, not too many problems)
3+ USB Ports and maybe other quirks that I can't think of now
Medium range graphics card (I only plan to play Diablo 3 and other low spec. requirement games)

So can someone let me know some graphics card I should look into?
I'm want to look for sales, and don't really have a deadline for pulling the trigger.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've done a fair amount of research into looking for laptops with IPS screens, and they are extremely rare.

Affordable by the 99%:
HP Envy Spectre, 14, 15, and 17 (with "Radiance" screen upgrade on some models)
Samsung Series 7
Sony VAIO S15
Asus Zenbook Prime UX32A

Affordable by the 1%:
HP EliteBook (with "DreamColor" screen upgrade)
Dell Precision (with "PremierColor" screen upgrade)
MacBook Pro with Retina Display

It's hard to find a laptop with an IPS display in this day and age, as you can see. The HP Envy series have some pretty grunty GPUs in them but they are AMD/ATI and I've owned enough of those to prefer Nvidia just for the superior driver quality. The Samsung Series 7 are nice machines, the Sony VAIOs are notable for being almost as thin as Ultrabooks, and the Asus Zenbook Prime is still delayed and unavailable in North America.

As for the business-class EliteBook and Precision laptops and the MacBook Pro, if you've got the money to burn, then go and burn it. #occupylaptops
 
Flunkie said:
Elitebooks are built amazingly, but they're not so ideal for gaming.
Click to expand...

The business-class laptops have pretty weak GPUs in them for the price. Because, you know, they are for serious business. Sigh.

HP Envy 15 and Sony VAIO SE/S15 owners get to enjoy this on their IPS panels:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/8213929-post1060.html

Anandtech's analysis of the screen (why is red displayed as orange?):
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5722/sony-vaio-se-an-ips-laptop-for-under-a-grand/6

I've heard the HP Envy 17's Radiance panel doesn't have this problem.
 
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