Newbie Needs Laptop for Gaming

[CocoMunkee]

 

[CocoMunkee]

Opps, Forgot to add details. My bad. I would like a system that the videocard can be upgraded & battery life dosent finish fast. also 17in screen is nice.

 

[Kipper]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=51&threadid=1582051&enterthread=y

That thread contains some recommendations.

Essentially, the consensus is: gaming + laptop do not go well together generally.

Buy a cheap laptop for your regular internet/word/e-mail and a decent desktop for your gaming needs.

 

[HeXeD OSOK]

I have just decided to go with this computer.. May be RIGHT up your alley..but no 17" screen

http://www.discountlaptops.com/index.ph...or&regular_model_id=1116&model_id=1117

With a Mobile Pentium w/ 2M cache, a X700 256M GDDR3, 1G dual channel.. game should be no problem. I'm currently trying to get some advice on similar laptops that may be cheaper.. but this is right in your price range..

 

[HeXeD OSOK]

btw..don't copy/paste the link.. it won't work..

never realised that is your string togther "& reg" you get a &reg

 

[Gadzookie]

maybe a small form facotr pc ? like a the new shuttle xpc for gaming ? if you want a good gaming laptop they go around 2000 plus ! not worth it !

 

[HeXeD OSOK]

That's a pretty ignorant statment. Maybe you should do some investigation to assume there is no such thing as a good gaming laptop. Lemme go ahead and repeat his subject:


"NEWBIE NEEDS LAPTOP FOR GAMING"

he didn't say

"NEWBIE NEEDS TROLL TO COME TELL HIM WHAT HE DOESN'T WANT"

He didn't say he needed a AMD FX-55 w/ 4G of ram and a SLI GF 6800 Ultra config... If he wants it to play games, the mobile X800 and 6800 Go are MORE than enough for recent games.

 

[Jassi]

Originally posted by: HeXeD OSOK
I have just decided to go with this computer.. May be RIGHT up your alley..but no 17" screen

http://www.discountlaptops.com/index.ph...or&regular_model_id=1116&model_id=1117

With a Mobile Pentium w/ 2M cache, a X700 256M GDDR3, 1G dual channel.. game should be no problem. I'm currently trying to get some advice on similar laptops that may be cheaper.. but this is right in your price range..

Wow, I have never seen that laptop. Thanks! I love the GPU but too bad there is not widescreen option

 

[HeXeD OSOK]

I thought the same thing.. however I have slowly learned that 17" has a few downfalls:

Less battery life
Larger and heavier

and as for widescreen.. there are several opengl games out there that don't support the widescreen resolutions so it ends up running at 4:3 anyways..and when that happens you get less space. And less space means less headshots..

 

[railer]

Originally posted by: Kipper
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=51&threadid=1582051&enterthread=y

That thread contains some recommendations.

Essentially, the consensus is: gaming + laptop do not go well together generally.

Buy a cheap laptop for your regular internet/word/e-mail and a decent desktop for your gaming needs.

Kipper don't be a dimwit. For a tick over a grand, you can get a gaming laptop that will smoke 95% of desktops in the world. And that laptop is: Inspiron 9300 with the 256 MB 6800. HL2 at 1920x1200 at around 50 fps all day.....

 

[mdahc]

If you really want a 17" screen + an upgradeable gaming mobile GPU for ~$1500, then the Inspiron 9300 would probably be the way to go (with a Geforce Go 6800). If you want an upgradeable gaming mobile GPU + decent battery life for ~$1500, then the Toshiba Tecra A4 or an Asus Z71V with a Geforce Go 6600 would be your best bet. It's virtually impossible to satisfy all 4 of your constraints.

 

[ssvegeta1010]

Yes, if you want 17" gaming, 9300 (or the more extravagant and expensive XPS Gen 2) is the way to go.

 

[RamIt]

Originally posted by: Kipper

Essentially, the consensus is: gaming + laptop do not go well together generally.

Buy a cheap laptop for your regular internet/word/e-mail and a decent desktop for your gaming needs.

You are very misinformed.
XPS Gen2. Over 6000 in 3dmark05 overclocked and 5300 not.
How does your desktop compare?
Mine gets ~2 1/2 hours on a charge when undervolted.
The 9300 with the non ultra can get over 3 hours and still get over 4000 in 3dmark.

 

[moretoys]

You mentioned being able to upgrage the video card. There are few laptops that have an official upgradable video card and they are usually very large and expensive with short battery life. I'm not sure if Dell sells upgrade modules for the 9300, which may be a good option.
IMO it isn't worth worrying about an upgradable video as it's primarily a gaming concern and by the time you 'need' a new video card, the rest of the hardware is outdated anyway. I personally looked for something from a go 6600 or X700 and better.
You also mentioned you wanted battery life that doesn't finish fast. How long a battery life do you need? The better the laptop is at gaming, the shorter the battery life. If you provided yor minimum time it could help people identify options.
I have a Toshiba M40 JM3. Their models vary per country, mine was $1900 cdn. It has a go 6600, that works well for my gaming. Only a 15 inch screen though. I get around 3 hours battery on low power. it is 6 lbs.

 

[Flashram]

Originally posted by: HeXeD OSOK
I thought the same thing.. however I have slowly learned that 17" has a few downfalls:

Less battery life
Larger and heavier

My 17" Gateway m860 gets 5 hours of battery life, weighs 7.7 lbs, and is thinner than my 12" Dell 700m.