Gaming Laptops

[Veovis Muad'dib]

Engadget has been drooling over one recently: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/asus-w90-gaming-laptop-gets-put-through-its-paces-raises-the-b/

I run on a last generation Macbook Pro, with 512M VRAM in the 8600M GT it comes with. 4 Gigs of RAM, 2.5 Ghz dual core intel, 250 Gig 5400 rpm HD. Very nice screen, good colors and contrast, sunlight-readable, 1440x900 15.4". It plays fallout 3 on almost full graphics in vista with upwards of 30 fps average.

Just look around for a laptop with a good video card, and you'll be fine. Now, here's the part where I wonder why you're trying to play games on a laptop. I got a good laptop instead of a good desktop and a sufficient laptop, because I decided I would be able to play games and do my development on the good laptop instead of having my good computer be stationary. Not a good idea. The only time I enjoy playing games is when I'm hooked up to my G11 and G7 and a monitor, and my laptop is on a dual fan cooling pad. Even then, I could fry eggs on it, and it'll probably start to fry my gpu. Gaming on a laptop is bad. The only time it's useful is at friend's houses, but for that you might as well make a lanbox. Also, I get about 2-3 hours out of my battery doing normal things, but gaming makes it less than half an hour, always. Just trust us, for playing the two RPG's that you named, you don't need portability. I'd suggest getting a netbook and a good desktop that you build yourself. For the same price as a laptop that plays games, you could have a far superior desktop.

 

[Skizle]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

well a few people have had this problem as well as i, better to be safe then sorry.

 

[mALX]

Alienware M-15x With 2GB of RAM, an 8600GTS, and a 2.1 GHz Intel CPU. If you get the 1440x900 screen it will work, but why a laptop? A desktop is much better for gaming. If you were playing LAN party games, I could understand, but these are single player RPG's. So why?

I saw Alienware has the M-17x with crossfire now. The thing about Alienware (since Dell tainted them) is that they show you a laptop and list the highest stats you can get, post the lowest price that laptop barebones would sell for. It is the next best thing to false or misleading advertising. You see all these great stats for 1,500 but if you actually customize it to get the great stats, it is more like 6,000. And why in the world did they stop making the mALX instead of just updating it to a dual core?

 

[crimson5pheonix]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

well a few people have had this problem as well as i, better to be safe then sorry.

What problem? I've never even heard of a problem with Intel processors not playing games.

Alienware M-15x With 2GB of RAM, an 8600GTS, and a 2.1 GHz Intel CPU. If you get the 1440x900 screen it will work, but why a laptop? A desktop is much better for gaming. If you were playing LAN party games, I could understand, but these are single player RPG's. So why?

I saw Alienware has the M-17x with crossfire now. The thing about Alienware (since Dell tainted them) is that they show you a laptop and list the highest stats you can get, post the lowest price that laptop barebones would sell for. It is the next best thing to false or misleading advertising. You see all these great stats for 1,500 but if you actually customize it to get the great stats, it is more like 6,000. And why in the world did they stop making the mALX instead of just updating it to a dual core?

A bit, but my Laptop that can play Oblivion has the 1920x1200 screen and a blu-ray drive along with the warranty and it cost me $3000. Scale back the screen and disc drive and you have a gaming laptop for $1500-$2000 with pretty color changing lights that you can turn off if they get annoying.

 

[mALX]

I know mine can play Oblivion, with minimal problems on max settings. But it's ANCIENT.

What kind is it?

Toshiba Satellite. I only imagine they could run it even BETTER now. Of course, a few years ago it was pretty much the best lappy publically available BY Toshiba.

thread title

Do not exist according to the PC Nazi's.

Oh, but it does.

I wish I had gotten a Toshiba when I got this HP! HP crashes constantly, without even a game in to cause it!

 

[clicklick]

I have a Dell XPS M1530.

Its a good laptop although not a chart topper, plays most games that I like but it does tend to heat up a lot. That and the not so awesome battery life are the weak points.

But I play games for atmost an hour so m happy with it. But yeah I haven't had any trouble....yet.

 

[mALX]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

I heard something about that just a few weeks ago!

 

[crimson5pheonix]

I just checked the Alienware website and...
15.4" 1440x900 screen
512 MB 9800M GT
Intel T8100 2.1 GHz
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
4 GB DDR2 667 MHz
160 GB 7,200 RPM drive with an 8MB cache
8x DVD burner
$1,599 Subtotal

 

[mALX]

Bah, the PC Nazi's are idiots anyways.

The big downside is that for a good gaming laptop you end up paying at least twice what a desktop is going to run you. So look at paying at least $1500, if not quite a bit more.

What you want is a decent processor (dual core, 2.1ghz) and at least 3 gig of ram (which means yur gonna be running Vista, 4 is going to be better for you). Look for a laptop that is using either an ATI or an nVidia chipset (not an intel or some other type) for the video, and has _dedicated_ ram for the card. Your sound won't matter too much, if you really need better sound pick up an external USB soundcard or something.

Gateway makes reliable laptops, as does HP. Dell seems to have partnered with Alienware, and those are some pretty nice gamer laptops. The Lenova laptops seem pretty reliable also.

Okay, so here are the problems with a gaming laptop:
*Small screen (usually you get a 15 - 17" screen, but they are good screens)
*Heat (laptops get very hot, so playing for a long time could be a bad thing)
*Control (you will need to buy an external mouse, period. Trackpads are worthless for gaming)
*Longivity (gaming laptops seem to have lower battery life, probably because they have more power than a normal laptop)


This is a great help! Thanks!
*Repairs (you can't repair a laptop yourself generally. Should _anything_ break you are without a PC for awhile)

Now the gaming laptops are not too bad for portability really, what with how nicely things are getting condensed. Basically check one of the major manufacturers and see what they have under gaming laptop. 6 to 15 pounds isn't too bad.. I take my desktop machine to PAX every year.. the first year it was still in a big heavy full tower case and weighed in, just for the main box, at close to 60 pounds.

 

[MisterAnarchist]

Dell seems to have partnered with Alienware

I'm pretty sure Dell owns Alienware.

EDIT: Yep. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146435.html

 

[scotth266]

Spoiler

Operating System: Windows Vista? Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: LENOVO
System Model: 6457B64
BIOS: Ver 1.00PARTTBLx
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory: 3054MB RAM
Page File: 1807MB used, 4504MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10

Card name: NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M

Description: Speakers (2- SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio)

Description: Microphone (2- SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio)

My top's stripped-down specs (DxDiag). Runs as well as you request...all on Vista!

 

[mALX]

I have a Falcon Northwest Fragbook TLX1. The company currently is currently pushing the new TLX2, making mine obsolete. I've had this computer for a little over a year and half now, and despite it's age, it still runs Fallout 3 with only a few hiccups, although for silky smooth game play I have it set to a midpoint between low and medium.

If you're looking for a good gaming laptop, and you have the money, I tentatively recommend Falcon. I say tentatively because I've had some persistent, annoying, but not serious technical problems with it. Almost all of them are due to oversensitivity issues in the computers external buttons. The optical drive pops out at the slightest provocation or pressure on it, which would not be a problem except that the optical drive is rather fragile and I've had to repair it twice. It is also difficult to get to turn off in any real capacity. The pressure sensor on the computer's on button is waaay oversensitive, and will cause the computer to turn on even if just gently prodded and picked up. The fine people at Falcon fixed the problem once, only to have it pop up again. It also has a weird problem were if the computer's Li-on battery burns out, the computer will freak out and not turn on again until it gets a fresh battery, regardless of whether or not it has a charger plugged in. Furthermore, the computer gets very little battery life because it's equipment is being so demanding.

That being said though, my Falcon laptop is the best I have ever had. Despite being a year and a half old (and somewhat outdated), and despite being the smallest desktop replacement the company sells, apart from niggling technical errors, it has managed to keep up with most of my friends desktops. While for the most part you'll be playing games on medium, for an outdated gaming laptop with great portability, that's pretty impressive. Also, despite the niggling technical difficulties, I've had this computor for a year and half without any serious internal hardware issues (that weren't caused by me being careless.) It works well with Vista (the only real BSODs I have had were due to heating issues. I had some other miscellaneous ones, but updating my BIOS and video drivers solved that). It has a 1680 by 1050 native resolution, and a very pretty screen. The keyboard is great too, complete with a full number keypad.

Before I forget:
180GB HDD
nVidia 8800GTM graphics card
4GB DDR2 RAM
2.4Ghz Pentium dual core
Absurdly good heatsinking

Like I said, it's a gaming laptop that's actually feasibly portable, and damn sexy to boot. The new one just came out, and is pretty sweet methinks. Only issue is that it costs absurd amounts of dough, but if you're actually in the market for a gaming laptop, you probably have that money to begin with.

I don't know if I could stand all the niggling problems with it, but other than that the stats on it sound great!

 

[mALX]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

Can you tell me about your laptop? (make, stats, etc.)

 

[crimson5pheonix]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

Can you tell me about your laptop? (make, stats, etc.)

Alienware M-15x With 2GB of RAM, an 8600GTS, and a 2.1 GHz Intel CPU. If you get the 1440x900 screen it will work, but why a laptop? A desktop is much better for gaming. If you were playing LAN party games, I could understand, but these are single player RPG's. So why?

Forgot to mention Vista Home Premium 32-bit, add in the Blu-ray drive, and upgrade the screen and you have my laptop. It can run those games, but I use it as a Blu-ray player for on the road.

 

[Zankabo]

Dell seems to have partnered with Alienware

I'm pretty sure Dell owns Alienware.

EDIT: Yep. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146435.html

Ahh, cool, I honestly could not remember if it was partnership or buyout.

 

[mALX]

Engadget has been drooling over one recently: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/asus-w90-gaming-laptop-gets-put-through-its-paces-raises-the-b/

I run on a last generation Macbook Pro, with 512M VRAM in the 8600M GT it comes with. 4 Gigs of RAM, 2.5 Ghz dual core intel, 250 Gig 5400 rpm HD. Very nice screen, good colors and contrast, sunlight-readable, 1440x900 15.4". It plays fallout 3 on almost full graphics in vista with upwards of 30 fps average.

Just look around for a laptop with a good video card, and you'll be fine. Now, here's the part where I wonder why you're trying to play games on a laptop. I got a good laptop instead of a good desktop and a sufficient laptop, because I decided I would be able to play games and do my development on the good laptop instead of having my good computer be stationary. Not a good idea. The only time I enjoy playing games is when I'm hooked up to my G11 and G7 and a monitor, and my laptop is on a dual fan cooling pad. Even then, I could fry eggs on it, and it'll probably start to fry my gpu. Gaming on a laptop is bad. The only time it's useful is at friend's houses, but for that you might as well make a lanbox. Also, I get about 2-3 hours out of my battery doing normal things, but gaming makes it less than half an hour, always. Just trust us, for playing the two RPG's that you named, you don't need portability. I'd suggest getting a netbook and a good desktop that you build yourself. For the same price as a laptop that plays games, you could have a far superior desktop.

That Asus was Awesome! Did you see the stats on it? 6 gig memory? Dual graphics! I am drooling myself! They said it was just 2,200; I wonder if that was the stripped price or the price as seen?

 

[mALX]

..Mine can play Guild Wars..? XD

I don't know how the graphics engine in Guild Wars compares to that of Oblivion or Fallout 3.

It's less demanding.

That's what I was afraid of.

 

[shansta619]

dude, i was just looking at this myself the gateway p-7805, it has almost the same specs as a modded alienware, except this has twice the ram and costs around 1000 bucks cheaper. when you buy an alienware you are buying a great computer and spending extra for the brand, the gateway, you are just buying a great computer, here is a link
http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668231.php

hope that helps

 

[mALX]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

well a few people have had this problem as well as i, better to be safe then sorry.

What problem? I've never even heard of a problem with Intel processors not playing games.

Alienware M-15x With 2GB of RAM, an 8600GTS, and a 2.1 GHz Intel CPU. If you get the 1440x900 screen it will work, but why a laptop? A desktop is much better for gaming. If you were playing LAN party games, I could understand, but these are single player RPG's. So why?

I really like the keyboard lighting on the Alienware laptops, I did wonder if that would cause a heating problem or draw off the battery too much, but it sure would help when gaming I would think.

I saw Alienware has the M-17x with crossfire now. The thing about Alienware (since Dell tainted them) is that they show you a laptop and list the highest stats you can get, post the lowest price that laptop barebones would sell for. It is the next best thing to false or misleading advertising. You see all these great stats for 1,500 but if you actually customize it to get the great stats, it is more like 6,000. And why in the world did they stop making the mALX instead of just updating it to a dual core?

A bit, but my Laptop that can play Oblivion has the 1920x1200 screen and a blu-ray drive along with the warranty and it cost me $3000. Scale back the screen and disc drive and you have a gaming laptop for $1500-$2000 with pretty color changing lights that you can turn off if they get annoying.

 

[mALX]

if your looking for one avoid laptops with Intel processors and chipsets. they have this problem of having their graphic drivers stopping and resulting in your game crashing. also gaming laptops are going to cost you around $800-$1500 for a good one.

Lies, lies and deceit. There is nothing wrong with Intel parts. I just want to say that I go with whoever makes the fastest parts at the time. Intel makes the fastest parts right now and there is nothing wrong with them. I use Intel processors in both my laptop and my desktop and they both run Oblivion and Fallout well.

well a few people have had this problem as well as i, better to be safe then sorry.

What problem? I've never even heard of a problem with Intel processors not playing games.

Alienware M-15x With 2GB of RAM, an 8600GTS, and a 2.1 GHz Intel CPU. If you get the 1440x900 screen it will work, but why a laptop? A desktop is much better for gaming. If you were playing LAN party games, I could understand, but these are single player RPG's. So why?

That's about the price range I was looking for.

I saw Alienware has the M-17x with crossfire now. The thing about Alienware (since Dell tainted them) is that they show you a laptop and list the highest stats you can get, post the lowest price that laptop barebones would sell for. It is the next best thing to false or misleading advertising. You see all these great stats for 1,500 but if you actually customize it to get the great stats, it is more like 6,000. And why in the world did they stop making the mALX instead of just updating it to a dual core?

A bit, but my Laptop that can play Oblivion has the 1920x1200 screen and a blu-ray drive along with the warranty and it cost me $3000. Scale back the screen and disc drive and you have a gaming laptop for $1500-$2000 with pretty color changing lights that you can turn off if they get annoying.