Gaming Laptops

[Trushot]

gateways new fx series gaming laptops are crazy good ... just no battery life obviouly so plug in play really needed if on very long

 

[Trushot]

A lot of ignorance in this thread from so called experts. Gaming laptops work just as good as desktops. It's just a matter of opinion nothing more whether or not if you prefer one or the other. Personally, I love laptops. You can walk around any where in the house and get online or game. You just have to be careful what you buy or buy something that can be upgraded.

The best benefit for me is whenever I get a new gaming laptop. I can always sell the current one with no problem.

Depends on how you want to game. I'm of the opinion that any sort of "affordable" gaming laptop offers a hopelessly mediocre experience when compared to a desktop of the same price. You've got to have it plugged in anyway, because the battery drains in no time at all, it's going to be ridiculously heavy for a laptop (which is counter-intuitive, because isn't a laptop supposed to offer mobility?), and that's not even getting into the specifications. Let's just say that medium specifications on Fallout 3 at the resolutions that a 17" laptop screen offers are bettered by my ageing desktop, which only has an 8800 GTS 320MB.

I know the OP wants mobility, but I don't consider that a price worth paying when you get an underperforming, hermetically-sealed package with hopelessly short battery life.

Also:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.72470
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.78113

Also, regarding my own qualifications as far as configuring computers goes:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.82919#1143294

And in terms of knowledge about computers:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.85690#1252744
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.79454#1013534

hate to bust your bubble but i play lotro with directx 10 and ultra high settings on my gateway fx series rig with 50-150 fps --- pretty good for a terrible porrtable heh

 

[Shath]

gateways new fx series gaming laptops are crazy good ... just no battery life obviouly so plug in play really needed if on very long

Wow they did have a nice gaming laptop.

 

[mALX]

I missed this post somehow. I am glad to read that, because when they first took the mALX off the market I cried! I had been saving up for one (forever, hence the name, lol). What problems have you had? (If you don't mind me asking).

Well to put it nicely when i got the mALX it was practically ruined. Fans weren't put in good enough, The thing was overheating almost just after turning on, the craftsmanship was horrible and they barely installed any drivers, the sound was put so high and so much up that i turned it on for the first time and a ear piercing banshee-howl of a piping noise came up. I thought something was wrong with the computer but i checked it and it was just the driver wasn't installed correctly, I had to go onto their website and download the drivers. At the age of 15 hehe that's when i started really getting into computers cause my alienware was so screwed up by these morons that i have used the past year just trying to fix everything. Being a little noobish but learning more and more so far. You should be happy you didn't buy it. I used all my confirmation money on it. Now i think I'm just gonna scavenge it and sell the parts or something cause its a big pile of useless crap. (Sorry for long whine post)

But seriously the Dell XPS would be the "gaming" laptop of choice. It lasts long (so far my friend has his for 2 years) it runs mostly anything, I'm pretty sure it could handle oblivion. But it would definitely just be a LAN computer, cause stationary is the way to go mate.

I had saved for the mALX, and when it went off the market bought both my desktop and laptop from HP with the money I had been saving for just the mALX.

 

[rekabdarb]

if you want a good gaming laptop Alienware, good desktop ibuypower.com

and ibuypower is vury chaep, chaep enuf to loer my inteligent evr os sighly

Lol!! It left your humor intact though! Thanks, and Thanks for the laugh too.

wyh tkanh yuo

if you want a good gaming laptop Alienware, good desktop ibuypower.com

and ibuypower is vury chaep, chaep enuf to loer my inteligent evr os sighly

I repeat my BIG NO regarding Alienware.

Now, if you absolutely must buy a laptop with support for games (and I stand by my point that they're underpowered, over-priced and hermetically-sealed), I wouldn't spend any more than about $1,000-1,200.

$1,100 will buy you an HP HDX16t laptop with 4GB of memory and a 7,200rpm 250GB hard drive. The processor's going to be rubbish (but then, all mobile processors are in general), and you're only going to get a 9600GT graphics card, but I feel you get diminishing returns a lot more quickly with laptops than you do with desktops. Remember that Eggo presented lists with $750 quad-core desktops with GTX 280 GPUs and $1,500 Core i7 systems, and yet, $1,500 won't even buy you a quad-core when it comes to laptop money.

well try ibuypower.com they sell laptops too

 

[Bobojo11]

i have a Dell XPS M1730

some specs:
dual intel core 2 extreme at 2.8 GHz per core (overclocked to about 6.1 GHz total)
dual nvidia geforce m8800GTX
dual raid 0 7200 rpm HDD
4 GB ram
integrated G15 keyboard LCD
full keyboard with numpad
nice LCD screen with 1920x1200 native resolution

its a nice laptop and plays most games on max settings while running a second monitor instead of SLI. only real downsize is the size/weight and the price.

hope this helped ^_^

 

[mALX]

try ibuypower.com they sell laptops too

I will, and Thanks!

 

[mALX]

i have a Dell XPS M1730

hope this helped ^_^

It's above my budget, but Thanks anyway, I do appreciate all the help

 

[Aesthetical Quietus]

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)
*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.

If you are talking specifically about 32 bit systems(and it sounds like you are), I'm going to have to debate you on that point. While it is true that Vista will recognise 4GB of RAM, it is limited just as XP is to 3 GB, 32 bit architecture can not use the 4th and final GB of RAM. Vista's recognition of 4GB of RAM was much hyped, but it was never to be, it handles that final RAM the same way XP does, it doesn't and allows it to passively speed your system up. [Sorry if I misinterpreted you]
Also on your point about Dell, I couldn't care less who they are partnered with, or who they have bought, I would never trust them with a gaming machine, but that's just me. Lol.

To the OP, I must urge you to think about this carefully, I bought a "gaming" laptop(I wasn't all that into modern gaming, so my laptop wasn't needing to be all that powerful), and it has spent more time in a single location than my desktop has. If your laptop is simply for gaming, unless you are moving every week, I can't see the point in getting a laptop.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

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.

A rather nice first post. Keep it up, and welcome to The Escapist.

 

[MMMowman]

Toshiba* best laptops ever! warning may cause 2nd degree burns!

 

[mALX]

Most of the Alienware laptops will get it done. It will be costly though. My Alienware M17 has dual ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 CrossfireX enabled video cards, 4GB of RAM, Core 2 T9400 2.53GHz processor, and a 160GB hard drive - all of which cost about $2600.00 USD total. I haven't bought Fallout 3 for the PC, but it should run on high just fine.

The only bad thing I have to say about Alienware is the customer service is terrible. Great computers, but horrible customer service. And don't even get me started on their financing department. Seriously, what company doesn't let you at least check your balance online these days....

I was going to guess you paid 3000 for that customization you got on yours! I'd say what you've got would run any game out there easily! Did you opt for the XP OS or go with the Vista?

 

[mALX]

If anyone has found a laptop that will play Oblivion and Fallout 3 on at least medium graphics without lag, could you please let me know? (and list the graphics, memory, hard drive, OS, etc. that comes with that laptop please?)

buy an alienware from the site. they make them exclusively for gaming as is evident by the art designs you can get on them (like the horde or alliance WoW ones).

oh yeah, and if you have $8000 AUD just laying around the place maybe you could buy me the Altech NRG Storm i7 from iBuypower.com?

Spoiler: THE STORM

Product Description:
NRG STORM i7 - Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition Quad Core (3.2Ghz) overclocked up to 4Ghz, High Performance Corsair 6GB 1600Mhz DDR3 Triple Kit, 2 Terabytes HDD space (RAID 0 2 x 1TB HDD), Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 1792MB DDR3, Nvidia SLI Technology, Blu-Ray Burner, Dual Gigabit LAN, 7.1 HD AUDIO, Antec TruePower Quattro 1000 Watt, Extreme water cooling system, Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Office Ready 2007 60 day free trial, 1 year return to base warranty.
Altech Computers NRG STORM i7 [http://www.altech.com.au/nrg/default.aspx]

Drool, drool, drool.....Awesome desktop, but over 7,200 ?? They only have desktops that I could find, and they were higher than Alienware on their prices.

 

[mALX]

No[/b] to Alienware, and I say no to that system as well.

I could self-construct a computer like that for half the price, and even then, it would be a waste of money. You don't need any Core i7 past the 920, liquid cooling is for chumps and if you do it right, you don't need a warranty. In fact, you get diminishing benefits long before the $1,200 mark.

Lol, don't worry about it, I wouldn't be able to afford either one with maxed stats. I already have a desktop that is more than adequate for playing the games at med settings, so not looking for a desktop.

Oh, I'd be interested in hearing more about what you said about the diminishing benefits of a warranty though, because unless I am buying at a place like Best Buy, I always buy an extended warranty. (at Best Buy I always buy the store warranty instead). I'd really appreciate your input on that.

Without the knowledge that you two have, I am at the mercy of the sales departments when I shop for electronics, so I appreciate any help.

 

[Shath]

Alienware is crap. The ones that support Alienware usually haven't bought one and probably have a picture under their pillow dreaming about them, they are not good and they have failed miserably. Which might be the reason they sold out to dell. End of Story.

EDIT: Bought parts for my desktop instead. Cost substantially less. Works better than anything Alienware has to offer.

 

[Wazaki]

Howabout this?
MSI GT627-218US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) 15.4" Wide SXGA+ 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152099

I recommend newegg, hella good prices.

 

[mALX]

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.

Yes, and it ruined it for me, now I feel like when I look at their offerings I am just seeing a Dell with a higher price and a pretty name.

 

[NotAPie]

I wish I had a gameing laptop, -.- mine cant play garrys mod without getting a BSOD everytime something explodes near me.
or if I get shot...
DAMN thats anooying.

 

[Nutcase]

If you are talking specifically about 32 bit systems(and it sounds like you are), I'm going to have to debate you on that point. While it is true that Vista will recognise 4GB of RAM, it is limited just as XP is to 3 GB, 32 bit architecture can not use the 4th and final GB of RAM. Vista's recognition of 4GB of RAM was much hyped, but it was never to be, it handles that final RAM the same way XP does, it doesn't and allows it to passively speed your system up. [Sorry if I misinterpreted you]

While it's true that 32-bit XP and 32-bit Vista are both limited in how much memory they can use, the limit is dependent on your hardware, not a fixed 3GB. As a rule of thumb, the amount of usable RAM is 4GB, minus the amount of VRAM you have, minus a small additional amount. My 32-bit Vista box with 512MB VRAM allows me to use 3.25GB. If you had a 1GB graphics card, you couldn't fully use 3GB of RAM; SLId 1GB graphics cards, you couldn't fully use 2GB.

The price of regular DDR2 memory is insignificant now, and I think there is a potential speed benefit for having symmetric memory modules (for dual channel mode)? Finally, you might switch to a 64-bit OS in the future. All things considered, I consider getting 3GB at this point in time to be nickle and diming. If a ready-made machine configuration with DDR2 has 3GB then I expect it to cut corners on other things as well and therefore not be worth buying.

 

[mALX]

No worries, I think the mobile 260 GPU is going to be a killer. No deliveries until april, but I think it will be worth waiting for.

It is like having dual graphics but on one card. The thing is, though; you can get two of the 9800 GT for 100. each, or one of the new cards for 500. I'd go for two of the old ones and save 300. Especially with a Laptop, you are looking at replacing in a couple years anyway, and by that time the old cards will most likely be phased out. I'd like to get in on the deal now while I can.

I have a 18.6" Toshiba Qosmio, it can handle Fallout 3 as far as i know, but its an expensive laptop... $1600, and not too mention its so big i cant even find a bag for it!

why not just buy an xbox?

You must have missed that, lol. I have an XBox. I carry it with me everywhere, along with a 15.4" flat screen TV. Then I have to set it all up where-ever I go. A laptop would be easier, lighter, and I could also mod the games while out and about (plus pick up my email, etc.).

i have a Dell XPS M1730

some specs:
dual intel core 2 extreme at 2.8 GHz per core (overclocked to about 6.1 GHz total)
dual nvidia geforce m8800GTX
dual raid 0 7200 rpm HDD
4 GB ram
integrated G15 keyboard LCD
full keyboard with numpad
nice LCD screen with 1920x1200 native resolution

its a nice laptop and plays most games on max settings while running a second monitor instead of SLI. only real downsize is the size/weight and the price.

hope this helped ^_^

Thanks!

Howabout this?
MSI GT627-218US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) 15.4" Wide SXGA+ 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152099

I recommend newegg, hella good prices.

Thanks!