gaming laptops?
- Thread starter Silkyn
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I don't have a lot to add, but I wanted to add my support for this question.
Recently the Alienware netbooks have caught my eye, but a friend of mine has suggested that laptops for games are never worth it because the graphics card can overheat too easily.
I would have figured a laptop with gaming specifically in mind would take overheating issues into account.
Recently the Alienware netbooks have caught my eye, but a friend of mine has suggested that laptops for games are never worth it because the graphics card can overheat too easily.
I would have figured a laptop with gaming specifically in mind would take overheating issues into account.
Well a lot of computer nerds will tell you there isn't even such a thing as a real gaming laptop to begin with. If you're planning on playing new games, desktop is a lot better for price. For traveling I'd playing less graphically intense games if I was using a decent laptop or play a DS or something.
I've got a Sager NP8660, it plays games at above-console quality, and it's my pride an joy. Cost me less than the best equipped Macbook Pro at the time, and my Sager still has a much more powerful graphics card. Cost me far, far less than an alienware.
As a student though, if I had to do it all again, I'd get a netbook and a really sweet gaming tower. While I do have one of the few laptops with swappable GPUs, replacement and upgrade parts cost more than twice as much as their better desktop equivalents. I can get a decent netbook for the price of a GTX 260M. Also, while my 15" laptop is light by desktop replacement standards, it's still a ***** to lug around for notetaking.
I don't regret my purchase, though. If you do get a gaming laptop, skip the ones with glowing alien heads. Unless you like paying twice the price for something tacky.
As a student though, if I had to do it all again, I'd get a netbook and a really sweet gaming tower. While I do have one of the few laptops with swappable GPUs, replacement and upgrade parts cost more than twice as much as their better desktop equivalents. I can get a decent netbook for the price of a GTX 260M. Also, while my 15" laptop is light by desktop replacement standards, it's still a ***** to lug around for notetaking.
I don't regret my purchase, though. If you do get a gaming laptop, skip the ones with glowing alien heads. Unless you like paying twice the price for something tacky.
Well as Bon_Clay said there's no such thing as a true gaming laptop. Sure, you can buy one now that can run newer games with all settings on high at max resolution, but it's in no way secured for the future. With that said though, I'd say there's laptops out there you can buy at an affordable price, which have good performance.
I bought this [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152207&Tpk=MSI%20GX640] last month, and it plays Starcraft II on Windows 7 with all settings on ultra and a resolution at 1440 x 900 in windowed mode and it runs smoothly in major battles. It's good value for money, but in 1 year you can only run games at medium/low settings.
I'd say mine was worth it, but you can get ripped off easily, so be careful.
I bought this [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152207&Tpk=MSI%20GX640] last month, and it plays Starcraft II on Windows 7 with all settings on ultra and a resolution at 1440 x 900 in windowed mode and it runs smoothly in major battles. It's good value for money, but in 1 year you can only run games at medium/low settings.
I'd say mine was worth it, but you can get ripped off easily, so be careful.
They're more expensive then desktops (by a factor of about 4:3), and the better your gaming laptop, the worse its battery.Silkyn said:
Take your travels and vacations as an opportunity to STOP gaming for a bit.
Battery life is generally bad, cost is usually horrific, not to mention that gaming laptops are really heavy. I'd say it's a bit of a waste.
Got an Asus G73Jh-A2, newest addition to their Republic of Gamers brand; after 6 months I'm still very happy with it as well as the price. Paid 1700 USD including shipping & taxes from California- > Texas -> Norway which was a real steal as they cost roughly 3000 USD here.. >_<
Relatives in the US of A have their uses sometimes
Anywho, I recommend these babies. Had a few bluescreens but I like to tinker around with windows so it's probably a user initiated error. Temps are very good, seen them a few degrees over 90 but that was when I was pushing it on purpose. During gaming I haven't seen temps above 85.
Had an MSI gaming laptop before the G73 and was quite happy with it, except the build quality felt abit on the cheap 'plastique' end of the spectrum. They might be better these days though. The brand is worth a look.
I've heard good things about Sager, but haven't had one myself yet. Also I'd stay away from Alienware, overpriced and rumour has it that their customer service has gone to hell after Dell acquired them.
Good luck on your purchase OP =)
Relatives in the US of A have their uses sometimes
Anywho, I recommend these babies. Had a few bluescreens but I like to tinker around with windows so it's probably a user initiated error. Temps are very good, seen them a few degrees over 90 but that was when I was pushing it on purpose. During gaming I haven't seen temps above 85.
Had an MSI gaming laptop before the G73 and was quite happy with it, except the build quality felt abit on the cheap 'plastique' end of the spectrum. They might be better these days though. The brand is worth a look.
I've heard good things about Sager, but haven't had one myself yet. Also I'd stay away from Alienware, overpriced and rumour has it that their customer service has gone to hell after Dell acquired them.
Good luck on your purchase OP =)
i just use a run of the mill cheap compacq thats in no way designed for games....and yet it can run fallout 3 fine...and it says it can run crysis on one website.Silkyn said:
If you're looking at a high-powered laptop, consider: You can take the Internet, your music, your games, into the bathroom with you. As a person in a house, I like the ability to take my laptop from the basement, where I do all my work and play, up into the kitchen while I make dinner. My Toshiba Satellite isn't all that powerful, but it plays what I really want it to play, the battery is great for my purposes, and short of building my own god-box PC, I honestly don't see myself going back to desktop any time soon.
It all depends on your type of gaming pleasures and your type of "travel". Gaming laptops are great for working and gaming on the go.Silkyn said:
However, because the hardware has to be minimized, they tend to be heavy, much less durable than other machines, have exceedingly short battery life-times, and cost upwards of two to four times as much as a desktop with similar hardware.
So, just consider this: Are the cons and cumbersome nature of gaming laptops worth the extra price?
No, not even close, you pay twice the price for half the power of a desktop, not to mention it only takes a few months before your stuck running games on the lower settings, laptops do not age well not at all. Desktops on the other hand...Silkyn said:
Yeah if you want a Computer for gaming, stay way away from laptops.
They're generally expensive as all hell compared to a desktop to get one that is pretty good for gaming with, but it all comes down to what you need it for. I needed a machine that was easily portable and gave decent performance, and that's what I got. The price was a little steep, but it does what I want it to and for the next couple years I'll be able to get away with medium graphics settings for the heavily graphics intensive games.