Laptops that have game!

[martin's a madman]

Sorry, but once again someone is going to be making a gaming laptop thread.

Why? Because you all seem like a pretty helpful and educated bunch.


Well, here's the situation;
University is coming up this september and I'm going to need a gaming capable machine for well, games.


Obviously, I could get a desktop for a cheaper price and similar performance, but I'm not sure how my residence room will handle a desktop setup.

However, this doesn't mean a desktop is completely out of the question.

I know the basic needs for a gaming rig, powerful processor, good graphics card, and something that is a special requirement for Laptops (though it still needs to be considered for desktops): A good power supply and cooling unit.

Now, I theoretically have approximately $2000 dollars to spend, however, something closer to $1000 is preferable. Because any money not spent is pocket money for university needs.
Though, I won't have to pay for food and rent as those are covered by plans and residence.

I've looked at this website: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/gaming-laptops-under-1000/

But I'm still not sure. Do you guys know any really good models?

Thanks for your help.



Games that are necessary to be able to play (fairly well)

Starcraft 2
Team Fortress 2
Fallout 3
Fallout: New Vegas
Left 4 Dead 1 and 2


Now, these games aren't really too intensive as far as requirements, so, knowing these 'staple' games, recommend a machine!


Thank you, you're all my favourite.

 

[psicat]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

 

[the spud]

Try to go desktop if you can. Even if you do manage to build a decent gaming laptop, It runs the risk of overheating and dying in a year or 2.

 

[martin's a madman]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

With that laptop, it says processor speed is 2.0Ghz with 2,9 with intel turbo boost technology. Is that an add on feature? And is its practical speed 2.0Ghz or 2.9? Because that's an important difference.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Decide on an amount, that can only move up a tiny bit; browse different stores -> pick one (with the best prices, selection of models); buy the best one available for your decided budget.

If in any way possible: get a desktop PC.

 

[psicat]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

With that laptop, it says processor speed is 2.0Ghz with 2,9 with intel turbo boost technology. Is that an add on feature? And is its practical speed 2.0Ghz or 2.9? Because that's an important difference.

It's a 2.0Ghz processor but Intel Turbo Boost basically overclocks the processor to 2.9Ghz once thermal limits are reached it should drop back to 2.0Ghz until it cools down again.

 

[kyogen]

Alienware keeps upgrading their specs. Have a look at their lineup.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'd recommend the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7741G-...ZXH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310852286&sr=8-1

Until recently it was actually around $650 but they raised the price.

Anyway, I just bought this laptop after my old one died, and it works great for my needs.

This thing can play Crysis and Metro 2033 on high settings much to my surprise and I haven't had any problems playing the games in the OP (except for Starcraft 2 which I don't own).

Now then, there are a couple of downsides to this laptop. The HDD runs at 5400 rpm and not 7200. It's not that big a deal for me, but if you want optimal performance you might want to buy a new HDD for it. The only other downside is the size of this monster. It's massive, and that might not be something you want when going to college, where portability is important. Try to find out the average desk sizes that the classrooms and lecture halls have and see if this laptop will fit on one.

 

[martin's a madman]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

With that laptop, it says processor speed is 2.0Ghz with 2,9 with intel turbo boost technology. Is that an add on feature? And is its practical speed 2.0Ghz or 2.9? Because that's an important difference.

It's a 2.0Ghz processor but Intel Turbo Boost basically overclocks the processor to 2.9Ghz once thermal limits are reached it should drop back to 2.0Ghz until it cools down again.

So, would a game which requires 2.1Ghz minimum be unplayable?

 

[nexekho]

Clock speed is mostly meaningless. A 3.2gHz Pentium 4 is far less powerful than a 2.0gHz Core 2 Duo or heck even a 2.7gHz Athlon64.

 

[martin's a madman]

I'd recommend the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7741G-...ZXH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310852286&sr=8-1

Until recently it was actually around $650 but they raised the price.

Anyway, I just bought this laptop after my old one died, and it works great for my needs.

This thing can play Crysis and Metro 2033 on high settings much to my surprise and I haven't had any problems playing the games in the OP (except for Starcraft 2 which I don't own).

Now then, there are a couple of downsides to this laptop. The HDD runs at 5400 rpm and not 7200. It's not that big a deal for me, but if you want optimal performance you might want to buy a new HDD for it. The only other downside is the size of this monster. It's massive, and that might not be something you want when going to college, where portability is important. Try to find out the average desk sizes that the classrooms and lecture halls have and see if this laptop will fit on one.

2.66 GHz Intel Core i5-480M dual-core processor for smart performance with a speed boost (2.93 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology; 3 MB L3 cache). Intel's Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload--providing more performance when you need it the most.

That's a pretty good processor. I don't think the size would be a huge issue. I'm in physical sciences anyway, so it's going to be a lot of math work which will likely require pen+paper.

Clock speed is mostly meaningless. A 3.2gHz Pentium 4 is far less powerful than a 2.0gHz Core 2 Duo or heck even a 2.7gHz Athlon64.

Why?

 

[psicat]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

With that laptop, it says processor speed is 2.0Ghz with 2,9 with intel turbo boost technology. Is that an add on feature? And is its practical speed 2.0Ghz or 2.9? Because that's an important difference.

It's a 2.0Ghz processor but Intel Turbo Boost basically overclocks the processor to 2.9Ghz once thermal limits are reached it should drop back to 2.0Ghz until it cools down again.

So, would a game which requires 2.1Ghz minimum be unplayable?

No because the most a game requires is based on the clock speed of a Core 2 Duo so a quad core processor is more than enough to run anything you throw at it. Usually where you want to be careful anyways with a gaming on a laptop is not meeting GPU requirements that's why you want to look for something with a dedicated graphics card like the one I recommended.

 

[BigTortoise]

Alienware keeps upgrading their specs. Have a look at their lineup.

Alienware is overpriced for what they give. You pay for the label

 

[BigTortoise]

I'd also like to suggest an Asus ROG laptop:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230027

If you won't settle for a 15.6" screen then the 17 costs a bit extra.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230028

BUT OF COURSE, I have to say that I highly advise you buy an okay schoolwork laptop and then spend the majority of your money on a sweet gaming rig that you build yourself.

 

[martin's a madman]

The MSI GE620 is a good one.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=416893&CatId=4938

With that laptop, it says processor speed is 2.0Ghz with 2,9 with intel turbo boost technology. Is that an add on feature? And is its practical speed 2.0Ghz or 2.9? Because that's an important difference.

It's a 2.0Ghz processor but Intel Turbo Boost basically overclocks the processor to 2.9Ghz once thermal limits are reached it should drop back to 2.0Ghz until it cools down again.

So, would a game which requires 2.1Ghz minimum be unplayable?

No because the most a game requires is based on the clock speed of a Core 2 Duo so a quad core processor is more than enough to run anything you throw at it. Usually where you want to be careful anyways with a gaming on a laptop is not meeting GPU requirements that's why you want to look for something with a dedicated graphics card like the one I recommended.

Quad core means there are 4 individual units for processing, and they each work at 2.0, right?

 

[Kapol]

This is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7552G-6436-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B004G6007C/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1310866201&sr=1-1

I know it can run Mafia 2 on the highest settings with almost no problem. I think it had an FPS of 30 or so in the test. That actually isn't the exact version I use, but it seems to be the same model, just a more recent release. It's served me well so far. The only problems I've had are the keys have gotten a bit hard to press due to overuse and you can't use the touchpad and the keyboard at the same time.

 

[redisforever]

Well, I got a laptop for $375, it's pretty good, can play the Source engine games quite well, but if you have $1000, even, you can get something quite good.

 

[Rayansaki]

Won't suggest any laptops but theres a few things you should consider:

Get an i7 Sandbridge. They run cooler, and are generally better than older i7s, which is good for a gaming laptop. SC2 is also VERY heavy on processor, especially in high player count custom games with lots of units.

If you don't mind losing the dvd/br drive, look into a laptop with a second harddrive instead of dvd/br drive. Nowadays there's nothing you need a drive for, and if you buy retail games you can still install them from digital sources. Use second hard drive space for a cheap low capacity G Skill Sniper or Phoenix, to install your favorite games on, it is most definitelly worth it.

 

[Hiphophippo]

While I can only speak for myself, my ASUS G73 crushes pretty well anything I throw at it and doesn't even run a little hot thanks to the dual fans coming out of the back as opposed to the bottom. Super quiet too. Really couldn't ask for anything nicer.

 

[kyogen]

Alienware keeps upgrading their specs. Have a look at their lineup.

Alienware is overpriced for what they give. You pay for the label

Eh, they're catching on and improving. Capitalism and competition. At least they build a nice, sturdy frame and keyboard if you're prone to getting excited while you game.