All of the processors and video cards for modern gaming laptops have been released in the last two months, but laptops containing them are taking a while to come to market.
If you want to go toward the low end of that price range, then you'd want a laptop based on an A10-4600M APU, and use the Radeon HD 7660G integrated graphics that come with it. Make sure you get properly matched memory channels (not 6 GB, and not 4 GB with a single module), and clocked as high as you can (ideally 1600 MHz).
Toward the higher end of the price range, you'd want a laptop with either a GeForce GTX 660M or a Radeon HD 7770M-7870M, most likely with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor (Core i* 3***), though possibly an AMD A10-4600M or A8-4500M if it's with an AMD video card.
But then the problem is, are any such laptops available where you live yet? And the answer is likely "no".
Plenty of laptops out now with the new nvidia 600 series video cards.
Not really. New Egg has eight, including ones that are out of stock. Six of those are the GeForce GT 650M, which is probably slower than you want.
There are a lot of laptops with Fermi cards that have been rebranded into the 600 series, but those aren't new cards. Those were too hot to be reasonable for a laptop when they launched, let alone a generation or two later.
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As for Sager, is a Clevo laptop rebranded by Sager really any better than exactly the same Clevo laptop rebranded by someone else? The high end gaming laptops are already out (e.g, Clevo P170EM), but those don't fit the stated budget.
All the other websites are overpriced, using older hardware or certain laptops are just not available, I saw people recommending MSI or ASUS laptops but the latest models available in the US you just can't seem to get in the UK at all.
I agree that Sagar makes some awesome hardware, I've own one before. However, I went back to Alienware because I like the feel of the keyboard better. Both manufactures are big/bulky and expensive. Some of the laptops under $1000, I've heard good things about iBuyPower http://www.ibuypower.com/IbpPages/Laptop.aspx The Battalion 101 is $999 and has a 3rd gen i7 with a NVidia GT630M (1GB). Sagar makes an entry level laptop for $979 but only includes an i5 at that price; it has a better video card (NVidia 650M).
The Battalion 101 is $999 and has a 3rd gen i7 with a NVidia GT630M (1GB). Sagar makes an entry level laptop for $979 but only includes an i5 at that price; it has a better video card (NVidia 650M).
A GeForce GT 630M is an old, hot, and slow Fermi card. That's not what you want today, or ever. It will only be roughly competitive with Radeon HD 7660G integrated graphics--and the latter will be hundreds of dollars cheaper, while using less power.
A GeForce GT 650M is better. But iBuyPower doesn't sell in Britain, so it's still no use to the original poster.
I am awaiting the new MSI amd series that will use a 7970m card with an AMD cpu. Unfortunately the initial models coming the fall will not work in a crossfire setup, but maybe the next set will. The GX60 that was showcased at Computex (I think that is right) looked good. I am hoping for a 17" model with dual ssd's in raid 0. The gx60 is 15.6" and no word on the price yet.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
All the other websites are overpriced, using older hardware or certain laptops are just not available, I saw people recommending MSI or ASUS laptops but the latest models available in the US you just can't seem to get in the UK at all.
From your first link, this one might be what the original poster is looking for:
Ivy Bridge+Kepler, with no completely stupid hardware choices. The biggest drawback is the 1366x768 monitor, but it does gives you a 7200 RPM hard drive and plenty of memory, and isn't unduly heavy. Performance will be toward the lower end of what you'd hope for on that budget, but so is the price tag.
The Seagate Momentus XT isn't stupid hardware (at least in a laptop that only has a single drive), but it does have stupid marketing. The "hybrid SSD" moniker and related stuff is sufficiently deceptive that I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they get sued for false advertising, but Novatech is really only borrowing Seagate's marketing nonsense. But if you think of it as a relatively fast 7200 RPM laptop hard drive with some stupid marketing junk attached, you're not too far off. And it will sure beat a 5400 RPM hard drive, which is what a lot of laptops will offer.
I am awaiting the new MSI amd series that will use a 7970m card with an AMD cpu. Unfortunately the initial models coming the fall will not work in a crossfire setup, but maybe the next set will. The GX60 that was showcased at Computex (I think that is right) looked good. I am hoping for a 17" model with dual ssd's in raid 0. The gx60 is 15.6" and no word on the price yet.
Cheers!
We'll see if they offer a decent hardware configuration there. RAID 0 SSDs is completely stupid. You're better off with one larger SSD than two smaller ones in RAID 0. And, of course, the price tag is also important, as it would be a killer product at $1200, but completely stupid at $2000.
Ivy Bridge+Kepler, with no completely stupid hardware choices. The biggest drawback is the 1366x768 monitor, but it does gives you a 7200 RPM hard drive and plenty of memory, and isn't unduly heavy. Performance will be toward the lower end of what you'd hope for on that budget, but so is the price tag.
The Seagate Momentus XT isn't stupid hardware (at least in a laptop that only has a single drive), but it does have stupid marketing. The "hybrid SSD" moniker and related stuff is sufficiently deceptive that I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they get sued for false advertising, but Novatech is really only borrowing Seagate's marketing nonsense. But if you think of it as a relatively fast 7200 RPM laptop hard drive with some stupid marketing junk attached, you're not too far off. And it will sure beat a 5400 RPM hard drive, which is what a lot of laptops will offer.
Ohhh very nice suggestion, might even buy this myself
oh yeah and it comes with a free xbox 360 lol? perk? So when you boil it down it really only is going to cost you like 1250 for a decent machine that can play anything out now after mail in rebate and the price for the xbox.
Currently playing : World of Tanks, LoL Waiting for: The game of my dreams Played: Everything Favorites being Eve, UO and SWG Pre-CU
Don't make the mistake and buy a gaming laptop unless u need the portibilty that bad....I made that mistake a year ago bought a 1500 laptop still top of the line. The problem is it cost so much to upgrade so I will be out of date in less then a year for all the new games coming out. If I had anysense I would of bought a desktop with wifi so i could transport it wherever(not to a coffee house or anything but you know) and be able to upgrade it at will. Man I really want one of those ssd hard drives...I hear the loading times r cut by over half.If your going to get a gaming laptop get a cheap one able to play the games out now and maybe for about a year don't spend anymore loot then neccasary. Don't be me plus you have to worry about over heating which suks.
And I put a 256GB SSD in myself and reinstalled Windows onto the SSD.
I couldn't be happier.
I upgraded from the Asus G72 BestBuy model (Warning: BestBuy versions of Asus laptops come with underclocked specs and no 1 year accidental MFG warranty) that I had for two years without issues. I was still happy with my G72 as well. I just wanted to upgrade as I like my gfx settings a bit higher than what I was playing at.
The new Asus blows my mind in how great it is. Overall features are very nice and I really like the cooling. Its not all hype and marketing. It doesn't get hot like other laptops do.
And I put a 256GB SSD in myself and reinstalled Windows onto the SSD.
That's a hot laptop. In the bad sense of the word. I'd recommend something more modern than a warmed-over Fermi card.
It has yet to get hot for me. The cooling does a good job from my experience. Its performance has also put it in the bracket of where I want to be right now.
And I was aware of it being a re-branded 580m prior to purchase. I am open for suggestions of a better performing pick for the same price (no need for SSD as I purchased one seperately). I also cant complain against a 1 year accidental warranty that came with it at that price.
Either way, Asus offers Keplar cards as well in other models. And I'll wave their flag all day.
Im stateside, but bought my gaming laptop from cyberpowerpc.com, I believe its a MSI but it has an i7 and a GTX 570M. Its been playing everything at ultra quality so far so I am happy. I definitely want mobility as I dont like playing games on a desktop. I threw 8GB of Memory in there and it supports two internal HDD. My only gripe is it doesnt have FireWire 1394 for my video editing - but finding out that I need to go to hardware-based storage over tape for my videos :P
Laptop ran me 1300 USD all up, and I look to depreciate it over 3 years and will probably just buy a new one since they are so cheap. I also like the fact that I can hook HDMI up to my reciever and now I have internet and anything else I can browse to on my plasma screen.
Couldn't ask for more, so excuse me as I dive back into Skyrim :-)
Comments
All of the processors and video cards for modern gaming laptops have been released in the last two months, but laptops containing them are taking a while to come to market.
If you want to go toward the low end of that price range, then you'd want a laptop based on an A10-4600M APU, and use the Radeon HD 7660G integrated graphics that come with it. Make sure you get properly matched memory channels (not 6 GB, and not 4 GB with a single module), and clocked as high as you can (ideally 1600 MHz).
Toward the higher end of the price range, you'd want a laptop with either a GeForce GTX 660M or a Radeon HD 7770M-7870M, most likely with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor (Core i* 3***), though possibly an AMD A10-4600M or A8-4500M if it's with an AMD video card.
But then the problem is, are any such laptops available where you live yet? And the answer is likely "no".
well its the UK, is there any links you could provide ?
Plenty of laptops out now with the new nvidia 600 series video cards.
best laptops for gaming hands down are these:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/
Not really. New Egg has eight, including ones that are out of stock. Six of those are the GeForce GT 650M, which is probably slower than you want.
There are a lot of laptops with Fermi cards that have been rebranded into the 600 series, but those aren't new cards. Those were too hot to be reasonable for a laptop when they launched, let alone a generation or two later.
-----
As for Sager, is a Clevo laptop rebranded by Sager really any better than exactly the same Clevo laptop rebranded by someone else? The high end gaming laptops are already out (e.g, Clevo P170EM), but those don't fit the stated budget.
There is not much available in the UK, I spent the last few weeks looking and the main sites that seemed OK and not a total rip off were as follows:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/gaming/?th=g
and
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/VortexIII-15/ - this website lets you configure them yourself so what how high you make the price go by adding certain components.
All the other websites are overpriced, using older hardware or certain laptops are just not available, I saw people recommending MSI or ASUS laptops but the latest models available in the US you just can't seem to get in the UK at all.
I agree that Sagar makes some awesome hardware, I've own one before. However, I went back to Alienware because I like the feel of the keyboard better. Both manufactures are big/bulky and expensive. Some of the laptops under $1000, I've heard good things about iBuyPower http://www.ibuypower.com/IbpPages/Laptop.aspx The Battalion 101 is $999 and has a 3rd gen i7 with a NVidia GT630M (1GB). Sagar makes an entry level laptop for $979 but only includes an i5 at that price; it has a better video card (NVidia 650M).
A GeForce GT 630M is an old, hot, and slow Fermi card. That's not what you want today, or ever. It will only be roughly competitive with Radeon HD 7660G integrated graphics--and the latter will be hundreds of dollars cheaper, while using less power.
A GeForce GT 650M is better. But iBuyPower doesn't sell in Britain, so it's still no use to the original poster.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=google#q=i7+660M+laptop&hl=de&tbs=p_ord:p&tbm=shop&ei=LIrwT9-jDYrusgboz4gH&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=b3ade86d68573d22&biw=1035&bih=937
I am awaiting the new MSI amd series that will use a 7970m card with an AMD cpu. Unfortunately the initial models coming the fall will not work in a crossfire setup, but maybe the next set will. The GX60 that was showcased at Computex (I think that is right) looked good. I am hoping for a 17" model with dual ssd's in raid 0. The gx60 is 15.6" and no word on the price yet.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
From your first link, this one might be what the original poster is looking for:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1503.html?th=g
Ivy Bridge+Kepler, with no completely stupid hardware choices. The biggest drawback is the 1366x768 monitor, but it does gives you a 7200 RPM hard drive and plenty of memory, and isn't unduly heavy. Performance will be toward the lower end of what you'd hope for on that budget, but so is the price tag.
The Seagate Momentus XT isn't stupid hardware (at least in a laptop that only has a single drive), but it does have stupid marketing. The "hybrid SSD" moniker and related stuff is sufficiently deceptive that I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they get sued for false advertising, but Novatech is really only borrowing Seagate's marketing nonsense. But if you think of it as a relatively fast 7200 RPM laptop hard drive with some stupid marketing junk attached, you're not too far off. And it will sure beat a 5400 RPM hard drive, which is what a lot of laptops will offer.
We'll see if they offer a decent hardware configuration there. RAID 0 SSDs is completely stupid. You're better off with one larger SSD than two smaller ones in RAID 0. And, of course, the price tag is also important, as it would be a killer product at $1200, but completely stupid at $2000.
Ohhh very nice suggestion, might even buy this myself
Im waiting for MSI's offerings as well.
I'm actually looking for a laptop currently too and the one that I am almost set on purchasing is this one from MSI
Price tag is in my range and it should have the performance I want.... Now I want some opinions on it so let me have it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152337
oh yeah and it comes with a free xbox 360 lol? perk? So when you boil it down it really only is going to cost you like 1250 for a decent machine that can play anything out now after mail in rebate and the price for the xbox.
Currently playing : World of Tanks, LoL
Waiting for: The game of my dreams
Played: Everything
Favorites being Eve, UO and SWG Pre-CU
Don't make the mistake and buy a gaming laptop unless u need the portibilty that bad....I made that mistake a year ago bought a 1500 laptop still top of the line. The problem is it cost so much to upgrade so I will be out of date in less then a year for all the new games coming out. If I had anysense I would of bought a desktop with wifi so i could transport it wherever(not to a coffee house or anything but you know) and be able to upgrade it at will. Man I really want one of those ssd hard drives...I hear the loading times r cut by over half.If your going to get a gaming laptop get a cheap one able to play the games out now and maybe for about a year don't spend anymore loot then neccasary. Don't be me plus you have to worry about over heating which suks.
just a warning ...
I personally went with Asus G75
Specifically this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230408
And I put a 256GB SSD in myself and reinstalled Windows onto the SSD.
I couldn't be happier.
I upgraded from the Asus G72 BestBuy model (Warning: BestBuy versions of Asus laptops come with underclocked specs and no 1 year accidental MFG warranty) that I had for two years without issues. I was still happy with my G72 as well. I just wanted to upgrade as I like my gfx settings a bit higher than what I was playing at.
The new Asus blows my mind in how great it is. Overall features are very nice and I really like the cooling. Its not all hype and marketing. It doesn't get hot like other laptops do.
That's a hot laptop. In the bad sense of the word. I'd recommend something more modern than a warmed-over Fermi card.
It has yet to get hot for me. The cooling does a good job from my experience. Its performance has also put it in the bracket of where I want to be right now.
And I was aware of it being a re-branded 580m prior to purchase. I am open for suggestions of a better performing pick for the same price (no need for SSD as I purchased one seperately). I also cant complain against a 1 year accidental warranty that came with it at that price.
Either way, Asus offers Keplar cards as well in other models. And I'll wave their flag all day.
Im stateside, but bought my gaming laptop from cyberpowerpc.com, I believe its a MSI but it has an i7 and a GTX 570M. Its been playing everything at ultra quality so far so I am happy. I definitely want mobility as I dont like playing games on a desktop. I threw 8GB of Memory in there and it supports two internal HDD. My only gripe is it doesnt have FireWire 1394 for my video editing - but finding out that I need to go to hardware-based storage over tape for my videos :P
Laptop ran me 1300 USD all up, and I look to depreciate it over 3 years and will probably just buy a new one since they are so cheap. I also like the fact that I can hook HDMI up to my reciever and now I have internet and anything else I can browse to on my plasma screen.
Couldn't ask for more, so excuse me as I dive back into Skyrim :-)