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Gaming Laptop
I'm looking for a gaming laptop under £850 that doesn't like a gimicky gaming laptop, for example this:
http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wGROClu9UevFOGKS This is a gimicky laptop.
I am having trouble finding a laptop to fit my needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152206&cm_re=msi-_-34-152-206-_-Product
this is the perfect laptop and it is only £777 however if you try to buy this in the UK it is £981/ $1512
So I need a hand i9n finding the perfect gaming laptop in my price region that can run all the games on good settings.
Comments
What is a "gimicky" laptop?
There is no such thing as a budget gaming laptop. You can have any two out of the three. If you drop "budget" to just get a gaming laptop that costs a fortune, it still isn't that nice, either, as it's too much heat in too little space. I'd say wait for Llano, which will offer integrated graphics that are actually nice (likely competitive with a Mobility Radeon HD 5730) with a low power draw, except that you seem to want higher performance than that.
For what it's worth, a Mobility Radeon HD 5870 has performance about comparable to a (desktop) Radeon HD 5750, and maybe 40% of that of a (desktop) Radeon HD 5870. If you're one of those people who really wants high performance to max settings in everything, then get a desktop.
If you really want gaming on the go, your gonna have to drop a nice chunk of money on a laptop. Or, you can build a gaming rig, and buy a decent laptop for almost the same price you'd pay for a gaming laptop. What do you give up by just getting the gaming laptop? Well...you cant upgrade a gaming laptop very much at all. But your gaming rig? you can update that for a longer period.
A gaming laptop, from the moment you buy it, starts to age. And when games with higher system requirements come out, your quality settings start to depreciate at a rate higher than a regular gaming rig you build yourself. But your needs and your budget are in your hands. Do what fits.
A gaming laptop is a lot more expensive than a desktop if you want to play games maxed out, it is usually a better idea to get a good desktop and really cheap laptop or palmtop for mobile needs.
Still, that is my opinion, that kind of money would give you a top notch desktop or an average+ laptop, it is your money.
For the money I would get this one (and buy Guinness for the last 50 quids). Sonys laptops have great design and the best warranty out there.
And whatever you do, don't get a HP. it get's hotter than hell.
Thats the MSI i have been tying to convince the missus to get, as her old XPS is on its last legs.
Sadly you will not get better than this price.
A mediocre 720p i3 laptop with just a 5650 in will set you back £560, but then its not realy gaming in my eyes
You may already know it but this site is great for mobil GPU ideas. I would stick to anything in the top 40, if not 30 if you want decent performance.
Whatever you do dont go for the sony in the link above the graphics card in it is little more than a internal graphics card equivalent that would struggle with even solitaire!
Just found a cheaper version of that MSI, £859 from Novatech.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/laptop/range/novatechi5.html
want me to lend you £9? lol
Core i5 13600KF, BeQuiet Pure Loop FX 360, 32gb DDR5-6000 XPG, WD SN850 NVMe ,PNY 3090 XLR8, Asus Prime Z790-A, Lian-Li O11 PCMR case (limited ed 1045/2000), 32" LG Ultragear 4k Monitor, Logitech G560 LightSync Sound, Razer Deathadder V2 and Razer Blackwidow V3 Keyboard
That is why I am going another direction with building my own custom remote gaming system built into my wall with long range wireless keyboards and mouse, video lines run to TV's . It's a better solution for me for the time being . Though I am still wanting to go all frankenstein on my broken laptops hardwiring wireless capabilities and try to use them as drones for the system... LOL
When people ask for a gaming laptop why does almost everyone have to chime in with "Get a desktop!?" I've never been the most computer literate person, but I know that laptops cost more and under perform when compared to desktops built for gaming. How do you know if the OP has a job that requires them to travel a lot, or a job where they sit on their behinds all day (Like my buddy that did security for a non-profit and played Guild Wars all night), or something where the mobility of a laptop is the sole factor for the decision?
I don't know how newegg works for international orders or what sites you'd have access to, but I'm planning on getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152206 when my financial aid check comes through in a couple weeks.
--------
"Chemistry: 'We do stuff in lab that would be a felony in your garage.'"
The most awesomest after school special T-shirt:
Front: UNO Chemistry Club
Back: /\OH --> Bad Decisions
I have a AWESOME desktop I built but I can't take my desktop in the plane! lol but ty for the suggestions.
Currently i'm looking at these two:
http://www.simplyasus.com/ASUS_N52JV-EX342V_970810.html
and
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/laptop/range/novatechi5.html
The second one is the MSI gx740 re retailed, so which one would you suggest?
The Geforce GT325M is an extremely underpowered GPU, so forget that Asus model (only bother getting an Asus if you're willing to invest in a G73JH, which has a core i7 720qm and a 5870).
That second computer you linked looks fine. The MSI GX740 is a nice machine.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting a gaming laptop if you travel constantly, OR if you already have a gaming desktop and simply want something to play on the go with, especially with prices these days being so low on laptops with good [mobile] GPUs. For a secondary gaming a machine, something equivalent for a desktop 5750 is also more than adequate, especially given that you'll be playing at limited resolution (1680x1050) in the first place. I use a mobile 5730 on my Asus notebook, and while it has less than on quarter the power of my desktop setup (two 5770s) as per 3dmark GPU scores, that doesn't mean I can't hop onto most of my games, with good or even high settings, and get decent framerates (COD6 plays maxed out, save the fact that I use 2xAA instead of 4x, and it's quite fluid).
Laptops have like a 2 year lifespan on them, that is why you will find many disappointed with them. If you are wanting something short term for mobility, it is fine- but when using it for gaming, you can expect a shortened lifespan on them.
I too desire Mobility and have been trying to find one that suits my needs, and have finally compromised out of frustration... Though I still plan on possibly trying to build a laptop myself from the ground up, but would have to completely customize my case in order to prevent overheating, which is a pain in the ...
Overheating is the primary issue, because there just hasn't been ANY made with proper cooling and it fries the boards the more you use it. As long as you are not expecting it to last for any length of time, and you understand you will be having to replace laptops frequently in order to stay mobile, you will not be as disappointed with them.
It also helps to extend their lifespan if you only use them on a hard surface, never use them sitting them on pillows, your lap, bed or cloth.. at least put a book down and make sure the vents are never covered to help them cool.
It is ironic they call them " laptops" at all.. considering if you use it on your lap you will block the vents and fry it. LOL
Maybe they would be more accurately named if they called them " mobile cool hard surface computers"
That's not a gaming laptop at all, as the video card is a low end "don't try to play games on this" discrete card. Besides, you don't want Sony for a gaming laptop, as they've opted out of AMD's driver update program, so that you can't update the drivers on it.
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The Asus laptop with the GeForce GT 325M isn't much of a gaming laptop, either, as the video card still isn't that powerful. There's no real point in looking at Nvidia for a gaming laptop right now, as they lose badly on performance per watt. If you need a gaming laptop right now, then the GPUs to look at are AMD's "Redwood" (Mobility Radeon HD 5650, 5730, 5750, and 5770) and "Juniper" (Mobility Radeon HD 5830, 5850, and 5870), depending on your budget how much performance you need. The MSI laptop with the Mobility 5870 will be pretty good performance. Gaming laptops usually won't have a very long battery life, though. A 50 W TDP on the 5870 is quite a bit in such a small space, but it's manageable at least.
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Some people think it would be nice to have a laptop for the mobility, and don't realize that a laptop means worse performance, less reliability, and a higher price tag. Those people need to be told, get a desktop instead if you can. Some people do have reasons why they need a gaming laptop in particular, and that can be discussed, but the desktop point at least needs to be brought up.
And yes, less reliability is a real issue. A hard drive has platters spinning furiously at 120 revolutions per second, with a read/write head hovering mere nanometers away. If the head actually runs into the platter (a "head crash"), it scratches the drive and kills it. If that sounds fragile, it's because it is. And what happens when you drop the laptop? The hard drive will try to yank the head away in time, but it's hard. For comparison, ever drop a desktop case on the ground while it was running? Dropping a laptop can damage other parts, too, but the hard drive is the most fragile one.
Laptops also power down a lot, to save on power. This means a lot more thermal cycling than desktops usually get. That means a lot more cycles of thermal expansion and contraction, which can eventually rip chips apart. It's possible to design chips to more or less handle this, but Nvidia notably failed at it spectacularly in "bumpgate", and had to take about half a billion dollars in write-offs on its financial reports to cover warranties for all of the chips that failed. And it probably would have been much higher if it hadn't been for so many people who had a laptop die out of warranty and not realize that it was because the GPU was defective from the beginning.
And then there's the issue of too much heat in too little space. Desktops can have several big case fans to create a lot of airflow and keep the ambient temperature inside the case very close to the ambient temperature outside of it. I've never seen a laptop that had several big case fans. It heats up in there, and heat is bad for electronics.
Try finding a used Gateway FX P-78 series laptop. It's got a GeForce 9800 with 1G video mem, 4G system mem, 64-bit, etc.
I payed less than $1000 for it new in 2009 and its been able to handle pretty much every game I've played.
Take a box fan, put legs on it turning it into a table, then use your" laptop" on that to keep it cool.. yea that is REALLY mobile.. LOL
j/k I couldn't resist...* is done ranting about my laptops overheating now*
Most gaming laptops are not really laptops -- they're more like desktop replacements. I'm surprised people can't seem to get that when they buy one.
I think it hs something to do with them naming them " lap tops" they think" hey I can set this on my lap".. LMAO
You must belong to the same group of people who had to replace their LCD screens on their "PocketPC".
Ok thx do those cooling pads with the fans in make a difference? Or the ones with a liquid or something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptop-Notebook-Gel-Cooling-Pad/dp/B000SDHGTW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283015489&sr=8-4
The dangers of " lap tops"..
Man burns penis with laptop
That would make someone think twice about putting it on their lap.. LOL
Laptop Users Beware
From the looks of that.. this review on that page would most likely be the most accurate:
"It works fairly well. However, to use this to its full potential, the mat needs to be placed under the computer once it is fairly hot and not before it starts getting hot. Otherwise the mat warms us faster. Once placed, the mat will cool the laptop. Unfortunately the mat does not last the stated 5 hours. Once the mat becomes more "gel" than "crystal" it begins to warm up the laptop rather than cooling it. Personally I would recommend getting a fan."
From the looks of it, it is supposed to help cool it down after it is already hot, not keep it cooler. I would think though you would cool down faster stopping for a few min and sticking the laptop in the freezer.. LOL
Burns penis with laptop?
"No really, I was looking at porn and I felt a warm, tingly sensation in my groin area. I just thought I was getting aroused."
The stupidity of human beings never ceases to amaze me...
Did someone mention the Asus g73jh yet?
17.3-inch 1080p (1920x1080) display with LED backlighting
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel Core i7-720QM processor (1.6GHz/2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB L3 cache)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 graphics card
8GB DDR3-1066 RAM
Two 500GB 7200RPM hard drives (Seagate Momentus 7200.4/ST9500420AS) (Non-RAID)
Atheros AR9285 802.11n Wireless LAN adapter
Built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
8X DVD Super Multi drive
Two-year limited warranty (one year on battery pack) with one year of accidental damage protection
8-cell battery pack (14.8V, 5200mAh, 75Wh)
Weight: 8.5 pounds
Dimensions: 16.3” (W) x 12.6” (D) x 1.8” (H)
MSRP: $1,599
"I'm looking for a gaming laptop under £850"
There's the problem. It's not an unlimited budget machine.
So does anyone else know a good site that compares laptops? I have a $2000.00 budget for a laptop and was wondering what would be a good deal.
I can tell you what you should get on that budget for a gaming laptop:
Processor: Core i7-740QM or higher
Higher than that means big cost increase unless you find a big sale price. A Core i7-720QM is slower, but you might have to accept it. AMD doesn't have anything competitive at the high end right now, and probably won't until they get a mobile version of Bulldozer, likely late next year. If you don't need it right now, you could consider waiting for Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge architecture, which should launch around the start of 2011 and should offer huge performance improvements in the same TDP.
Video card: Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Trying to pack more heat than that into a laptop is flatly dangerous, and a 50 W TDP is a lot as it is. AMD absolutely destroys Nvidia in performance per watt right now, and that's critical in a laptop. The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is AMD's top of the line mobile card right now, and is basically an underclocked (desktop) Radeon HD 5770, so it will perform about as well as a (desktop) Radeon HD 5750.
Storage: 120 GB SandForce SSD, and no hard drive.
Depending on which company sells you the SSD, it could be branded as OCZ Vertex 2, OCZ Agility 2, Mushkin Callisto, Mushkin Callisto Deluxe, G.Skill Pheonix, G.Skill Phoenix Pro, Patriot Inferno, and some others. Corsair Force uses the same controller, but different firmware, so that's somewhat less desirable. You could get a 128 GB Crucial RealSSD C300 with a Marvell controller instead, but that won't reach its full speed without SATA 3.
An SSD has several advantages over a hard drive. The most noticeable one is that it's really, really fast, so you don't constantly have to sit there and wait for a computer to do anything. But the other advantages are important in a laptop, too. An SSD has no moving parts, and hence no moving parts that can break. In particular, when (not if) you drop the laptop on the ground, an SSD won't break, but a hard drive might. An SSD also uses virtually no power, which means less heat in the laptop and also a longer battery life. An SSD is dead silent, as well, so you can be free of the annoying hum of a spinning hard drive. Fans on a gaming laptop might still be annoying, though.
Memory: 4 GB of DDR3, in a configuration of two modules of 2 GB each
The brand name doesn't matter. 1333 MHz is arguably better than 1066 MHz, but the processor isn't fast enough for faster memory to make much difference.
So where do you get a laptop with those specs? Have a look at Clevo's W870CU. Clevo assembles the base portion of the computer (chassis, motherboard, video card, and probably a cooling system for the video card and likely processor), and then sells it to various other companies that fill in some additional parts (storage, optical drive, memory, etc.) and configure it differently. A Google search for W870CU will find several of them. After that, it's just a question of finding one that offers the right configuration at the right price.
With those money it is better to buy a top of the line desktop and a cheap laptop or iPAd for the mobile use instead.
I am guessing that you either plan to use it at school, work or when traveling too and you can do the useful stuff on a cheap (none HP) laptop and then have a state of the art desktop at home instead. It will give you a lot more power and you can easily move any work and stuff between them.
2K is just the right amount of cash to get a good gaming laptop for but for 1500 you get a lot better desktop and you get 500 for a portable for any on the road work.
There's also that approach. I guess it's already been said in this thread, but needs to be said again every time a new person comes in: if you want a gaming machine, get a desktop.