Laptops

[Natsuo]

I feel like a bit of a *** for never posting unless its in off-topic and I have an INTERNET DILEMMA, but fuck I've been reading threads here every day for like 4 years so here we go.

I've always been a desktop guy since it seems to be way better for gaming, but I built my last pc about 3 years ago without really putting the future in mind, and it's falling behind. No crysis, UT3 on lowest settings, etc.

I've decided that I need a laptop for college, and to kill two birds with one stone, to one up my old pc. Most everyone advised I stay away from building a laptop myself so I figured I'd come to you guys as for suggestions. I frequent Newegg but I'm not familiar with custom laptop builders or wutev, so if any of you guys are big laptop enthusiasts, I'd appreciate your help.

I've got a pretty big budget to boot, so hit me with any machine suggestions.

[Fluffington]

You want to build a gaming laptop? Your last computer is three years old and you are surprised it can't play Crysis? :confused:

[Ymir9]

Nobody without SLI can run Crysis.

Why can't you build your own laptop?
There are barebones systems out there that are pretty easy to work with, they'll even do the assembly for you if you're lazy.

The pieces are smaller and more expensive, but not substantially harder to assemble than on a desktop. Actually, some of those heatsinks seem a little easier, I've dealt with some really nasty heat-sink changes on desktop sockets 7's and 478's in the past.

[GRCPan]

Don't expect to play crysis on a laptop. Better buy a super cheap laptop for college and buy new parts for your pc.

[Barbarossa]

Local used games shop has about 30 copies of Crysis in stock for about 12 bucks a pop.

I figured the game must suck for that many used copies to be for sale at once...

[Natsuo]

Gosh I was just using Crysis as an example JEEEEEEEEEZ.

[Salaman]

Don't buy a gaming laptop and expect to use it for college unless you don't mind carrying the heavy weight around campus and like to get to class early so you can pick a seat close to a power socket because the battery doesn't last longer than an hour.

[Spart]

Buy a cheap laptop for College, and then build a good computer. Should cost about $2000-2500 for this all up, which is about what you would spend for a gaming laptop that would be sub-par in all ways (worse for games, worse for college).

[Spart]

Nobody without SLI can run Crysis.

Why can't you build your own laptop?
There are barebones systems out there that are pretty easy to work with, they'll even do the assembly for you if you're lazy.

The pieces are smaller and more expensive, but not substantially harder to assemble than on a desktop. Actually, some of those heatsinks seem a little easier, I've dealt with some really nasty heat-sink changes on desktop sockets 7's and 478's in the past.

Don't listen to this guy. Honestly, I don't know about the putting together a laptop, but the bullshit about SLI and Crysis? Very wrong. I've got an 8800 GTS and I can run Crysis fine. It's still by far the most beautiful game of all of them as well.

[Spineless_DoO]

Its much cheaper to build a budget gaming PC and buy a decent laptop. Building one is going to cost you an assload of cash. On top of that to beat the prices you will have to ebay and that means you are faced with.

A decent gaming laptop is gona cost you though. I would go with Ibuypower personaly. They have great support, warrenty, and you can near totaly custom build the entire laptop. The problem all gaming laptops have is heat. You are going to want at least an 8800 gpu. Even some of the best brands have heat problems. Dont plan on gaming for more then 20 minutes on battery either. Storage has to be at least 7200rpm or solid state. Any way you play it though you will always suffer the usual bottlenecks.

[Gem]

yea, you can't build your own laptop. Thing is there is no industry standard (like ATX) so 99% of notebooks are actually made by electronics manufacturers (asus, clevo, ect) that use their own specifications because they build their own motherboards for them.

So basically you can't buy an empty case and order each part...although some companies will sell you the notebook minus processor, ram, wireless card, and HD...but you'll find out real fast buying those parts is way expensive if you arent a resale business, which is usually why even those companies will let you select the parts for them to install.

At the moment the pefromance vs cost ratio from desktop to notebook is about 50%. Which means the gaming performance you can expect from a new 800 dollar desktop will run you about $1600 in notebook form. Thankfully, the rumors are false, technology has come far enough in the last half a year that an 800 dollar desktop can get 40+ FPS in crysis. (thanks to DDR3 RAM, 200 series Nvidia Cards, and quad cores making everything on the market dirt cheap)

There are a ton of very portable gaming notebooks, the main thing to keep in mind is mobile vs portable. Dont get a 17" 12 lb notebook if you want to take notes in class...15.4 and smaller can still game just as well as your average 800 dollar PC and not break your back and hog your entire desk.


Finally, and most importantly, the biggest secret in the industry is notebook stores (minus a few big overpriced names like SONY or Apple) don't make their own notebooks. This includes companies like Alienware. They buy up notebooks from manufacturers like ASUS and repackage them with custom cases. The best way to save cash is to find a notebook with the specifications you want (I would start with screen size, resolution, and video card...that will eliminate 90% of your options), then figure out who actually manufactures the notebook. Once you figure that one out, you can find another reseller who is much cheaper, and usually has better warranties.

Hope that helps!

[Mippoose]

Most people here don't seem to realize the laptop market is not lagging behind with being able to hold it's own, even against powerhogs like crysis.

First off, a budget would be good.

There are two routes to go.

Get a nice small laptop 9-13.3" and build an enthusiast desktop.

Or go all out and get a nice 15.4-17" machine that can game.

My laptop, the Compal IFL90 rebranded Powerpro 10:15, came with a ddr2 8600mGT.

I am able to play the crysis demo on like medium. Keeping tweaks in mind.


Newer options now include powerhouses like the Sager 8660 (15.4" with 9800mGT option) or even the Sager NP9262 with SLi 8800mGTX/9800mGT/9800mGTX. Both are rebranded Clevo chassis.

MSI and Compal have 15.4" out there now with 9600mGT which is still a very capable card.

I do ALL of my gaming on a 1680x1050 native res with a ddr2 vram 8600mGT.


Gaming can be done on notebooks. The price is higher.

But laptops low footprint and backpacking ability makes it awesome. ;]

Feel free to Pm me with a budget/idea and I can link you to multiple models.

[Mippoose]

Its much cheaper to build a budget gaming PC and buy a decent laptop. Building one is going to cost you an assload of cash. On top of that to beat the prices you will have to ebay and that means you are faced with.

A decent gaming laptop is gona cost you though. I would go with Ibuypower personaly. They have great support, warrenty, and you can near totaly custom build the entire laptop. The problem all gaming laptops have is heat. You are going to want at least an 8800 gpu. Even some of the best brands have heat problems. Dont plan on gaming for more then 20 minutes on battery either. Storage has to be at least 7200rpm or solid state. Any way you play it though you will always suffer the usual bottlenecks.

It's much better to skip out on companies such as Ibuypower and CyberpowerPC for more reputable resellers such as Powernotebooks and XoticPC.

[Malhavok]

Plenty of non-SLI rigs can play Crysis... albeit not on the highest settings, but then what can?

As far as gaming laptops there's some rather glaring disadvantages. A true gaming laptop uses desktop components. Battery life, heat, and weight are all problematic. Don't expect it to be particularly portable as it's most at home sitting elevated on a laptop cooler. Then there's the cost.... at $4,000+ it's not particularly affordable.

And for $4,000 you can get a $2,000 gaming rig and $1-2,000 laptop. A $2,000 laptop can actually do a passable job as a gaming machine, certainly better than my 3 year old $1500 comp does. If you really want the laptop I'd just get a 1-2k Dell, Gateway, etc. Get one with 4 gigs of RAM and a preferably an 8800M. The only reason I can see to get a more expensive gaming laptop is if you travel frequently. If you live out of a suitcase and still want a gaming machine they make sense.

[Gem]

I would go with Ibuypower personaly.

OH GOD NO, I've had nothing but problems with them and so has everyone I've ever known.

If you like asus go http://www.geared2play.com/

if you like clevo , sager is good http://www.sagernotebook.com/default.php

and always always check the reseller at http://www.resellerratings.com/

if I was smart enough to do that in the first place I would never have had issues with Ibuypower

[Feyrband]

i have a dell xps m1710.

intel core 2 duo. 2.33GHz x2
4GB RAM (vista 32 recognizes 3.3)
GeForce 7950 GTX running directx10

run crysis and AoC with no problems at all. even though i have directx10 installed games wont run it though since my card doesnt really support it, but runs smooth either way. was running crysis on medium high and aoc on high with shadows off.

[[Malice]Bronson]

When it comes to the best bang for your buck with a gaming laptop, and high quality. There is only one obvious choice..



The Gateway FX6860

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8780198&st=Gateway+FX&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332501169

[Feyrband]

Bronson;1520768']When it comes to the best bang for your buck with a gaming laptop, and high quality. There is only one obvious choice..



The Gateway FX6860

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8780198&st=Gateway+FX&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332501169

um yea i support that laptop i'd say def good deal there for a laptop.

[Deja vu]

I would recommend against CyberPower... they have horrible customer assistance. I got a PC there and it came with dead ram sticks. (even though they said they tested it) So I sent it back and them after "working" on it for 3 months I got it back and it still had bad ram chips. So I sent it back a second time and it took them about 2 more months. This time they did fix it but after about 6 months of using it the power supply went out.

For Prefab PCs/laptops I would go with some one like Dell (or if you got your heart set on a cool looking box I would recommend AlienWare, which is owned by Dell and over priced) Of course the best PC for your money will all ways be to build it your self.

[iza]

Bronson;1520768']When it comes to the best bang for your buck with a gaming laptop, and high quality. There is only one obvious choice..

The Gateway FX6860

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8780198&st=Gateway+FX&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332501169
Gateway is notoriously poor quality. (unless things have changed dramatically in the last couple years or so)

IF you want it for college, I suggest either a 15.4" or 14" notebook. 17" is a pain to lug around. Asus, Compal, and Clevo are quality, and have some with semi-decent GPUs.
[...]Of course the best PC for your money will all ways be to build it your self.
Not with laptops - it's usually not even feasible.

[Natsuo]

Thanks for all the help so far guys, trying to keep it all under $1,500 for those wondering, but I wouldn't mind spending a little more if it meant I wouldn't have to replace the thing for quite a while.

[Mippoose]

Thanks for all the help so far guys, trying to keep it all under $1,500 for those wondering, but I wouldn't mind spending a little more if it meant I wouldn't have to replace the thing for quite a while.

Take a gander at the Sager 8660 or the new Toshiba Quosimo.

The latter comes with the 9700mGTS with a 256-bit bus.

And it's a 15.4"

http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/qosmio/F50/F55-Q502

And here's the Sager 8660

The 9800mGT is pretty hot too ;]

http://powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=582

Powernotebooks has an extremely high reseller rating. If not the highest of all the compal/sager/clevo resellers.

[Spineless_DoO]

It's much better to skip out on companies such as Ibuypower and CyberpowerPC for more reputable resellers such as Powernotebooks and XoticPC.

Your kidding right? If Ibuypower is not reputable enough your only higher option is a dell, gateway, or a HP/compaq atm. Problem is they use the same hardware but cost up to 30% more with less options. They are all the same. At least Ibuypower actualy tests each rig they build vs the assembly line 30 second burn the rest of them use.

[Weeking]

Buy a tower computer for gaming.
And the 100 buck laptop intended for the third world.

And if you're paying the electric bill, you might want to factor in the energy cost when comparing prices. At least get a LCD screen if you don't have one already.

[Yakamoz]

OMG "gaming" laptops fan...when you people will understand that laptop will never be the best gaming machine ?

[Rhasta]

Laptop you say?

PIMP your ride....with....

http://www.alienware.com/

[Kaorn]

I played Crysis on my laptop at 4 fps.

[Feyrband]

OMG "gaming" laptops fan...when you people will understand that laptop will never be the best gaming machine ?

no one has ever said that, but it sure is awesome to chill on my couch and watch sci fi cheesy movie marathons on sunday afternoons while gaming.

[alfaroverall]

Buy a cheap laptop for College, and then build a good computer. Should cost about $2000-2500 for this all up, which is about what you would spend for a gaming laptop that would be sub-par in all ways (worse for games, worse for college).
I second this. Getting a gaming laptop that will even one up your 3-year-old computer will be far more expensive than simply getting a half-decent notebook and building a gaming desktop yourself. The logic seems backwards, but that's just how it is.

Lemme put it this way: my computer is about 4 years old and was borderline state-of-the-art when it was new. I've got a GeForce 6600, an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, and (perhaps the worst part) 1 GB of RAM. Getting a laptop that exceeds this at all would be around $1000, whereas a rough equivalent desktop now sells pre-built for about $500 at Best Buy (which is a ripoff in the first place).

[Spinewire]

This is the laptop i want

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/datamancerlaptop.jpg

[Mippoose]

Your kidding right? If Ibuypower is not reputable enough your only higher option is a dell, gateway, or a HP/compaq atm. Problem is they use the same hardware but cost up to 30% more with less options. They are all the same. At least Ibuypower actualy tests each rig they build vs the assembly line 30 second burn the rest of them use.

No, I am not kidding.

Ibuypower and CyberpowerPC is notorious for their cheap parts used and bad customer service. Also see their atrocious warranty.

Resellers of the same level, such as Powernotebooks and ExoticPC, and even Sager (of which Pn and XPC both sell) are WAY more trustworthy and knowledgable than the Ibuy or cyber folks.

Powernotebooks and Xotic also specialize in laptops.

I'm sorry you were not aware of this, but do not spout rediculous false information.

And comparing Dell/HP to small scale resellers is retarded sir.

Here are reseller ratings for you.

Powernotebooks: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/PowerNotebooks
9.97 lifetime rating.

XoticPC: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Xotic_PC
9.90 Lifetime rating.

Ibuypower: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/iBUYPOWER
6.93 lifetime rating.

CyberpowerPC: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/CyberPower
7.42 lifetime rating.


Is that good enough for you doucheface?

[Mulambo]

This is the laptop i want

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/datamancerlaptop.jpg

1333337. /drool

[Natsuo]

While I've ultimately decided to fix upgrade my current pc a bit with more cooling and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130332 , I'm still looking for a decent laptop for when I traveling as well as for class.

All the suggestions you guys have made are great and everything and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on half of the laptops I've looked at, but are there any sites or locations you guys know of that do actual custom builds for people? I'd rather save a hundred bucks and get one without an OS and with some of my own part choices to save some cash here and there.

As for the desktop, I'm sticking with my three year old rig. This Radeon x800 series has always been a real piece of shit, but overheating has been my biggest problem. Friend of mine warned me that my processor sucks pretty hard as well, but I was under the impression that a 3.00ghz p4 was at least decent back when I built it.

Intel P4 3.00ghz, 2.5GB Corsair DDR2, shit Radeon x800, rather junky ATX Intel Foxconn mobo, on XP pro with dx9. As long as I can handle Darkfall p smoothly when it surfaces, I'll be happy.

Edit: Any nice monitor suggestions? I've got a damn syncmaster 955df from like the 80's.

[Killuminati]

No, I am not kidding.

Ibuypower and CyberpowerPC is notorious for their cheap parts used and bad customer service. Also see their atrocious warranty.

Resellers of the same level, such as Powernotebooks and ExoticPC, and even Sager (of which Pn and XPC both sell) are WAY more trustworthy and knowledgable than the Ibuy or cyber folks.

Powernotebooks and Xotic also specialize in laptops.

I'm sorry you were not aware of this, but do not spout rediculous false information.

And comparing Dell/HP to small scale resellers is retarded sir.

Here are reseller ratings for you.

Powernotebooks: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/PowerNotebooks
9.97 lifetime rating.

XoticPC: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Xotic_PC
9.90 Lifetime rating.

Ibuypower: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/iBUYPOWER
6.93 lifetime rating.

CyberpowerPC: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/CyberPower
7.42 lifetime rating.


Is that good enough for you doucheface?

Amen, xoticpc mfing pwnz

[Morthor]

OP, Im in basically the same situation... I'm just buying some cheap-ass laptop, £350 or so and building my PC myself bit by bit as I can afford things.