Question:
High end gaming laptop...
been doing some research, and havn't found what I am looking for yet... Thought it was worth asking the questions to people who have been looking at this much longer then I.
Laptop questions...
1) What is your budget?
Trying to keep under $3k… but may be able to go above
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Heavy gaming, some business applications, CAD/GIS
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Mostly stationary, but will take on business trips, to continuing education (grad classes), may move around the house some...
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Currently WoW, but there have been a lot of games out recently that I would like to play (FPS and RPGs)
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Currently I have a cyberpowerPC computer (4 years old with no problems) but I have read some not so good reports on them recently. I want realibilty if possible.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
More is always better, but at the minium,1 hour
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No problems there
9) What country are you buying this in?
USA
Screen Specifics
10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Looking for a 17” screen, the higher the resolution the better
11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Not sure… probably matte/non-glossy
Build Quality and Design
12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Sorta, but whats inside matter a whole lot more, not trying to win style points.
13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
Minimum of 2 years… prefer 3-4 year (or more)
Notebook Components
14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
Probably 60-80 gig minimum, prefer 7200, but 5400 SATA is acceptible
15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
Want at least a DVD-CD/RW, DVD-R would be nice
Other requirements
Processor
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual-Core CPU
I would really like this chip, if Intel has something that comes close for the price I am interested, but would like the dual-core, and ability to run 64 bit
RAM
At least 2 gigs
Video Card
NVIDIA Geforce Go 7800 GTX PCI-Express 256MB
(will accept similar, but kinda have my heart set on this)
I saw the post about powernotebooks.com, what there realiabilty like?
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Hello there. :)
PowerNotebooks is excellent, go to www.resellerratings.com and see their score . . it's the best I have ever seen. I ordered my notebook from there, couldn't be more satisfied.
The only notebook you're going to find with an Athlon X2 is the Sager 9750, and that's monstrous. If you are not traveling, it is fine, but keep in mind it is massive. It gets over 1 hour on battery life, not sure of the exact number.
With the Go7800GTX, you'll have the best gaming performance avaliable in a laptop.
For something more portable, I'd suggest waiting until the new version of the Sager 5720 with the dual-core Intel Core Duo comes out in April. Check my post I made on it in the Sager forum. ;)
Chaz
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Well the Sager 9750 is the ultimate. Check it out at www.powernotebooks.com looks awesome! :)
Edit: Once again Chaz beats me :)
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Wow... very quick response...
any idea if they will make the 512MB version of the 7800 GTX for laptops anytime soon? Sometimes I wonder if I should get another desktop... but there have been so many times recently I wish I had a laptop.
Any word on how the dual core Intel fair against the Athlon dual core? I am not particularly biased, but it seems that most manufactures like the intel.
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
The Athlon 64bit dual core 4800+ is better than core duo. And plus the Athlon is 64bit, already for the future.
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Hm, not going to see the 512MB version of the Go7800GTX or any other laptop card for that matter for quite some time.
There's SLI laptops though, coming out soon.
Intel's Core Duo and the Athlon X2 aren't really comparable. It's desktop vs. laptop. The Core Duo will run cooler, maybe not be as fast but still very quick. Given a choice, I would go for the smaller (thinner) machine.
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
If I go with and Althon 64 X2 4200 instead of a 4800, is the motherboard something that I could later switch the chip for the 4800 (or even the FX-60) when they come down in price? I realize that the extra $300 for the 4800 (over the 4200) isn't a whole lot extra at this stage of the game, but I am trying to weigh my options.
thanks
d13steele
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Another follow up question...
How much of a difference in speed am I going to see between the
Sager NP5720 - V (2.26 Pentium M)
and Sager NP9750 - V
(with either the Althon 64 X2 4200+ or 4800+)
the price difference speced out is about $200-500 diffrence between the 5720 and the 9750...
thanks!
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
I would check out todays review of the Clevo M570A (which is basically the same as the Sager 5720) and the recent review of the Sager 9750. Looking at the 3DMark05 scores I believe that the 9750 was about 1000 higher than the Clevo M570A though they were both quite high scores. Both of these are big machines but the 5720 is something like between 8-9 lbs and the 9750 is around 12 lbs. If you are going to carry it around a lot I would go with the 5720. If you will almost exclusively have it on a desk and not moving around much I would go with the 9750. Good luck!
Answer:
Re: High end gaming laptop...
Yeah, I'm using a Clevo D900K right now (aka Sager 9750) . . it's gargantuan. Not something you would want to move, if at all. The 5720 (Clevo M570A) is much ligher, and also puts off less heat.
The Pentium M is a great processor for games, although the Athlon is better. At 2.26Ghz, the straight-on gaming performance of the Pentium M is hard to beat.
Unless you're a big multitasker, I'd go with the 5720.
As for the 4200+ vs 4800+ question - I'd go with the 4200+, the difference as you said in games really doesn't depend nearly as much on the CPU as it does the GPU. As long as you have the Go7800GTX, you'll have no problems.
Yes, you can upgrade the CPU later to an FX-60 or 4800+. The D900K I'm using right now has an FX-60, so it is certainly possible!