Question:
Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
Hi all, I'm looking for a gaming laptop, here's the info:
1) What is your budget?
willing to go up to $1500
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
I'd like anything 14"-15.4". 17" is a little too big.
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Web browsing, word processing, gaming...
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
It will usually be plugged into a power source when in use. I'll be taking it from my dorm to the computer lab, that'll be the extent of travel.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yep, FFXI and WoW. Also games like NFSU and HL:Source. Want to be able to play them comfortably on medium-high settings.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No preference.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
It'll be plugged in usually, 2 hours would be fine.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Nope.
9) What country are you buying this in?
USA.
Screen Specifics
10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
(W)UXGA preferred, but anything that gives a big resolution is good.
11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
glossy
Build Quality and Design
12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Mmm, not really a deciding factor.
13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
2 years would be nice.
Notebook Components
14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
I could live with 40, I use externals for my data storage. I am just wondering if I should spring for a 7200 rpm drive because I'll be gaming on it.
15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
Nope, not necessary.
I'm going to be using this laptop for gaming. I also want to be able to hook it up to a bigger (19-20") display. I've been looking at core duo machines and was wondering if there is a noticeable difference between 1.6ghz and 1.8ghz. That's about it, looking for a laptop with a good video card and good screen, with a good price.
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
Asus a8jm
http://www.milestonepc.com/canada/pr...roducts_id=728
has a 512mb Nvidia 7600Go, great graphics card packed into a 14" laptop, should be available soon(in the next month) by the way, that is in canadian, in us its around $1550
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
The Asus S96J is an excellent fit for your needs:
http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/PowerPro/a2-24.php
Asus notebooks have great quality; the S96J is a good gaming notebook; under $1,500, yet it has a WSXGA+ screen option and a Radeon x1600 256MB graphics card.
Chaz
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
go for the asus s96j 15inch wsxga monitor x1600 256mb GPU (one of the better out there) and within budget.
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
thanks for the fast replies! Yeah, I was looking at the asus s96j and the dell e1505, it looks like the s96j is going to be what I purchase. Can you guys help with my other questions? Is a 7200 rpm drive helpful for gaming, or is there no difference compared to a 5400 rpm? Same for 1.6ghz vs 1.8ghz processor? Is there a noticeable difference? Thanks!
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
ya but check out the a8jm from new egg too.
ok well i mean, you get more computer with the z96 for your dollar and configurations close to your desire
the a8jm is more attractive looking and smaller though. if your gonna amp up your z96 ) i recomend the z96 or the wsxga version of the powernotebooks asus built on)
then you have enough for a a8jm anyway
i mean heres what im trying to say. if youre gonna 7200 rpm and 1.8 ghz the thing anyway to get to 1500, consider the smaller one I would. look at pictures of the two things
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
You will see a nice increase in hard drive performance which in gaming will translate to faster load times etc. it is worth it but keep in mind you will also be sacrificing a bit of battery life (something like 20-30min) but for gaming I would go 7200RPM
CPU-If you can afford the better CPU then sure, you will see an increase.
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
Ide also recommend the s/z96j
just a few comments on past posts:
1- the wsxga offered by powernotebooks (backordered till 06/07) is infact a preorder on the z96j....and they WILL come in glossy.
2- The t2400 is the best upgrade/$$...it's worth the upgrade from a T2300...upgrading to T2500 or T2600 is too expensive (my personal opinion) for the performance upgrade they offer...i would recommend u get RAM &/or HD upgrades for the extra cash...they will give u a much higher performance boost (especially for gaming) for almost the same price.....the T2400 should work fine and so far i have read great reviews about it being the best core duo (performance for price) out there...and maybe in a year or so ude want to throw in a memrom when their prices r reasonable!!
3- If ure gonna be gaming alot ide definitly recommend the 7200 RPM HDs.....for regular use (word processing, surfing....etc) they wouldnt be necessary but for gaming they would give u a good boost over the 5400 RPM HDs...and correct me if im wrong but i heard that 7200 RPM HD scrifice about 10 mins of battery life.
4- In my personal opinion the WXGA screen on the s96j is more than enough ...and since im gonna be using the notebook for the exact same stuff u r here's my 2 cents on it.....since it's best to keep the LCD at it native resolution ide like to have a good screen that is still readable (dont have to strain my eyes to read stuff on it) and since ure gonna be hooking it up to a 19" screen (where ure probably gonna be doing most of ure gaming)...keep the notebook's LCD readable for net browsing and word processing cause that's what ure most likely gonna be doing when ure not hooked up to ure 19" screen (i.e: on the go).....dont get me wrong here i still thing the WXGA is good for gaming but the only reason ide upgrade to a WSXGA+ is more realestate for games (i think it's too high for comfortable word processing or other tasks that invole reading) so the extra cash ude be paying for the WSXGA+ (~$200) could be used for either upgrading more components or buying a better 19" screen!! but like i said that's personal preference...dont know about ures!!
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
um in dollars, at powernotebooks, the price of upgrading to the z96 with bluetooth and wsxga screen is $80, not $200
id just like to set that straight in your camparison.
I think this is worth it.
I CAN follow the argument to get a lower resolution screen for fps. you want higher fps, so youre going to run the game in xga anyway and the game will look better in the lcds native resolution as opposed to running an xga game on an sxga lcd.
ok well check this ok. for several years now all the lcd monitors sold of all sizes were sxga. so if not already then within the time that you own the laptop all the games will be made with that resolution in mind. because that is the market, thats what the buyers of the game have on their desk. if your gpu already cant run games in sxga resolution, its already obsolete and what you want is a better laptop
better to try and find the gpu that runs the game in wsxga that get a laptop stuck in xga. because your laptop is not the majority configuration and by the time its time to retire it in my opinion the games arent even going to be made supporting that resolution. it will be like having a svga laptop now, you may run oblivian in theory but if its not 800 x 600 you have to plug in a external monitor. not much of a laptop then.
listening to myself wsxga resolution might be a very important feature to get.
maybe all of these w3js and a8jms im recomending will be obsolete to gaming shortly into their lives.
Answer:
Re: Gaming Laptop for Univ. Student
ya but check out the a8jm from new egg too.
Can anyone confirm that the Asus A8Jm has 512MB of "dedicated" graphics memory and not 256 shared/256 dedicated?