Question:
Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Alright, I have been looking around for months (just waiting until I had the cash to buy something) and I've been set on the dell e1705 for a while, BUT I know you guys are the best (I've talked with some of you before) and I was wondering if you had any other ideas. I'm what you might call a "budget gamer", I don't have a ton of cash to spend but an willing to spend what I have. Here are my specs that I would like.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
I want to keep it in the 1500 range, a LITTLE more is fine.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
The smaller the better, but I have no problem with a 17 inch screen since with my ideal specs I doubt I will find anything smaller.
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Game, lost of games, school work of course, some photo editing, tons and tons of multi-tasking (its sort of like a bad habit if you know what I mean).
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
It will be on my desk most of the time (maybe hook up another monitor and an external mouse to it even, but if I go somewhere for the weekend its going with me. Its not big deal how heavy it is, I'm a big dude, I think I can handel it, ha ha.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
But of course, whats a computer without games? Just kidding, but I'll be playing games like bf2, hl2 (maybe I can get episode 1 to work on this laptop, it doesnt on my pc) oblivion, in general some pretty heavy games, plus a few of my old favorites (halo, command and conquer). As long as I can play bf2 on medium-high settings.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I hate toshiba, I just hate the way they look. Other than that I don't have a problem as long as its a pretty established brand (not some back water company just starting out).
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
If I can get an hour and a half or two while doing stuff on it (maybe not gaming) I would be happy, I plan on buying whatever battery upgrades (if any) they have.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Nope, don't mind buying online as long as I can see a few pics of the laptop first.
9) What country are you buying this in?
The US of A.
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Doesnt matter, widescreen would be cool though.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
Not sure, as long as it has a resolution better than 1440x900 its fine.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Makes no difference to me, you lose and/or win in either case.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really, I just don't want it to look like someone's VCR. I don't like how toshiba's look for some reason.
14) How long do you want this laptop to last?
2 or 3 years (until I'm in college).
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
80 gig is a must, the more the better.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Yeah, I need a dvd-rw.
On another note, the video card needs to be dedicated (just me mentioning bf2 makes that pretty obvious) and I would like at LEAST a 7800 if its nvidia (would really like a 7900gs) and at least a x1600 if its ati. I have an ati card (x700 pro) in my pc and it runs everything like butter, but for laptops I've heard some awesome things about the 7800 and 7900. Thanks for your time, I'm just making sure I'm buying the right thing for me.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
In that price range I'd say look at the Asus Z96J or the Dell e1705 with online coupons
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Asus a8jm
Asus w3j
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
I'd also recommend the Asus Z96J - 15.4" WSXGA+ glossy, Core Duo for multitasking, and a 256MB Radeon X1600 for games. Several dealers have the Z96J including PowerNotebooks.com and Geared2Play.
In a 14" size, you aren't going to find a laptop that meets your requirements with a WXGA+ or better resolution, so that essentially restricts you to 15.4" and above. I'd recommend against a 17" laptop because of the size, they are very bulky to carry. The Dell E1705 is good for the money but is well behind the Asus in terms of build quality. In order to get four hours of battery life on the Dell, you will have to opt for the larger battery.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Yeah, I'd suggest the Z96J more strongly because it is much more portable. My S96J is heavy for me to carry as is...I think I would die carrying something as big as the dell anywhere, though granted you probably are bigger then me and stuff (assuming you're male it'd be a bit sad if you weren't XD). Asus has better built and good resellers who have better support then dell too. Though you really xcant argue with the Dell's graphics card.
I guess it depends on exactly how powerful you want it to be. My S96J multitasks awesomly and so far has played games great, though I don't have anything as serious as oblivion.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Yeah, like I said I have no problem buying the bigger battery, is the x1600 better, worse, or as good as the 7900gs? I'm really looking at the graphics card as being the determining factor, I treat all of my computers like GOLD so I doudt I build quality will play MUCH of a factor. Ill check out those two web sites as well. And I figured on getting a 17 inch just because of my ideal specs (smaller the better, but not a big deal at all if its big). Let me take a look at those ASUSes.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
the 7900gs is much better than the x1600. probably almost double the performance of the x1600.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
The 7900 is definitely better...so is a 7800 really. But an x1600 will play BF2 on medium to high settings(dependant on resolution) very smoothly. It's significantly faster than your x700.
I bought a machine in October and similar size concerns. Originally...I planned on a 15.4". I was going to throw some money at a larger monitor for the home desk, as the 15.4" screen would be too small for everyday use for me. Plus, the machine would be lighter and more mobile than a 17". I ended up picking up a 17" instead, due to a good deal I found on one that matched my needs. Thankfully, mine mostly sits at home. I rarely take it to school, never take it to work, and really only tote it about every other week to a friend's house to do a little LAN party. For the LAN party, it's nice to have the larger screen and for home, the 17" is enough that I don't need an external main monitor(although I'm using a 17" CRT for extended desktop now). But if I had purchased the 15.4", I'm sure I'd take it to school more often and it'd be a bit more convenient.
I'm also not a little guy(6'1", 250lbs). Even still, the laptop I have weighs about 8lbs by itself. Add in the power brick, mouse, various other basic accessories(and I don't take many) and the bag...I bet I'm lugging nearly 14lbs or more around with me when I carry it. It's not horrible...but it's hefty. Keep it in mind. I think some people forget about that. Also, if you plan on using it on flights or such...remember that it's hard to fit a 17" lappy on a seatback tray table. Besides the width, the depth of the machine starts to become an issue as well, for being able to lift the screen all the way up(remember, that seat's angled back along the tray table).
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Well, I'm going to be honest with you, I'm 16 and have only ever been on a comercial aircraft once in my life (been on aircraft other than that, however). I plan on replacing it in two or three years with something that WILL be small and light for college. So, you see where I stand. It is nice to have the realistate that the 17 inch provides too, I've been spoiled with a dual monitor setup for my pc ha ha. A good friend of mine has a Gateway NX860 (dual core, gig of ram, 7800) and ohh what an impressive laptop that is, so I'm sort of going off of that. I looked at some of the Asus laptops and there all nice, the x1600... it just doesnt do it for me, if you know what I mean. Thanks for your suggestions, much apreciated.
PS: I'm 6'2" and about 240, not that it matters.
Answer:
Re: Budget gaming laptop, best bang/buck?
Well... it sounds like you really want the power of that 7900GS so go for the E1705. Or If you wanted to go cheaper you could snag a dell XPS M170 from Dell outlet with the 7800GTX or get one from ebay. I saw one the other day buy it now for one loaded with 2GB's of RAM 7800GTX, 100GB HD for $900!