Question:
Gaming laptop
Hi everyone, I'm looking for a those specs, more or less.
1) What is your budget? 2000$ CAD (1800$ USD)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Gaming, DVD, some work, Internet Browsing.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? Some time to school/work, but not very often
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? F.E.A.R, BF2, new games
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No MACS please
7) How many hours of battery life do you need? 1-2, don't really care
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? No
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in? Canada
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Widescreen, but could get a standart if needed
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?Not really
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? Few years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB? At least 80 GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? DVD-RW
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
The Asus S96J looks to be one of your best options; 15.4", 256MB X1600. The HP nc8430 is another.
For the latest games, it will be best to have a GeForce Go7600 256MB or ATI Radeon X1600 256MB. Both have similar performance.
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
Or a Dell e1705, Alienware 5550 and 5705.
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
I thought about the E1705, is it easy to travel with it? Or not?
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
Any 17+" screen will be cumbersome to travel with especially if you mean traveling in an airplane. In general you won't be wanting to lug it around much.
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
The Asus S96J looks to be one of your best options; 15.4", 256MB X1600. The HP nc8430 is another.
For the latest games, it will be best to have a GeForce Go7600 256MB or ATI Radeon X1600 256MB. Both have similar performance.
I agree with Chaz. In addition to his recommendations I'll add the Compal HEL80. It's a great system, but Compal does underclock their GPUs. I thought I'd mention that in case it would be an issue for you.
You really need to see a 17" laptop and get a feel for it to be able to decide whether or not it would be too much for you to carry around. I didn't think it was too big when I had one, but at the same time I wouldn't be as willing to take it all over as say my current 15.4".
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
What games do you play with your HEL80?
Do you get good performance in those games?
Thanks :)
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
i have a compal hgl30 which is basically a hel80 but in a 14inch shell. i slightly overclocked the already underclocked gpu to get from a 3dmark05 score of 3077 to 3548. I run cs source with everything on high with 2x AA and 2x AF at native res (1200x800) and average about 70 fps. bf2 chokes on me but that's because i only have 1 gb of ram. i will play it more when i get another gig in the near future. fear combat runs at a slightly lower res than native (bec it does not support my native res) on medium-high settings and plays well.
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
What games do you play with your HEL80?
Do you get good performance in those games?
Thanks :)
I've only played Rome: Total War and Battefront II so far on my HEL80. No overclocking and playing at native resolution. I turn the AA off because it seems to slow things down but with the WSXGA+ resolution it looks better with the AA in my opinion. But other than that I go with fairly high settings and the games run fine.
Most people play at lower resolutions though and probably wouldn't have any problems at all with either game.
The only slowdowns I've noticed are in Rome when there are a lot of units in a battlefield and I'm accelerating the battle by 3x.
Answer:
Re: Gaming laptop
I've played both Battlefield II and Rome on a Presario R3000 (Radeon 9000 IGP) and it actually played them both on low settings quite well. I get about 1500 men or so on Rome before they take extra long steps. Either above mentioned card should do handily with the games you want to play. Just have to be realistic with your expectations.
Also, I lug the thing (17'') that weighs almost 9 pounds around on a daily basis. I'm a pilot and have to go on the airplane (airlines and corporate) all the time. If you want to game, and want the 17'', you won't notice after awhile. It will fit (bag and all) under the seat in front of you (which is FAA approved) with plenty of room for your legs.