Buying a Gaming Laptop

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 05:45 GMT

Hello all! I will be attending college soon so I thought I'd might as well trick my parents into believing that I have to buy a awesome laptop(even though I'm paying for most of it myself -_-). Anyways my budget is $2500 including tax/shipping!

I've looked into some companies and I'm not too sure of what and where I would like to buy from. Obviously I will be using this laptop for low requirement games such as counter strike and starcraft, however I do want high specs anyways in case super awesome games come out soon, cough cough starcraft2.

Basic things I want on this laptop:
-any CPU that you guys deem fit for the future, been looking mostly at the i7 920m.
-at least 4 gigs of ram
-a GOOD graphics card
-preferably a 15.6 inch screen , 1920x1020 resolution.

The companies I have been looking at is basically alienware/dell, digital storm, lenovo, ibuypower, cyberpc.

I came to the obvious conclusion that alienwares are overpriced but hopefully reliable. Digital storm has AWESOME desktop customizations/support/warranties, but their laptops seem a bit.. weak. Lenovo has the best bang for the buck but none of their laptops have the higher end graphics card that I want. Ibuypower and Cyberpc are both really cheap for good parts but they are notorious for being quite shitty with quality and support.

So if possible can anyone link me to some awesome laptops that might fit my greedy needs? If your bored, feel free to help me look, I'll be taking all suggestions seriously!

Questions/comments/suggestions are always valued <3

never_Nal

Costa Rica676 Posts

January 25 2010 05:51 GMT

LapTop = Not Gaming unless you have external Keyboard and mouse

, probably Alien Ware could be the option you are looking for

semantics

10040 Posts

January 25 2010 05:53 GMT

If you are fairly smart yourself and don't break your computer on a regular basis you can go for things like ibuypower etc. if you feel you need a good repair warranty you need alienware or dell etc but warranties are like 300 bucks or w.e

-preferably a 15.6 inch screen, 1920x1020 display
with that display you want a 280m (which is pretty much a GTS 250) or a 5870 mobile which is more powerful but something like a 5750 which is not too far above a GTS250
for that 1920x1080 resolution
the i7 would help
also a 1920x1080 at 15" is a bit limiting as most that size are 17"

you just have to realize that most desktops with 1920x1080 are at 22"-24" but is it quite possible to get one at that size just need to shop around a bit

http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16
this forum should help you a ways more then teamliquid

have to remember as for laptops the parts are for more expensive for their buck and the names are not related to their desktop counter parts for the most part.

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 05:54 GMT

-_- I am well aware of the fact that a laptop is not great for gaming, due to high heat, low upgrade ability, and size. I am also not an idiot, even I could beat Bisu if he uses a touchpad instead of a mouse(Ok maybe I can't, but you get the point).

Thanks for the imput though.

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 05:55 GMT

On January 25 2010 14:53 Virtue wrote:
If you are fairly smart yourself and don't break your computer on a regular basis you can go for things like ibuypower etc. if you feel you need a good repair warranty you need alienware or dell etc but warranties are like 300 bucks or w.e

-preferably a 15.6 inch screen, 1920x1020 display
with that display you want a 280m (which is pretty much a GTS 250) or a 5870 mobile which is more powerful but something like a 5750 which is not too far above a GTS250
for that 1920x1080 resolution
the i7 would help

have to remember as for laptops the parts are for more expensive for their buck and the names are not related to their desktop counter parts for the most part.

Thanks for the reply! I'll be reading soon, just quoting this so you don't think I referred to you with my last post :p

edit: Yeah I have been looking at ibuypower alot lately and with $1800 I can get the i7, gtx 280, 1920x1020 resolution, 4gb ram, 500gb hardrive. I am just REALLY worried about the reliability of these custom builders.

About the i7. I heard/read that a quad core is pretty useless right now and may even bottleneck the performance of my gpu. Most of the higher post count people on these sites say that a good dual core coupled with a high end gpu will give identical performance for lower price. Not to mention that a quad core on a laptop is definitely going to have some heat issues. I am starting to edge towards the dual core direction.

Thanks for the imput! I'll definitely be looking at more of ibuypower's customer reviews hoping that they were not written by the site itself >.>

FragKrag

United States11538 Posts

January 25 2010 06:00 GMT

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g51jxa1-order-p-2724.html?wconfigure=yes

customize it. It comes with a Nvidia 360 which is just a better 260 (the 3xx means nothing!)

AtlaS

United States1001 Posts

January 25 2010 06:06 GMT

Ibuypower and Cyberpc are both really cheap for good parts but they are notorious for being quite shitty with quality and support.

You are right on the dime on this. I've never bought from them but my friend has bought a desktop from each of them and the hardware started going to shit within 6 months. First it was the PSU. Then the HDD. Then the mobo went. It was ridiculous. Not to mention that they overprice their items WAY too much.

FragKrag

United States11538 Posts

January 25 2010 06:12 GMT

yeah, with ibuypower, my friend's laptop keyboard broke after 2-3 weeks and he had to send it in -> it comes back with another broken keyboard

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 06:18 GMT

On January 25 2010 15:00 FragKrag wrote:
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g51jxa1-order-p-2724.html?wconfigure=yes

customize it. It comes with a Nvidia 360 which is just a better 260 (the 3xx means nothing!)

Thank you for this link, they have a good variety of laptops, I'm just going to roam around and look at the deals/reviews a bit :D Great suggestion.

tirentu

Canada1257 Posts

January 25 2010 06:48 GMT

#10

I'd suggest Sager as well for high end laptops.

ruXxar

Norway5668 Posts

January 25 2010 06:55 GMT

#11

+1.

This is from my research the best place to buy a gaming laptop if you live in the US. Their prices are very reasonable and they offer great warranties.

I live in europe and considered them heavily for my laptop purchase. Unfotunately the price of shipping for return in case of a needed repair was too much.

For a gaming laptop you'd generally want something that is 17" or larger.

In that case the ASUS G73JH-A1 on this page is a great bang for buck laptop.:
http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-laptops-ct-95_51_150.html

It features a high display resolution, a cream of the crop graphics card that can run almost anything at max(except Crysis),

and it comes with 8 gigs of ram all for the slick price of about 1700 bucks.

I'd take that in a heartbeat if I was in the market.

FragKrag

United States11538 Posts

January 25 2010 06:57 GMT

#12

Well in his OP he wanted a 15'' screen with 1920x1080 :D

ruXxar

Norway5668 Posts

January 25 2010 07:01 GMT

#13

On January 25 2010 15:57 FragKrag wrote:
Well in his OP he wanted a 15'' screen with 1920x1080 :D

I'd STILL take the 17" one :p

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 07:01 GMT

#14

Thanks everyone for posting especially FragKag!

This is the build that I will probably buy first thing tomorrow after depositing some money into the bank. $1854 for better specs than a $2500 alienware I customized earlier, not to mention all the reviews on this are POSITIVE :D So unless I suddenly find something better.. this is what I'm getting!!

Few Questions:
Should I consider getting more ram? The upgrade from 4-6 gigs costs $150... D:
Should I consider a sound card? Also quite pricey at about $100.
As you can tell I'm a n00b with computer hardware.

Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop
- 15.6” FHD 16

LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i7-720QM, 1.60-2.80GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 280M 1,024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- No External Graphics Card
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
- No Xotic PC Gear

ruXxar

Norway5668 Posts

January 25 2010 07:04 GMT

#15

+ Show Spoiler +

On January 25 2010 16:01 superbabosheki wrote:
Thanks everyone for posting especially FragKag!

This is the build that I will probably buy first thing tomorrow after depositing some money into the bank. $1854 for better specs than a $2500 alienware I customized earlier, not to mention all the reviews on this are POSITIVE :D So unless I suddenly find something better.. this is what I'm getting!!

Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop
- 15.6” FHD 16

Looks good. Clevo platforms are generally regarded as highly reliable and should not breakdown easily.

I think you will enjoy it very much.

Deleted User 47542

1484 Posts

January 25 2010 07:13 GMT

#16

Thanks, I hope so as well. Gaming during classes, HERE I COME!

fOrQQ

Hong Kong321 Posts

January 25 2010 07:33 GMT

#17

No mention of Asus laptops? They are great for gaming :D
Currently I use an Asus G51J (I don't own a desktop, so its basically my desktop replacement as well).

For 1700CAD, these are the specs:

CPU: i7-720QM
Display 15.6"
HDD: 640GB
Memory 4GB
VGA: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M; VRAM: 1GB

Its been running amazingly well for the month or so since I've had it, no performance problems there. Just giving you more options ^^

FragKrag

United States11538 Posts

January 25 2010 07:35 GMT

#18

4GB is fine, and a sound card really doesn't do much for you since it is a laptop ;p