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Gaming laptop

Forum Index > Tech Support
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Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 29 2011 23:16 GMT
#1
Hello fellow Teamliquid users ^^

Today my 6 year old iMac g5 died, and I'm looking to buy a laptop. The few I've been looking at so far are a little to pricey, such as the Alienware m14x (http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m14x/pd).
Basically what I'm looking for is a laptop that can run starcraft 2 on high settings, with no lag. I will be playing on low settings, but generally if it can run high, I know that in 200 food battles on low it won't lag. <$1000 is my budget, I've been looking at some so far:

Alienware m11x (http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m11x-r3/pd.aspx?ST=m11x&dgc=ST&cid=52212&lid=1344047&acd=s5UDMkBvf,14636207275,901pdb6671)
I like it, but it's screen is a little too small for me.

Lenovo IdeaPad (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146613)
I really really really like this one, but reviews say it heats up rather quickly, and it seems to die relatively fast.

HP Pavilion (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157045)
Once again, gets hot fast, and wifi and bluetooth work off of the same switch.

Having backlit keys would be REALLY great, but not essential. 320GB+ HDD is required, 4GBof ram+
is needed, and playing sc2 on high settings with 30+ fps is needed. Tomorrow I am going browsing at BestBuy, and will probably blog about that experience as well.


Anyways, please post any laptops would fit this criteria, especially if you have one and know what it's like!

As always,
Thanks TL ^^
"In solitude, we are least alone"
jinfreaks
Profile Joined July 2010
United States94 Posts
October 29 2011 23:22 GMT
#2
I can say that hte Ideapad is pretty good, ive used mine, the 560p, for over a year so far without any problems with graphics in sc2 or with big battles. Sure it does overheat fast, but I always have a laptop cooler so i never really notice much.

Genrally speaking, i tend to avoid dell products because most people say their products usually break down after warranty ends (after three years)
ClysmiC
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2192 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-29 23:24:36
October 29 2011 23:23 GMT
#3
I don't know a ton about computers, but I got my laptop from Best Buy so I'll tell you a little about my experience w/ it, and you can make of it what you will.

I got a Sony Vaio from Best Buy with i5, 4 gb RAM, nvidia 310m graphics, backlit keyboard, and ~680 GB hard drive. I didn't order it from their website, I just picked it up at the store. IIRC, it was around $800.

It runs SC2 just fine on low, even on 200/200 battles. I think the framerate would drop a little bit on medium/high 200/200 battles but I've never even tried, as I prefer low settings anyway.
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 29 2011 23:25 GMT
#4
Thanks, these are very helpful, I will look at all of these soon
"In solitude, we are least alone"
NuKedUFirst
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada3139 Posts
October 30 2011 00:10 GMT
#5
Why exactly do you think you want a laptop over a desktop? Desktops give you a bigger bang for your buck. I bought an XPS M1730 3 years ago it was okay but then but now it's meh.. I personally would never buy a "gaming laptop" every again.
FrostedMiniWeet wrote: I like winning because it validates all the bloody time I waste playing SC2.
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 00:14 GMT
#6
I want a laptop so I can carry it around with me, I'm only in middle school so having a laptop for all my projects and stuff would really help. I have 2-3 of homework a night, and afterwords I play games. I could always bring it to my friends houses, like my friends that plays WoW all the time. I occasionally go over there, and there's nothing to do because he only has one computer. I think having 2 people playing together would be a lot more fun then watching one play, or lugging a desktop all the way over there.
"In solitude, we are least alone"
Zlasher
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
United States9129 Posts
October 30 2011 00:21 GMT
#7
the acer aspire series comes out with good ones a lot, and they're on newegg. Mine is the 5742G-6600 but there are newer models with sandy bridge and the like all in the 700-1000 range, which is the usual price range that I choose.
Follow me: www.twitter.com/zlasher
Emporio
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States3069 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-30 00:26:13
October 30 2011 00:25 GMT
#8
I think it makes a lot more sense to buy a desktop and a netbook. Best of both worlds: better gaming computer and lighter laptop to carry around. I'm pretty sure it ends up being cheaper or around the same price depending on the specs you wanted for the gaming laptop.

Also, while it would be harder to carry a desktop over to your friend's house, believe me, a laptop loses its value a lot faster than you would imagine.
How does it feel knowing you wasted another 3 seconds of your life reading this again?
T.O.P. *
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Hong Kong4685 Posts
October 30 2011 00:55 GMT
#9
What size laptop do you want? You can't really run SC2 on high unless you want a really bulky laptop.

I disagree with the desktop lovers. Once I got a laptop, I can't go back to using a Desktop. It's just so much more convenient to be able to carry your computer anywhere.
Oracle comes in, Scvs go down, never a miscommunication.
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 00:56 GMT
#10
I don't like netbooks for 2 reasons
1. Keyboards are ridiculously hard to type on, and
2. They have relatively small Harddrives, espec less then 320gb
"In solitude, we are least alone"
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 00:58 GMT
#11
I don't care about size, 14"+ is preferrable, actually. I don't like small laptops. Bulky is ok with me.
"In solitude, we are least alone"
calvinL
Profile Joined October 2007
Canada416 Posts
October 30 2011 01:13 GMT
#12
On October 30 2011 09:55 T.O.P. wrote:
What size laptop do you want? You can't really run SC2 on high unless you want a really bulky laptop.

I disagree with the desktop lovers. Once I got a laptop, I can't go back to using a Desktop. It's just so much more convenient to be able to carry your computer anywhere.


You said it yourself. I once had a gaming laptop but I found myself using it as a stationary machine since it was way too bulky. They run way too hot, and gaming at those temperatures will make your parts die pretty quickly. The performance is also mediocre compared to the price you pay. Also if you are bringing it to class, you need to lug the power adapter as well since most laptops with dedicated GPU's last like 3 hours max on a 6 cell. Get a cheap and small notebook/netbook for a portion of your budget and use the rest on a desktop. The desktop will be faster than anything you can get on your original budget and you still have a mobile machine to do your work on.
raviy
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia207 Posts
October 30 2011 01:27 GMT
#13
For a real gaming laptop, you're looking at something around $2000+, 2 hour battery life (which will deteriorate very quickly), and is difficult to repair.

You could alternatively get a 14" or 15.6" Lenovo laptop, I bought the E520 for $450 with a 9 cell battery that gives 10 hours of battery life.

Couple that with your own custom rig, my watercooled i7 system cost me $1050.

That comes to $1500. And you could go cheaper or more powerful if you want. More flexible and versatile. Netbooks these days are overpriced, get a cheap full sized laptop instead. This baby runs most of the games I want, and for the more intensive stuff, I have the desktop. Not to mention the girlfriend gets to borrow it when she needs to.
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 01:27 GMT
#14
I'm not taking it to school, I was going to use it at home to use for projects and such, I really dont care about bulk.
"In solitude, we are least alone"
OutlaW-
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Czech Republic5053 Posts
October 30 2011 01:28 GMT
#15
Try tech support rather than blogs, we have some amazing helpers there
Delete your post underage b&. You're incestuous for you're onee-chan so you're clearly not a bad guy, but others might not agree
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 01:38 GMT
#16
I didn't even know that was there, can a mod move this post there?
"In solitude, we are least alone"
gurrpp
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States437 Posts
October 30 2011 01:48 GMT
#17
As someone who bought an alienware laptop to game on last year, I can tell you its better to buy a laptop and desktop separately. I bought an alienware m11x and regretted it, not because its a bad laptop. Its just a much better deal to buy a desktop for $500-600, which will run current gen games like battlefield on high settings and buy a notebook for $300-400. Unless you're changing where you are gaming every night its better to get a desktop for gaming and a laptop for work.
hot fuh days
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 02:01 GMT
#18
The thing is my parents are divorced, and I switch houses every other week. On top of that, I stay with my grandma 1-2 times a week, so I'm constantly moving where I game. I also go to friends houses and stuff that play games, and would like to game there as well.
"In solitude, we are least alone"
ghrur
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States3786 Posts
October 30 2011 02:02 GMT
#19
I was looking around and found this one has pretty good parts for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158058
darkness overpowering
Frostfire
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States419 Posts
October 30 2011 02:05 GMT
#20
^^ Very good one, if someone could find one like that but cheaper (I don't need a 750 GB HDD, I think finsing the same stuff with a 320GB HDD would be a lot cheaper) it would be much appreciated, I'm now on my phone, but I would search if I could.
"In solitude, we are least alone"
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