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Reliable gaming laptop?

DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
edited August 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
So, usual story. College, time for a new computer, yadda yadda

So I'm after something powerful and reliable. The laptop I'm typing this on now has frequent problems with overheating and booting up, and that's only after two years. It's not very powerful either, even for its time.

I want something better. I have a $3000 budget- cheaper is better, but if I need to, I will spend.

I'm not sure what else to say here.

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Dichotomy on

Posts

  • brandotheninjamasterbrandotheninjamaster Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114455

    Looks like a good choice. It has received high ratings as well.

    If you go with this one your probably gonna want to spring for an extra hard drive.

    brandotheninjamaster on
  • KrisKris Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Queue the flood of "build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm and buy a sane laptop to go along with it".

    Seriously. Build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm, and buy a light/small laptop for taking to class and doing your homework. Buying a gaming laptop == regret.

    Kris on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Kris wrote: »
    Queue the flood of "build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm and buy a sane laptop to go along with it".

    Seriously. Build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm, and buy a light/small laptop for taking to class and doing your homework. Buying a gaming laptop == regret.

    Yup. I can't actually see building a separate desktop being much more expensive (if at all). Although the additional monitor and/or OS might tip it over. (You might be able to use the OS that comes with whatever laptop you get though).

    Edit: Seriously though I can't stress enough how many problems I have heard of people having gaming on laptops. It's just a recipe for trouble. The main problem seems to be the mobile video cards. They still have issues and you can't ever upgrade them, as far as I know. I'd just avoid the whole mess and build a desktop, personally.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
  • zhen_roguezhen_rogue Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I adore my Sager gaming notebook.
    I've owned my current one for over two years now, and it's still rock solid.

    http://www.sagernotebook.com/default.php

    zhen_rogue on
  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    never buy a laptop with a primary purpose of gaming. You will regret it within a year of buying it when it's already outdated and you can't upgrade it.

    just don't do it.

    wunderbar on
    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • vonPoonBurGervonPoonBurGer Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114455

    Looks like a good choice. It has received high ratings as well.
    Word to wise, I strongly recommend avoiding anything with an Nvidia 8400M, 8500M or 8600M integrated graphics chip (such as the Toshiba you linked). Those chips are experiencing higher than expected failure rates due to a manufacturing flaw. Dell has "fixed" the issue with a BIOS update, and other manufacturers will likely follow suit. I have that in quotes because it's not truly a fix as far as I'm concerned. Instead, they've modified the laptop BIOS to run the GPU fan all the time in the hopes that this will stave off failure. In reality, it's more likely to a) make your notebook louder, b) run down your battery, and c) potentially delay the inevitable failure until after your warranty expires.

    Just to make it clear, I don't blame Dell (or HP, or Toshiba, or Apple, or any other affected system manufacturer) for this state of affairs. The reason they're offering the BIOS hack is because it looks like they don't have a true fix available to them, except for laptop models that have the GPU on a discrete expansion board. This issue is entirely due to a manufacturing or specification fault on Nvidia's part. Nvidia hasn't really come clean and said whether it's some or all chips based on the G84 and G86 parts, but certain corners of the rumour mill are saying it's every single one. I'm not sure I completely buy the "chipocalypse!" scenario, but if at all possible, avoid buying any laptop with a possibly affected chip. If you have a laptop with one of these and it's still under warranty, I recommend seeing if you can purchase an extended warranty for it, because it's possible and maybe even likely that your GPU will eventually fail.

    vonPoonBurGer on
    Xbox Live:vonPoon | PSN: vonPoon | Steam: vonPoonBurGer
  • KhavallKhavall British ColumbiaRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Hey you know how your current "gaming laptop" is heavy and unreliable and underpowered after only two years?

    Funny how that happens.

    For $3000 you can build a fucking monster of a desktop and have money for an Eee.

    Khavall on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Kris wrote: »
    Queue the flood of "build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm and buy a sane laptop to go along with it".

    Seriously. Build a cheap gaming tower for your dorm, and buy a light/small laptop for taking to class and doing your homework. Buying a gaming laptop == regret.


    Problems with a gaming laptop:
    Loud
    Heavy
    Large
    Crappy battery life
    Too loud
    Hugely expensive
    Cannot be upgraded
    Distracting when you're trying to study in the library/take notes in class
    Like really loud

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Dichotomy wrote: »
    The laptop I'm typing this on now has frequent problems with overheating and booting up

    Yeah, you really don't want a gaming laptop.

    Daedalus on
  • RonaldoTheGypsyRonaldoTheGypsy Yes, yes Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Man, laptop hate up in the here. I have a very high spec notebook, but it is not a 'gaming' laptop, I don't have any 'new' games, I just play stuff like Oblivion/Age of Empires 3/Warcraft 3/World of Warcraft/FEAR/Day of Defeat Source/Heroes of Might and Magic V/Titan Quest/Black and White 2/Hellgate London/etc. on it, but I don't have any of those fancy -new- games that require ridiculous specs. I want to play Quake Wars, but I am unsure if I should even bother getting it, I heard it has ridiculous specs.

    RonaldoTheGypsy on
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Man, laptop hate up in the here.

    Oh, not at all. I love laptops; my new EeePC 901 is amazing.

    I bought a gaming laptop back in 2004. I needed a laptop for college; I wanted to play Half-Life 2, the choice seemed obvious.

    Less than a year later, Oblivion comes out and barely fucking runs on the thing.

    So, it lasted less than a year at its purpose of "play the latest, shiniest games".

    However, what lasted much longer than a year was its chronic overheating problems, it's massive, Sysiphisian weight, and the amazingly short battery life. The overheating also caused it to break hard drives distressingly frequently.

    Also, it cost me like eighteen hundred fucking dollars.

    It was easily the worst purchase I've ever made in my entire life.

    Daedalus on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Gaming laptops serve one purpose really: Appeasing wealthy gamers with a huge chunk of cash burning a hole in their wallet and a hankering to play PC games on the go.

    Even then they'd probably be better served by a DS or a PSP.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
  • john fechonjohn fechon Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I have a thread about a disk problem in my gaming laptop going on now.

    I originally got it for playing oblivion. It cost about $3000, like your budget. It still had to play at low settings, the frame rate was choppy, the thing got rediculously hot.

    My wireless card died and I was stuck with it like that. It was very heavy as well, and I had to buy a larger bag to carry it. During class it would occasionally kick in an extra fan for cooling, and everyone in the room could hear it.

    I'm never getting a gaming laptop again, most likely a small cheap one for notes, internet, and solitaire/elona. Its just way too expensive to justify getting a gaming laptop when you could get a cheaper desktop with even better specs.

    If something in the laptop breaks down, it will be expensive to fix. In a desktop, its (relatively) easier to track down what went bad and replace it.

    john fechon on
  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    You know, these are all very reasonable points

    Okay. Let's take the gaming out of the equation, because frankly, a lot of you are right. Is there a preferred brand for this kind of thing?

    Dichotomy on
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  • zhen_roguezhen_rogue Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Wow, there is a lot of insta-'gaming' notebook hate in here.

    My gaming notebook is absolutely perfect for me, in that:

    1. I need a single system for gaming and work
    2. I need a system that can be transported to my studio during the day, and home at night
    3. I use AutoCAD and other graphics programs, so I need a powerful system for other reasons than gaming
    4. I needed a system that is very very reliable (my income is hourly, based on production using the computer) with an extensive warranty - both of which Sager has in spades
    5. I needed a minimum of a 17" screen with WUXGA resolution capability (1920x1200)

    I actually consider my system more of a 'portable workstation' than a 'gaming' system, but the gaming category is what my NP5760 falls into.

    I agree with the fact that most 'gaming' notebooks are very heavy, very hot, and more expensive than a desktop.
    But, the OP did in fact ask for a gaming notebook, so instead of offering him the canned response of 'gaming notebooks are inferior to desktops, and therefore useless', I gave him a link to the best in the business.

    zhen_rogue on
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Dichotomy wrote: »
    You know, these are all very reasonable points

    Okay. Let's take the gaming out of the equation, because frankly, a lot of you are right. Is there a preferred brand for this kind of thing?

    If you take gaming out, what are you looking for in particular?

    I'm loving my new Asus Eee 901, for example; it's tiny, weighs almost nothing, and gets four to six hours on the battery, but it's not for everyone: for example, it lacks any sort of optical drive.

    Daedalus on
  • saltinesssaltiness Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    $3,000? Mid-range MacBook and a $1,500 self-built desktop.

    I think a Mac is a good idea just so you can be familiar with both Windows and Mac machines plus they're great laptops but if you absolutely hate Mac just substitute in an Eee or something like that.

    saltiness on
    XBL: heavenkils
  • DirtyDirtyVagrantDirtyDirtyVagrant Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    As in just a regular laptop?

    I'm not really sure. The asus models are dirt cheap usually and from their specs and reviews appear to be quality machines.

    I'm looking for the same advice, really. I want a laptop that looks sleek (maybe even a little fem), with built in wireless, a fair amount of storage, and a decent enough video/audio package that I could watch internet videos or downloaded movies/tv shows, and maybe potentially possibly play mid-range games like WoW on. Although I will mark that as 'completely unnecessary.'

    DirtyDirtyVagrant on
  • zhen_roguezhen_rogue Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I would suggest making a post in the following forum:

    http://forum.notebookreview.com/

    Look at the top subject: "What notebook should I buy?"
    Read the first post, copy/paste the pre-written questions with your answers, and then enjoy the responses.
    This forum is hands-down the best online community for notebook reviews and discussion - these people eat, sleep, and breathe notebooks.

    Additionally, you can read multiple, objective reviews of whatever notebooks are recommended on the same site - very handy and very thorough.

    zhen_rogue on
  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I'm intruiged by this Asus Eee, but at the same time it's like it's not being marketed as a real computer.

    It's still interesting, though. I don't really need a CD/DVD drive, and certainly not a CD/DVD burner. All I'd really be using this laptop for is instant messaging, email, browsing of internet, and word processing.

    They look really small though. As in it appears that you wouldn't be able to read a standard PDF page without scrolling to the side.

    Dichotomy on
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  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Dichotomy wrote: »
    I'm intruiged by this Asus Eee, but at the same time it's like it's not being marketed as a real computer.

    It's still interesting, though. I don't really need a CD/DVD drive, and certainly not a CD/DVD burner. All I'd really be using this laptop for is instant messaging, email, browsing of internet, and word processing.

    They look really small though. As in it appears that you wouldn't be able to read a standard PDF page without scrolling to the side.

    the 7-inch ones are basically "not a real computer". Once you get to the 9-inch ones they're pretty damn usable.

    The resolution on the 9 or 10 inch screens is 1024x600, so you can read a standard web page or PDF just fine.

    The keyboard is damn small on the 9 inch one, though. I've been getting used to it, but I've got some very nimble fingers. 10-inch one is apparently a bit easier.

    But yeah, if all you're doing is IM, web browsing, e-mail, and typing up assignments; that's basically what this thing is built for.

    I've found that once you take gaming out of the question, most people can get by with very little computational horsepower.

    Daedalus on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    zhen_rogue wrote: »
    Wow, there is a lot of insta-'gaming' notebook hate in here.

    My gaming notebook is absolutely perfect for me, in that:

    1. I need a single system for gaming and work
    2. I need a system that can be transported to my studio during the day, and home at night
    3. I use AutoCAD and other graphics programs, so I need a powerful system for other reasons than gaming
    4. I needed a system that is very very reliable (my income is hourly, based on production using the computer) with an extensive warranty - both of which Sager has in spades
    5. I needed a minimum of a 17" screen with WUXGA resolution capability (1920x1200)

    Well, yeah, if you're doing CAD/3D graphics/other graphics-intensive stuff and need a notebook capable of doing it, then that's one thing, but it doesn't sound like he needs that.

    I'll grant you your point about giving him what he asked for, however, I think it's within reasonable bounds to provide more cost-effective and better alternatives.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
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