Budget Gaming Laptops?

Syzygy

Is there such a thing? My desktop just bricked a few weeks ago, and I feel it's time to start using something with a little more mobility. Mainly I'd be using it for work, but I do like to game when I can find the time.

So I need something powerful enough to run, say, Left 4 Dead 2 (or one, not sure if their required specs are the same) But also remain in the 800-1,000 dollar price range.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Khavall

You won't find one in that price range that isn't 100lbs and runs things. However, for about $600 you could build a respectable new desktop and get a netbook. Which is, unless you need the gaming ability to be on the go, and not just gaming and mobility separately, the better choice by like a billion times. Plus you can probably save money by cannibalizing the remains of the old desktop.

Joe Camacho MKII

I'm posting from an ASUS N81VP, it's a 14in laptop, with 4 GB of RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 350 GB HDD and ATI Radeon HD 4670 1 GB RAM dedicated video card.. And I'm able to run both L4D games without any problems, I don't know if I have MAX settings (Now that I think about it, I haven't tried to fiddle with them, other than setting a resolution), it looks really good, no slow down or anything like that.

I bought it last december for around 1050 USD from Amazon, including S&H, I'm sure that there are better laptops around now, or if you are willing to get a bigger laptop, say 15in to 17in (I got mine for work, but I honestly just needed a computer for internet usage and microsoft office.), you might even get a better processor and Video Card; but you will sacrifice mobility.

My only complaint is that I can't upgrade this laptop's ram, according to the manual 4 is the max amount of ram I can fit in.

So yeah, I would recommend you check out ASUS laptops and see if you can find one that suits your needs.

Edit.- Oh, I forgot, it's not AS heavy as my older laptop, and I manage to get 3 and half hours of battery life with battery saving mode.. I don't even try to play games without having the computer plugged in.

hotlunch

Seconding the recommendation for ASUS, I am actually not too sure of the specific model of mine but it runs everything I've thrown at it. Shattered Horizon, Crysis, Modern Warfare 2. Its big n heavy, but its enough a beast that I dont really mind. But yeah, look at some ASUSes. ASI?

Anyway my friend recommended them to me because I guess ASUS makes computers for other companies who slap their brand on it and charge you for the privilege. Not sure if its true or not, but you certainly get a lotta bang for your buck.

Esh

Khavall wrote: »

You won't find one in that price range that isn't 100lbs and runs things. However, for about $600 you could build a respectable new desktop and get a netbook. Which is, unless you need the gaming ability to be on the go, and not just gaming and mobility separately, the better choice by like a billion times. Plus you can probably save money by cannibalizing the remains of the old desktop.

It's not 2001.

chupamiubre

alienware mx11

soxbox

The discrete graphics card in the laptop is pretty much the only thing you need to care about when looking at gaming laptops.

The furthest you can get up this list without breaking your budget, the better off you'll be. You should be able to afford a laptop with a card somewhere in the 40's or 50's on that list.

Note that 'cheap' and 'gaming' combined will probably lead to a fairly heavy laptop - but since gaming usually also means a 17" laptop, you're not going to be THAT much heavier than your more expensive brethren, but don't expect it to be something that you'd want to take to lectures and such - you'll be looking at more of a 'take from room to room' than 'take everywhere' laptop.

Nathrak

Review of ~$750 Acer that fits. Performance in games is pretty awesome for that price, though battery life is crap when going all out. Also I don't know how good Acer laptops are these days from a reliability standpoint. I was really impressed when I read this.

SatanIsMyMotor

Esh wrote: »

Khavall wrote: »

You won't find one in that price range that isn't 100lbs and runs things. However, for about $600 you could build a respectable new desktop and get a netbook. Which is, unless you need the gaming ability to be on the go, and not just gaming and mobility separately, the better choice by like a billion times. Plus you can probably save money by cannibalizing the remains of the old desktop.

It's not 2001.

While that is true - he's right.

The other problem with "gaming laptops" is battery life. A lot of people have this idea that they'll be gaming on the move when in fact, even with a monster laptop, you're always going to need to be plugged in and you're always going to need a table/desk as thing will be getting hot as all get out.

Esh

SatanIsMyMotor wrote: »

Esh wrote: »

Khavall wrote: »

You won't find one in that price range that isn't 100lbs and runs things. However, for about $600 you could build a respectable new desktop and get a netbook. Which is, unless you need the gaming ability to be on the go, and not just gaming and mobility separately, the better choice by like a billion times. Plus you can probably save money by cannibalizing the remains of the old desktop.

It's not 2001.

While that is true - he's right.

The other problem with "gaming laptops" is battery life. A lot of people have this idea that they'll be gaming on the move when in fact, even with a monster laptop, you're always going to need to be plugged in and you're always going to need a table/desk as thing will be getting hot as all get out.

No, it's not. Did you look at the laptops that have been mentioned in thread already? Especially that Alienware?

Beyond that, how often is anyone actually not near an outlet or a desk? I don't think the OP is talking about gaming while sitting indian style in the park.

T. J. Nutty Nub

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfb/notebooks/latit_d620/pd.aspx?refid=latit_d620&cs=28&s=dfb

I have this guy and I can run L4D1 and 2 at ok to low graphics

The only game I've encountered that I can't truly run is the RUSE demo that was up on steam awhile back

DrZiplock

The alienware m11x is a sexy bitch of a laptop that clocks in at 4.5 pounds. It's also only about a grand. Less than depending on what you load it out with.

Heir

Not sure how budget you're looking to go, but today on sellout.woot.com there's this:

http://sellout.woot.com/?ts=1274263910&sig=6a5f12d51cf07c9c

$600 bucks gets you:

AMD Dual Core processor
4 gigs RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 Graphics Card
Windows 7 Home Premium
500gb Sata HDD

It's a refurb...but may be worth a look.

Edit: Scratch that. Most reviews are saying it can barely handle most games.

contendr

Check out the Gateway FX series. I've had one for almost 2 years and 3 friends have since bought newer models after having seen mine. They are big and heavy, but the 17" screen and high-end graphics card is amazing for gaming (it's my main/only gaming PC). I've run Starcraft 2 and Bioshock 2 on my 2 year old model and I've seen friends run with maxed settings on their newer versions.

I picked mine up refurbished from tigerdirect for ~$700, but they now have a more current model for $950 new:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5270805&CatId=4938

Shadowfire

I've been using a version of this laptop which has run everything I've thrown at it. Dragon Age, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Metro 2033... everything runs at 1920x1080 with settings at full. It's a bit above your budget, but it's something to consider if you can scrape a bit more together.

I've also heard good things about the m11x, but I refuse to deal with Dell. Asus has some other great laptops to consider, like the aforementioned N81VP.

Darksier

contendr wrote: »

Check out the Gateway FX series. I've had one for almost 2 years and 3 friends have since bought newer models after having seen mine. They are big and heavy, but the 17" screen and high-end graphics card is amazing for gaming (it's my main/only gaming PC). I've run Starcraft 2 and Bioshock 2 on my 2 year old model and I've seen friends run with maxed settings on their newer versions.

I picked mine up refurbished from tigerdirect for ~$700, but they now have a more current model for $950 new:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5270805&CatId=4938

If you're on a budget I also recommend the Gateway FX series. If you can find one refurbished - I got my initial model from an E-bay dealer. Most of my friends have been shifting over to the FX series after seeing its cost effectiveness. None of us have had a hardware problem since purchasing our models.

LoneIgadzra

Gaming laptops are notoriously lame, but it should not be hard to get one that can run L4D2 or other Source games. All you need is a discrete graphics with a model number that ends in at least "600", and with that criteria you can probably still find one with a reasonable weight and battery life. Just getting some kind of discrete graphics means you'll be able to run a lot of older stuff, even if Crysis doesn't run so good.

Conversationally, I got a chance to mess with a bunch of Alienware laptops at PAX East, was really not impressed with the performance they were getting at mediocre levels of detail. (Not that anyone was considering them.)

I used a MacBook Pro as my main machine for a long time, and while it was tolerable for gaming for a while, I am getting pretty fed up with its lousy battery life (for a portable computer, though of course newer MBP's don't suffer from this problem). I am much happier with my new desktop that I built recently, and would very much recommend the laptop/desktop combo if you are serious about PC games. (I use my laptop for work mainly, and find myself completely unable to use it for serious purposes "on the go" due to battery life.)

What I'm trying to say here is battery life is not to be taken lightly if you intend to use the laptop for non-game tasks.

TracerBullet

I just want to state that I have a laptop I game on, it isn't a "gaming laptop" but it was a build your own from dell. Ran be $1200, and, honestly? I'm perfectly content with it.

It runs pretty much everything on the highest settings, while it does get how, I bought a ThermaPAK heatsink pad for $30, and since I got that, everything has been dandy.