The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Highly portable gaming laptop.
Tediak
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm shopping around for a new laptop. Decent gaming power is a requirement, but it doesn't have to be a beast. The ability to play WoW, EvE, and maybe Diablo 3 when it comes out would be perfect. However, it's something that I'll be schlepping with me every day to class, work, and court, so it must have good battery life and be reasonably lightweight. Looking to spend around $1000.'
So far the only system I've seen that MAYBE fits the bill is the Dell XPS 15z. Any other suggestions?
So far the only system I've seen that MAYBE fits the bill is the Dell XPS 15z. Any other suggestions?
Tediak on
0
Posts
This, a hundred times.
I already have a decent home system, and I've gone the Netbook route but really would like something with a little more power. This doesn't need to be my primary PC, but I'd rather it have decent GPU if possible.
The Alienware M11X looks temping actually.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC374LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc3Mjg
In terms of weight and battery life, this is the best in class.
Gaming laptop pretty much means not an apple.
If the president had any real power, he'd be able to live wherever the fuck he wanted.
Well, for these purposes (decent for gaming and mega portable), the 15" Macbook Pro would fit the bill quite nicely. They can handle games pretty well, are pretty damn slim, and have top notch battery life. But, it's also well above the budget
gaming laptop pretty much means not highly portable.
you can get power in a desktop, but a laptop that's not portable is pointless
It depends on your definition of gaming laptop I suppose. if you want to be able to max out the graphics in every game for the next few years sure. However if you just want to be able to play everything that comes out for 3 years or so on medium-ish settings with decent fps there's no problem getting a card that can do that into a portable 15"
by all means get a "gaming laptop" but the battery, size, weight, heat etc. are all going to limit its portability
not to mention the price tag
Besides, OP seems to think it's a reasonable option. Not everyone has exactly the same needs and desires as you.
It really just depends on your expectations. You won't get the same results as a self-built gaming desktop. For the hardcore PC gamer, it doesn't make much sense. For the "not hardcore" PC gamer, it works pretty well. Like you said, Valve and Blizzard's games all run natively in OS X now. In my case, those two developers alone make up for the vast majority of my interest in PC gaming. And even on my Macbook with a 9400m (integrated graphics), I can play the games from those developers pretty comfortably. Starcraft 2 even runs reliably at low-medium settings. If I didn't have a gaming desktop, I'd be using Bootcamp to handle the rest.
That said, you'd have to be a decently casual PC gamer to use a 13" Macbook Pro as your only source of PC gaming. It can be done surprisingly well, but it isn't optimal. A 15" version would handle it pretty well. And I'd say they're still very portable, from what I've experienced with them. They aren't exactly your typical 15" HP clunker. But, again, that goes well beyond the OP's budget.
For the OP, I'd still say the M11x is the ideal solution. Anything else will either cost more, or will sacrifice mobility or power too much.
I've recently picked up (i.e. i ordered it yesterday) a Dell XPS 17, and though it's pretty large, its brethren (like the 15z) are moreso, and all are very powerful. Plus, there's loads of discounting going on, at least for the 17. I got a £1, 210 machine for £839 with free shipping, so you should definitely try to shop around at Dell.
As for your choice, the Dell XPs 15z, it got a very positive writeup from Engadget. For a machine of that form factor to be able to run Batman: Arkham Asylum in windowed mode, eight browser tabs and three simultaneous 1080p trailers for The Dark Knight before it starts to slow down is pretty damn awesome.
interesting
I was looking at the new xps range too, as it did not seem that the dedicated gaming machines that were in the same price band -800 to 1500 were not a lot better.
You biggest problem is going to be that anything better than a GT 335M is going to be over five pounds, and that's really not going to be portable.
Whatever you decide to look at, check out http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html
That'll show you the average FPS on most recent games; I'd pick whatever the cheapest, lightest laptop you can find that will play SC2 at 30-40FPS on high.