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buying laptop, need tight graphix
Kenninator
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
EDIT: So I'm building a custom desktop pc. Anything I should look out for? Tips or good brands to buy?
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But I do know you're probably looking for a 'dedicated memory graphics card'. As you possibly know most laptops have shared memory- therefor you want a video card with dedicated memory ($$$$$$$$$). I have a Nvidia 8600GTm 256 shared & I can run steam apps very well. As for Crysis or Unreal..HAH !
Forgettaah Bout it!
Those any good? Worth it? Any problems I should expect? I just don't want to be stuck with a lemon for 4 years.
Not only does this work out way cheaper (and you end up with a way better gaming computer), but it also means that when you want to study, you can bring your laptop to the library and not have your games there with you.
You pay much, much more for a laptop that is as fast as an otherwise identical desktop.
You cannot upgrade your laptop if you find one part is lacking or if you want to play newer games at full detail.
If a part in your laptop fails, you're at best going to have to ship it back and at worst screwed.
Gaming laptops are less portable and suck power like a Hummer sucks oil.
Gaming laptops are loud and hot and not really great to have in class, plus if the monitor's big enough for games it's going to be a little distracting.
Not only is it more expensive compared to a similarly powerful desktop, your choices are much more limited and you'll probably end up getting something that's underpowered or overpriced even if you don't factor in the laptop markup.
Like everyone else has said, get a cheap laptop and a real desktop. Or not even a laptop; many of my friends at college don't carry their laptop anywhere or use desktops and I myself use a desktop.
Desktops bring cheap parts for high performance
Laptops are designed for portability and as such will always be limited in upgradability and preformence.
Heat is also a huge issue with laptops. Compare the surface area and fan size of the heat sink in any given laptop to the one in your desktop and you'll see why. I don't care how expensive it is, laptops just aren't suited for gaming.
He's getting a top of the line Alienware.
I'm so repulsed by it I'm going to get an Asus EEE or an MSI Wind for my next computer
It was really convenient for LAN parties, but desktops/monitors aren't really that heavy anymore so who gives a rip
Anyone buying an Alienware is pretty much too far gone to be convinced of something a little more nuanced like laptop v desktop.
It's like, for me, I'd feel like a total jackass using one. Not to mention I'd be constantly paranoid about someone stealing it.
If he was serious about gaming on his laptop, he would have gone with the ferrari of gaming laptops, straight from the real pros, not the cheap gimmicks of extraterrestrial salesmen.
Basically your friend fell for the marketing hype.
It has an 8600m gt with ddr3 memory and runs the Orange box wonderfully. I also played Crysis on it, while at a lower resolution and medium to low graphics settings. I use mine regularly for Company of Heroes and WoW and it runs fantastically, while still being only slightly heavier and thicker than a macbook.
Don't get a 17 inch gaming monster or anything but it is possible to get a portable laptop that runs the latest games, you might not run them on the highest settings, but then you run into the just get a desktop territory.
Once I'm out of college and hopefully a thousandaire, I'm totally gonna be a pc hobbyist and buy stuff like this. It's just my friend doesn't do any pc gaming. He just wants to be with the "In" gaming crowd... which of course wouldn't buy alienware most likely.
I'll direct him there if he really wants to spend money where it doesn't need to be spent at this point in his life. Might as well let him have the best.
It costs a little more than just a powerful laptop, but it does what I need and I have room for upgrades with the desktop. I just have to convince my father that it's a good idea, especially in the longrun since I won't need to buy a new computer if I really need to upgrade.
Otherwise I'll just be getting an XPS 1530 like that other guy. Cheaper, maybe not in the longrun, and my parents probably won't object to it, so I'm fine with that. Also it'll run the games I play.
But if my first plan works, am I doing anything wrong currently? Are there even more basic laptops I can buy?
The Asus EEE and its various clones. Don't buy now, the new version (the EEE 901) is coming out in July, along with price cuts for all the older models. Dell is coming out with something similar soon, too. Might be a little too basic for some people, but damn it's tiny.
Also, consider building your own desktop.
It's a good machine but I could certainly put one together for less then it cost new.
The midrange XPS laptops are good enough that you can, say, log onto an MMO or something. the 1330 is even a pretty good size and you can get into one right around a grand.
I host a podcast about movies.
It sounds like a scrumptious idea... something for me to do this summer anyways.
In fact, I'll make that my goal. Get a job, earn money, and build a gaming desktop.
If I ever need a laptop, I can get something cheap.
I'm sure I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, but it sounds fun.
I also have an XPS 1530 and can give it a similar recommendation. It's certainly capable of playing any game out there, here are some rough examples of what you can expect
Guild Wars 1440x900 2xAA 60fps
Call of Duty 4 1440x900 Medium-High 30fps
Team Fortress 2 1440x900 High 45fps
Company of Heroes 1440x900 Medium 25fps
Unreal Tournament 3 1440x900 Medium 40fps
Grid 1280x800 Medium 30fps
I do have a decent desktop though, so I'm not sure if I'd be entirely happy with it as my sole gaming rig, but it's pretty damn impressive considering the price I managed to get mine.
Now my laptop is an Eee 900 and my gaming computer is a custom.
Don't get a gaming laptop. Worst purchases ever.
My friend just got the xps 15" and it smokes... it looks sleek, and it's a powerhouse.
Dell has a pretty slim gaming-class notebook as well in the form of the XPS M1530, which these days can be loaded up with even better hardware than the MBP for like $1300.
OP, don't listen to these fools. The big, fat, heavy gaming laptop is a myth. Nowadays you can easily find slim, portable laptops that will meet any reasonable gaming demands for at least a year. They're not all that expensive either. Just avoid the ones with 17" screens.
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
200GB hard drive
15 inch screen
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB
$1,999.00
E6850: $184.99
ASUS P5K: $109.99
Geforce 9600: $199.99
19" Widescreen, 1680x1050: $159.99
2 gigs DDR2 800 Corsair RAM: $33.00
750GB Seagate Barracuda: $129.99
Antec Sonata III: $125.00
Total $943. That leaves you about a thousand dollars to buy the cheapest laptop you can find, plus a desktop computer that makes the MacBook Pro look like a paperweight. It will run Crysis much better than "well," too.
I have made the same experience. I have a great little laptop that i use to play TF2 on high settings. It was a $1300 Dell. I much rather have the convenience of one good machine than two shitty ones, especially if you have to travel.
What about the convenience of one better machine and one shitty one to do homework on and carry around without having to worry about breaking/losing it? Also running TF2 on high isn't exactly the hallmark of a future-proof gaming PC, seeing as the Source engine is notoriously forgiving.
Can it play everything? Yeah, pretty much. But with the money I spent on this I could have gotten an absolutely elite computer AND a very good laptop.
At first I was really happy with it, but now I really regret my decision.
If you go with something low end like the EEE PC 901, which is all most people really need in a laptop, you get the bonus of having like $500 to throw into the machine built above.
I was actually calculating nearly the same stuff last night, and came up wih a similar number. I was surprised. My first thought was that it was way too goo to be true... but it wasn't.
I'll have to be careful if I really do want to build this thing on my own, but there are a multitude of tutorials I've found, not to mention my dad has experience doing this.
Also I've figured that I don't want to be able to game on a laptop, seeing as it would be way to tempting to just play stuff instead of doing work in the library.
Then I got the Eee.
I'm never going back to a desktop replacement laptop.
I think we've already been through this conversation. He can get a computer that is better than the MacBook Pro in every way AND a laptop for less than the price of a MacBook Pro.
It's that, and the luxury of being able to play games wherever I go would absolutely ruin my work ethic.
I'll get a gaming laptop if the basic one I end up getting dies for some reason, and I prove to myself I can handle it.
Or learn to read instruction manuals and build your own. You can go into building a computer with absolutely zero knowledge of electronics other than "Ground yourself, moron" and probably build a computer with no problems.
EDIT: By which I mean I recently built a system with no knowledge of electronics other than "Ground yourself, moron" and it's working fine.