Looking for a Gaming Laptop

icedrake523

icedrake523

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I'm interested in replacing my laptop since it's kind of old and a Dell, so it sucks.

I'd like something that can play games (ie Skyrim, don't care if it's just on high or even low settings). I know I'll need one with a full fledged graphics card, not an integrated one. Other than that, I don't know much about laptops since I only have this one which I got through school.

I'm more just interested in good brands and models, price will come later.

I did see these on Amazon which seem pretty good
http://www.amazon.com/A53SV-XE1-15-...Laptop/dp/B0052D5BY0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.amazon.com/A53SV-EH71-15...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324263643&sr=1-10
 
I've got a Lenovo Y560, and it's been pretty solid as a gaming computer. I've been really happy with it. It's basically my primary Steam machine at this point. I don't have Skyrim to try out, but Can You Run It? says I at least go beyond the minimum specs, and my Y560 is a year old (1st gen i7). I actually pass all the recommended specs; it just doesn't love the video card model number.

Most models of the Y560/Y570 come with discrete 1gb graphics (ati or nvidia depending on the model). For under $1000, you can get a 2nd gen i7 and discrete graphics from Lenovo if you get in when there's a sale (like right now).

Y570 models with specs and prices (The third one in from left is powerful and nearly half off at $799. Great deal.)

A lot of laptops marketed specifically at gamers are ridiculously overpriced (I'm looking at you Alienware). I've had three Lenovo laptops (2 were stolen), and I've absolutely loved them.
 
Interested in used? I've got an ASUS G74SX-A1, with 14GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and a GTX 560. Realized I don't need that much power for what I'm doing, so let me know, I guess.

Oh, and it's only about 5 months old. Bought from Xotic PC in July.
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']I've got a Lenovo Y560, and it's been pretty solid as a gaming computer. I've been really happy with it. It's basically my primary Steam machine at this point. I don't have Skyrim to try out, but Can You Run It? says I at least go beyond the minimum specs, and my Y560 is a year old (1st gen i7). I actually pass all the recommended specs; it just doesn't love the video card model number.

Most models of the Y560/Y570 come with discrete 1gb graphics (ati or nvidia depending on the model). For under $1000, you can get a 2nd gen i7 and discrete graphics from Lenovo if you get in when there's a sale (like right now).

Y570 models with specs and prices (The third one in from left is powerful and nearly half off at $799. Great deal.)

A lot of laptops marketed specifically at gamers are ridiculously overpriced (I'm looking at you Alienware). I've had three Lenovo laptops (2 were stolen), and I've absolutely loved them.[/QUOTE]

These look promising. I regret not getting a Lenovo when I got a laptop for school (especially since it came with Vista but could go back to XP).

[quote name='mrspicytacoman']http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Game...JI4Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324274845&sr=8-3

The asus g74 series and its variations are pretty much the best gaming laptops around for their price range.

Use a site like power notebooks.com to tweak and upgrade the standard model for cheap.[/QUOTE]

$1.5k is more than I'd like to spend. I'll look more into that line.

[quote name='Mr Dude65']Interested in used? I've got an ASUS G74SX-A1, with 14GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and a GTX 560. Realized I don't need that much power for what I'm doing, so let me know, I guess.

Oh, and it's only about 5 months old. Bought from Xotic PC in July.[/QUOTE]

I'd prefer new. Thanks though.

[quote name='Megazell']What's your budget?[/QUOTE]

Right now I'm more interested in just seeing what's out there. I wouldn't want to spend more than $1k though.
 
look for a g73 which is the older version of the g74. They usually carry a 460m or 5850m which is slightly slower than a 560m or 6870m but still pretty decent. They should come in under 1000, which is about the cheapest a mid-range gaming laptop will get. If you can deal with low settings you can get by with an A8 laptop in the 500 to 600 range.

Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111 (Warning: refurb)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215187

Amazon: G53 (smaller screen)
http://www.amazon.com/G53SW-XA1-Rep...PDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494399&sr=1-3
 
[quote name='runsongas']look for a g73 which is the older version of the g74. They usually carry a 460m or 5850m which is slightly slower than a 560m or 6870m but still pretty decent. They should come in under 1000, which is about the cheapest a mid-range gaming laptop will get. If you can deal with low settings you can get by with an A8 laptop in the 500 to 600 range.

Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111 (Warning: refurb)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215187

Amazon: G53 (smaller screen)
http://www.amazon.com/G53SW-XA1-Rep...PDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494399&sr=1-3[/QUOTE]

Just a suggestion about this, try before you buy! The keyboard on it is terrible! Make sure you can deal with that if you are going with one of these!
 
My laptop has been especially crappy lately. The battery drains very fast when it's not plugged in, runs hot when I stream Netflix, and I've been getting terrible FPS on League of Legends which isn't a very intensive game and it used to run fine before.

I think I've narrowed my choices down to

HP Pavilion dv6 Quad Edition
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s..._tablet_PC_series/dv6tqe_series#defaultAnchor

or the Lenovo Y570
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...=F41BC8E1656C5F85171FBDB172571912&action=init

I can get the Lenovo for cheaper and I think it's a more reliable brand but the HP comes with a blu-ray drive, and I like the configuration of the ports on the sides more. I could probably get used to the Lenovo's configuration and blu-ray probably isn't a necessity but it it's a nice option to have.
 
Is it really worth the extra $75 to upgrade from the 1GB Radeon 7470M to 2GB Radeon 7690M? I don't need this to be my primary gaming device and play on high settings.

When it comes to devices, I prefer to buy new over used/refurbished since I use them a lot.
 
The lenovo outlet has fantastic bargains but you need to watch it constantly to find a steal. I just bought a Ideapad y470(14" version of the y570) and was $620 after shipping an tax. It has Win7 Home 64bit, i7-2630 2.00ghz, 8GB RAM, 750GB HD, Nvidia GT550M, blu-ray drive. The only drawback is it was a scratch and dent but I can only find a small smudge next to the webcam, otherwise it looks perfect. The battery is typically around 3.5-4hrs with heavy use from reviews I read.

I saw many y570 for sale, scratch/dent, refurbished, and new older models. You just need to keep watch for the rare deals.

http://outlet.lenovo.com/laptops.html

It's currently down right now, but it comes and goes as they update. And they update all throughout the day, even late at night. I found mine and about 1AM PST.
 
I wouldn't say that you need it for gaming, you could probably play most modern games with an integrated hd 3000 chip. But it will keep your laptop viable for longer and the graphics card is generally the most important part for gaming.

Here is a benchmark list of laptop GPU's. I would recommend finding game play video from both cards to see if it is worth it to you.

You could also check to see if amazon or new egg has the 1GB Radeon 7690M model which should not cost much more that the 7470 but give you the performance of the 2gb.

Also the prices an the laptops change from week to week that HP model seems to bounce between $700-$900 so if you have the luxury of waiting you can probably get it cheaper.(make sure to check the coupon codes as the often give a better discount)

Edit

http://outlet.lenovo.com/laptops/086228u.html
I found this and seemed like it might be what you are looking for, it has everything but the usb port configuration is cheaper than the HP and is new.
The processor is little bit worse than the HP but it has a solid state drive which should more than make up for it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='icedrake523']Is it really worth the extra $75 to upgrade from the 1GB Radeon 7470M to 2GB Radeon 7690M? I don't need this to be my primary gaming device and play on high settings.

When it comes to devices, I prefer to buy new over used/refurbished since I use them a lot.[/QUOTE]

Both companies need to stop rebadging old cards.

Notebookcheck lists that the cards you listed are rebadged versions of the 6490m and 6770m respectively. I would bet that the 7470m probably can't even beat an A8 for gaming. The 7690m is probably lower mid range and it should be ok for most things but a 6850m/6870m is probably not much more money and better value. Also 1gb is fine for anything 1080p or lower res.

The 555m on the Lenovo is roughly about the same as the 6770m, maybe a little slower.
 
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