Gaming Laptop HELP!

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marella152

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Alright guys, here's the deal - I haven't played PC games for a while. I've been all about consoles. But I am going to South Korea for a year, and do not want to bring along my ps3. Also, I can't live without Starcraft 2 for a year and my current laptop doesn't run anything.

I plan on getting into the Steam scene and playin more on my computer.

I've been looking into a few rigs, and here are a few from Tiger Direct that look like they should be at the top of my list.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/compare.asp?CatId=3998

I'm looking to spend around $1,500. Let me know what you think, or if you have any other recommendations.

Thanks!

Dom
 
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Thanks Fizzy,

That site does have some good info. Which did you end up going with?

In regards to those factors you mention - I want a big screen, I couldn't care less about the weight. I am more than capable of carrying around a 10 pound computer.

Resolution, obviously want the best I can get. However, I bought a 720p TV and have no problems with that. So I'm not terribly picky...

Blu-ray... Sounds nice, but would I ever use it? No, probably not.

My biggest concern I think is the processor - i5 vs i7? And ram - 4 vs 8?
Is 8 neccessary? Will the computer perform that much better with the i7?
 
You should also be concerned with the video card in addition to processor and memory. That being said you'll be safe with any of those ASUS Republic of Gamers notebooks. 4GB is plenty. I'd go with the Sager though, price seems right and it appears the cooling is a lot better than ASUS'.

The 5870 will def be powerful enough for SCII and more (prolly better too temp wise) I don't know how the MSI's fare so I can't give any input on those. This coming from a dude who owns a hot running ASUS with an NVIDIA video card.
 
Are you only considering a laptop? Because for $1000, you can get a desktop that is a hell of a lot more powerful than any of these laptops plus a monitor
 
Even I'm aware I could get a far superior desktop but I don't want to lug that around and don't mind paying extra to carry around a not as powerful yet still quite powerful computer. Hey, that's the price of portability and I don't regret my gaming laptop purchasing decision having owned it for over a year now.
 
[quote name='tcrash247']The Alienware laptop line is pretty sexy.

http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptops.aspx[/QUOTE]

I would probably opt for an ASUS 15.6" if it only weren't for the size. Most gaming laptops weigh in at 6-7 lbs or more. Though they generally come with the best cards possible. With such a good budget you'll be pretty safe.

I'm planning to get an Alienware m11x just for the size and battery life. I'm not too enthusiastic about the mediocre video card (Nvidia 335m vs a 360m or ATI 58xx) though for a majority console gamer and counter-strike/source game player it should suffice my needs. The old m11x R1 can run SCII even with the C2D U7300 on low settings so it's not bad.

If you want the ultimate mixture of portability and gaming then I would highly recommend the m11x (either R1 or R2 but since you have the budget why not get the R2 with the i7 processor). Nvidia optimus will figure out whether you need the dedicated card or the intel integrated. Of course it's not without it's problems.

You can't really go wrong with the m15x or m17x either but at that level their are probably better/cheaper alternatives.
 
I would second the Alienware recommendation, they make very nice stuff, albeit a little overpriced, but you can catch some deals at the outlet. I also recommend checking out Sagers, they make nice stuff for a reasonable price. I used to recommend Asus, but I recently had a friend who bought one and the GPU crapped out after a month, and it took Asus close to three months to analyze and fix it, so I've kicked it from the list.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but what are your guy's thoughts on this laptop.

Bestbuy.com SKU 1148554

Is the graphics card/processor capable of handling SC2 on medium settings? Would it run smoothly? I'm not into the FPS PC scene, just RTSs mainly and I'm ok with medium settings as long as they run smoothly.

Let me know if you think this laptop is a good value for the price, or suggest another around the same price range.

Thanks in advance.
 
[quote name='Poolking99']Not to hijack the thread, but what are your guy's thoughts on this laptop.

Bestbuy.com SKU 1148554

Is the graphics card/processor capable of handling SC2 on medium settings? Would it run smoothly? I'm not into the FPS PC scene, just RTSs mainly and I'm ok with medium settings as long as they run smoothly.

Let me know if you think this laptop is a good value for the price, or suggest another around the same price range.

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-4250.29664.0.html

I don't think it will be enough to run SCII. The m11x with the 335m can run it on medium settings (avg fps 18-40s) I've seen. Don't think that lower end card would be able to make it playable at all. maybe if it were a 46xx or 48xx.

You'll probably need a dedicated gpu.

EDIT:
Get something like this
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6361944&CatId=4001
 
Thanks iRent, the process of choosing an affordable laptop has been a chore, but I appreciate the simple answer and will go with the laptop you suggested.

Thanks again.
 
[quote name='Poolking99']Thanks iRent, the process of choosing an affordable laptop has been a chore, but I appreciate the simple answer and will go with the laptop you suggested.

Thanks again.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, no problem. I'm glad I could help. Just FYI I only posted that laptop from tigerdirect since it was the closest price to the laptop you referenced (almost $600 vs $700+). I didn't want to wander too far from your budget.

Anyway, I looked up the ATi 5650 http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html and it shows them running SCII on Medium with 40+ avg fps and High with just under 30. So a mix of medium and high settings should net you a great looking SCII experience while keeping a steady framerate of around 30 fps. Also, having the triple core phenom doesn't hurt.

I know people might point out that the resolution is sub par but it's (basically) 720p and then some. It also has HDMI and VGA out as well allowing for 1080p (and possibly beyond)

Keep these things well ventilated. Maybe even invest on one of those external laptop fans. Gaming laptops can get hot. Wouldn't want to burn your computer out.
 
Once again, the CAG community does not disappoint. Big thanks to both of you iRent and fezlopez. I got in on the laptop deal fez posted before it expires today as I felt like the deal was too good to pass up and brought the most value to the table.

Appreciate it, gentlemen.
 
Hey guys. Thanks for all your input.

I never got the emails telling me this post was responded to, so I didn't realize anyone was listening to me.

But thanks guys. I ended up going with Tiger Direct's model of the Asus G73JH. I am very happy with it.

It is a beast. Looks great and runs SC2 beautifully.
 
[quote name='fezlopez']This will do.
For under $1000 and its a god.

http://dealspl.us/product/lenovo-ideapad-y560-06462bu-intel-core-i7-1-60-ghz-8-gb-ram[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Poolking99']Once again, the CAG community does not disappoint. Big thanks to both of you iRent and fezlopez. I got in on the laptop deal fez posted before it expires today as I felt like the deal was too good to pass up and brought the most value to the table.

Appreciate it, gentlemen.[/QUOTE]

Props to fezlopez, that is one hell of a deal!
 
crap! i just ran over my 15 day return ability on the laptop i just bought! this one's a couple hundred more, damnit! lol. i got a toshiba satellite L675 for 698. 17.3" screen w/blu-ray. this big ass tank play sc2? just wondering as i may pick up that game down the road
 
[quote name='Shadows916']crap! i just ran over my 15 day return ability on the laptop i just bought! this one's a couple hundred more, damnit! lol. i got a toshiba satellite L675 for 698. 17.3" screen w/blu-ray. this big ass tank play sc2? just wondering as i may pick up that game down the road[/QUOTE]

Probably very slow or not at all if it has one of those intel integrated hd. Though I've never tried to game on one of those.
 
[quote name='iRent']Probably very slow or not at all if it has one of those intel integrated hd. Though I've never tried to game on one of those.[/QUOTE]

* AMD Athlon™ II Dual-Core Mobile Processor P320
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
* 17.3" widescreen
* 4GB DDR3 memory
* 500GB HDD (5400rpm)
* ATI® Integrated Graphics
 
[quote name='Shadows916']* AMD Athlon™ II Dual-Core Mobile Processor P320
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
* 17.3" widescreen
* 4GB DDR3 memory
* 500GB HDD (5400rpm)
* ATI® Integrated Graphics[/QUOTE]

Well since it's integrated then it will on low/med easily. Just saying that doesn't really help, to be honest there are dozens of different models and just saying an "ati/integrated/nvidia card" isn't enough these days :/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146777

Oh nevermind, it has 4gb instead, pretty good deal I would say :applause:
 
Hi friends,I'm henry recently join this forum.I like gaming on my computer and player.I'm facing some problem at the time of gaming,I’m glad to help you.Thanks!
 
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