Gaming laptop for college

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darkness12

CAG Veteran
I'm gonna be graduating this spring and will be going off to college in the fall so I'm looking for a nice laptop that would do me well while I'm gone.

Currently the deal is I pay for half of it while my dad pays for the other half which is cool cus it really increases my options.

My last computer was a desktop that died on me (bestbuy comp, gg parents) and I really don't want to spend the money to fix it. Instead, i'd rather get a good laptop from online (newegg).

Right now the only video game I play is WoW: WotlK but even that on this comp is bad (onboard gfx, ewwww) so I'm looking for a nice upgrade for a good price so I can branch out onto others games that are a bit more gfx intensive. I don't know a lot about computers but I was browsing around here before I registered and saw one forumer recommend this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152073

From the looks of it it seems great, good price for performance, good gfx card for a laptop, etc. Read through the reviews, biggest problem people had was that the keyboard is bad for fat fingers (not a prob for me) and that it runs vista, lol.

The only other option I'm looking at atm is that computers Intel competitor, which is found here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152086

I always hear AMD is better for gaming but I never really understood why that is.

I don't know a ton about computers which is why I'm here, any recommendations or reasons why the previous 2 comps I listed are good/bad are greatly appreciated, as well as any different options I can choose that are priced around the same ballpark as the previous 2.

Btw, I will not be making my labtop from scratch, sorry guys :D
 
Just so you know those will be a pain to lug around to class. It may be tempting but don't go with 17". Pretty much anything with a 9000 series card will run WoW like butter. I'd suggest going for a screen with a higher res than 1280x800. I suggest atleast 1440x900 or better yet 1680x1050 (WSXGA+). If Intel, look for a P8000 or higher processor. Settle for P7350 if you have too... T5800 is just too slow imo. AMD I don`t know too much on or what their equivelent chip is right now.

Try configuring a DV5 at hp.com. With a coupon you can get a really good deal and they are very nice machine. They have them at stores too so you can check em out in person.

Heed this warning: gaming laptops run hot, can get very heavy for their size, and have very poor battery life for the most part.

Hit up notebookreview.com as well. Theres almost too much information in their reviews and forums.

Good luck choosing, lol.
 
[quote name='Jest']Just so you know those will be a pain to lug around to class. It may be tempting but don't go with 17". Pretty much anything with a 9000 series card will run WoW like butter. I'd suggest going for a screen with a higher res than 1280x800. I suggest atleast 1440x900 or better yet 1680x1050 (WSXGA+). If Intel, look for a P8000 or higher processor. Settle for P7350 if you have too... T5800 is just too slow imo. AMD I don`t know too much on or what their equivelent chip is right now.

Try configuring a DV5 at hp.com. With a coupon you can get a really good deal and they are very nice machine. They have them at stores too so you can check em out in person.

Heed this warning: gaming laptops run hot, can get very heavy for their size, and have very poor battery life for the most part.

Hit up notebookreview.com as well. Theres almost too much information in their reviews and forums.

Good luck choosing, lol.[/quote]

He nailed it, my best suggestion is to not get a gaming laptop. I was one of those kids who thought hey, gaming laptop, yeah. Turns out it had horrible battery life, heavy as hell, and I rarely moved it out of my room and got hot as hell. If you really want a suggestion, buy a laptop for portability and not for gaming. It will be cheaper. If you just play WoW you wont need something groundbreaking to play. With the money you save, you can save up for a nice desktop.
 
First question I must ask - Why a laptop? Especially if you have desires to use it as a gaming machine, I can see you running into a number of problems...
- Either having too small a screen to play on or having to lug a huge laptop around
- Difficulty in upgrading a year or two or three down the line (laptops are far harder to upgrade/get parts for)
- Laptops, especially ones loaded with games, can be a distraction during class

Seriously, if you want to game, get a gaming quality PC. If you want to take notes in class, get a laptop, but get something smaller, possibly even a netbook. Then, once you're in college, scrape together some more money to fill whatever niche you didn't fill before.
 
Agreed with all the above... I use a beefy PC at home and a 7.9" netbook for toting back and forth to class, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you've got a budget of ~$1000, which it appears you do, you can get a $300 netbook and a $700 gaming PC no problem, even if you don't reuse any of your current desktop's parts.
 
Yes, desktops are better. But since you asked about laptops, the AMD model you posted got a pretty favorable review from PC Gamer this month. It should play any current games besides Crysis on Med-High settings and should run right through WoW. The Intel model does have a stronger processor, but I don't know if thats worth the $250 to you.

Another option that may be worth looking into is this one....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220389

its the same price after rebate, comes with a comparable Intel CPU and a better vid card (1 Gig) it also is a 14.1' as opposed to the 15.4' (with the same screen rez) which may make it a little more portable.
 
I'd also discourage a laptop purchase if your intention is gaming at college. It'll just sit in your room all the time because it'll be bulky. You're better off building a PC in a shuttle case with a Micro-ATX board. That will get you some good performance in a small package.
 
I actually just bought the AMD MSI you linked to OP. Should get here tomorrow. I plan on using it as a desktop replacement, though, with no plans on lugging it to class.

Although, you could see it as a way to get a nice workout while hauling it all over campus, haha.
 
[quote name='Kendro']http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209767

Ridiculous specs for $1049 laptop.

17" screen
2.26 Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
1GB 9800M GTS (that 1GB is not a typo)
320GB 7200 RPM HDD[/quote]

Wow, for the price that looks awesome, very suprised I was gonna get a link to a laptop from bestbuy, lol. I will run it past my dad and see how soon I'd be able to get that, seems like a great deal. Till then I can keep searching but I doubt much more can top that.

Is Gateway a good company? What should I expect from them?

As for those suggesting I just get a PC, tbh I just don't want one. I know a desktop is more cost efficient but I think for college a gaming laptop would suit me more, it def. won't be as future proof as a desktop but I don't even want to be spending too much time on video games later on anyways :p
 
Kay, so I've been doing more research on Gateway and the P models in particular and apparently they're well known to be the most cost efficient gaming/desktop replacement laptops around, which is cool.

However, the only thing stopping me from going out and making a purchase is when, exactly, should I do it? Would anybody know when Gateway would be releasing their new line up of P's, as soon as I can find this out I can decide when to head out and make my purchase :)
 
A laptop for school with a budget up to $1000? Trust me, this is the way to go.


http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/214774/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

It's not going to play crysis, but it can do games like WoW if that's what your playing. It's very light and extremely well built. You can even take out the optical drive when you're not using it and replace it with an empty plastic shell to save a tiny bit of weight.

Get a copy of office 2007 through the school and you'll really see what you can do. Nothing like being in the class where the teacher is going over powerpoint slides and you write your notes right on the pp. That's just scratching the surface.

Another nice little thing about it. Even the most tech-fobic women get facinated by tablets. They'll be sticking thier hands down your pants just to find out more about it.
 
I'm in the same situation as the OP. I really want a laptop for college as it's portable, but I also want one that can play games. I'm not looking for a high end one (not interested in playing Crysis etc as I play my shooters on a console), just a medium one that can play some lower/medium end MMOs, RPGs, and maybe Starcraft II. Anyone recommend me one around $700? I really don't know much about graphics cards and how CPUs affect things.

EDIT: If I go the desktop route, what are the best medium to high end desktops available? Same budget as above ($700).
 
Quick update, went to BB to check out the Gateway laptop, I had been completely sold but when I saw it in person it was WAY too big, lol. I would have loved to purchase it just for the performance but it wouldn't be realistic for what I'd like to do with it.

While I was there a salesman recommended I purchase the Asus G50Vt-X1 because it had many similar qualities but was a smaller size. Right now I'm considering that as well as the things I was looking at prior to the Gateway, lol :(
 
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