~3000 laptop suggestion....

[hypeMarked]

I want a laptop for superior gaming, and the budget is ~3000 US, is there anything that "stands out" out there?
Thanks

 

[Snuffaluffaguss]

You can spec out a nice Dell 8200 for around 2500$ US.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For that kind of budget you should wait a couple of months for the new Nvidia gf4 4200 mobile chip (see main Anandtech site). Or buy a $2K laptop now with a Radeon and set aside the $1K towards a replacement next year.

 

[Toolman]

If short battery life is not a problem, look at Alienware's gaming laptop. They are already offering the P4 3.06GHz, but w/o HyperThreading.

Link

 

[DaveSimmons]

Just remember that the limiting factor for laptop gaming is the video chipset not the CPU, and that most models do not have upgradeable video. So (a) the difference between a $2000 laptop and $2800 laptop for gaming is much less than with desktop systems, and (b) you'll likely be stuck with the graphics that come with the laptop. Even for the Dell 8xxx laptops that do put graphics on a separate card you can't be sure they'll ever offer an upgrade.

So don't come back here in six months posting "how do I replace my laptop video card?", you've been warned

 

[Derango]

Originally posted by: Toolman
If short battery life is not a problem, look at Alienware's gaming laptop. They are already offering the P4 3.06GHz, but w/o HyperThreading.

Link

Yea, also if you don't mind lugging around a 14 pound laptop that doubles as a space heater. my friend has one, and its one beast of a laptop.

 

[daddyo]

I have an IBM A31p at work.

It's a really sweet machine.

1.8ghz P4,
ATI 7500 graphics (actually it's the FireGL 7800, but it's the same hardware),
60gb 5400rpm hard drive,
15" UXGA lcd with IBM's new lcd technology.

The screen is incredible to look at...absolutely stunning. To top it off, the laptop feels very solid. I like that.

 

[Toolman]

daddy-o

I have an IBM A31p at work

That is one great laptop! How warm/hot does it get?

 

[LuNoTiCK]

I would go for a dell. That's a lot of money.

 

[LH]

Yea, also if you don't mind lugging around a 14 pound laptop that doubles as a space heater. my friend has one, and its one beast of a laptop.

Its 9.6 pounds, 10.2 pounds with the optional second battery for the second drive bay.

 

[coolVariable]

Dude, get a Dell.

 

[Toolman]

Price aside, IBM's laptops are far superior to Dell's in my opinion!

 

[gf4200isdabest]

Argh. Don't be idiots!!

1) laptops are upgradeable. Period. If you buy a Dell inspiron you can upgrade video, CPU, RAM, etc from Dell or you can buy seperately from a place like newegg.com.

2) gf4200 is bullshit. It's a paper launch. AMD does bullshit like that too. Paper launches are worthless

3) Alienware sucks a lot. They put in expensive parts and yet manage to suck at benchmarks.

4) IBM's are crap for a gamer. They make efficient notebooks for video editing and such...

Decide on whether you care about "name brand" and tech support. If you do, get a Dell inspiron and upgrade the video in a year or so when there is a mobile R300 or a mobile NV30. If you don't, powernotebooks.com offers powerful notebooks for less than a place like Dell.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: gf4200isdabest
Argh. Don't be idiots!!

1) laptops are upgradeable. Period. If you buy a Dell inspiron you can upgrade video, CPU, RAM, etc from Dell or you can buy seperately from a place like newegg.com.

Uhhh right. You really think you can pop a new video card into "laptops" in general, not just the very few models (like inspiron 8xxx) that don't have the chipset soldered to the motherboard? And buy the video upgrade at newegg?

Yes you can upgrade RAM easily, HD, and often the CPU (though probably with heat issues if you go beyond the CPUs it was designed for). But in general video is not upgradeable, and the video chipset is what will make the most difference in gaming.

Even for something upgradeable like some inspiron models, (a) they may change the card form factor for newer models (b) they may not create a needed BIOS update for old models (c) they might not be willing to sell you the new video card. Good luck buying proprietary dell laptop video cards at newegg.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: gf4200isdabest
Argh. Don't be idiots!!

1) laptops are upgradeable. Period. If you buy a Dell inspiron you can upgrade video, CPU, RAM, etc from Dell or you can buy seperately from a place like newegg.com.

Uhhh right. You really think you can pop a new video card into "laptops" in general, not just the very few models (like inspiron 8xxx) that don't have the chipset soldered to the motherboard? And buy the video upgrade at newegg?

Yes you can upgrade RAM easily, HD, and often the CPU (though probably with heat issues if you go beyond the CPUs it was designed for). But in general video is not upgradeable, and the video chipset is what will make the most difference in gaming.

Even for something upgradeable like some inspiron models, (a) they may change the card form factor for newer models (b) they may not create a needed BIOS update for old models (c) they might not be willing to sell you the new video card. Good luck buying proprietary dell laptop video cards at newegg.

Good points. You don't just buy a new ATI Radeon 7200 32MB or other graphics card from NewEgg.com and pop it in. It's never that easy or even possible on a laptop.

RAM and Hard Drive are definitely the easiest to upgrade and sometimes CPU as well.