How is the laptop scene lately??

[Colt45]

Hey guys, I've been out of the hardware loop lately (especially when it comes to laptops).

Well I was talking to a friend and he's been looking at laptops, namely dell, sony & alienware.

Last time I payed attention, the PIII-M was a good mobile chip, whats the best now?
Best vid chipset?

I don't think he wants to go all out, but the best bang for the buck is always good.



Anything he needs to look out for? And how is the upgradeability of modern laptops?



geez.. thats alot of questions.. thanks guys

 

[Deeko]

Pentium 4-M 2.2Ghz. Does the job pretty well

 

[Pariah]

If he really wants a laptop, and not just a desktop replacement to carry around, he should stick with mobile CPU's. Currently, the 2GHz P4-M is top of the line though you will see companies using faster desktop CPU's. NVidia and ATi both make decent 3d accelerators now, with the edge still going to ATi for the mobility functionality. I don't know which is faster, but if you really want to game, you should be using a desktop. Also he should make sure to pick a laptop with a native resolution he is comfortable using. It doesn't make any sense to spend the extra money on a screen capable of 1600x1200 if it is too small for him to use and he has to drop the resolution to a distorted non native res. Upgradeability is still a dream for the majority of laptops beyond memory and hard drives.

 

[Colt45]

Thanks guys, I completely forgot about screen res.

anything else to look out for?

 

[LikeLinus]

<<If he really wants a laptop, and not just a desktop replacement to carry around, he should stick with mobile CPU's. Currently, the 2GHz P4-M is top of the line though you will see companies using faster desktop CPU's. NVidia and ATi both make decent 3d accelerators now, with the edge still going to ATi for the mobility functionality. I don't know which is faster, but if you really want to game, you should be using a desktop. Also he should make sure to pick a laptop with a native resolution he is comfortable using. It doesn't make any sense to spend the extra money on a screen capable of 1600x1200 if it is too small for him to use and he has to drop the resolution to a distorted non native res. Upgradeability is still a dream for the majority of laptops beyond memory and hard drives. >>

Why does ATI have the "edge" for mobility functinality? Not that there is anything wrong with ATI, but my Geforce 4 go 64mb outperforms it and does video out just fine? What else is there to do with a mobile chip? I use nothing but ATI Radeon 8500's in my desktops, but i do love my Geforce 4 go in my Inspiron.

Also i upgraded my video card from a Geforce 2 go. You can also upgrade the processors too if you use the same family class and slocket. I mean if you have the ability to upgrade ram, video, cpu, and HD....there really isnt much else you'd wanna upgrade! I also upgraded my HD to an 5400RPM drive. It's a nice boost from 4200.

Also you can upgrade to faster CDRW/DVD if you see so fit. I know i can already purchase an 24X (an upgrade from my 8x CDRW, for my Inspiron 8100).

Upgrades to laptops are so much easier these days.

The Display is the major thing once you decided on brand and performance.

 

[BlvdKing]

I want a gaming laptop because I'm sick of being tied down to a desk. Lan parties, no problem - pick up and leave.

Question: how long on average does the battery in a laptop last while gaming if it has a desktop CPU in it?

 

[Pariah]

"What else is there to do with a mobile chip?"

When you are talking about a mobile computer, battery life is first and foremost, not QuakeIII fps. THG did a comparison between the Radeon 7500 and Geforce2 Go I believe, and the Radeon won the battery test during DVD playback by over half an hour. That is a huge advantage by the Radeon considering only the video cards were changed. ATi has been in the mobile market far longer than NVidia and it's not surprising that ATi has a far more refined product. The THG article also noted that unlike the desktop products, the ATi card was pretty much free of driver problems with the NVidia card had quite a few.

"I mean if you have the ability to upgrade ram, video, cpu, and HD....there really isnt much else you'd wanna upgrade!"

I said the majority of laptops, not all laptops. You cannot upgrade the majority of components in Compaq, Toshiba, HP Pavilion, and IBM I believe. HP Omnibooks, some Sony models, and some Gateways have modular bays. Dell is basically the only model that allows the upgrading of a number of components, at least the 8000 line does, I don't know that the lowerend ones do. You cannot pick one line of laptops and make the blanket statement that upgrades are much easier today, for most models you still can't.

 

[MrPabulum]

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, go with either a Dell or an Alienware. I own an Inspiron 8000, and it has served me well on the gaming front. In fact, I upgraded the video from an ATI M4 Rage Mobility to a 32mb Geforce 2 Go. It was a real nice jump in fps, and I didn't void my warranty, a huge plus indeed. Still, I'd love a P4 2.4 Ghz laptop. Any takers?? Just pretend you've known for a real long time and...

 

[MWink]

IMO, if you want a gaming laptop get a Dell (nothing else). I strongly recommend against getting an Alienware. They are made by Sager and they are not known to make the most reliable laptops (I have experience with them).

I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 and I'm very happy with it. I use it for a little of everything (including gaming). The thing I like most about it is the fact it is fully upgradeable (as already stated).

BTW, Computer Games magazine did an article on high end (gaming) laptops this month. They reviewed the Dell, Gateway, Toshiba, and Alienware laptops. You might want to check it out.

 

[LikeLinus]

<<When you are talking about a mobile computer, battery life is first and foremost, not QuakeIII fps. THG did a comparison between the Radeon 7500 and Geforce2...."

True battery life is first and foremost if youre a road warrior, but he's looking for serious gaming and there's nothing better than the Geforce 4 Go. Also the Geforce 4 Go uses PowerMizer as seen here.

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1642&p=5

It's doing the same thing that ATI does for their chips. You can't compair Nvidia's old card against ATI's new card. (Also the Geforce 4 includes the NView technology)

I've never seen or heard any problem with NVidia drivers for mobile chipsets. I've changed my drivers 3 times.

<<You cannot pick one line of laptops and make the blanket statement that upgrades are much easier today, for most models you still can't. >>

Here is what i wrote "I mean if you have the ability to upgrade ram, video, cpu, and HD"

As long as the company uses a P4 or P3 chip, you can change the chip (these chips are slocketed and not perminantly on the board like old chips)? As long as It has RAM, the ram can be changed. As long as it has a HD, it can be changed. As long as it has a Geforce card, it can be changed (these are also modular cards and can be changed). This is across the board!! Any laptop maker, if you are willing to crack open the case, you can make these upgrades to the computer.

I did say i can upgrade my 8100 CDRW, but i didn't say any other models.

Laptops are still much easier to upgrade today than in past years