Recom. needed for gaming laptop

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K

keyed

Senior member
Feb 21, 2001
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I haven't looked at laptops for while, so I'm unsure on the performance differences between Intel & AMD cpus and ATI & NVIDIA graphics cards, but I'm looking at getting a laptop that I can game with. So far, I've been looking at these two from newegg. I'll list the main differences, but if anyone can recommend a better laptop within $800-1000 or simply which one of these would be better, it'd be appreciated. Neither have any reviews yet on newegg. Some reviews of other Acers models talk about problems involving the touchpad and keyboard.

Acer Aspire AS6930-6942
16" Wide XGA w/NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS - 512 MB
Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 (2.00 GHz) w/ 4 GB RAM
250 GB HD
6-cell battery (~2.5 HR)

Acer Aspire AS6530-5753
16" Wide XGA w/ Mobility Radeon HD 3650 - 1 GB
AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-82(2.20GHz) w/ 4 GB RAM
320 GB HD
8-cell battery (~3.5 HR)

The main difference is the cpu, graphics card, and battery. How much of a performance tradeoff is there between these and would it be worth it?

Edit:
Found this one too.

MSI GX630-028US
15.4" Wide XGA w/ GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB
AMD Athlon X2 QL-62(2.00GHz) w/ 4 GB RAM
250 GB HD
6-cell battery
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
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I'd probably go with the fist choice. According to this guide: http://www.notebookcheck.net/M...chmark-List.844.0.html , the 9600M GS is a little better. Plus, the C2D is a little faster than the Turion X2 (IIRC, haven't really kept track as of late, especially with AMD's fairly recent refresh of their notebook processors).

There are a few other options as well:
Asus N80 - 14" with 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, nVidia 9650M GT (faster than the two in your post) and the Core 2 Duo T5800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834220390 You lose a little in processor speed, but you gain at least as much in graphics speed, if not more in graphics processing, which is probably going to be the limiting factor in gaming in these mid-range systems. Also, the 14" notebook gives you more portability.

 
BlueAcolyte

BlueAcolyte

Platinum Member
Nov 19, 2007
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Grab a used Precision M4400 laptop from the Dell outlet or the MSI GX630/GX620 from newegg.
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
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iBuyPower has a 9600 GT laptop for $709 (model "CZ-9 Ultra") - link

They've been in business for years but I have no idea of the build quality or customer service. Check Google and ResellerRatings.
 
geokilla

geokilla

Platinum Member
Oct 14, 2006
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I'd say the Acer AS6930 laptop or the N80 that Brain posted. Whichever one you get, I'd recommend that you make a backup partition or something of that sort, then reinstall XP/Vista. That should get rid of all the bloatware laptops come with.

Don't forget to use Notebook Hardware Control to control your vcore and GPU speeds and what not. I love using that program on my laptop.
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
28,204
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Originally posted by: geokilla
I'd say the Acer AS6930 laptop or the N80 that Brain posted. Whichever one you get, I'd recommend that you make a backup partition or something of that sort, then reinstall XP/Vista. That should get rid of all the bloatware laptops come with.

Don't forget to use Notebook Hardware Control to control your vcore and GPU speeds and what not. I love using that program on my laptop.
Click to expand...

You really don't need NHC to do that. The power-saving programs packaged with the laptops will be more than sufficient and the processor itself has its own power-saving features as well (locking the processor into the lowest clock speed isn't the most power efficient). And I though NHC was useless when it came to the Core 2 Duo processors.
 
mpilchfamily

mpilchfamily

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2007
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First of all what games are you looking to play?

Aslo what are you expectations? Do you expect to play with all the bells and whistles on a high end game?
 
K

keyed

Senior member
Feb 21, 2001
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Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
First of all what games are you looking to play?

Aslo what are you expectations? Do you expect to play with all the bells and whistles on a high end game?
Click to expand...

I'd never expect that, not from a laptop in my price range. I have a desktop that I'd play my games on, but I might be getting a job where I have lots of traveling to do and would like to be able to play recent games on decent settings.
 
geokilla

geokilla

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Oct 14, 2006
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Originally posted by: amdforever2
Acer Aspire AS6530-5753 AMD Turion X2 Ultra 16" WXGA Mobility Radeon HD 3650 - Retail www.newegg.com


That's what I'm getting. :)
Click to expand...

And how much are you spending? AMD processors are kinda slow compared to Intel's Core 2 lineup.
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
28,204
12,895
136
Originally posted by: geokilla
Originally posted by: amdforever2
Acer Aspire AS6530-5753 AMD Turion X2 Ultra 16" WXGA Mobility Radeon HD 3650 - Retail www.newegg.com


That's what I'm getting. :)
Click to expand...

And how much are you spending? AMD processors are kinda slow compared to Intel's Core 2 lineup.
Click to expand...

The Turion Ultra ZM processors are not that much slower than the currently available crop of Core 2 mobile processors. Definitely not faster, but certainly competitive, especially in price (and if you're going with an integrated graphics platform, it's certainly worth a look).
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
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For mobile gaming the video card is by far the most important part, especially under $1,000. AMD and intel will both be fast enough to be bottlenecked by the second-rate video you'll get at that price.

Of the models listed so far the Asus will be best for gaming since it has the 9650 instead of 9600 or 3650.
 
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popcorn731

Junior Member
Nov 7, 2004
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Do not always trust Notebookcheck.com benkmarks for graphics cards. Reason being is that graphics cards by ATI & NVidia are made by several differen manufactures. EVGA, Powercolor, MSI, etc, etc.... However each company only has to follow the reference card and often have different core clock speeds, memory size, ddr type and so one.

So, when you look at the benchmark it is just a reference guide. I have notebook $650 AS6530-5735 with 1gb mobility Raedon HD3650 ddr3 with a 2.2ghx Zl-82 AMD. I assure you my benchmark numbers are significantly higher then stated on their website. I get 3dmark06 5,150 instead of the 3517 they have listed with same OS they listed. Which is what they consider a class I card. Vista graphics score of 4.5 (which means nothing)

All I can tell you is that I can play TF2, Crysis, GT4, BF2142, max settings with AA turned down a little and get at minimum of 40 fps TF2 with 32 players online. Crysis 39 FPS, GT4 50 fps.

I am at work now and will try to post result. However, father day is this weekend and not sure if will be around to post. However will do my best!

I hope that helps!
 
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popcorn731

Junior Member
Nov 7, 2004
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AnandTech Subscription Update
vj8usa has posted a message entitled Recom. needed for gaming laptop.

The following message was posted on: 06/20/2009 10:24:02 AM

What about something like this?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...8&ref=dynamitedata.com
$850 and it has a 9800. The
________________________________________


That's a better system yet. I estimate it will be about 5%-10% faster on loading apps and boot up time. The NONE GT version of the 9800 is a formidable card. Buying it at a Bestbuy gives you a better return/refund policy then buying it online. Less waiting time . You can probally find it for about $70 less online, no taxes, and possible free shipping. The difference would more then pay for any extended warrenty by purchasing it more.
 
bigsnyder

bigsnyder

Golden Member
Nov 4, 2004
1,568
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@popcorn731

Your link is not working. What was the brand and model you were linking to?
 
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