Recommend Gaming Laptop

[wuala]

Hello All,

I found this forum while trying to research laptops. I have to say I will be back often. This forum is full of information and very active! Great Place!

I am looking for a laptop for my wife. I am trying to keep at $2,000 or less. The only thing she will be using it for is picture editing/storage, 3d gaming, and the internet. She might use for light office applications, but I would generally think that if it could handle 3d gaming it can handle most office applications (Office type applications).

1. I would like a 100 gb hd min. for the pic storage.

2. I would prefer 1024 gb ram.

3. Could be used in hot environments 120 degrees farenheit + possible. Must be able
to sufficiently cool it with an aftermarket cooling system.

4. Preferrably dedicated video card.

5. Solid construction preferred over saving a buck.

6. Quick arrival time is a must.

I have heard arguments for both the p-m and athlon 64 for gaming with athlon taking a slight leading edge. I simply don't know which is better, and I am having trouble finding info either way. Please offer advice here. If amd 64, I would like 3500+. If p-m is better, would prefer 740 (1.7ghz) or slightly faster, depending on the price.

I would appreciate any response that you could provide, topic related, and would greatly appreciate it if you could give a link if it is handy.

Thank you very much for the help. Finding help is so difficult.

William

 

[darkswordsman17]

I'd recommend the Dell Inspiron 9300 with a 6800 Go. It'll fit your needs pretty well. If it was a straight comparison of performance I would recommend the Athlon 64, however, its a laptop, and I don't think there is a better mobile CPU than the Pentium M.

If you don't have a problem buying used, you can even snag an XPS Gen 2 for under $2000. Someone over in the FS/T forum is selling a nice one for $1750.

 

[cheesehead]

Dells tend not to like high temperatures.
You can maybe get a custom-order laptop based on the Z71V barebones made by Asus. It's got a dedicated 6600 graphics card, supports 2gb of RAM (sorry, I've yet to hear of any computers that have a full terabyte of RAM that don't require a large truck to move about) and the latest models of the Pentium M. You can get one configured with a 100GB hard drive and a gig of RAM for about 1500$, I'd guess. Also, it's made by Asus, a manufacturer known for quality. (The same cannot be said about Dell products.)
You also probbably want to get one of those pads for laptops with fans in them. They're not too expensive, and can often be powered off of the USB port.

EDIT:
The Pentium-M can drastically reduce it's clock speed, and puts out less heat, so I'd imagine that it would work better in hot climates. That said, most laptops are not happy above 100 degrees. Perhaps a Panasonic Toughbook might make sense; they're not fast, but they have a reputation for being able to take abuse.
(Personally, in 120 degree weather, I'd probbably end up making a Pentium M based desktop and watercooling it. Processors run happy at 90 degrees or below; 120 is considered far too warm. )

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
(sorry, I've yet to hear of any computers that have a full terabyte of RAM that don't require a large truck to move about)

lol....not what I meant. I didn't realize it until now. 1024mb would likely be sufficient. However, if I could find something that I would need a whole terabyte for, I would be a happy person.

You also probbably want to get one of those pads for laptops with fans in them. They're not too expensive, and can often be powered off of the USB port.

Absolutely. I would be crazy not too! Especially considering how cheap they are. What kind of drain could be expected on the battery though?

Thanks for the help.

William

 

[andrewbabcock]

Its actually going to be pretty tough to find a lappy to do all that. 9300 with the specs in my sig sound like a good bet. The problem is that that config costs over $3k. I had a 30% off coupon and saved about $900. Wait for a coupon or another option is the sager 5720-v. It will do everything your wife needs and more. It has a 7800 gtx go, the best mobile gpu on the market. For a 100 gb hdd though, it comes to about $2200 or so.

 

[wuala]

Would a reduced clock speed effect gaming quality though?

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Originally posted by: wuala
What kind of drain could be expected on the battery though?

It would depend on the kind of pad you get and the speed of the fans but on mine, it uses surprisingly little battery power . . .

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: andrewbabcock
Its actually going to be pretty tough to find a lappy to do all that. 9300 with the specs in my sig sound like a good bet. The problem is that that config costs over $3k. I had a 30% off coupon and saved about $900. Wait for a coupon or another option is the sager 5720-v. It will do everything your wife needs and more. It has a 7800 gtx go, the best mobile gpu on the market. For a 100 gb hdd though, it comes to about $2200 or so.

I can get one with your specs for about the same as you paid, perhaps a few bucks less. I get a military discount which makes a bit of difference. The only thing I'm not sure about is the 7200 gbb hdd. I don't believe the 100 gb hdd that I can choose is a 7200. I am not allowed to change the sound card from the menu they give, however, the sound card is not a big concern for me.

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: 1Dark1Sharigan1

Originally posted by: wuala
What kind of drain could be expected on the battery though?

It would depend on the kind of pad you get and the speed of the fans but on mine, it uses surprisingly little battery power . . .

That is great to hear. From everything I am reading, gaming drains the battery quick anyways. To add another component with a significant drain would essentially make the machine useless unless plugged in.

 

[fbrdphreak]

So are you expecting to game when on battery? Even with a large capacity battery, you probly won't get much over an hour (if that) while gaming.

What kind of games does your wife play? What screen resolution does she prefer? If she is okay with XGA/WXGA (1024x768/1280x800) then you can easily get away with an X700/6600 for most games. How portable does it need to be?

 

[inhotep]

I think it's funny that most people will recommend a Dell as if there are no other notebooks.
Anyway, that 9300 weights more than 8ibs with a 9cell battery. For your wife, this is will be more like a desktop than a notebook.

 

[andrewbabcock]

Originally posted by: wuala

Originally posted by: andrewbabcock
Its actually going to be pretty tough to find a lappy to do all that. 9300 with the specs in my sig sound like a good bet. The problem is that that config costs over $3k. I had a 30% off coupon and saved about $900. Wait for a coupon or another option is the sager 5720-v. It will do everything your wife needs and more. It has a 7800 gtx go, the best mobile gpu on the market. For a 100 gb hdd though, it comes to about $2200 or so.

I can get one with your specs for about the same as you paid, perhaps a few bucks less. I get a military discount which makes a bit of difference. The only thing I'm not sure about is the 7200 gbb hdd. I don't believe the 100 gb hdd that I can choose is a 7200. I am not allowed to change the sound card from the menu they give, however, the sound card is not a big concern for me.

If you get a military discount, that changes everything. Go for an XPS m170...Someone on here maxed out everything for like $1800 shipped with a military discount. Try that and see how that is.

 

[cheesehead]

Just warning you, Dell laptops tend to run pretty hot, and I doubt they would do well in 120 degree temperatures. Asus, on the other hand, actually manufactures what they sell, and you can be guaranteed that you'll be getting a high quality product. A 6600 will run most games hunky-dory, and not take too much power doing it.
Most laptop cooling pads should'nt take more than five watts to run. 43 watt-hours is considered pretty small in terms of battery capacity. Alternately, you could run it off of an external battery pack, but that would require some modification or two.
Sager also makes very high quality products; I doubt that you could go wrong with the 5720.

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
So are you expecting to game when on battery? Even with a large capacity battery, you probly won't get much over an hour (if that) while gaming.

What kind of games does your wife play? What screen resolution does she prefer? If she is okay with XGA/WXGA (1024x768/1280x800) then you can easily get away with an X700/6600 for most games. How portable does it need to be?

I would suspect that whe will have it plugged in a majority of the time she is gaming. However, I don't know that for sure. If she can't keep it plugged in while gaming, I guess her fun time will be restricted. I am considering a second battery just for that reason. Maybe not right away, but in a month or two.

You asked some good questions, and I really couldn't answer those. I would prefer the best screen quality available on any particular model. I don't know what resolution she would prefer. Even if I asked her, she wouldn't know. As far as games, I don't know what she would pick, as I haven't kept up with the gaming market. She hasn't been able to play games in awhile, but she likes rpgs. I know most rpgs are graphic intensive. Would an X600/700/6600 work for most of the rpgs on the market now? I know very little about graphics cards for laptops. As for portability, I think moderate portability would suffice. I asked about footprint size, and I am waiting for her to decide. It will likely be a 15.4" or 17". 15.4" would be good for portability purposes, but 17" would be better for watching movies. I expect I will know for sure tomorrowish.

My overall goal is to buy a laptop that I know will be able to do anything she desires, but keeping the price reasonable. She just sprung the fact that she would like to be able to play games on it. I hadn't budgeted for it, and quickly found out that it would add $1000-1500 to the overall price. I'll be able to swing it, but it will delay paying off other debt.

William

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: inhotep
I think it's funny that most people will recommend a Dell as if there are no other notebooks.
Anyway, that 9300 weights more than 8ibs with a 9cell battery. For your wife, this is will be more like a desktop than a notebook.

My wife is in athletic shape, and hauls around far more than 8lbs everywhere she goes. Besides, after carrying our kids everywhere, carrying eight pounds is nothing. In fact, half the time the diaper bag weighs about 8 pounds. Weight isn't really a factor.

As a side note, I bet if you checked the weight of most large purses, they would equal five or six pounds. What's another 2-5 pounds if you get to play games and surf the internet everywhere you go? lol.

William

 

[wuala]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
Just warning you, Dell laptops tend to run pretty hot, and I doubt they would do well in 120 degree temperatures. Asus, on the other hand, actually manufactures what they sell, and you can be guaranteed that you'll be getting a high quality product. A 6600 will run most games hunky-dory, and not take too much power doing it.
Most laptop cooling pads should'nt take more than five watts to run. 43 watt-hours is considered pretty small in terms of battery capacity. Alternately, you could run it off of an external battery pack, but that would require some modification or two.
Sager also makes very high quality products; I doubt that you could go wrong with the 5720.

I will definitely look into Asus and Sager. Could you perhaps provide a link or two for finding an Asus barebones in the price range you referred to? I did a few searches, and 95% told me the samething as the Asus site without giving purchasing options. The other 5% of sites were outside the price ranges you referred to.

While due to military discounts, Dell is in the competitive price range, I don't know that I care for them a whole lot. I have heard that they run hot a few other times as well. Besides that, although they obviously work, I don't care for their marketing tactics, and the way they take advantage of the uneducated consumers in the market for computers. I have a hard time supporting a company like that. Would I buy from them? Possibly. Would I enjoy it and be proud of purchasing from them? Absolutely not. If they provide the best computer for the price, then I would probably, given the circumstances, make the economic decision rather than the ethical decision, but only because I love my wife and want to get the best I possibly can for her on the budget we do have, in a time frame acceptable to her.

William

 

[andrewbabcock]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
So are you expecting to game when on battery? Even with a large capacity battery, you probly won't get much over an hour (if that) while gaming.

I get over three hours on mine when playing Doom 3.

 

[thelush84]

Dell Inspiron XPS Gen2 is pretty much the best gaming laptop on the market right now. You can get one with a 2.2ghz Pentium M, gig of ram and a go 6800 with 256mb of ram for around 3500-4000 or so. 100gb option available as well as a 7800GTX card. Pretty crazy.

BTW, it pushes more frames per second on doom3 and hl2 than a similarly equppied Alienware laptop with a P4. 90+ fps at DOOM 3, 1024x768 with most settings turned up quite high.

 

[*kjm]

Originally posted by: wuala
[ She hasn't been able to play games in awhile, but she likes rpgs. I know most rpgs are graphic intensive. Would an X600/700/6600 work for most of the rpgs on the market now?

William

Yes they would work great with RPG's.

I have the Dell 9300 but if I were to travel a lot I have to admit a 15.4 would be the way to go... 17's are great but they are big.

 

[andrewbabcock]

Originally posted by: *kjm

Originally posted by: wuala
[ She hasn't been able to play games in awhile, but she likes rpgs. I know most rpgs are graphic intensive. Would an X600/700/6600 work for most of the rpgs on the market now?

William

Yes they would work great with RPG's.

I have the Dell 9300 but if I were to travel a lot I have to admit a 15.4 would be the way to go... 17's are great but they are big.

I disagree. Especially when its a widescreen its not bad at all.

 

[Tom]

I would like to see some pics of people who use a Dell 9300 or XPS, on the go..

LOL at the thought !

 

[cheesehead]

I have a 9100. I schlep it through class almost every day.
The 9100 is heavier than the 9300.

From what I've seen at resellerratings (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2110.html) JNCS, a small independent, makes good products. Here's a link to the Z71V laptop options page:
http://www.jncs.com/php/sys/index.php?id=as-z71v
For 1725$ (1600$ if you install your own copy of WinXP) you can get the Asus Z71V barebones laptop with these specs:

2 Gigahertz Pentium M w/ 2mb cache (770m)
1 gigabyte (1024mb) of DDR2-533
GEforce 6600 Go
80 gigabyte 5400 rpm hard drive
DVD player/CD burner "combo" disk drive
802.11b/802.11 g Wi-Fi miniPCI card

The 6600 Go is not the world's greatest graphics card, but it beats the snot out of almost anything else that weighs less than 7 lbs. (The Z71v should weigh about 6.5 lbs after you throw in the hard drive and RAM.) However, the Z71V has a mini-PCIe bay, which means that the graphics card may be updated with another card at a later date. Sweet, no?

And lastly, a review:
http://ynot2k.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=57

 

[trikster2]

Originally posted by: andrewbabcock

Originally posted by: *kjm

Originally posted by: wuala
[ She hasn't been able to play games in awhile, but she likes rpgs. I know most rpgs are graphic intensive. Would an X600/700/6600 work for most of the rpgs on the market now?

William

Yes they would work great with RPG's.

I have the Dell 9300 but if I were to travel a lot I have to admit a 15.4 would be the way to go... 17's are great but they are big.

I disagree. Especially when its a widescreen its not bad at all.

I can barely use my 15.4" on some airplanes, I agree with Tom show us a picture of you using your 17" in coach or on a commuter flight......

Not sure if anything will do well w. a good gaming GPU in 120 degree weather. My M70 is nice but it runs warm, esp if gaming with the wireless. Where will you be computing at that temp?