Soldier needs advice on gaming laptop..

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alohaking

Member
Dec 13, 2001
28
0
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Hey folks, I need some help. As I stated, I'm a soldier in the U.S. Army and I'm pending deployment to Iraq. Well, I'm also a power gamer and I don't know what I'd do with out being able to keep my games going for 6+ months during what little free time I'll have while deployed. I am hoping to purchase a notebook to take with me to the desert so I can stay somewhat sane while kickin' up sand and fixing my helicopter.

I have never owned a notebook and I have no clue on where to start or what brands/models would be best for me. So I'll tell you what I'm looking for and see what you all can recommend.

Here's the specs of my desktop.. XP1800, GEForce 3 ti 200, 512 Crucial DDR, TB Santa Cruz, Epox 8KHA+, Codegen 400w, 40g WD HD, LiteOn 32x12x40, Pioneer DVD, Linxsys Net card.

I play Everquest, Earth and Beyond, Rogue Spear, Ghost Recon, MoHAA, RTCW, BF 1942, and every other FPS or good online RPG I can get my hands on. Yes, I love graphics and I gotta have plenty of power to fully enjoy my gaming and watching dvds.

With that being said, I'd like a notebook that meets those specs pretty close but I don't mind if I have to sacrifice here and there. I just need to have a machine that can keep me gaming. Brand of processor or graphics card don't matter to me. My main concern is the price. I doubt that I can find anything for under $1,500 but I really need to stay under the $1,800 line. Unless of course theres a company with a good financing plan or the good ole 3/6/12 months, same as cash deal. :)

I eagerly await any responses you leave. Thanks in advance folks.

Sergeant King
101st ABN DIV
Ft. Campbell, KY
 
BeauJangles

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
13,941
1
0
PCTorque has some great deals. Specifically on the Sager 5620... Radeon 9000 mobility, 512 megs of RAM, 60 gig HDD, a nice screen, and a 2.4 ghz processor for around $1800. These are the laptops that Alienware distributes. Sager is teh company that provides them.
 
CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Toshiba 5200 series. These have everything but the kitchen sink and are fast as hell. Speakers (Including a subwoofer!) remain exposed when the lid is shut. An included remote makes that extremely useful. The cPad (Touchpad display device) may not be so useful but it's damn cool. If you have a copy of DVD-X Copy combined with it's included DVD-RW drive you can take all the entertainment you want without worring aboiut destroying your original discs ;) The GeForce4 460 Go may not be as good as the Mobility Radeon 9000 but it should do you plenty of good. Not sure if there will be an 802.11b WiFi access point nearby but if so it can make use of it. :D I have never seen a more beautiful screen despite the fact that it is 1600x1200 (That normally means more "cells" and therefore more cell borders to wash out the screen). I guess their "Home Theater Screen" claims aren't that far off base.

I'm sure the shoptoshiba.com offer for a free second battery, $100 rebate and free SD card MP3 player will come in useful too (The laptop has a built-in SD card slot) :p

The only thing I don't like is that the 5200 series looks horrible when closed. Like a big shiny blueish plastic thing (Many people might think it looks better than other laptops though). The 5100 series looks MUCH better, but the only 2GHz model is a CompUSA exclusive with Bluetooth and 802.11b (Tops out at 1.7GHz elsewhere). It is big and heavy but "ultraportability" is exactly what gamers don't care about.
 
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Dacalo

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2000
8,778
3
76
wow those sagers are impressive... I was gonna get a dell but I found a better one :D
 
K

krackato

Golden Member
Aug 10, 2000
1,058
0
0
Dude, you want to play a simulation where you run around with a gun and shoot things during your free time when you can get away from real life where you run around and shoot things?! That's warped. Fixing helicopters, kickin' up sand, being depolyed to Iraq... how much adventure can one man take. Makes you wonder what fantasy soldiers from Middle-Earth would be into during their off-hours.
 
BeauJangles

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
13,941
1
0
Originally posted by: Shalmanese
is battery life going to be a major issue?
Click to expand...

Sager has pretty decent battery life, actually. With a dual battery setup it can go for about 3 1/2 hrs with moderate use.


Anyone who is interested in these lappies (I'm planning on buying one for college), sagerforums is a forum dedicated to talking about these laptops.
 
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Dacalo

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2000
8,778
3
76
Originally posted by: compudog
Ahh, If money were no object, and I had to have a portable.. I'd go with this one.

<a class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.alienware.com/main/system_pages/area51-m.asp" target=blank>http://www.alienware.com/main/system_pages/area51-m.asp</A>
Click to expand...

sager makes those my friend
 
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PCMarine

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2002
3,277
0
0
Make sure you get a 5400 RPM harddrive with your laptop; the typical 4200 RPM is waaaayyy too slow and will really ruin your expensive investment.
 
G

Geniere

Senior member
Sep 3, 2002
336
0
0
Alohaking - I don't know enough to advise you but I do thank you for protecting me and mine.

Regards
 
F

fastman

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,521
4
81
Take a look at the Dell Inspiron 8200SE it was $1800 around X-mas and it's loaded with everything, be safe.
 
A

alohaking

Member
Dec 13, 2001
28
0
0
Thanks for all the responses everyone. Now I just hope I can get it in time before I ship out. And, I hope it will fit in my ruck sack with all the gear I have to tote with me on the plane.

Take care everyone and God Bless America!

Sergeant King
101st ABN DIV
Ft. Campbell, KY
 
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AmishPcFreak

Member
Jun 9, 2001
148
0
0
Hey Soldier....

I would not recommend taking a laptop to Iraq... you are going to be facing some pretty bad sand storms, especially in the upcoming spring months. Sand will be in your socks, your shorts, your hair, your lunch, and in your gear bag. Sand will work devilish and wicked atrocities upon any laptop that is not specifically contructed with hostile environments in mind.

Also, you will probably not have access to standard electrical outlets and laptops simply don't work well on battery power (especially the Sager which is a power harlot).

Unless you have money to burn, don't do it.

Just my words of advice...
APC
 
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