Gaming Laptop Suggestions...

A

afropuff

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 1, 2002
Messages
448
Hi,

I have been thinking recently about possibly purchasing a gaming laptop but wanted to know how much I would have to spend and what the best ones are..??

So what's the deal w/gaming laptops? -Seinfield

-fro
 
Depends what kind of gaming you want to do, the laptop I have is an m6811 and it works well for moderate gaming. It only cost me 1400. Higher end gaming laptops can cost up to 3,000 and offer a better graphics card. You can look into a dell XPS/9300, voodoopc and alienware(blah).
 
ive been trying to choose between the xps2 and the sager 9860. only thing im concerned about it is if the 6800go on the sager laptop is the ultra version and not the plain 6800go. ive heard there is about a 40% difference in performance between the 6800go and the 6800 ultra go.
 
voodoo is the biggest rip off, if you are not concerned about weight go with

Dell XPS2 or the Sager 9860, fastest DTRs out right now, if you want a smaller 15.4" widescreen laptop go with the Z71v from Asus (6600 card)
 
im a gamer and went with a xps2 ..from what i have read the dell xps 2 was the one for me

took me 3 months to decide to get this note book

with rebates you can have the basic xps 2 that starts at $2749 for around $1949 + tax and free shipping.abnd thats with the 6800 go ultra card

here is a copy of that quote from the dell web site.

Inspiron XPS Gen 2 Intel® Pentium® M 760 Processor (2GHz/533MHz FSB) FM2HN [221-7527] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [420-4768][463-2282][412-0689][420-4928][313-3165][412-0706][420-4830] 11
LCD Panel 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™ 17UXGAS [320-4259] 2
Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm 512MB2D [311-4663] 3
Video Card 256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800 Ultra NV256 [320-4213] 6
Hard Drive 60GB Hard Drive 60GB [341-1986] 8
Network Card Integrated 1 Gigabit Network Card and Modem INTNIC [430-1277] 13
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
CD ROM/DVD ROM 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive 24COMBO [313-3163][420-5111] 16
Wireless Personal Networking Card No Wireless Selected NOWIRLS [430-1198] 19
Bundle Software Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® ICORELM [412-0714] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS [412-0755] 25
Primary Battery 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr) 9BAT [312-0316] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr Technical Support ST111RR [950-9057][950-3337][950-3830][412-0361][960-2780] 29
XPS Specialized Support Inspiron XPS, Specialized Support XPSSUPP [970-5927] 31
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging Photo Album™ SE Basic DPS [412-0744] 38
Financial Software No QuickBooks package selected- Includes limited use trial QBSSP [420-5139] 83
TOTAL: $1,949.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I am in the same boat and I have about decided on the Dell XPS 2.

Heat is sort of a factor, the weight doesnt really bother me, but on 16 hour flights to Asia the extra battery life is needed. If I cant tie into a seat power supply, I end up with the laptop at the Attendant station recharging a lot more than I want.

I wish Dell made a remote charger for batteries.

Plus I heard you need a screwdriver to remove Sager batteries. Im not sure you can carry a screwdriver onto a plane anymore...
 
hmmm,

I was thinking that there would be some custom companies besides the big names that made gaming laptops for cheaper then Dell or the other big names..no?
 
just got wind of some news that sager is planning on their 9860 to be customized with the 6800ultra go in the next couple of months. i will be getting a sager when this happens and ill be gamin away on my couch :D
 
I have a Dell XPS, 3GHz 1MB L2 Cache, 1024MB RAM, Radeon 9700 Mobility 128MB...so on and so on.

You just can't beat this thing for a gaming laptop....period.
 
not to insult but throw in a geforce 6800ultra go and you have the best gaming laptop for a good while. :D
 
I just picked up the Acer Travelmate 8104 model for 2 grand, and this thing is amazingly powerful for its size.

2.13 pentium m
1.5gb ddr2 533 (i added the extra 512)
ati x700
100gb 5400 rpm hd
15.4 wide screen that works at 1600x1020 (i think :confused: )

I am getting great frames out of half life 2 and WOW.

1 thing i didnt like...it came formatted in FAT32, which i thought was odd, but after a little conversion, it "feels" even more responsive
 
I'm surprised no manufacturers have made a gaming laptop with an AMD64 and geforce 6800 go, they would make a killing.
 
yea it suks, once that occurs im pouncing on it!. i bet with that combo the battery life will be like 20 minutes lol
 
I just got an Alienware Area51-m V7700. It is less than 24 hours old (at least 24 hours in my possession old). This thing is HUGE. Configured a Dell and Alienware as similar as possible. The Dell uses the mobile Pentium and the Alienware doesn't. That was one of the things that led me to Alienware (along with Raid 0 on the hard drives). They were both configured at just under $3000. A few days after ordering they put on a $600 off sale on laptops (jerks).

I don't know enough about it yet to give a recommendation. However, I loaded up FForce 2, Warhammer 40K, Rome:TW, and HL2. All played better than it does on my HTPC. But it does get hot and man is it big.

Worst part was waiting. I just got it yesterday (3/29/05), and ordered it on 3/10/05. I checked Sager and some others, but nobody had the X800 mobility or Geforce Go options for under $3000.


Specs ($2793 on 3/10/05):

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Case: Area-51m 7700 Case with 17" WideXGA+ 1400 x 900 LCD Display - Xeno Grey
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 540J w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz 1MB Cache
Motherboard: Intel® 915P Chipset Supporting PCI-Express
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Video Card: Area-51m 7700 ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON X800 with 256MB of DDR 3 memory
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio (24-bit, 192Khz) with 7.1 surround sound
Hard Drive: Dual Drive Configuration - RAID 0 - 80GB (40GB x 2) 5400 RPM ATA100
Optical Drive One: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Modem: 56K Modem with V.92 Technology
Optional Display: No Monitor
Optional Mouse: Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 - USB - Saucer Silver
 
Egress99 said:
I just picked up the Acer Travelmate 8104 model for 2 grand, and this thing is amazingly powerful for its size.

2.13 pentium m
1.5gb ddr2 533 (i added the extra 512)
ati x700
100gb 5400 rpm hd
15.4 wide screen that works at 1600x1020 (i think :confused: )

I am getting great frames out of half life 2 and WOW.

1 thing i didnt like...it came formatted in FAT32, which i thought was odd, but after a little conversion, it "feels" even more responsive
Click to expand...

Not nearly as much a gaming beast as the others in this thread. They need to bump that X700 to the x800
 
Well i had a 9100 with a 2.8 P4 and a 9800 mobility which was awesome for gaming...but i just sold it and picked this badboy up for 1317...No way in the world will you find a better performance to price ratio then this puppy. Just 3dmarked it at 7291 and with the upgrades that i got including the 7200 rpm HD this thing is great for normal windows stuff too....If u dont want to hit the 2 grand mark i would reccommend this route..

Below are my specs...(i used the 750 off coupon)

Another TIP have it sent to a state that doesnt charge TAX...find a family member to ship it too and once it has shipped VIA UPS just call Dell and have the package rerouted to the new address...Saved me 95 Dollars

Inspiron 9300,Pentium M 730 (1.60GHz/533MHz FSB)
17 inch True Life Wide Screen UXGA for Inspiron 9300
512MB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm, for Inspiron 9300
256MB NVIDIA 6800,for Inspiron
60GB Ultra ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive for Inspiron 9300
Microsoft Windows XP Home Service Pack 2, English, for Inspiron
Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
Image Restore
Windows Media Player 10
Dell Media Experience,v2.1, for Inspiron
DELL SUPPORT 3.0,INSP
Integrated 10/100 Network Cardand Modem, for Inspiron
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, for Inspiron
24X CD-RW/DVD Combo for Inspiron 9200
CyberLink PowerDVD v5.3.1012, Decoding Sofware for DVD Drives, for Inspiron Systems
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g,54Mbps) for Inspiron 9200
NO SECURITY SUBSCRIPTION, MCAFEE
Music Match 9.0 Basic 7 day OnDemand
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery,for Inspiron 9200
AOL DHS
Dell/My Way Home Page
Broadband Icon for Inspiron
NETZERO ISP
Paint Shop Photo Album 5.1 Standard
WordPerfect Productivity Pack 12, English, for Inspiron
No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 Year Limited Warranty
Type 12- Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
Soft Contracts - DHS Home Sales
Technical Support, Initial Year
Quickbooks 2005 Special SimpleStart Edition
Sub-Total $1,317.00
Shipping $0.00
Tax $0.00
Total Price $1,317.00
 
nice computer. i like the shipping idea, but couldnt you really ship it to anywhere u want as long as u remember to reroute it in-progress?
 
I bought a Hypersonic Aviator GX7 laptop last year. It has a 17" widescreen display which I really like for gaming. The Hypersonic laptops, much like Voodoo's, are basically Sagers. (I believe the newer Alienwares are the same too, just with a different mold for the display backing.) I wanted to buy from Voodoo because they were local, but they were considerably more expensive for identical systems. Their representatives were quite rude, too. When I called them to get information, they spent more time putting down Hypersonic and Alienware than they did telling me why I should buy their product instead. The Radeon Mobility 9700 has 256 Mb of RAM but is getting a bit dated by modern standards, but it still gets along real well with current games on the market. I went for Bluetooth so that I could use my Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse. Two hard drives and RAID makes it very appealing too. I'm at work, so I don't have much time to give more information on it, but there are a lot of good reviews for it. :)
 
lopoetve said:
Not nearly as much a gaming beast as the others in this thread. They need to bump that X700 to the x800
Click to expand...
If they do that then you can't have a lightweight machine due to the heat considerations. It is a question of finding the right balance and deciding how you are going to use the notebook. If it is going to sit on a desk and gaming is the only priority then why bother with a notebook at all?

Not everyone wants to lug around a 12lb machine for the sake of a few FPS in Doom3, especially when the reviews of the X700 show it to be a fair gaming card.
 
Well whats the minimum on ghz and video card i can go to play ffxi on a laptop. Because i am going to college and i will have some down time in between classes and they have wireless internet all over campus. So perfect time to play some ffxi or what not. And i was looking in the 1000-1500 dollar price range for the laptop. Also should i go with a p4 or can i go with the m series like the Inspiron 9300,Pentium M 730.
 
albany said:
If they do that then you can't have a lightweight machine due to the heat considerations. It is a question of finding the right balance and deciding how you are going to use the notebook. If it is going to sit on a desk and gaming is the only priority then why bother with a notebook at all?

Not everyone wants to lug around a 12lb machine for the sake of a few FPS in Doom3, especially when the reviews of the X700 show it to be a fair gaming card.
Click to expand...

This thread has been about gaming laptops. People have been discussing the Sager 9860 and the XPS2, both huge laptops dedicated to gaming and power computing, not mobility or heat issues. You're talking about a totally different style of system.

As for why bother, it's a lot easier to take with you and you CAN game on the go.

Yes, the x700 is a fair gaming card. FAIR. The x800 is almost == to the desktop verson, as is the 6800Go Ultra. Those are the best gaming cards out there (excepting the rare X850)

We're talking gaming laptops. You're talking a balanced system. 2 different beasts ;)
 
kdog316 said:
Well whats the minimum on ghz and video card i can go to play ffxi on a laptop. Because i am going to college and i will have some down time in between classes and they have wireless internet all over campus. So perfect time to play some ffxi or what not. And i was looking in the 1000-1500 dollar price range for the laptop. Also should i go with a p4 or can i go with the m series like the Inspiron 9300,Pentium M 730.
Click to expand...

The more the better. P-M's are just fine. I recommend the 9300 a lot. Price/performance, it can't be beat.
 
i say xps2
why (ill say it again)

1.Pent. m cpu are on par basicly for gaming to the p4's that come in the alienware
hyper threading technology has been discontinued as well
2.cpu has less power consuption
and
3.much much much less heat
and with more heat you will likely have a shorter life span of most if not all component in the note book (many places have claimed there Mobile P4 systems have had bad overheating issues) .
4. not to add if i dont like the dell i can send it back and get a full refund unlike alienware that will charge me 15% restocking fee even if the comp is a price of junk and doesnt work (and many people say there computers are hit or miss you either get a good one and are happy or get a crappy one and are upset at the tech help as well as there terms in repairing or replacing it)
5.the dell is much lighter
6.the dell has a 6800 Go ultra NOW not some time later but now!
7. dell xps customer supprot is much different from normal support so you get at least some one that knows what there talking about.
8.much longer battery life with out gaming 2.5 hours on teh average with gaming im not sure the alienware has 90mis battery life with out gaming many have told me :(
 
lopoetve said:
We're talking gaming laptops. You're talking a balanced system. 2 different beasts ;)
Click to expand...
Well yes, but there is also the issue of power consumption and battery life which are germane for all this gaming that you are going to do on the go. Notebooks for people on the move are about striking a balance. Sure you can break your back and max things out on a heavy performance machine for an hour. But what are you going to do with the next 3.5 hours on the plane? Lech at the stewardess?
 
In the "Sager vs. Dell" thread I posted that I saw a friend's new Sager 7620 and thought it was a helluva great laptop. I still do, but I also just had some first-hand experience with a co-worker's new XPS2. It is a fantastic machine!! I love everything about it except the screen. His has the Samsung LCD, so I didn't notice the sparkle effect that plagues the LG screens. However, the glare/gloss is very pronounced and far too annoying for me to invest that kind of $$ in a laptop. Further, any white areas looked dull and slightly gray.

As for performance, the XPS2 is blisteringly fast. I think the 6800 Go Ultra is faster than the ATI Mobile X800 in the 7620, though not by much. The XPS2 scored 4865 on 3DMark05. That's somewhat lower than what has been reported on some review sites, but is consistent with some comments by people who've also received the XPS2. According to a poster (Dragon_Myr) on CNET.com, Dell is shipping consumer XPS2s that are "down-clocked" from those units sent to reviewers. I don't know if that's true, but it's worth considering.

All in all, I like the XPS2 a lot. The only thing, and it's a big one for me, that holds it back is its screen. Other than that, it's a toss-up as to which is better, the XPS2 and 7620. I guess we'll have to see if anyone does a comparison between the two powerhouse laptops in order to find out which one comes out on top.
 
so true atlwriter, i too hope to see a review on both these laptops ..i wonder if teh nvidia 6800 go ultra can be over clocked

on the note of mark 3d05 scores on another forum someone posted they recived a score of 4891with 3dmark 05 so the 4800 scores seem the range ..dag mani want mine asap already :mad:
 
The 6800 "Down Clocked" issue is the video bios shipped is NOT the same bios that was tested by the various review sites, and the new one is slower. It has been confirmed Tom's Hardware lists the Bios they tested, and its not the same one as Dragon or others got.

Still, 4800+ isnt bad when my current desktop game computer gets 1250, and the computer Im currently typing on gets 250 3DMarks 05 version.....
 
Qwagmire said:
The 6800 "Down Clocked" issue is the video bios shipped is NOT the same bios that was tested by the various review sites, and the new one is slower. It has been confirmed Tom's Hardware lists the Bios they tested, and its not the same one as Dragon or others got.

Still, 4800+ isnt bad when my current desktop game computer gets 1250, and the computer Im currently typing on gets 250 3DMarks 05 version.....
Click to expand...
Interesting info on the BIOS.

I agree that 4800+ 3DMark05 scores are pretty damn impressive for a laptop. Hell, the system in my sig topped out at 5028. I hope I get better performance out of the ATI X800 XT PE that I just ordered from NewEgg.

Anyone wanna buy a used BFG 6800GT OC??? :D
 
albany said:
Well yes, but there is also the issue of power consumption and battery life which are germane for all this gaming that you are going to do on the go. Notebooks for people on the move are about striking a balance. Sure you can break your back and max things out on a heavy performance machine for an hour. But what are you going to do with the next 3.5 hours on the plane? Lech at the stewardess?
Click to expand...

Battery life? We were talking about the 9860, which has 1 hr (IF LUCKY) of battery life.

You have totally different prioritys than the rest of us

Plane? Get an adapter, they have power on them. This is a gaming notebook, not an on the move notebook ;)
 
I got my XPS 2 yesterday, so far I love it! I'll post some pics + benchmarks in another thread later tonight.
 
I have a 9860 from PCtorque with a 3.8ghz and an X800, the processor and the video card are both overclocked to the hilt. It runs like a dream, I hit 5134 in 3dmark05, 11800 in 3dmark03 and 24400 in 3dmark01. I can run anything really nicely, and in full 1680x1050 res. If money is no object, and you want some decent upgradability along with some power and don't mind the weight of the 9860, it's probably one of the most powerfull full sized laptops there is, and will be for some time.

using clockgen my processor is 4.1ghz, the X800 overclocks REALLY well, so it gets about the same benches as the ultra comming out. Matter as fact, I got better scores in some stuff. I would like to see how well the ultra overclocks, it would be worth an upgrade if it overclocks. If it does not, like the XPS gen2 does not, then I wont be paying 400bucks to upgrade, I will just wait for the newer ATI version.
 
I just purchased a ABS Mayhem G2 off of the 'egg today. Gotta love tax returns!

Its the $1299.99 they have listed with:

1.7 Pentium M
512 ddr333
mobile 9700 with 128mb dedicated
60gb 5400rpm
15.4" 1280x800
dvd+/-RW
~6.3lbs ( the kicker, sorry i want a somewhat mobile gaming beast, not one that requires me to work out regularly to heft around campus like a dead corpse, which is against my religion...working out that is.... LOLOL)

For $56 i got an extra stick of 512 so I will have a gig on there. Should play world of warcraft pretty well and allow me to continually read my Wheel of Time ebook (currently on book 3, read first 2 in 2 weeks, and still ticking) in the nicer weather outdoors that we are starting to get.

I was going to get the $1700 version on the 'egg that had a 1.8ghz Pentium M, 1gig, 100gb 5400rpm and the same for everything else. But i figure, i have a dedicated file server with over 500gbs of storage and my archos AV320 for music and that the difference between the 1.7 and 1.8 are not noticible by a long shot, though strictly number tend to beg the differ. The largest spot for performance between the two would have been the ram size, so i got that other stick and still saved ~$350

I was just looking to get a laptop that will break my bond of staying in my hobbit hole to at least get some sunlight while still futzing around looking at my pron,err, ebook or piercing some stinking horde SCUMZ with my crossbow bolts while letting my diseased bear chew them to bloody pulpy bits!!!! YEARRRR!!


This should be good enough for my games, HL2, WOW, KOTOR2, Doom3, FarCry, Vampire, blah blah blah

Eat cha hearts out, if that was possible, though not very probable, even if it would be remotely amusing to watch one eat their own heart, it would be messy, nevertheless amusing.....
 
how so, the whole eating your heart thing? or the fact that you want to eat your own heart?
 
just overall...on a side note...i was thinking about purchasing the mayhem g3 off newegg for like 1699 i think. once you get your g2 tell me how u like it. Also wat is the return policy of newegg? is it like dell so i can send it back within 21 days?
 
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