Gaming laptops (again)

[Jeros]

I have 1000 pounds as a budget, i have seen many good examples online but i was just wondering if anyone had any really outstanding examples they would reccommend. Size and weight are not really that much of an issue, this is mainly a desktop replacement with added mobility.

 

[Insane]

I have 1000 pounds as a budget, i have seen many good examples online but i was just wondering if anyone had any really outstanding examples they would reccommend. Size and weight are not really that much of an issue, this is mainly a desktop replacement with added mobility.

Gaming laptop?


those two words don't ever go together!

If you are determined, have a gander at Rock Direct in their Pegasus range

It all depends on what games you are going to be playing as well.

 

[Jeros]

Gaming laptop?


those two words don't ever go together!

If you are determined, have a gander at Rock Direct in their Pegasus range

It all depends on what games you are going to be playing as well.

Mostly MMOs, and the next gen of MMOs, so not massivly gfx dependant.

Single player games just dont grab me anymore

 

[Rubric]

Single player games just dont grab me anymore

Get a console.

 

[Reza]

Systems

 

[Jonty]

Hi Jeros

Sorry, just a flying visit, but I'd concentrate your search on 17" notebooks. These have the space and cooling to support faster processors and better graphics cards, hence their 'desktop replacement' moniker. Most companies, such as Dell, Alienware (expensive), HP, Rock, Acer, ASUS etc. offer these kind of high-performance systems.

However, it is true that laptops are very difficult to upgrade in terms of their graphics cards, so they don't make ideal gaming systems (not that it stops people from trying, myself included ).

Kind regards

 

[Jeros]

Hi Jeros

Sorry, just a flying visit, but I'd concentrate your search on 17" notebooks. These have the space and cooling to support faster processors and better graphics cards, hence their 'desktop replacement' moniker. Most companies, such as Dell, Alienware (expensive), HP, Rock, Acer, ASUS etc. offer these kind of high-performance systems.

However, it is true that laptops are very difficult to upgrade in terms of their graphics cards, so they don't make ideal gaming systems (not that it stops people from trying, myself included ).

Kind regards

Did you manage to upgrade the gfx?

 

[Malecheon]

I think Jonty was implying that he's one of the people that tries to use a laptop for gaming, not that he had attempted to upgrade the gfx (I could be wrong though, but that's how it read to me).

I would also second the opinion to go with a 17" model, I have a HP widescreen dv9574ea which is mainly for multimedia stuff, but that I also use for WoW (which isn't exactly resource intensive, I know) and the larger size does seem to make a difference with how they have been able to do the cooling.

 

[Kryten]

Naturally cramming lots of hot stuff into a small space is never good, that's just how it works - you never see 150 people in a tiny club room with a coat on, just like you won't be getting an 8800 series card and a core2duo in a tiny laptop (for a tiny price, obviously).

Basically all laptop cooling is carried out via heatpipes which work best when spread out anyway - and the same heatpipe (1 of) often cools several parts. Most will in fact cool the graphics, cpu and system chipset too. And then you've a tiny fan taking care of extraction from there. Not ideal in any way, the object isn't to keep the hardware cool, but "under a safe temperature".

Still not many systems around with upgradable graphics cards - I've a box full of Dell graphics cards on my work desk currently, mostly for the higher end Inspiron and XPS systems. I think the quickest I've got is possibly an 8600m for an XPS laptop of some description.
I remember searching up on that laptop and it was just a shade over £1500 :/

They have been trying to rig up a "standard" for interchangable graphics cards (MXM interface) but this has already died a death to the best of my knowledge, theres not a lot of hardware around to cope with it.

 

[Jonty]

Hi Jeros

Sorry for any confusion. Malecheon is right, I meant I use my laptop as a gaming PC, not that I tried to upgrade the graphics card. However, as luck would have it, my laptop's graphics card can be upgraded (Dell sell the graphics card as a spare part and they even provide installation instructions on their website, but after that you're on your own).

Some boutique brands, like Alienware, sometimes offer upgrade services (like a pre-order option to switch an GeForce 8700M to the 8800M when it became available), but it's always best to double-check before buying. For example, Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook currently only has one fan for the graphics card, whereas their 17" XPS notebook has two, so these small details become very important later on. Notebook Forums and Notebook Review have people who know more. but the rule of thumb is to assume you won't be able to upgrade the graphics card. Some reasons why it's normally not possible:

• The size and shape of graphics cards are tailored to fit individual notebooks, so it's often physically impossible to switch them.
• Some manufacturers solder the graphics card to the motherboard to prevent them from being easily replaced (maybe Kryten knows more about this).
• Replacement graphics cards are very difficult to buy directly, and there's no guarantee the manufacturer will sell you one (Dell usually only offer this with their high-end notebooks, and even then it's only because past models have used the same chasis, but recently the designs have been different so the upgrade path is broken).
• The thermal requirements may prevent a more powerful graphics card being used (as Kryten rightly said, if there fans and heatpipes cannot provide a stable operating temperature, then the card won't function correctly).
• There are different versions of MXM (a system designed to promote interchangeable mobile graphics cards), and each revision is incompatible (so if you system shipped with an MXM III slot, it can't work with an MXM IV card).

If this is really important to you, I can only suggest researching the aforementioned brands in everybody's posts, plus the ASUS C90 notebook (a 'barebones' build-it-yourself system which offers more flexibility). The other components of a laptop are slightly easier to upgrade, but you will be still fairly limited vis-a-vis the compatible CPU and RAM options.

Ultimately, just try to buy the best you can afford and enjoy your time with it. People rarely upgrade their laptops because they understand that nothing lasts forever, and realistically you'll be looking to buy again in another 2-3 years.

Alternatively, as per Rubric's suggestion, you could buy a more modest laptop and a console for roughly the same amount of money, but I don't know how MMOs fair on consoles.

Kind regards

 

[Rubric]

Hi Jeros

Sorry for any confusion. Malecheon is right, I meant I use my laptop as a gaming PC, not that I tried to upgrade the graphics card. However, as luck would have it, my laptop's graphics card can be upgraded (Dell sell the graphics card as a spare part and they even provide installation instructions on their website, but after that you're on your own).

Some boutique brands, like Alienware, sometimes offer upgrade services (like a pre-order option to switch an GeForce 8700M to the 8800M when it became available), but it's always best to double-check before buying. For example, Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook currently only has one fan for the graphics card, whereas their 17" XPS notebook has two, so these small details become very important later on. Notebook Forums and Notebook Review have people who know more. but the rule of thumb is to assume you won't be able to upgrade the graphics card. Some reasons why it's normally not possible:

• The size and shape of graphics cards are tailored to fit individual notebooks, so it's often physically impossible to switch them.
• Some manufacturers solder the graphics card to the motherboard to prevent them from being easily replaced (maybe Kryten knows more about this).
• Replacement graphics cards are very difficult to buy directly, and there's no guarantee the manufacturer will sell you one (Dell usually only offer this with their high-end notebooks, and even then it's only because past models have used the same chasis, but recently the designs have been different so the upgrade path is broken).
• The thermal requirements may prevent a more powerful graphics card being used (as Kryten rightly said, if there fans and heatpipes cannot provide a stable operating temperature, then the card won't function correctly).
• There are different versions of MXM (a system designed to promote interchangeable mobile graphics cards), and each revision is incompatible (so if you system shipped with an MXM III slot, it can't work with an MXM IV card).

If this is really important to you, I can only suggest researching the aforementioned brands in everybody's posts, plus the ASUS C90 notebook (a 'barebones' build-it-yourself system which offers more flexibility). The other components of a laptop are slightly easier to upgrade, but you will be still fairly limited vis-a-vis the compatible CPU and RAM options.

Ultimately, just try to buy the best you can afford and enjoy your time with it. People rarely upgrade their laptops because they understand that nothing lasts forever, and realistically you'll be looking to buy again in another 2-3 years.

Alternatively, as per Rubric's suggestion, you could buy a more modest laptop and a console for roughly the same amount of money, but I don't know how MMOs fair on consoles.

Kind regards

I got a 17" Asus Aspire Laptop for £500 sometime last year. Can't remember when exactly. It came with a GEFORCE GO 6100 and runs WOW absolutely fine. But for any type of action game i have a nice little 360 elite sitting under the TV now.