Gaming Laptop Recommendation

5

5ive

New Member
Hello all,

I'm new to the boards here, and I'm looking for some advice. I know, I know...you guys probably see hundreds of these type of threads, but...

Here's the deal. I'm in need of a new computer. My desktop is an older, retail box that I got from my father-in-law. My old computer, which was in need of some upgrading anyway took a dump on me right at the end of last semester. In a panic, I got this older Compaq from my father-in-law (he's a dev for his company, so he's got at least a half dozen machines at his house. some he uses, some he doesn't). So he gave me this Compaq desktop that he's had nothing but problem with (not surprising, given it's a Compaq), and told me that if I got it running, it was mine.

My plan had been to basically gut it, and bring it up to speed with a new CPU/ mobo, new HD, new RAM, and an 8800. The problem with that is that I don't want to spend hours on end stuck in the back office playing games. So that brings me to the laptop.

I know laptops aren't the ideal gaming rig, and I know I could rebuild my desktop for about 1/2 the price of a laptop, but a new laptop is looking like the way to go. I'm sure the wife would rather I not spend the entire summer gaming in the back office. I was looking on CyberPower, and it looks like they've got some pretty good deals, but my question is on the GPU's.

Will a 7600 give me solid performance for WOW & some FPS (mainly America's Army)? Or should I be looking at the 7900 or 7950? I know the 7900 would obviously be better, but I'd like to do this for a little money as possible, say under $1200. Also, I'm not sure whether I should go for more RAM, or more processor. The problem is that America's Army tends to be a little more processor dependent then most games.

I'm basically looking for suggestions on the GPU, and good place to buy.

Thanks in advance for any help/ suggestions.
 
The 7600 could give you pretty decent frame rates, if you go with a good processor and a decent amount of ram. I think you'll have to go a little over 1200 though, maybe around 1300-1600, depending on how you configure it. Go with the HP dv9000 series, you can get a pretty good price on a laptop with 256 mb 7600.
 
For your price range, the 7600 or an X1600 are going to be your best bets. You should be able to run WoW and AA very well. Keep in mind that WoW needs alot of RAM as well. Vista might put a damper on different games though, for instance I can run Dawn of War (all three versions) and SupCom on my laptop no problems but WoW sputters about at a 35-40 fps average (disheartening when your used to a steady 50-60 on max settings) and I run on a Go7700.

As for brands, why not look up Asus (I toot their horn because my G1 is AMAZING!), I think they have several models available to you in your price range.
 
Thanks for the replies.

HumanMage said:
As for brands, why not look up Asus (I toot their horn because my G1 is AMAZING!), I think they have several models available to you in your price range.
Click to expand...

I ran across a site that has barebone Asus laptops. configured one with:
C2D T5500 667 FSB
2 GB 667 RAM
x1600
120 GB HD
for a little over $1100.

so that's definately an option.

CPTMuller said:
Look into the dell inspiron e1705 model with a 7900gs go. www.notebookforums.com lists coupons for dell whenever they come about you could get one for say 1300$
Click to expand...

hmm...very interesting. i wasn't really thinking about a 17". do the 7900's need to go into 17" notebooks (size? heat?)? i don't think i've seen them offered in any 15".

I configured a e1705 with
DUO T2300 533 FSB
2 GB 533 RAM
GO 7900GS
80GB HD
for right around 1250.
and i found a couple of them on the dell outlet (little better cpu & HD) for under 1200.

so i guess the question here is, does the 7900 offset the slower bus speed? i'm not sure if there will be a noticeable difference, thoughts?
 
I think that it doesn't much matter the bus speed and if you can get C2D and upgrade the ram yourself you would be better off doing that.
 
the laptop in my sig plays wow and css while listening to music and having numerous of other programs open at once flawlessly.. i also run a hdmi cable from my laptop to my 32" hdtv and play it on their
 
I have the laptop I reccomended and agree with the guy above me, there are alot of things you can do with 1gig of ram and PD if you are on abudget
Though the 7900GS GO is a superb card, definately worth the upgrade.
 
for 17inch Dell has the best GPU chipset available for the price range. Though on newegg there is a 14.1" laptop for 1250-1400$ with an Nvidia Geforce Go 7700 or a Mobility Radeon x1700, both of which are pretty good cards.
 
thanks Bramp, that's very similar to the Asus barebones i configured on another site. The one i configured was a little cheaper, but it had a 7600/ 1600 (can't remember which) instead of the 1700.

the problem is, i can get a similarly spec'ed out e1705...a little less processor, a little more RAM, a little smaller HD, but 7200 vs 5400rpm, and so on...for cheaper then that, and of course it comes with the GO 7900...but it's a Dell.

i'm still a little leary of Dell.
 
you may want to wait another month or two when santa rosa comes out, you may be able to find current laptops on sale, or possibly better specked santa rosa platforms for the same price? :D
 
I agree, santa rosa will bring alot of laptop changes, it is a pretty big deal as of right now, DEFINATELY worth the wait to itleast see what happens.
 
i've been reading about the new santa rosa laptops. any guesses when we'll see those in significant numbers? any guesses on what it will do to prices of older laptops?

i know the general concensus is that they will only be a few hundred bucks more, but i'm already stretching my budget. but the new socket may be enough of a reason to wait.

any idea of how the new go8600's will perform?
 
My whole message got deleted due to a Dell laptop. It was a rant about their shoddy quality and my awful experience, coincidence?

Anyhow. DX10 is impossible to gauge. We have no expierience with the games which can only lead to speculations, accurate or not it is hard to tell. Personally I wait until I see real world application until Im sure, unless it is from ati =P.
 
well, look at the computer in my sig. its from cyberpower, runs counterstrike on full graphics etc, and the 7600 runs all the best games out at the moment, but when my 1 year warrantee is up im sticking the 7950 gtx or whichever the best they have out then is. i say go for the 2 gb ram, thats worth it, but i find the processor overkill, mine works great, What is lag, anyway? :) so yeah, cyberpower is a great company, my notebook works great, and very upgradable.
 
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