Some Laptop Questions

[Quirinus]

Most newer games should support widescreen very well, especially shooters. And for the games that don't, I do not really see the problem with black bars, I could just as well complain about the black frame of my notebook.

I don't actually mind the black bars overmuch myself, just saying that if you're getting a laptop mainly for gaming, might as well save some money and buy one with a smaller screen.

The problem is that I have been unable to find any laptops with normal resolution. Thats simply because it is easier to fit a 16:10 screen ration on a laptop screen since it corresponds with the keyboard dimensions better

My laptop has the dimensions, but it's widescreen to accomodate a webcam above the screen.

[Whacker]

I don't actually mind the black bars overmuch myself, just saying that if you're getting a laptop mainly for gaming, might as well save some money and buy one with a smaller screen.

Bold underlined emphasis mine. That's always the first mistake to begin with. Never ceases to amaze me that people do this, and 99% of the time they have nothing approaching a "real" need for a laptop to begin with. One pays so much more and gets so much less, which on top of that becomes obsolete that much quicker, and it's not upgradeable at all really.

[SwordsMaster]

On a slightly related note, I'd like your advice on getting a high-performance laptop also:

My reasons are that because of my job I travel A LOT, so a desktop machine for gaming is out of the question.

Therefore: my budget is about 2000€, and my requirement is that it runs ETW smoothly, and is no bigger than 17' - otherwise it really isn't a laptop anymore.

So there, I'm admitting not to know everything and asking for help. What do you experts suggest?

[Lemur]

As I've been saying, most laptops have too much screen for their videocard, at least from a gamer's perspective. So I would go wit ha 15" laptop, not a 17". That's for starters.

This would be an example of a well-balanced gaming laptop. You can even get it with XP!

[SwordsMaster]

As I've been saying, most laptops have too much screen for their videocard, at least from a gamer's perspective. So I would go wit ha 15" laptop, not a 17". That's for starters.

This would be an example of a well-balanced gaming laptop. You can even get it with XP!

That one looks nice - pity about the very small graphic card selection and lack of delivery to europe... Are there any websites you would recommend that might deliver to ireland?

[TevashSzat]

Well, I've been researching alot of them right now and I think 2000 euro is more than enough to get a top end one. My budget is probably gonna be $1500-2000 and I've been able to find some really nice ones. I'm probably not buying one right now, but I like Vigor Gaming and this is probably the one that I would get if I got one right now:

Ares



PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile Processor T9300 at 2.50 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 6M Cache
NOTEBOOK COLOR Black
MB CORE LOGIC Intel PM965 + ICH8-M Chipset w/800MHz FSB
SCREEN SIZE 15.4" WXGA 1280x800 ClearView Glossy-Glass Wide Screen TFT LCD Display
MEMORY 4GB Kingston HyperX SODIMMKHX5300S2LLK2/4G CL4 DDR2 667MHz Memory (2 X 2048MB)
TURBO MEMORY None.
HARD DRIVE 200GB Ultra Performance S-ATA150 7200 RPM Hard Drive
VIDEO CARD nVidia GeForce Go 8600M GT 512MB DDR2 16X PCI Express DirectX 10 Ready
OPTICAL DRIVE Internal 8X Super Multi DVD+/-R/RW (4X+DL) + 24X CDRW Drive
RECORDING SOFTWARE Bundled DVD/CDRW Software
SOUND High Definition Azalia 7.1 8 Channel 3D Digital Audio w/2 Speakers
WIRELESS NETWORK WiFi Wireless Intel 3945 802.11a/b/g Wireless Card
BLUETOOTH Internal Bluetooth Module
NETWORK PORT Built-in Gigabit 10/100/1000 Mbps NIC
MODEM 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
I/O PORTS 4 USB, Firewire, VGA, Express Card Slot, and 4-in-1 Card reader for MMC/SD/MS/MS PRO
CAMERA Intergrated 2.0M High-Resolution Digital Video Camera
SECURITY Integrated Fingerprint Reader for Data Security
OPERATING SYSTEM Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit w/Original DVD
OPTIONAL MOUSE None.
EXTERNAL FLOPPY DRIVE None.
DIMENSIONS 14.25" Width X 11.25" Depth X 1.5"~1.7" Height. 7.0lbs.
MOBILE TRANSPORT Free Mobile Transport Bag (MSRP $69.99)
SERVICE Standard 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty
EXTRA BATTERY None.
STORAGE MEDIA None.
SOFTWARE BUNDLE None.
ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE None.
Price: $1556.00

Some thoughts on some boutique sellers:

Alienware: IMO, used to be very good until acquired by Dell
Falcon Northwest: Top end, but unless you got 5,000 bucks to spare, don't bother
Voodoo: Just aquired by HP, booo. Envy is basically the pc equivalent of Mac Air. Its actually smaller than the Mac too
Velocity Micro: Pretty good, pricing is not bad either
Vigor Gaming: IMO, they give you a great bang for your buck. Very competetive pricing

[Lemur]

That one looks nice - pity about the very small graphic card selection and lack of delivery to europe... Are there any websites you would recommend that might deliver to ireland?

I'll look into it for you, but don't forget you can always have a trusted friend in the U.S.A. take delivery and then ship it over to the Emerald Isle.

If either ibuypower.com or cyberpower.com ship to Yurup, they would be good options.

-edit-

As for the "small" graphics selection, the current top of the line is the 9800-M GTX. If you can find that card in a 15.4" laptop, and get it with Windows XP (10%–20% faster than Vista in games), you will have an unbridled gaming beast.

-edit of the edit-

Here you go, this is the droid you're looking for. 15.4" screen, top-end graphics card, ships with XP if you ask nicely, and the company has offices in the United Kingdom, which implies they'll sell to you.

You're welcome. And kids, remember, don't game on a laptop unless you have no other choice. Listen to your Uncle Whacker like good little scamps.

-edit of the edit of the edit-

Here's another U.K. vendor, offering a very good gaming laptop. Remember to ask for Windows XP, or you'll regret it. I fitted one out with all of the gaming goodies — big 7200 RPM hard drive, Windows XP, the best 9800 graphics chip, the lowest-resolution screen, and it clocked in at £1464.67. I'm hoping that's good.

[SwordsMaster]

Lemur, thanks for that. I officially owe you a pint. Let me know when you want to collect.

PS: How can you actually order on the Clevo site?

[Quirinus]

Bold underlined emphasis mine. That's always the first mistake to begin with. Never ceases to amaze me that people do this, and 99% of the time they have nothing approaching a "real" need for a laptop to begin with. One pays so much more and gets so much less, which on top of that becomes obsolete that much quicker, and it's not upgradeable at all really.

I dunno about TevashSzat, but I bought a laptop and not a desktop because I study out of town, and go back home for the holidays-- can't lug a whole set of desktop around, I imagine quite a few students have "gaming" laptops for this reason as well. 99% is an exaggeration, much?

[SwordsMaster]

Just to avoid being murdered by Lemur's henchmen, I'm letting him know I'll probably be in NY around Christmas, so I've postponed the purchase of the laptop until then. Besides I also thought I'd want one with a spanish keyboard layout.

Probably a good thing too, to buy it during holiday and not work days...