Buying a gaming laptop help?

[rmb1983]

Alternatively, you can also opt for mATX cases, if you're willing to go that route. One that immediately comes to mind is something a friend of mine had a few years ago; we called it his EZ-Bake PC (it was about the exact size of the EZ-Bake Oven toy). It decreases the flexibility you'd get from a desktop, due to some size constraints (particularly with your GPU), but does make toting it around quite a bit less of a hassle.

Nice, I haven't actually ever seen an EZ-Bake Oven (I live in the UK), but google says they're about 7.88 X 15.88 X 8.56 (I presume inches) I hope it didn't heat up like an oven! Something around that size wouldn't be bad.

But any idea how much you EZ-PC weighed?
Something like that would mainly be competing with something like an Xbox 360 that is about 4.5kg (32lbs) with the power brick.

Maybe about 6-7 lbs. It was about five years ago, so I'll look for a link of a similar model, since I'm going to assume the precise one has been discontinued for ages.
EDIT: Very similar to this [http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60089], with the exception that his was originally purple and flat-gray (hence our token name for it), and he ended up disassembling and re-painting it. So, about 10 lbs, then.
As far as the EZ-Bake Oven [http://www.thecookinginn.com/tciimages/hasbro_oven2.jpg], on the other hand...This is the model I seem to recall from the 80's. A couple cousins had them; I can't comment on what the food turned out like. Boys and girls at that age, you know.

 

[Treblaine]

Alternatively, you can also opt for mATX cases, if you're willing to go that route. One that immediately comes to mind is something a friend of mine had a few years ago; we called it his EZ-Bake PC (it was about the exact size of the EZ-Bake Oven toy). It decreases the flexibility you'd get from a desktop, due to some size constraints (particularly with your GPU), but does make toting it around quite a bit less of a hassle.

Nice, I haven't actually ever seen an EZ-Bake Oven (I live in the UK), but google says they're about 7.88 X 15.88 X 8.56 (I presume inches) I hope it didn't heat up like an oven! Something around that size wouldn't be bad.

But any idea how much you EZ-PC weighed?
Something like that would mainly be competing with something like an Xbox 360 that is about 4.5kg (32lbs) with the power brick.

Maybe about 6-7 lbs. It was about five years ago, so I'll look for a link of a similar model, since I'm going to assume the precise one has been discontinued for ages.
EDIT: Very similar to this [http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60089], with the exception that his was originally purple and flat-gray (hence our token name for it), and he ended up disassembling and re-painting it. So, about 10 lbs, then.
As far as the EZ-Bake Oven [http://www.thecookinginn.com/tciimages/hasbro_oven2.jpg], on the other hand...This is the model I seem to recall from the 80's. A couple cousins had them; I can't comment on what the food turned out like. Boys and girls at that age, you know.

10lbs ain't bad, it ain't light but it's on par with a games console.

Got a spec sheet to follow. Like did you use a small factor PSU, what sized GPUs are cut out and could you still squeeze in a disc drive.

 

[brumby]

Really consider why you need a gaming laptop. Are you really going to be gaming anywhere except your one bedroom/ study?

I don't think so.

Why not have both! Build yourself a decent gaming desktop and with the money you saved, buy yourself a netbook / shitty notebook to take to class.

Gaming Laptops aren't the kind of thing you want to lug around all day at uni. They're heavy and often have a smaller battery life, even when your doing simpler tasks. When your buying a gaming laptop, you're getting a really tiny screen. Moving from a 17.3" screen (such as the Asus g17) to a nice 24" is pure bliss.

In terms of performance, a desktop is considerably better. My 3 year old desktop that I built for $1100 AUS will still beat the G73 in any benchmark by a wide margin. It gets a 3dMarkVantage score of around 12,000. 3dMark is a well respected synthetic benchmark. Here is a link to benchmarks for the G73"http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?p=22818"
8-9K ?? That's pathetic.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

SAGER is the company I went with. A variety of big powerful laptops of the 17-19 inch screen flavors. They basically use cheep cleavo cases and fill 'em with arguably some of the most top of the range hardware you can afford. Processors are standard fare (i7 M640 @ 2.88GHz and 3.4GHz turbo mode for mine ) and GPUs are the same (M425 for me w/ 1gb vram in mine) Although if you've got the cash you can get yourself some SLI in the big systems.

Sagers are whitebook/barebones Lenovo laptops with good kit dropped in them.

 

[rmb1983]

Alternatively, you can also opt for mATX cases, if you're willing to go that route. One that immediately comes to mind is something a friend of mine had a few years ago; we called it his EZ-Bake PC (it was about the exact size of the EZ-Bake Oven toy). It decreases the flexibility you'd get from a desktop, due to some size constraints (particularly with your GPU), but does make toting it around quite a bit less of a hassle.

Nice, I haven't actually ever seen an EZ-Bake Oven (I live in the UK), but google says they're about 7.88 X 15.88 X 8.56 (I presume inches) I hope it didn't heat up like an oven! Something around that size wouldn't be bad.

But any idea how much you EZ-PC weighed?
Something like that would mainly be competing with something like an Xbox 360 that is about 4.5kg (32lbs) with the power brick.

Maybe about 6-7 lbs. It was about five years ago, so I'll look for a link of a similar model, since I'm going to assume the precise one has been discontinued for ages.
EDIT: Very similar to this [http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60089], with the exception that his was originally purple and flat-gray (hence our token name for it), and he ended up disassembling and re-painting it. So, about 10 lbs, then.
As far as the EZ-Bake Oven [http://www.thecookinginn.com/tciimages/hasbro_oven2.jpg], on the other hand...This is the model I seem to recall from the 80's. A couple cousins had them; I can't comment on what the food turned out like. Boys and girls at that age, you know.

10lbs ain't bad, it ain't light but it's on par with a games console.

Got a spec sheet to follow. Like did you use a small factor PSU, what sized GPUs are cut out and could you still squeeze in a disc drive.

I don't, no. Like I said, it was a friend's system, and I'm not sure on what he was working with, at the time. I haven't looked into mATX cases at all since that time period, so I really have no idea on where cut-outs lie, with parts today.
At the time, though, some of the higher-end nVidia and ATI GPUs had an arbitrary size restriction, in that they were simply too long for the case itself. A couple of them fit snugly, but that was a whole different bag of marbles; you'd end up choosing a lesser performance or costlier card simply to accommodate. There wasn't much in way of motherboard selection for mATX that was worthwhile at the time, either, so that presented another issue. He managed to build a fairly decent system, as far as the PC games we were playing at the time, but it did limit his options.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I don't think you can build a laptop from individual components.

You can but I wouldn't advise it.

Finding a parts supplier is a pain in the arse.
Part compatability with mobo and case severe cuts down options.
Unlike desktops it's more expensive to DIY a laptop - parts cost a premium.
Working on a laptop's guts is fiddly as all fuck and you'll hate yourself for it.


Of course, there's also the option for crazy people to build themselves a portable desktop... which can range from a LAN rig with a swingout 15-19" monitor mounted on the side of the case to building a full desktop into an oversized briefcase.

 

[Wilko316]

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/gaminglaptops.asp

These are only for quite a large budget but these are amazing laptops for all your gaming needs.

off topic a bit, but go to that link, and look at the price for the laptop labeled "desktop replacement"
i Lol'd
on topic
MSI makes decent gaming laptops, asus is ok as well

Not really off topic, LightningBanks is looking for a gaming laptop and those are some awesome gaming laptops, also yeah the prices are pretty 0.o.

I agree with you though on your choices.

 

[LightningBanks]

The thing is have you done ANY gaming on a laptop before? Because there are a few

Yes I have, my old laptop which wasnt designed for gaming at all, but I got introduced into steam, bought half life 1, then killing floor and team fortress 2. My love for TF2 quadrupled after playing the PC version (and I loved it as it is), proved by my willingness to play on a extremely choppy laptop, got me into gaming pc's at the start.

I play alot of laptop gaming when I visit my mother. So I am used to it, to be fair my monitors not much bigger than most laptop screens anyway.

Depending on your situation you might also be better off with a netbook (or cheap laptop) and a desktop PC and console for gaming. However, there are also many circumstances where having a gaming laptop is the best way to go.

I think the best solution for this arrangement is to buy a cheap netbook, and build a good desktop.

The problem id, I MAY be needing the mobility indefintately. This is because I live in the UK atm, but may be travelling/moving to the USA for uni, in which case Ill be moving state/travelling back to the UK alot, for a few days minimum. If this does happen, a laptop might be the only way to go.

When I started this thread, I did have my mind set on getting a gaming laptop. Thanks to your help, I have decided that, if I stay here, I will get a desktop/netbook combination. BUt the main thing that got me thinking about a gaming laptop was moving to the states, so thats why I MAY be needing mobility.

Also, when I started this trhead, it was alot more likely I was moving. That chance has decreased slightly, though not enough to make it insignificant.

Just thought I'd clear that up, you guys have been great so far (bar one troll) and any mroe help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Treblaine]

The thing is have you done ANY gaming on a laptop before? Because there are a few

Yes I have, my old laptop which wasnt designed for gaming at all, but I got introduced into steam, bought half life 1, then killing floor and team fortress 2. My love for TF2 quadrupled after playing the PC version (and I loved it as it is), proved by my willingness to play on a extremely choppy laptop, got me into gaming pc's at the start.

I play alot of laptop gaming when I visit my mother. So I am used to it, to be fair my monitors not much bigger than most laptop screens anyway.

I suppose a better question is "Laptop PC gaming vs Desktop gaming".

I am spoiled with a huge 24" monitor, it REALLY does make a difference for gaming, I'll tell you. Beyond graphics specs all else is not equal on PC gaming. The ergonomics of the setup matter a lot as well.

 

[Andrew Hennessey]

Alienware
http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptops.aspx
Note the 11x has no disk drive

 

[Dissolve]

>>>>PLEASE HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE<<<<

I've been at a university for 3 years now, and will be graduating next year. I decided to buy a gaming laptop, and now I am seriously regretting it. The biggest problem is that most gaming laptops are very hard to mod (I know there are exceptions), and you will absolutely always get more bang for your buck in a custom-made gaming desktop. Since buying it, I've been struggling with playing high-tier titles, and often have to play everyday games on medium to low graphics settings.

Here's the solution:
BUY A NETBOOK AND A DESKTOP. A cheap netbook from asus will set you back 300 bucks, and that's all you need for classwork. Assuming a $1,500 desktop and $300 netbook isn't in your budget, just buy the netbook now, and wait until christmas to buy your desktop (cheaper components).

TL; DR
NETBOOK + DESKTOP > GAMING LAPTOP

 

[Mr Jack]

Snip

Well, I know too little about what gaming laptops are available to offer any useful advice, I hope you find a good one. If you do decide to build a desktop, feel free to ask me for advice if you need it.

Good luck.

 

[Rastrelly]

I didn't get one thing: WHY do you need a gaming laptop? They usually don't pay off. Cost of miniaturization is unavoidable less "mighty" hardware, higher risks of overheating and, in fact, large scale and weight. Maybe it would be more effective to buy a normal stationary PC?