Joining the PC Master Race... recommendations?

[TakeshiLive]

Wow this is exactly the kind of thread I was looking to start... I'm in the exact same boat as OP. There's a lot of useful if somewhat conflicting information on offer here.

 

[bliebblob]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I really really didn't feel like going through that much techno talk.

With regards to the graphics card you can always do what I did when picking my laptop: check benchmarking websites for rankings. They're simple rankings of all/most graphics cards based on an objective performance test. I found them very helpful to translate meaningless names like "Nvidia GTX 6500" into actually useful info like "current tenth most powerful card on the market".
PC gurus will no doubt argue it's an oversimplification, but if you're not quite on guru level it's a reasonable alternative to actually learning how a graphics card works.

 

[Colt47]

I've just gotten done with my second year of University life and I know what it's like living in a dorm room with minimal desk space. My suggestion is to not get too invested in a gaming laptop as its a clunky solution. The best I can think of is to get a lightweight notebook computer for school and invest in a mini-itx built desktop PC, as a shoe-box sized PC can pretty much fit anywhere. Also, wireless tech isn't all that bad for gaming, and the more compact logitech wireless keyboards and mice work just fine for most purposes.

The tricky part is unfortunately the monitor. Most of the dorm-room desks I've had the pleasure of using have about 28-32" length and width wise, and most monitors take up about 6 to 8 inches of depth on the table. My suggestion is to get a 22-24" monitor and either get some headphones or a pair of compact 2.0 speakers (forget the sub-woofer).

If you need someone to build it, I've had good experience with AVA direct and would personally suggest their "Nano Cube Gaming Computer System". Just be sure to pick the Silverstone Sugo SG08B with the 600w power supply and the ASUS P8Z77-I deluxe, since that will cover wireless connectivity and save you the hassle of having to pick out a reliable power supply.

 

[Daveman]

Unless you're a graphics whore or unable to lift 4 kilos then a laptop for PC gaming will be fine. Getting two computers is just stupid.

I have possibly the largest laptop you're likely to get, 4.5kg and 17" screen. It fits on desks and I can put it in a rucksack. Clearly portable enough for anyone's needs. The only other thing would be battery life but I've never needed to use a laptop in a place where there aren't plugs. Portability for you I'm guessing will be "is it easier to take to uni than a desktop, monitor, keyboard and speakers?" If you're thinking you'll take it to lectures, the only times I've seen people using their laptops in lectures were playing games on it.

Other than that I'd say minimum i5 processor, preferably >1Gb hardrive and minimum 4GB RAM. Also smaller than 15" screen is a bit rubbish but that's just my opinion.

Oh, and STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS 8!

For the record I have an Alienware Laptop. I built a PC ages ago for gaming and it was alright but the costs really aren't all that different once you add decent speakers, monitor and keyboard into the mix anyway. I first got a normal laptop (£650) just for uni and that was fine with most of the games I ran (admittedly never tried Crysis but it did everything else fine at the time) and it was cheaper than the PC I'd bought (which was built based on an article in PC gamer magazine on building a well performing cheap rig). It even ran Skyrim on low settings after being 3 years old when Skyrim was released and being dated when I bought it. It was going to be that I had laptop for uni and PC for home, but I wound up just ditching the PC. Got an Alienware laptop a year ago and it runs everything at the highest possible settings.

 

[verdant monkai]

So I'm going off to college and need a laptop. My parents and I made a deal a few years back that if I kept my grades to a certain standard then they'd get me something real nice, so money won't be too much of a problem here. The main thing is that it has to be a laptop, so, unfortunately, I can't really get a custom make.
Regardless, are there certain components I should look for in a gaming laptop? In particular I'm interested in graphics cards, since I'm the least informed with them.
Thanks for the help!

First of all don't use the race phrase. It makes PC gamers seem more like fascist cretins rather than something impressive.

One good thing to remember is that you don't need a top of the range graphics card to play top of the range games. If you want to play them on the highest SETTINGS then that's a different story.

 

[FFP2]

I use a Fujitsu AH531. 6GB ram, 750GB HDD, Win7 Home Premium... Intel HD3000

I don't know if you can call it a "gaming" laptop but it gets the job done. I play almost all games at med-low at around 24fps. It has not overheated even once in around 2 years. It's around 500$ so maybe your parents can give you the ton of money leftover?

If want something more powerful just get an Alienware. They're overpriced pieces of shit but I can't think of another "gaming" laptop.

 

[FinalHeart95]

First of all, the "master race" thing was pretty facetious. I guess I didn't make that obvious.
I'll look into getting a mini-ITX set-up. That seems like the best option at this point, although it appears there's a lack of good ones.
Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Eliam_Dar]

As advices go, and since I am sure that most of the hardware related questions have already been answered, I say, get steam, but also the wisdom to control yourself during the sales. It's quite difficult.

 

[Iron_Man_977]

If money isn't an issue I'd suggest an alienware. Their desktops are overpriced and building one is just a better experience, but for a laptop their selection is quite nice. their lowest end model can run just cause 2 at max settings last time I checked.

Alienware has a nasty (and justified) reputation of being all show, and no quality. Their products are notorious for breaking quickly.

Well one of my friends has an alienware and its worked for him no problem. He's had it for a few years now and nothing has gone wrong with it to date.

 

[Doom972]

If money isn't an issue I'd suggest an alienware. Their desktops are overpriced and building one is just a better experience, but for a laptop their selection is quite nice. their lowest end model can run just cause 2 at max settings last time I checked.

I second this.

If that's too expensive, the next best thing would be a Dell XPS, like this one [http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-l521x/pd?oc=fncwx30s&model_id=xps-15-l521x].

 

[Strazdas]

You dont want a laptop. no, you really dont. i made this mistake myself when i went off studying. i bought a laptop. and i ended up using the laptop like a PC instead of like a laptop. if you buy a laptop, you carry it around everywhere, and use it for work, not games. if you want to game back at the dorm buy a desktop. even colledge dorms are big enough for desktops. they arent that big.

Lol I wondered when the kneejerk "AVOID ALIENWARE" would pop up.

Alienware avoidance should be a mandatory sticker for any such thread.

and no matter how careful you are you will fall asleep and knock it on the floor at some point.

I have been laying in bed with a laptop for over 4 years. i have never fallen asleep with it.

 

[ResonanceSD]

You dont want a laptop. no, you really dont. i made this mistake myself when i went off studying. i bought a laptop. and i ended up using the laptop like a PC instead of like a laptop. if you buy a laptop, you carry it around everywhere, and use it for work, not games. if you want to game back at the dorm buy a desktop. even colledge dorms are big enough for desktops. they arent that big.

Lol I wondered when the kneejerk "AVOID ALIENWARE" would pop up.

Alienware avoidance should be a mandatory sticker for any such thread.

and no matter how careful you are you will fall asleep and knock it on the floor at some point.

I have been laying in bed with a laptop for over 4 years. i have never fallen asleep with it.

Why would you quote me to make a point with no substance? To make me read it? Alienware are extremely well built computers for someone who wants something that works. If you want to faff about with building your own fucking LAPTOP as the thread is centered around, then good fucking luck.

 

[Bellvedere]

When I first went to Uni I had a laptop. I pretty much used it as a desktop. I found it way too much of a pain to carry around, and the battery life sucked. If I were to do it all again, I'd use my money better and get a desktop.

Synobal has the right idea, setup a decent gaming rig and use a tablet or something light for portable computing. Packing power into a tiny space produces more heat and kills components faster. If you get a gaming laptop, don't spend much, it won't be around too long.

I agree! Tablets are fantastic for Uni/College. I can generally get away with nearly a whole week without charging mine, it's super easy to carry around and there's some great apps available (such that I can do pretty much what I want to do with the tablet in class). This afternoon in my math tute, pretty much the entire class had an iPad or similar device.

 

[Amaror]

I guess I didn't really consider putting it on the floor, but yeah, the desks in the dorms are pretty small especially once books and stuff are put on it.
Idk, say I were to look into a desktop. What should I look for in that case?

Really, i have never met anyone, that puts his desktop pc on his desk.
Just put it underneath and run your cables to the screen between desk and wall.

 

[Strazdas]

Why would you quote me to make a point with no substance? To make me read it? Alienware are extremely well built computers for someone who wants something that works. If you want to faff about with building your own fucking LAPTOP as the thread is centered around, then good fucking luck.

Alienware are well built computers, that are priced twice they are worth and you can get the same product minus the brand name for almost half as much.

I guess I didn't really consider putting it on the floor, but yeah, the desks in the dorms are pretty small especially once books and stuff are put on it.
Idk, say I were to look into a desktop. What should I look for in that case?

Really, i have never met anyone, that puts his desktop pc on his desk.
Just put it underneath and run your cables to the screen between desk and wall.

it being under the table is extremely unconfortable. the need to go under the table to reach the buttons and random kicking off power with legs is just awesome right? i actually made a special cupboard for it to hang next to a table in a place i can easily reach while sitting in front of the desk, but you cnat really build your own furniture in dorms.