Alright folks, I need some consumer advice on a new latptop- I'm looking for a new machine that can support Starcraft II, Call of Duty MW3, etc.. while i'll be out of the country on a work assignment. I'm not looking for a Korean Pro machine here or anything, but something that will be capable of handling new game releases in 5 years. I've been looking at Alienware, Doghouse Systems, and whatever pops on google, but somewhat aimlessly as I'm not the most hardware savvy of all. Doing the custom build, Alienware's M14x ends up costing me about $2.8K going middle of the road on hardware options- surely there is a comparable machine at a decreased cost. So I'm asking for any advice; brands, buyers guides, websites, etc. Thanks
nothing in PC gaming lasts 5 years... but check out ibuypower.com or cyberpowerpc.com for comparable alienware specs without the brand mark up
A month or two ago I got an Asus G73SW-A1. I love it. Here are the specs. I bought it from Pro-Star.com. They let you add/subtract options. I changed out the LAN and expanded the RAM to 16GB for about $1900. It's a little cheaper now it looks like. It kicks serious ass. They have a version of this one with a 3D screen too. Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz Quad-Core with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz); 8GB DDR3 1333MHz (4 x 2GB SODIMM Sockets, up to 16GB) Nvidia GTX 460M Graphics with 1.5GB GDDR5; 1TB Hybrid HDD/SSD (2x 500GB 7200RPM/4GB SSD) Blue-Ray Combo Drive; Illuminated Keyboard; 1x USB 3.0 + 3x USB 2.0 Ports; 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth; 8-in-1 Card Reader; Gigabit LAN 17.3-Inch Full HD (1920x1080) LED Display; 2.0M Webcam; Gaming Backpack and Mouse 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty and 2 Year Standard Warranty Included
I was just looking over some Asus products, actually. What are you playing and are you able to run the games to your desired graphics levels? Thanks for a specific machine recommendation.
I'm not a big gamer but I have played Call of Duty on it and it ran great with everything maxed out. I've been able to run multiple programs all together without even a moment's lag... dreamweaver, photoshop, itunes, office. I've never had a computer that could run so much stuff simultaneously, it's awesome.
ASUS K53SV, costs around $850 Processor Intel® Core™ i5 2410M Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium Chipset Intel® HM65 Express Chipset Memory 6GB DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM,2 x SO-DIMM socket for expansion up to 8 G SDRAM Display 15.6" 16:9 HD (1366x768) LED backlit Graphic NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M with 1GB/2GB DDR3 VRAM Storage 2.5" SATA 640GB 5400rpm http://www.amazon.com/K53SV-A1-15-6...ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1306120507&sr=1-1
and you can check the quality of any graphic cards for laptops here http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-540M.41715.0.html
Lenovo ThinkPad X220 <iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKAeXgCZP94" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2TbAd-KlA4M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Not to crap on your selection, considering X220 is a fantastic work machine with incomparable battery life and screen quality, but it's got integrated graphics and a 12.5" screen. In 1 year it will basically be unable to play any modern games. My last machine was a Clevo/Sager NP8660; just an incredible machine for gaming on. Highly recommend XOTICPC.com. It's pretty hard to recommend a machine without knowing the screen size you want, weight, total cost, etc. In general, always skimp on RAM, because you can always buy more at cheaper than what the manufacturer charges you, get the 2nd best graphics card money can buy for best cost effectiveness, and save at least $200 for a SSD; you'll thank me later. Try posting in this forum, usually the readers give excellent advice. http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/
I'm not a gamer, but I just got a new laptop from work and I have to brag a little. Its a lenovo w520 with an i7 quad-core processor and 16 gigs of ram. It hauls butt.
Is this for gaming in hotel rooms, or will you be moving somewhere long-term? If the later, you might want to consider a small form factor desktop instead.
Agreed. However, Im being transferred to Mexico (a relatively safer area than the boarder towns) for six months. Once I get back I'm going to wish I had an upgradable desktop, but to eat up some time over these next six months, I've turned to laptops as an alternative.
