Getting a Laptop Soon
I'm getting a laptop pretty soon, hopefully a decent one for gaming. Now, I know if I made it a desktop I can get the same specs for half the cost, but there are a few reasons.
1. My parents are specifically paying for a laptop. They assume I'll need one when I get a job and possibly move out, since I'm graduating soon.
Yes, I'm 24 and still live with my parents. They won't let me leave o_O and why give up free room, food, and board?
2. I told them a new desktop would probably be better for my purposes, but my mom just stared at me. "But the computer you're using now is perfectly fine."
3. They somehow think I want a Macbook because I use my brother's when I get up in the morning. It's not because I want to --- it's just less likely to wake my brother up in the morning. Plus the laptop is set up in a better location than my desktop.
The desktop I'm using right now is a Dell e510. It's about 5 years old. It's actually not bad, all things considered.
From someone's flickr album.
But the CD Rom drive rarely works. In fact, it was never hooked up internally when I received the computer. How fail is that? Especially since opening the case voided the warranty =/
But my main problem with it is the noise. I have nicknamed it the Dell Noisyfan™. On bad days it sounds like a jet engine turbine ready for takeoff. I'm serious. I haven't played music in any game for the last 2 years because I can't hear it over the fan without blaring it. Blaring the music isn't a good idea because my parents go to bed early and I'd rather not piss them off. Headphones are too hard to manage because the port is too far for the cord to reach.
See that little opening there with the wire mesh in the picture? My mom's little bird loves to sleep in there, but only when the fan is on full blast and loud. Strange little creature.
I -have- upgraded the RAM on this thing, but that hasn't helped at all.
Though, of course, a laptop is not necessarily quieter.
I spent a while googling up for laptop deals. First, I looked at Alienware, because they are reputed to be the best for gaming rigs.
From Digitoneonline.
Base Specs
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.4GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 250GB 7,200RPM
Screen: 17" WSXGA+ 1440x900 (900p)
USB Ports: 5
Warranty: 1 yr. Basic (In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis)
Base Price: $1,799 USD
The i5 is a dual-core CPU.
Good, yes, overpriced and flashy, also yes. Do not want. Plus they are Dell. I don't trust their fan noise ;)
Especially when you can get an equivalent system for $200-500 cheaper. But, you know, without the flashy Alienware logo or backlights.
Then I found the MSI Gx640.
From Xotic PC.
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit w/System Recovery Partition + Drivers & Utilities Disk
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-430M 2.26GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 500GB 7200RPM
Screen: 15.4" WSXGA 1680x1050
USB Ports: 3
Warranty: 3 yr. US Parts & Labor, 1 yr. global. 1 yr. accidental damage (w/ registration)
Base Price: $1,159
Add $260 to match the Alienware's CPU.
Good specs, but... well, I don't really like the look of the thing.
That garish red. Bleahh. Plus the Fn key is in the corner. That would not do at all. I need my Ctrl key there.
There is also the Sager NP8760.
From PCgamingcorner.
Base Specs:
OS: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.4GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
HD: 320GB 7200RPM
Screen: 17.3" FHD Glossy (1920x1080)
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 1 yr., (3 yr. if bought at xoticpc)
Base Price: $1,379
The Sager I'm looking at on xoticpc.com doesn't come with an Operating System. What the heck? I could easily create a pirated install disk but why go to all that trouble? And I'm not adding +100 or whatever for something that should be standard. That's like paying extra for the base hard drive.
It looks like a normal notebook, which is a plus in my book. Same CPU and GPU as the Alienware, too, and faster RAM. Plus it gets that target 1080 resolution.
Next is the Qosmio x505-Q870.
From Toshiba's retail website
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM 1.6GHz
GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 360M
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 500GB 7200RPM
Screen: 18.4" 1680x945 (720p)
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 1 yr. Parts and Labor, 1 yr. Battery
Base Price: $1,399 at Toshiba's website.
It has a quad core CPU, so it's better than the previous laptops.
And an NVIDIA GPU. I don't know how it compares to the ATI card that the other laptops have. But these people have unanimously voted in favor of the ATI HD 5870.
Plus it's red =/ and it's huge! 18 inches is going to be a bit hard to carry around. Though, I don't plan on carrying it around anyway.
The one that currently has my eye is the Asus G73HJ.
From xoticpc.com
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM 1.6GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 8GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: Variable
Screen: 17.3" 1920x1080
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 2 yr. global, 1 yr. accidental damage (w/ registration)
Base Price: $1,549 (w/o BluRay drive, +$100 with it)
Quad core like the Qosmio, but the design looks better (i.e. not red). The 8GB of RAM is more than anyone would ever need, really... And this thing can't do RAID, not that I ever used that anyway.
If bought at Bestbuy, the resolution is smaller and it lacks the warranty (fail?). So the best bet is to get it online.
There are a lot of different versions of this system based on the hard-drive size and BluRay options. The A1 has a terrabyte of HD space and a BluRay drive. The A2 lacks the BluRay. The X1 and X2 are the same but with half the HD space. The X3 has no BluRay drive and 640 GB.
Some versions come with a mouse and backpack, too.
Or I could get a Macbook.
Uh, no thanks. Gaming is primarily on Windows, and having to use Bootcamp all the time is super-annoying.
1. My parents are specifically paying for a laptop. They assume I'll need one when I get a job and possibly move out, since I'm graduating soon.
Yes, I'm 24 and still live with my parents. They won't let me leave o_O and why give up free room, food, and board?
2. I told them a new desktop would probably be better for my purposes, but my mom just stared at me. "But the computer you're using now is perfectly fine."
3. They somehow think I want a Macbook because I use my brother's when I get up in the morning. It's not because I want to --- it's just less likely to wake my brother up in the morning. Plus the laptop is set up in a better location than my desktop.
The desktop I'm using right now is a Dell e510. It's about 5 years old. It's actually not bad, all things considered.
From someone's flickr album.
But the CD Rom drive rarely works. In fact, it was never hooked up internally when I received the computer. How fail is that? Especially since opening the case voided the warranty =/
But my main problem with it is the noise. I have nicknamed it the Dell Noisyfan™. On bad days it sounds like a jet engine turbine ready for takeoff. I'm serious. I haven't played music in any game for the last 2 years because I can't hear it over the fan without blaring it. Blaring the music isn't a good idea because my parents go to bed early and I'd rather not piss them off. Headphones are too hard to manage because the port is too far for the cord to reach.
See that little opening there with the wire mesh in the picture? My mom's little bird loves to sleep in there, but only when the fan is on full blast and loud. Strange little creature.
I -have- upgraded the RAM on this thing, but that hasn't helped at all.
Though, of course, a laptop is not necessarily quieter.
I spent a while googling up for laptop deals. First, I looked at Alienware, because they are reputed to be the best for gaming rigs.
From Digitoneonline.
Base Specs
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.4GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 250GB 7,200RPM
Screen: 17" WSXGA+ 1440x900 (900p)
USB Ports: 5
Warranty: 1 yr. Basic (In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis)
Base Price: $1,799 USD
The i5 is a dual-core CPU.
Good, yes, overpriced and flashy, also yes. Do not want. Plus they are Dell. I don't trust their fan noise ;)
Especially when you can get an equivalent system for $200-500 cheaper. But, you know, without the flashy Alienware logo or backlights.
Then I found the MSI Gx640.
From Xotic PC.
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit w/System Recovery Partition + Drivers & Utilities Disk
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-430M 2.26GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 500GB 7200RPM
Screen: 15.4" WSXGA 1680x1050
USB Ports: 3
Warranty: 3 yr. US Parts & Labor, 1 yr. global. 1 yr. accidental damage (w/ registration)
Base Price: $1,159
Add $260 to match the Alienware's CPU.
Good specs, but... well, I don't really like the look of the thing.
That garish red. Bleahh. Plus the Fn key is in the corner. That would not do at all. I need my Ctrl key there.
There is also the Sager NP8760.
From PCgamingcorner.
Base Specs:
OS: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.4GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
HD: 320GB 7200RPM
Screen: 17.3" FHD Glossy (1920x1080)
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 1 yr., (3 yr. if bought at xoticpc)
Base Price: $1,379
The Sager I'm looking at on xoticpc.com doesn't come with an Operating System. What the heck? I could easily create a pirated install disk but why go to all that trouble? And I'm not adding +100 or whatever for something that should be standard. That's like paying extra for the base hard drive.
It looks like a normal notebook, which is a plus in my book. Same CPU and GPU as the Alienware, too, and faster RAM. Plus it gets that target 1080 resolution.
Next is the Qosmio x505-Q870.
From Toshiba's retail website
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM 1.6GHz
GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 360M
RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: 500GB 7200RPM
Screen: 18.4" 1680x945 (720p)
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 1 yr. Parts and Labor, 1 yr. Battery
Base Price: $1,399 at Toshiba's website.
It has a quad core CPU, so it's better than the previous laptops.
And an NVIDIA GPU. I don't know how it compares to the ATI card that the other laptops have. But these people have unanimously voted in favor of the ATI HD 5870.
Plus it's red =/ and it's huge! 18 inches is going to be a bit hard to carry around. Though, I don't plan on carrying it around anyway.
The one that currently has my eye is the Asus G73HJ.
From xoticpc.com
Base Specs:
OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM 1.6GHz
GPU: 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
RAM: 8GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
HD: Variable
Screen: 17.3" 1920x1080
USB Ports: 4
Warranty: 2 yr. global, 1 yr. accidental damage (w/ registration)
Base Price: $1,549 (w/o BluRay drive, +$100 with it)
Quad core like the Qosmio, but the design looks better (i.e. not red). The 8GB of RAM is more than anyone would ever need, really... And this thing can't do RAID, not that I ever used that anyway.
If bought at Bestbuy, the resolution is smaller and it lacks the warranty (fail?). So the best bet is to get it online.
There are a lot of different versions of this system based on the hard-drive size and BluRay options. The A1 has a terrabyte of HD space and a BluRay drive. The A2 lacks the BluRay. The X1 and X2 are the same but with half the HD space. The X3 has no BluRay drive and 640 GB.
Some versions come with a mouse and backpack, too.
Or I could get a Macbook.
Uh, no thanks. Gaming is primarily on Windows, and having to use Bootcamp all the time is super-annoying.
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