So i'm thinking about getting a gaming laptop...

I've been looking at the Alienware M11x as its got really nice reviews and it plays all the games I'm interested in like SWTOR and Skyrim but one thing I can't seem to find any information on is there a huge difference between the Intel Core i3 and the i5 & i7? Would the games I mentioned run on highest settings smoothly on the i3? Getting the i5 or i7 bumps its price up considerably so if I can get away with sticking to the i3 i'd like to...

Thanks :)

i'd get i5 w/ quad cpus. i3 is dual core only i believe

and i don't think i3 turbos

Does it have to be a laptop? Desktop>>Laptop for gaming no doubt.V4LENT1NE

i'd get i5 w/ quad cpus. i3 is dual core only i believe

and i don't think i3 turbos

JigglyWiggly_

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"]

i'd get i5 w/ quad cpus. i3 is dual core only i believe

and i don't think i3 turbos

C_Rule

I've been looking at the Alienware M11x as its got really nice reviews and it plays all the games I'm interested in like SWTOR and Skyrim but one thing I can't seem to find any information on is there a huge difference between the Intel Core i3 and the i5 & i7? Would the games I mentioned run on highest settings smoothly on the i3? Getting the i5 or i7 bumps its price up considerably so if I can get away with sticking to the i3 i'd like to...

Thanks :)

metalicelvis

[QUOTE="metalicelvis"]

I've been looking at the Alienware M11x as its got really nice reviews and it plays all the games I'm interested in like SWTOR and Skyrim but one thing I can't seem to find any information on is there a huge difference between the Intel Core i3 and the i5 & i7? Would the games I mentioned run on highest settings smoothly on the i3? Getting the i5 or i7 bumps its price up considerably so if I can get away with sticking to the i3 i'd like to...

Thanks :)

killswitch88

There really is something nice about a device that has its own monitor so you can move it and stuff. Well for me anyway, especially in like uni n stuff.

[QUOTE="killswitch88"][QUOTE="metalicelvis"]

I've been looking at the Alienware M11x as its got really nice reviews and it plays all the games I'm interested in like SWTOR and Skyrim but one thing I can't seem to find any information on is there a huge difference between the Intel Core i3 and the i5 & i7? Would the games I mentioned run on highest settings smoothly on the i3? Getting the i5 or i7 bumps its price up considerably so if I can get away with sticking to the i3 i'd like to...

Thanks :)

JigglyWiggly_

There really is something nice about a device that has its own monitor so you can move it and stuff. Well for me anyway, especially in like uni n stuff.

Get a desktop if you can; you'll thank yourself later. There is a huge difference between the i3, i5 and i7 models, however I don't see any modern PC game running at highest settings on a laptop (unless they squeeze desktop grade components in it).

An i7 3612qm with 7970m or gtx680m should score around 4700 in 3dmark11. Now that is close to a desktop 6950.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]Does it have to be a laptop? Desktop>>Laptop for gaming no doubt.JigglyWiggly_

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"][QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]Does it have to be a laptop? Desktop>>Laptop for gaming no doubt.V4LENT1NE

This is what I'm getting soon http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1798036&CatId=4938Van_SteubenZ

Circuit City? What the hell? That's still a thing?

[QUOTE="Van_SteubenZ"]This is what I'm getting soon http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1798036&CatId=4938Masenkoe

Circuit City? What the hell? That's still a thing?

Thanks for the replies but no one has actually said whether or not those games will play on that system lol...

A few more points I should mention is that travel is actually an issue as I basically live between two houses in which im constantly going between the two, so yeah having a laptop is pretty much needed. I realise desktop gaming is a lot better but also I have no space to keep a desktop as I already have an iMac that I use for work and nowhere else to put one really.

I don't really know that much about computers and I certainly have no intention of lifting the hood and replacing parts.

yes they will run i'd still recommend an i7 2670 though, will make your laptop last a lot longerJigglyWiggly_

Just looked at the MSI laptop and im confused now could you point out which would be better?

Alienware M11x (£779)

Intel Core i5 2467m (1.6GHz, 3MB Cache) with 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M

4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]

750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive

The MSI Laptop (£569)

Screen Size - 15.6"

Intel Core i5 460m - 2.53 GHz

4GB RAM

500GB Hard Drive

NVIDIA GeForce G310M Optimus

Graphics Memory - GDDR3

Also the MSI Laptop has a Blu-Ray combi and the Alienware doesn't have any disc drive which I'm fine with as I don't mind downloading all my games from Steam but I just think for the huge difference in price, my alarm bells are ringing.

just dont. dont do it. you will be back in 6 months asking how you can upgrade your laptop. buy a desktop, get something twice as good for the money. or try and be the cool kiddo with the gaming laptop and pay through your nose for cr@p

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"][QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]Does it have to be a laptop? Desktop>>Laptop for gaming no doubt.V4LENT1NE

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"][QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"] i've been using a laptop for a while for gaming, they're great. It's just more expensive. JigglyWiggly_

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"][QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"] Thats the thing though, with the extra cash you can get a way better desktop. A lot of people new to gaming just think it will be cool to have a laptop that can game high end but in reality they are never really gonna carry it around that much so its pointless wasting the extra cash for less peformance.seercirra

Just looked at the MSI laptop and im confused now could you point out which would be better?

Alienware M11x (£779)

Intel Core i5 2467m (1.6GHz, 3MB Cache) with 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M

4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]

750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive

The MSI Laptop (£569)

Screen Size - 15.6"

Intel Core i5 460m - 2.53 GHz

4GB RAM

500GB Hard Drive

NVIDIA GeForce G310M Optimus

Graphics Memory - GDDR3

Also the MSI Laptop has a Blu-Ray combi and the Alienware doesn't have any disc drive which I'm fine with as I don't mind downloading all my games from Steam but I just think for the huge difference in price, my alarm bells are ringing.

I wouldn't buy anything right now. Just wait half a month for ivy bridge and kepler.red12355

i5 is probably the best way to go for gaming. I wouldn't get an alienware unless you just like their style. They are quite overpriced for what you get. Check out similar offerings from MSI before purchasing.donalbane

Alienware's prices aren't that bad these days, and more importantly their build quality is quite good. I can't speak much to MSI, but they've always struck me as poorly made "you get what you pay for" type deals. Plus AFAIK there's nothing on the market comparable to the M11x in terms of price/performance/portability.

Anyway TC, you definitely want the i5 upgrade. The i7 could be worth the money if you can afford it (the low clockspeeds on the M11x's ULV CPUs are a potential issue down the road, so the i7 may potentially allow you to squeeze an extra year or so of gaming out of the laptop), but it's firmly in the nice-to-have department rather than a requirement (plus you're probably better off spending that money on an SSD).

[QUOTE="red12355"]I wouldn't buy anything right now. Just wait half a month for ivy bridge and kepler.donalbane

[QUOTE="donalbane"]i5 is probably the best way to go for gaming. I wouldn't get an alienware unless you just like their style. They are quite overpriced for what you get. Check out similar offerings from MSI before purchasing.Slow_Show

Alienware's prices aren't that bad these days, and more importantly their build quality is quite good. I can't speak much to MSI, but they've always struck me as poorly made "you get what you pay for" type deals. Plus AFAIK there's nothing on the market comparable to the M11x in terms of price/performance/portability.

Anyway TC, you definitely want the i5 upgrade. The i7 could be worth the money if you can afford it (the low clockspeeds on the M11x's ULV CPUs are a potential issue down the road, so the i7 may potentially allow you to squeeze an extra year or so of gaming out of the laptop), but it's firmly in the nice-to-have department rather than a requirement (plus you're probably better off spending that money on an SSD).

Common knowledge is that laptops do not match the performance of desktops, unless you drop several hundred more bucks into it. And even then. Isn't a GTX 580m only as fast as a 5830 or something?AlexKidd5000

the fastest mobile gpu atm is the 6990m. The 680m and 7990m, are of interst to me. Though they probably are not going to be much faster

you can check notebookcheck.com and compare gpu 3DMARK / Game FPS
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html