Thinking of buying first gaming laptop - this any good?

This topic is locked from further discussion.

Avatar image for PresidentLogan
PresidentLogan

267

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#1 PresidentLogan
Member since 2007 • 267 Posts

Hi all,

Ideally I want it to be able to play the latest games frommedium to high up until the middle to end of 2012. Is anything underpowered or overkill?

2.50Ghz IntelĀ® Core™ i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-2520M (I could go for a Quad Core but it will be 2.00GHz?)

8GB Ram (2x4GB) 1333MHz

GTX560M Directx11 1.5GB Graphics Card

I could go for a better Graphics card - 1.5GB nVIDIAĀ® GeForceĀ® GTX 470M - but is it neccesary with the other components I have?

Avatar image for gmaster456
gmaster456

7569

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

#2 gmaster456
Member since 2008 • 7569 Posts
Go with the GTX560m and the Quad Core, Its a lower clock speed but will be faster for todays games
Avatar image for PresidentLogan
PresidentLogan

267

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#3 PresidentLogan
Member since 2007 • 267 Posts

Thanks for your reply.

So if I go for the Quad at 2Ghz. What happens if a games recommended CPU is a Dual 2.40GHz. Would a Quad 2.00GHz still be good enough?

Avatar image for gmaster456
gmaster456

7569

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

#4 gmaster456
Member since 2008 • 7569 Posts

Thanks for your reply.

So if I go for the Quad at 2Ghz. What happens if a games recommended CPU is a Dual 2.40GHz. Would a Quad 2.00GHz still be good enough?

PresidentLogan
Yes, it would,
Avatar image for istuffedsunny
istuffedsunny

6991

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 15

User Lists: 0

#5 istuffedsunny
Member since 2008 • 6991 Posts
I'm not sure the difference in games will be that great between mobile i5 and i7, considering the i5 has hyperthreading (4 virtual cores). Basically you're paying a $200 premium for a few extra frames, if that (the mobile GPU will most likely bottleneck you). It will definitely be better for things like video editing though
Avatar image for grf7291
grf7291

223

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#6 grf7291
Member since 2007 • 223 Posts
gaming laptops just don't strike me anymore :/ don't like the prices & they run so damn hot..i don't wanna game on my lap (TOO HOT AHHH IT BURNS!) i've realized over the years that laptops suit me best as something quick, easy and portable, and something that i can actually sit on my LAP! thats the point of these damn things, not to mention the awful battery life of gaming laptops knowing what i know now, if i were in the market for a laptop, i'd grab a macbook or macbook pro 13 or 15 inch...you can run bootcamp on it and use windows 7 as well and still do some decent RTS and MMO gaming...not to mention awesome battery life and portability! i use a macbook pro 17in for my internship they gave me to use and i love it, now my HP laptop collects dust...
Avatar image for gmaster456
gmaster456

7569

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

#7 gmaster456
Member since 2008 • 7569 Posts
I'm not sure the difference in games will be that great between mobile i5 and i7, considering the i5 has hyperthreading (4 virtual cores). Basically you're paying a $200 premium for a few extra frames, if that (the mobile GPU will most likely bottleneck you). It will definitely be better for things like video editing thoughistuffedsunny
Hyper threadingis useless for gaming. Game like BF3 will be MUCH better off with the i7
Avatar image for istuffedsunny
istuffedsunny

6991

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 15

User Lists: 0

#8 istuffedsunny
Member since 2008 • 6991 Posts
^ Benchmarks please :P
Avatar image for blaznwiipspman1
blaznwiipspman1

16911

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#9 blaznwiipspman1
Member since 2007 • 16911 Posts

I believe value wise, this is the best gaming laptop that money can buy at the moment. Unfotunately the processor is weaker than the core i series, but the gpu is cream of the crop.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+A-Series+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Dark+Umber/2738329.p?id=1218348120631&skuId=2738329

Avatar image for PBSnipes
PBSnipes

14621

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#10 PBSnipes
Member since 2007 • 14621 Posts

The correct answer is there are no good gaming laptops. Unless you absolutely, positively need to be playing games on the go at high-ish settings and a high resolution, you're just pissing away money on something that's expensive, hot, heavy, has awful battery life and will be largely obsolete within 18-24 months. A more mid-range, better all-around laptop like the Dell XPS 15 (with i7 and GT540M upgrades) or HP Envy 14 will be a better choice for the majority of users, or even a mini-ITX/mATX budget gaming desktop+netbook/thin-and-light laptop can provide better value and better fit your needs.

That said, i7 and 560M are the way to go. The i7 will turbo up enough that clockspeed won't be an issue on two cores, and the quad-core performance will be useful in other titles and probably let you squeeze some more life out of your laptop. On the GPU-side the 470M might be a bit more powerful, but I'd assume it'll be significantly more expensive relative to the performance gains and the 560M has Optimus, meaning your battery will be actually provide some genuine portability instead of the usual glorified UPS you get with gaming laptops.