Okay then. I'm quite the fan of PC gaming. Consoles can go...well, you can make up the rest of the sentence yourself. Anyway, I've noticed that some of the desktop replacements out and about these days are packing quite a bit of grunt, and seem like they'd be able to game pretty well as long as you had a real mouse handy. On the other hand, I've heard some nasty stories about overheating problems and technical glitches. The mobility is definitely appealling, since I travel a lot, but I don't want to spend $3000+ on a dud, and I already have a top-notch desktop in one house. So, my question is: leaving money out of the equation, is it worth buying a gaming laptop rather than a second desktop?
It all goes to your personal preference. if it will make you life happier to be able to whip out a 6gb quad core laptop(:D) and wipe the floor with NPCs in Diablo during any down/free time, go for the laptop.
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Work takes me lots of places, and for various lengths of time. So I got a laptop last year, best thing ever. You can get free wi-fi or internet just about anywhere these days. That and you won't have to bum anyone else's. When I am home, I hook it up to the big screen thru my hdmi cable. Nothing like some gaming on the big screen. Just get a wireless router in the house and you have true mobility.
Also, battery life. I was looking at the Alienware M17x (yes, overpriced, I know), and noticed that it came with an option to install a second battery. Given that such a beast would use up a lot of power (if I got one, I'd go the whole hog, 8GB RAM, Core2Quad, dual GPUs, SSD), so can anyone tell me roughly how long a charge would last on that with both batteries?
Most high end gaming laptops have 2 or 3 hour charge at the most.
this can be less depending on how much you use it and what you are running.
if you are running high end things a lot expect about 1 hour -2 hours.
this will get less as the battery life goes down.
if you have the option to get a second battery i would take it. although i would buy it from ebay or something not from dell as they will charge you a premium.
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Makes me sad suggesting it but take a look at the HP DV8T for $1862 you get an I7-720, 6GB of DDR3 and a 1GB GeForce GT 230m
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"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant what we should voyage far."
As owner of a laptop repair shop, I would recommend AGAINST buying a high-end gaming laptop, ESPECIALLY Alienware. If you play it hard you will most likely ruin the solder joints under the GPU. Even if it doesn't break by the time you sell it, the resell value is horrible on gaming laptops. You can't upgrade a laptop like you can a desktop so when it becomes obsolete, it's obsolete.
Alienware is crap for support (seriously, for some models, they only made just enough video cards and that was it, so 2 years later everyone ended up with a $2000 paperweight cuz repair was impossible) and HP makes the worst consumer laptops period.
If you play it hard you will most likely ruin the solder joints under the GPU.
That is very true, as you'll end up flexing (and subsequently putting immense stress on) the GPU, which is usually located near the hinge area, through heavy use. Also, in my experience, HP laptops haven't stood up to abuse well over a longer period of time, but it might be just me.
But in general, buying any high-end gaming laptop isn't the best way to use your money IMO if you're looking at good battery life because most games (especially recent ones) will make quick work of the battery, (as mystery said) and you'll end up having to charge up kind of often. Also, the only thing that you can really upgrade easily in the long run is the HD and RAM, which might make a difference in gaming, but not as big as after you've upgraded a gaming desktop.
I second this. Actually, I learned it the hard way when my HP Pavilion laptop died on me. Whatever you do, avoid HP at all costs. [/rant]
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I second this. Actually, I learned it the hard way when my HP Pavilion laptop died on me. Whatever you do, avoid HP at all costs. [/rant]
Thirded.
Basically, what happened to my mom's old HP laptop was that a year after she bought it (new) the power port broke. (This laptop wasn't dropped on the cord BTW, the port broke by itself.) A year after, the hinges started getting loose, and now they can't hold the screen very well.
I mean, those problems I could expect after ten years, but in two years? What a joke.
By all means, HP desktops are really great though.
I have been using my HP laptop everyday for a year and a half. I have had no problems with it at all. But generally I take better care of my computers than most.
that is because they got bought out by dell. when they were their own stand-a-lone store they were great. when they got bought out buy dell they went to crap.
I have been using my HP laptop everyday for a year and a half. I have had no problems with it at all. But generally I take better care of my computers than most.
depends on the laptop and what you are doing with it. people try to treat their laptops like desktops. doesn't always work.
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Alienware is hugely overrated they were a far better company 10 years ago. Back when they were a bit more unknown, they still have this rep that they make the best systems which is not even close to true these days.
They don't suck cause they are too popular now its due to the fact that they have dropped quality but haven't dropped prices.
HP business laptops: comparable to IBM business thinkpads
Hp home laptops: complete and utter ☺☺☺☺e.
Gaming laptops have the same problem gaming pc's generally have: heat. only with a laptop there is less airspace/flow inside to get the heat out.
Upgrading a "gaming laptop" is a huge PITA if it's even possible (some motherboard chipsets are incompatible with down the road introduced video cards, size dimensions, etc.).
Get a cheap netbook for your day to day stuff (typing in class/work/commuting, watching videos, surfing) and get a good case, powersupply, sound system, mouse + keyboard, monitor. The rest of the pc (mobo, processor, ram, vid card) buy mid line stuff once every 3 years.
Thanks for the advice everyone, especially about putting stress on the GPU. However, let me clarify: money is not really an issue, nor is value for it. I don't mind being unable to upgrade. What I'm worried about is whether the thing will actually work for a period of years. So far, that's looking dicey.
So if Alienware has build quality issues and HP is generally terrible (both of which seem to have been fairly well established), is there anyone who can make a decent gaming laptop?
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Okay then. I'm quite the fan of PC gaming. Consoles can go...well, you can make up the rest of the sentence yourself. Anyway, I've noticed that some of the desktop replacements out and about these days are packing quite a bit of grunt, and seem like they'd be able to game pretty well as long as you had a real mouse handy. On the other hand, I've heard some nasty stories about overheating problems and technical glitches. The mobility is definitely appealling, since I travel a lot, but I don't want to spend $3000+ on a dud, and I already have a top-notch desktop in one house. So, my question is: leaving money out of the equation, is it worth buying a gaming laptop rather than a second desktop?
Sig with tips From PurpleD
[CMB]~Praetor of Madness and Phyrexian Librarian
Not Making sigs atm
this can be less depending on how much you use it and what you are running.
if you are running high end things a lot expect about 1 hour -2 hours.
this will get less as the battery life goes down.
if you have the option to get a second battery i would take it. although i would buy it from ebay or something not from dell as they will charge you a premium.
Thanks to Epic Graphics the best around.
Thanks to Nex3 for the avatar visit ye old sig and avatar forum
H.P. Lovecraft
Alienware is crap for support (seriously, for some models, they only made just enough video cards and that was it, so 2 years later everyone ended up with a $2000 paperweight cuz repair was impossible) and HP makes the worst consumer laptops period.
That is very true, as you'll end up flexing (and subsequently putting immense stress on) the GPU, which is usually located near the hinge area, through heavy use. Also, in my experience, HP laptops haven't stood up to abuse well over a longer period of time, but it might be just me.
But in general, buying any high-end gaming laptop isn't the best way to use your money IMO if you're looking at good battery life because most games (especially recent ones) will make quick work of the battery, (as mystery said) and you'll end up having to charge up kind of often. Also, the only thing that you can really upgrade easily in the long run is the HD and RAM, which might make a difference in gaming, but not as big as after you've upgraded a gaming desktop.
I second this. Actually, I learned it the hard way when my HP Pavilion laptop died on me. Whatever you do, avoid HP at all costs. [/rant]
Thirded.
Basically, what happened to my mom's old HP laptop was that a year after she bought it (new) the power port broke. (This laptop wasn't dropped on the cord BTW, the port broke by itself.) A year after, the hinges started getting loose, and now they can't hold the screen very well.
I mean, those problems I could expect after ten years, but in two years? What a joke.
By all means, HP desktops are really great though.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=269045
that is because they got bought out by dell. when they were their own stand-a-lone store they were great. when they got bought out buy dell they went to crap.
depends on the laptop and what you are doing with it. people try to treat their laptops like desktops. doesn't always work.
Thanks to Epic Graphics the best around.
Thanks to Nex3 for the avatar visit ye old sig and avatar forum
They don't suck cause they are too popular now its due to the fact that they have dropped quality but haven't dropped prices.
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
Hp home laptops: complete and utter ☺☺☺☺e.
Gaming laptops have the same problem gaming pc's generally have: heat. only with a laptop there is less airspace/flow inside to get the heat out.
Upgrading a "gaming laptop" is a huge PITA if it's even possible (some motherboard chipsets are incompatible with down the road introduced video cards, size dimensions, etc.).
Get a cheap netbook for your day to day stuff (typing in class/work/commuting, watching videos, surfing) and get a good case, powersupply, sound system, mouse + keyboard, monitor. The rest of the pc (mobo, processor, ram, vid card) buy mid line stuff once every 3 years.
So if Alienware has build quality issues and HP is generally terrible (both of which seem to have been fairly well established), is there anyone who can make a decent gaming laptop?