Best Gaming laptop??

[Skips RR]

Hi
I am looking at getting a new laptop for just playing games eg Sims 3 and SimCity4 etc.
I was wondering what laptop would be the best in running these kind of games. Is there anyone out there that can help with information. I have a Toshiba and a Mac book pro and not happy with either. Please Help. skips RR

[Homestar]

I would keep the Mac Book and Toshiba, they sound like they would do the job fine... Your Husband may well be happier with that option?:)

[Skips RR]

sorry Bacicat they are both ****.... not happy.. as they say.. happy wife happy life in house hold........:p

[isuzurover]

The best value are probably Dell Alienware.

We use them at work for CFD simulation...

From shops you can only get 4-core processors however 6-core are available online. Dell also have free upgrade deals each month apparently.

[Distortion]

When I'm looking for a new laptop I'll usually check the lenovo cleanance section of the site daily till what i'm looking for comes up

but unless you know what you are looking for it can be a bit of a mixed bag
That said they ain't pretty but they are cheap

[sheerluck]

I'd agree with isuzurover around Dell Alienware laptops. If your budget doesn't run that high then then XPS range below it are pretty good too.

If you want to save a bit of cash, then they sell Alienware and XPS laptops quite frequently on GraysOnline, shopsoiled or refurbished.

[Homestar]

I'd agree with isuzurover around Dell Alienware laptops. If your budget doesn't run that high then then XPS range below it are pretty good too.

If you want to save a bit of cash, then they sell Alienware and XPS laptops quite frequently on GraysOnline, shopsoiled or refurbished.

Thanks for that - the budget options suit me fine, but maybe SWMBO will have other ideas...:D

[isuzurover]

... If your budget doesn't run that high then then XPS range below it are pretty good too.....

I also have a 17" XPS with a 4-core i7. Quite good, however I have had the inbuilt mouse replaced under warranty (at 1.5 years).

[FeatherWeightDriver]

The best value are probably Dell Alienware.


I'm not sure the words "value" and Alienware should ever be used in the same sentence together :twisted:

But I do agree Alienware machines are generally very solid kit with good mid-high range performance offerings.

[Chucaro]

I have a Sony Vaio I7 E series with 8 gib ram and runs like a dream.
I tested it with the Flight Sim and car racing sims.

[Landy Smurf]

I have a hp 8gb ram i5(i7 would be better) with 1gb graphics(2gb better but oce again more money) but it plays the sims pretty good(apparently) and I am fairly happy with playing games on it like WOW

[stuee]

Are current laptop grade i7's only quad core?

I know for desktops the current i7's are overkill for gaming beacuse they are 8 core (4 with hyperthreading) while i5's are quad (I think they just don't have hyperthreading enabled). Consensus (for desktops!) is that i7's are really only good for video and CPU intensive stuff (like what Ben does) and i5's are more than adequate for gaming.

My work laptop, Dell E6410 has an i5 and shows 4 cores, whether its two with hyper-threading or 4 dedicated cores I dont know. Another 4gb of ram an SSD and it might actually be nice to use...

[isuzurover]

Are current laptop grade i7's only quad core?

I know for desktops the current i7's are overkill for gaming beacuse they are 8 core (4 with hyperthreading) while i5's are quad (I think they just don't have hyperthreading enabled). Consensus (for desktops!) is that i7's are really only good for video and CPU intensive stuff (like what Ben does) and i5's are more than adequate for gaming.

My work laptop, Dell E6410 has an i5 and shows 4 cores, whether its two with hyper-threading or 4 dedicated cores I dont know. Another 4gb of ram an SSD and it might actually be nice to use...

Last I looked (~1 year ago) the M4600 was only available quad core, as was XPS, however the alienware had 6-core options online and possibly 8-core now.

[jsp]

depends on what sort of games you want to play....

Just talking online web games, older stuff, or the latest greatest?

[Homestar]

depends on what sort of games you want to play....

Just talking online web games, older stuff, or the latest greatest?

She is a Sims junkie.:D. Sims 3 and Sim City 4 seem to crunch a lot of numbers and the Toshiba and Mac book both struggle with these games.

Cheers - Gav.

[Disco Muppet]

IMHO using an Alienware machine for running the sims is kind of like buying a tank to take the kids to school, it's total overkill.
Just find a good laptop that meets the specs required by the games and go from there :)
My mate at uni built his own gaming PC that out-performs most Alienwares, for considerably less than what they cost too.

[jsp]

I picked up a few 17 inch HP 1st gen i7's from grays online fairly cheap, and couldn't be happier. Desktop replacement for the odd lan party.

has the switchable ATI graphics card, fairly good for most games so far. A few I have had to turn down graphics settings at native screen res.

I guess it depends on budget and use, I wanted 17inch screen rather than something smaller, but then its not good as a couch laptop.

Also went for a 17 as I bought SSD's and put them in, and then used the exsisting drive as the secondry for mass storage, the 15's and 14's only take one drive.

At work I have a high failure rate on the dell M4600 series, I am no fan of them, but pretty expensive and heavy. I have had a few of them replaced outright by dell. We have some alienware's as well, and those things run 3d simulations well so number crunching's not an issue.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

apologies to the OP,,


Put up or shutup,, :D
Download Heaven Benchmark | Unigine: real-time 3D engine (game, simulation, visualization and VR) (http://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/)

works on--
windows, linux, mac os x

[Homestar]

IMHO using an Alienware machine for running the sims is kind of like buying a tank to take the kids to school, it's total overkill.
Just find a good laptop that meets the specs required by the games and go from there :)


Yeah, but that is the problem. Both the Toshiba and Mac Book meet the minimum specs to run the game, and while they do, neither is comfortable doing so. They are maxed out - Sims uses a huge amount of RAM to run and keeps the processor running hard. It may look and sound like a simple game, but it is anything but that behind the scenes.

Some of my sons 'top end' games run better and taxes the computer less on these computers than Sims does...

Also, it needs to be a laptop, not a desktop.

[sheerluck]

IMHO using an Alienware machine for running the sims is kind of like buying a tank to take the kids to school, it's total overkill.
Just find a good laptop that meets the specs required by the games and go from there :)
My mate at uni built his own gaming PC that out-performs most Alienwares, for considerably less than what they cost too.

Well, we have to take our kids to school in a tank, it's a really dodgy place here :Rolling:

There aren't many manufacturers that build laptops with Alienware-like specs, which is probably why Dell bought them out. As for desktops - totally different proposition. Easy to build something top spec for a decent price.

[Skips RR]

IMHO using an Alienware machine for running the sims is kind of like buying a tank to take the kids to school, it's total overkill.
Just find a good laptop that meets the specs required by the games and go from there :)
My mate at uni built his own gaming PC that out-performs most Alienwares, for considerably less than what they cost too.
but i like taking my kids to school in a tank.....lol.. yeah i know that its a over kill but they do look very pretty thou.....:angel:

[isuzurover]

...

My mate at uni built his own gaming PC that out-performs most Alienwares, for considerably less than what they cost too.

He built his own laptop??? Now that is impressive! :angel:

[Disco Muppet]

Yeah, but that is the problem. Both the Toshiba and Mac Book meet the minimum specs to run the game, and while they do, neither is comfortable doing so. They are maxed out - Sims uses a huge amount of RAM to run and keeps the processor running hard. It may look and sound like a simple game, but it is anything but that behind the scenes.

Some of my sons 'top end' games run better and taxes the computer less on these computers than Sims does...

Also, it needs to be a laptop, not a desktop.

True, but it requires the same principle I like to apply to things.
It's not about if it can do it, but if it can do it well.
If you know the minimum requirements for the games, you should be able to find a laptop that exceeds those specs.
Still, last time I played the sims was a while ago, my sister didn't let me play it after I removed all the doors and smoke alarms from her house :angel: :twisted:



Well, we have to take our kids to school in a tank, it's a really dodgy place here :Rolling:

Quiet you :p I wouldn't know, never been to Jamesobese.


but i like taking my kids to school in a tank

You do drive an L322 I guess..... :D
If you can afford an Alienware then I guess it would be okay for running the sims :p
If not some smart shopping should see you with what you want for less than an Alienware



He built his own laptop??? Now that is impressive! :angel:
Point taken :p

[jsp]

You could look at metabox clevo's, I considered one, mainly because I liked being able to pick a matt screen, and 18 inch :) and backlit keyboard :)

they do 15's as well.

but I couldnt stretch to the $1200-$1300 at the time price tag and bought a refurb HP 17inch i7 for less than half.

[jerryd]

My youngest lad has just blown all his savings on an "MSI GE70" gaming laptop. He seems rather pleased with it although I know nothing about them :confused:

[Landy Smurf]

seems ok CatchOfTheDay.com.au (http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/event/21650/product/acer-aspire-v3-intel-i7-17-3-full-hd-notebook-152402)

[Distortion]

Pre-configured New Systems - Inspiron Laptop | Dell Australia (http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/products/quickship/au/en/inspiron_notebook?c=au&l=en&s=dfo) has some really nice deals at the moment

DFO-2252397IP seems the pick of the bunch

The DFO section is where they sell the refurbish and pre-configured but cancelled orders etc, same as lenovos clearance section i mentioned earlier