Recent content by KernalPanic

In general, the answer to "can I upgrade my laptop's GPU" is almost always "no". Only specific laptops, like those from Sager/Clevo, MSI, or Alienware usually have standardized upgradeable video cards (MXM), and even those are usually only their high-end 15" and 17" models. It is possible that...

Short answer is yes, the i3 is much better than the 2.6GHz core2. The i3 3110m has roughly 25 to 40% better raw performance of the 2.6GHz core 2 duo. (desktop) Most of this is just due to archetectural changes and optimizations inherent to the Core i3 CPU over the Core2 CPU. The Core i3 simply...

It moslty depends on what her place of work uses and supports. At some places, mac support is like pulling teeth. Furthurmore, the primary reason to buy a Mac should be it's OS. If she cannot live without Mac OS, then the choice is clear. If she can live without MacOS, then PCs will be...

The Y580 in particular has been well received. I wouldn't worry about the laptop as for reliability. Lenovo rates MUCH higher than say Dell or Apple for actual RMA rate, show-stopping failure rate, and hardware issues.

Well, to be fair to the Razer... The Razer has some higher-end hardware than the Y480 can boast. Larger/better screen, SSD, numpad gadget, etc. The Razer is massively overpriced, but it does indeed outclass the value-oriented Y480 in hardware everywhere but the GPU. The Y480 is a really good...

As far as I know, only the Y500 has that Ultrabay. The Y580 is an earlier model.

For $2400, if you can handle a little bit more weight, you can have a LOT more power than the Razer will ever offer. $2400 is a fully-tricked-out 15" with a 680m, i7 extreme, SSD, bluray, 16GB+ RAM, secondary hard drive, 95% NTSC 1080p anti-glare screen and the works. Yes, it will be a bit...

The 7970m will bury the 660m, even with the A10 behind it. The GX60 is clearly the superior laptop for gaming. The thing is, the GX60 costs a lot more. The Y580 at $880 is a lot of laptop for not a lot of price. That's around 2600P in 3Dmark11 at stock. At $1170, the GX60 hits 4300P or so at...

The 640m is 45%+ better than the 635m. This means the 640m is in a different league. You can look them up at notebookcheck.net, just know that the scores there are as low as the GPU will ever score. The 635m is a rebranded 555m. (Fermi) The 640m is a new Kepler.

A lot of misinformation going around these forums about what laptop GPUs are capable of... A $700 desktop WITH SCREEN most certainly is not going to outrun $1800 laptops. Assuming only $120 for a mediocre screen, you now have tom's $500 build (dual core pentium 860/7850) with an extra $80. (so...

The worst problem here is that people are quoting $400 desktops missing important things like screens. You cannot compare a "headless" build to a laptop. You must include a screen to even begin to compare. For the OP... the laptop you will be looking at in the $400 range will not be a gaming...

How is a $1400-$1500 price with the same gpu (675mx) or one step better(7970m) a better deal than a $900 laptop with a 675mx? The OP lists a 675mx, then mentions a 675m... be careful, the 675mx is a step and a half better than the 675m. If the laptop has a 675mx, its an incredible deal ($500...