Going to college and need a laptop to game with?

[victorv]

XPS 17
MEMORY - 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory

PROCESSOR - 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM processor (2.40 GHz, with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz)

OPERATING SYSTEM - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English

HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive

VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus

HD DISPLAY 17.3" FHD (1080p) with 2.0MP HD Webcam & Facial Recognition

INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

SOUND OPTIONS JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3 + Creative SoundBlaster X-FI MB 1.2

So this is a rig I just made and the price is $1,757.. Would this be enough to run games like bf 3, Skyrim, MoH Warfigher (speccs haven't been released I don't think), and demanding games like that? If you have suggestions, PLEASE post them. Also, I absolutely hate customizing laptops for gaming because I don't know what the bare essentials are for what I am looking to do with it. I simply do not know enough about computers to be able to know 100% what I am doing. Prince range is around $1500-$2000. I want to avoid getting it too close to $2000 and definitely do not want to go over $2000. Any help is highly appreciated Also, I am not sure if this is the correct thread to get this viewed by the gaming people of TomsHardWare so if I should move it somewhere else, please let me know!

 

[geogolem]

Something like this will do a good job: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229262
though that is not an actual reccomendation but more of just a guideline for component specs.

The portable formfactor of the Alienware X51 will definitely be convenient for you. Keep in mind that while the sem-portable form factor may be conventient and offer decent performance you will lose the upgradability factor that comes with a regular form factored desktop... I'm also uncertain as to the performance of the GTX 555 but its most likely much superior to the nvidia 555M.

The AMD graphics cards may provide slightly better performance (so I hear) though I prefer Nvidia due to past experiences with both...

Definitely go for a computer with an Intel CPU. The i5 is probably where you want to end up The i7 is too expensive and doesn't offer that much performance unless you want to delve into overclocking etc. and even then most games are GPU intensive and don't need anything more than an i5. Yes, the CPU is important but CPU technology is general is far beyond GPU technology. If you have the cash, go for it. If you decide on the alienware formfactor I would even more highly reccomend not getting an i7 and only an i5 because you won't be able to upgrade the graphics card in the future. If you do get a regular form factor desktop the i7 isn't such a bad choice though I would still get an i5. The reason being that if in the future you decide to upgrade by getting a new graphics card the CPU could provide a bottleneck etc. In general you should go with the i5 but at the end of the day you have to make the call

Definitely grab a machine with 8GB of memory. 6GB is probably "good enough" but memory is so cheap these days it won't really affect the overall price. Also upgrading memory later can be a pain because of the need for dual channel etc (matching memory) which means you will most likely replace all your memory if you upgrade in the future anyway. 8GB now is safe, anything more is nice but probably overkill for your needs.

It may be a good idea to wait a few weeks to a month from now before you buy the desktop. Nvidia should be releasing their new graphics card anyday right now which (a) will give you the option to get that new graphics card, or (b) reduce the price of the existing graphics card. I'm not sure how long this release will take to trickkle into pre-built systems. and I don't know how much this applies to the GTX 555 in the alienware x51.

Personally I need a new graphics card for my existing desktop and posed the question on here. I plan on grabbing an Nvidia 560 TI as soon as nVidia releases the new generation and the price on the 560 TI drops.

When it comes to keyboard/mouse i prefer wireless/bluetooth for less clutter etc; however my current Microsoft bluetooth keyboard/mouse have given me headaches and aren't the greatest for gaming. You can simply use a wired keyboard/mouse (which are dirt cheap) but perhaps someone has some advice for the both of us regarding a good and reasonably priced wireless and/or bluetooth keyboard/mice that are decent for gaming. Regarding a game controller - I don't know. I simply use my dualshock3 PS3 controller which works extremely well via usb or bluetooth with a specific 5$ bluetooth dongle from dealextreme.
http/www.dealextreme.com/p/ultra-mini-bluetooth-2-1-edr-usb-2-0-dongle-37665
It wouldn't work with my computers integrated bluetooth so I bought that for $5 and it works perfectly. I hear xbox360 controllers offer better integration with Windows but this is another issue entirely.

The monitor jesterman suggests will do a good job!

FYI: Also Dell monitors have also been known to be good. A friend/coleague of mine highly reccomends the Dell IPS monitors (he recently bought one for a good price on sale). Take care in choosing a good monitor. Its just as significant and is quite distinct from choice of computer. Often the monitor will serve you well and last a long time, potentially even into the life of your next computer. Take interest also at the aspect ratio of the monitor. I prefer 16:10 or 15:10 over 16:9. 16:9 is nice because if you watch a movie there are no black bars on the top or bottom but 16:10 just feels so much more useful for a computer monitor. I feel 16:9 monitors are too wide looking. Anyway, this is subjective but take interest and determine what you want so you don't end up with something you don't like. The native resolution is also obviously a key point of interest when choosing a monitor. This is likely the resolution you will want to use when gaming and using the desktop.

If I were in the market for a new monitor I would try and buy a monitor that is IPS although those are quite a bit more $$$ for even a smaller size. I currently have a Samsung monitor I picked up a few years ago for like $160 which serves me well for gaming. The best way to buy a monitor is to go to Bestbuy and look at all of them in addition to comparing specs. Its hard to decide on a monitor without looking and comparing the picture etc.

Then search for the cheapest price on the monitor and price match at Bestbuy (or buy it elsewhere).

 

[andyLP]

Hey, I just bought a laptop, and i`m at the University, etc, you know... I bought an Asus A53T whic has an AMD A6 quad core and HD 66501gb ddr3 graphics. I tell you, i have no problems doing my studies with it, watching videos, and all that ¨light¨ stuff, but the real surprise is i can play some games to waste time while i´m bored, for example i play a lot Burnout Paradise maxed out, i just love crashing and doing stunts, haha. And the best part is it cost me around 450€, i´m in Spain. What i am trying to say is that you go for a cheap laptop, like they said above, and you could even buy one to waste some time playing some older games or turn down the eyecandy, i´m extremely happy with mine that´s for sure. At home i have a desktop for ¨hardcore¨ work and gaming, and all this under 1000€, so you decide.

 

[143miah]

There is the Asus G73SW.

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-G73SW-Notebook.45917.0.html

http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-460M.33612.0.html

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111

 

[victorv]

Sure - that's a nice pre-built desktop that will game pretty darn well. Don't waste your money on the i7 though - the i5 will give you the same performance. Get the i5 configuration with the GTX 555 and 6GB RAM. That will game very well on a 1080p monitor (that you should buy separately from Newegg). I suggest this one - will be great for gaming: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175

Thanks so much Jesterman. I just have one last question. Isn't the i7 supposed to be so much better than the i5? I mean, the i5 is obviously less money opposed to the i7, so how bad will it effect me if I go with the i5 than the i7? Is the price really that much different? Thanks again, you and everybody else really helped me a great deal.

 

[geogolem]

Glad we could help. Also check out the following website: http/game-debate.com/

it is surprisingly good. You can make an account enter your computer specs and it will tell you how well different games will perform on different settings. I found it surprisingly accurate.

 

[victorv]

Glad we could help. Also check out the following website: http/game-debate.com/

it is surprisingly good. You can make an account enter your computer specs and it will tell you how well different games will perform on different settings. I found it surprisingly accurate.

Man you guys are great. No joke, you really helped me out a lot and probably saved me a good amount of $$. Love these forums, happy I joined.

 

[jessterman21]

Thanks so much Jesterman. I just have one last question. Isn't the i7 supposed to be so much better than the i5? I mean, the i5 is obviously less money opposed to the i7, so how bad will it effect me if I go with the i5 than the i7? Is the price really that much different? Thanks again, you and everybody else really helped me a great deal.

Now that I look at the price difference, either one would be fine. With the i7 you get Hyperthreading, 400Mhz more on the CPU, and 2GB more RAM. Might get you one or two more frames-per-second in games.