Laptop Recommendations?
lucan2
Posts: 293
I suspect many people on the forum will be more knowledgeable than I am in the area of laptop computers, so I would appreciate some advice.
How do I go about choosing a laptop? What spec am I looking for,etc?
It's for my son who wants to make sure it is a good gaming machine. He says his most processor/graphics card/memory-hungry games are currently Star Wars - The Old Republic and World of Warcraft.
I know that there are better gaming machines than a laptop, and that a desktop can make a better gaming machine, but he is travelling the globe so needs a laptop.
Budget is undecided at this stage as he will wait until he can afford it if necessary.
So, gamers - what would you recommend? I'd be happy with specific models or more general guidance.
Cheers.
How do I go about choosing a laptop? What spec am I looking for,etc?
It's for my son who wants to make sure it is a good gaming machine. He says his most processor/graphics card/memory-hungry games are currently Star Wars - The Old Republic and World of Warcraft.
I know that there are better gaming machines than a laptop, and that a desktop can make a better gaming machine, but he is travelling the globe so needs a laptop.
Budget is undecided at this stage as he will wait until he can afford it if necessary.
So, gamers - what would you recommend? I'd be happy with specific models or more general guidance.
Cheers.
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I have a dell xps17 and it plays most games at a very good frame rate. Its not bad spec for the money. if you have some cash and dont mind the flashy design the the alienware is better spec. Dell also have a outlet shop which sell refurds and at very good discount http://www.dell.com/uk/dfh/p?s=dfh. If he is going to do some traveling to the USA then he should just buy when he is over there. Gaming Laptops are very good value across the pond. Just checked and the same laptop with hign end spec is £300 more in the UK. Mail the documents home and carry the laptop back.0
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Dowtcha wrote:If he is going to do some traveling to the USA then he should just buy when he is over there. Gaming Laptops are very good value across the pond. Just checked and the same laptop with hign end spec is £300 more in the UK. Mail the documents home and carry the laptop back.
Thanks. He will be spending the next few months in Canada, so he is planning on buying one there.0 -
Let him spec up an Alienware M14 series and that'll cover his needs comfortably. They start at about £900 over here, and the base spec should do it. That said, depending on budget, they can be turned into fire-breathing monsters if required. The base spec will certainly run SWTOR nicely, and won't even break a sweat for WoW. Should be pretty future-proof as well, especially if you stretch the the 2GB graphics card.Dowtcha wrote:...alienware...Mangeur0 -
Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 + modern apps.ddraver wrote:Whatever you do, dont buy anything with Windows 8 on!
I don't see a downside to be honest although installing something like http://startisback.com/ does help return the Windows 7 feel on the non-modern side of things.You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0 -
I have been looking for a good laptop at a reasonable price and have been surprised how difficult it is to get advice on what is worth buying and what is average... There seems to be a huge number of different models from the same manufacturer with very little different in the spec. My conclusion is that an ivybridge i3 or i5 with integrated graphics of 4000 will be ok to play all but the the latest whizzy games... Anything less and you will struggle. There are a few with dedicated graphic cards but they tend to be low spec. Of course if money is no object then you will get a powerful beast but you will pay for it0
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Travelling the world and he needs a gaming laptop?
Tsk. What he needs is a lightweight, small and very robust one. It'll take up less room in his panniers.
He *is* cycling, I assume?
Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 20120 -
Gizmo_ wrote:Travelling the world and he needs a gaming laptop?
Tsk. What he needs is a lightweight, small and very robust one. It'll take up less room in his panniers.
He *is* cycling, I assume?
Erm... no, he's not cycling. Whilst I would love him to cycle I'm more than happy to settle for the fact that he has a job and has stopped (however temporarily) living off his regular withdrawals from the Royal Bank of Dad!
Thanks for all the advice so far.0 -
FWIW The guy who lives opposite me is a big cheese in IT and he reccomended ACER to me as a good make for laptops0
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Get yourself down to tesco and buy a £220 laptop with win7. There really is no need for higher spec than that and for 12 months of traveling and playing games what more would you need ?Living MY dream.0
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Save loads and buy him a Rubik's Cube and a Sudoku Book.0
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Had a lot of Dell and Acer laptops in the business. Acer has been far more reliable than Dell in my experience. The current batch of Acer ultrabooks are very nice0
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Daz555 wrote:
Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 + modern apps.ddraver wrote:Whatever you do, dont buy anything with Windows 8 on!
I don't see a downside to be honest although installing something like http://startisback.com/ does help return the Windows 7 feel on the non-modern side of things.
That's what I thought when I bought a laptop by mistake. It has been nothing but trouble!I ve refreshed it 3 times since buying it last November and I'm writing this to you on my clapped out old desktop with WinXP becasue it won't connect to my home wireless network (before you ask, yes I have tried resetting this and updating the other and every other computer device that DOESNT have windows 8 connects with no problem)
It just does nt work, wait until they ve made a proper version - I'm trying to find some way of letting me take up Microsoft on their offer of a free "downgrade" to Win7!We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
ddraver wrote:Daz555 wrote:
Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 + modern apps.ddraver wrote:Whatever you do, dont buy anything with Windows 8 on!
I don't see a downside to be honest although installing something like http://startisback.com/ does help return the Windows 7 feel on the non-modern side of things.
That's what I thought when I bought a laptop by mistake. It has been nothing but trouble!I ve refreshed it 3 times since buying it last November and I'm writing this to you on my clapped out old desktop with WinXP becasue it won't connect to my home wireless network (before you ask, yes I have tried resetting this and updating the other and every other computer device that DOESNT have windows 8 connects with no problem)
It just does nt work, wait until they ve made a proper version - I'm trying to find some way of letting me take up Microsoft on their offer of a free "downgrade" to Win7!
Hopefully you'll suss it. I have put Windows 8 on 9 machines now, and not really had a problem with anything.
BUT, I wouldn't have been able to use it properly on any of my machines without using a Start Button 'boot to desktop' piece of software... BTW, I tried 3 of them, and the best one IME by a mile is Stardock Start8, its $4.99
Did your machine with Windows 8 NEVER manage to connect to your wireless network BTW?
(my main machine is running 3 SSD's and 3 winchester HDDs, full adobe suite, Visual Stud, SQL Server 2008 R2 with about 12gb of DBs, and the whole thing - touch wood - has been completely solid soooo faaaaarrrr )0 -
I also have windows 8 (and Stardock Start8 as well) and have found it to be quite stable and reliable to be honest. I've got a SSD in mine and it boots in 10 seconds. It's never crashed and I've found the hardware compatibility to be very good. The Metro interface is a PITA though. Probably pretty good with a touch screen0
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mfin wrote:ddraver wrote:Daz555 wrote:
Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 + modern apps.ddraver wrote:Whatever you do, dont buy anything with Windows 8 on!
I don't see a downside to be honest although installing something like http://startisback.com/ does help return the Windows 7 feel on the non-modern side of things.
That's what I thought when I bought a laptop by mistake. It has been nothing but trouble!I ve refreshed it 3 times since buying it last November and I'm writing this to you on my clapped out old desktop with WinXP becasue it won't connect to my home wireless network (before you ask, yes I have tried resetting this and updating the other and every other computer device that DOESNT have windows 8 connects with no problem)
It just does nt work, wait until they ve made a proper version - I'm trying to find some way of letting me take up Microsoft on their offer of a free "downgrade" to Win7!
Hopefully you'll suss it. I have put Windows 8 on 9 machines now, and not really had a problem with anything.
BUT, I wouldn't have been able to use it properly on any of my machines without using a Start Button 'boot to desktop' piece of software... BTW, I tried 3 of them, and the best one IME by a mile is Stardock Start8, its $4.99
Did your machine with Windows 8 NEVER manage to connect to your wireless network BTW?
(my main machine is running 3 SSD's and 3 winchester HDDs, full adobe suite, Visual Stud, SQL Server 2008 R2 with about 12gb of DBs, and the whole thing - touch wood - has been completely solid soooo faaaaarrrr )
Ironically mfin, I'm on it now, but i don't reckon that will last....I want to take it Skiing next week but I have zero faith that it ll work there either....We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Same here. I'm sold on Windows 8 - super fast, super reliable.stueyboy wrote:I also have windows 8 (and Stardock Start8 as well) and have found it to be quite stable and reliable to be honest. I've got a SSD in mine and it boots in 10 seconds. It's never crashed and I've found the hardware compatibility to be very good. The Metro interface is a PITA though. Probably pretty good with a touch screen0 -
ddraver wrote:Ironically mfin, I'm on it now, but i don't reckon that will last....I want to take it Skiing next week but I have zero faith that it ll work there either....
Maybe it'd be worth grabbing a small USB Wifi Dongle as the driver set will be potentially different, just on the off chance it temporarily sorts your skiing thing out, they make those tiny ones that barely stick out of the USB port and are g/n... just a thought ...seen them for well under a tenner0 -
stueyboy wrote:Probably pretty good with a touch screen
Probably good with a Tablet Id say, or small monitors, I mean, I run a 27" mac monitor on my PC and a 24" in portrait next to it, and if they were touchscreen I dont think a good way of closing an app would be to reach out to the top of my 27" monitor and drag my finger all the way to the bottom of it!
Win8 is fine though, and with Start8 you've really for most people just got a Faster/Slightly Slicker Windows7 experience-wise.
Mine's been solid on my main machine and everythings completely loaded from cold in 17-18 seconds including my AV and my SQL Dbs, which is the best Ive ever experienced by a long shot.
(You'd still have to rip my MacBook Air out of my cold dead hands to get me to swap to Win8 for basic home user type activity though)0
