external GPU?

[Moebius078]

Hi all,

During the fall term, I'm going to study abroad (Queen's University, Canada) and will therefore need to buy a new laptop. As I enjoy playing some games (eg. TF2, Mass Effect,...), I would like to find a pc with sufficient graphical capabilities, i.e. comparable to my X1900XT 256MB. The challenge is that I want to combine this with portability and an acceptable price tag.

I currently see two options:

1 - buy a laptop with a 8600M GS/GT ... card
2 - buy some sort of external GPU that you can connect to the laptop (like the XG Station from Asus - although this product apparently doesn't seem the right solution, because it requires another screen- )

What would you advise?

Many thanks,
Moebius

 

[samuraiblade]

possibly a second hand laptop , wont get a new one cheap for what your looking to use it for. depends soley on your budget tbh

 

[San Pedro]

I believe ATI is working on a product that would fit your needs. It's called Lasso, but I'm pretty sure it's not ready yet, and even if it is then you're going to have a laptop that supports it.

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8496&Itemid=34

 

[Moebius078]

Since I will be leaving in three weeks, I can't wait for Lasso. Too bad, but tnx for the reply! Also, I guess there is quite some potential in this niche. A bit strange that no firm has launched suitable products...

Anyway, this rules out the second option. How about other graphic cards? As I am unfamiliar with mobile GPU's, I wondered which GPU you would recommend? My budget is around 1200 EUR or 2000 CAD for the laptop.