Good gaming laptop?

[fgocards]

I've been looking for a new laptop for weeks now. I'm looking for a great gaming laptop, but I also don't want to be throwing money around. I've checked Alienware, Asus, went to Best Buy, and sites like iBuyPower and CyberpowerPC. After searching all this time, I think I've found the best bang for buck laptop.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+FX+Edition+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Centrino%26%23174%3B+2+Processor+Technology/9605365.p?id=1218130485627&skuId=9605365

The reviews look good, and my uncle owns an older version of the FX models and loves it. I just want to know what kind of games I should be expecting to play with set up, and what graphics level they could be set on. Also, how long would this computer last up to the new technology? Would it be outdated in 1-2 years, or could it last 3-5 years? Sorry for all the questions, but when I spend over 1,000 dollars on a product, I want it to be good... Lol.

Thanks, and if you have any other suggestions for a better gaming laptop, just post them...

 

[frozenlead]

The 260 is a formidable card and will do well at 1440x900.

This machine will likely be outdated in less than a year, but that's expected. It will certainly last 5 years, but it probably won't be gaming for all of that.

How much did you want to spend?

 

[fgocards]

Between $1,000 and $1,700 is ideal. More or less like I said though, it's really just about what I'm getting for the price. I don't want to get a Alienware 17" where you pay Almost $3,000 for something worth only $2,000. If you understand what I mean...

 

[frozenlead]

So I see.

The FX is an excellent option, however, also consider this guy:
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g72gxa1-order-p-2722.html

Same 260, but with a 1080p screen and a quad-core. It will make your games perform less...but it is 1080p (and you can always turn the resolution down more).

If you're looking to do more work-oriented things, this notebook also has the 260, but is also equipped with an i7:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220605
The screen isn't as great, though.

 

[fgocards]

I like both of those... But I would like to know one important thing. With more games coming out supporting quad cores, would it be wise to go i7 or quad core and just OC; or is dual core still the gamers choice right now?

 

[frozenlead]

It's really getting to the point where it depends on the game, but most games do now benefit from quad-core CPUs. I tried looking up the tom's article they did a bit ago on it, but I can't seem to find it; however, it did show some significant leads in games with three cores, and even some more with four.

I would leave the question dual vs quad as one of battery life. If you don't care about it, go for the quad; else, go for the dual. Both will serve well.

I also wouldn't recommend you OC on a notebook.

 

[fgocards]

Okay, thanks for your help. I've narrowed it to the FX, and the Asus G72 you posted. I like how it has the blueray player! It'll take some more time to decide.. I'm not good with spending large amounts of money. You should of seen me buy my first car!

 

[frozenlead]

lol, glad to help mate.

 

[ibnsina]

Both Frozenlead recommendations are good, just to let you know these notebooks do get hot, but this is kind of normal though for high specification gaming system. If it was an issue for you, just get a cooling pad. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=cooling%20pad&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Pagesize=50

The other thing is, you might find the speaker output a bit weak, you need to go the system bios and increase the volume.

Also update the bios and get latest nvidia drivers.

(If you have the know, doing a clean Windows install will speed up the system)
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In the future when prices come down, upgrade one of the HDs and replace it with Solid disk drive (keep old HD and use it as external USB drive).