Gaming Laptop

[starrchilde]

What is your budget?
Flexible, though naturally less is preferred

What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
I would prefer around 15-ish

What screen resolution do you want?
My husband said I want 1440 by something. Hehe

Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Desktop replacement primarily, though the portability is definitely a key factor

How much battery life do you need?
Flexible, for the most part I'll be in situations where it can be plugged in.

Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Yes, I'm looking for a machine that can handle EQII. I also play Sims2 sometimes, though EQ2 is the big one.

What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)
Photo editing, email, general browsing

How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
I would prefer at least 500 GB, though more is definitely better

If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
http://www.datavis.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?prrfnbr=553231&site=PRGB

How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible, when I'm done with it, it'll be passed down to my kiddos

What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
CD/RW, DVDROM, Media slots would be very nice, but are not required

Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
No preferences

What country do you live in?
US

Please tell us any additional information if needed.

I'm currently looking at a Sony VAIO VPCF122FX/H, but not sure if it'll be the best for my needs or if there is something that will be more appropriate.

Thanks!

 

[buwish]

A ballpark budget would help us find you something, i.e. we don't know if you want to spend $800 or $2000.

 

[Maziar]

Consider MSI GX660
http://www.xoticpc.com/gx660053us-gaming-laptop-order-p-2850.html

 

[starrchilde]

I'd rather not spend more than about $1200, though I might be able to go a bit higher if necessary. Naturally I'd prefer to spend less, but I want something that is going be up to par and that I'm not going to have to worry about having a short lifespan which I know in some cases means that you'll get what you pay for.

Sorry about being vague, I just didn't want to say X and have it rule out Y or Z off the bat.

Thanks again. :}

 

[rpg123]

EQ2 needs CPU power, lots of it, and it only uses 1-2 cores last I checked so it should be an i5 or i7 with a gpu to match the graphics settings you want.

Lowish graphics settings,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101229

Mediumish graphics, 17" though,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115839

I didn't find anything I would consider a good deal at the high end atm, but you get the idea, an i5 or i7 with a top end gpu like a 5870. gl

 

[starrchilde]

Great, thank you!

Is the ATI Radeon card better than the nVidia card? Or does it not really matter?

Also, the first one has dedicated video memory whereas the second does it. Is dedicated video memory just nice to have, or will it show a significant impact on the system? What exactly does that mean in the grand scheme of things and how will that impact gameplay? I've played on some laptops where having a poor graphics card has made lag so terrible it wasn't even worth the effort, which is what I'm really hoping to avoid since this will be my only means of playing.

I'm sorry for all the questions, I've never owned a laptop before and since it's quite a purchase I just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. The last thing I want is to get something that isn't really going to work and I'm going to be stuck.

Thanks. :}

 

[rpg123]

ATI or Nvidia doesn't really matter if the performance is similar. ATI 5470 is similar to Nvidia 310m and ATI 5650 to a 335m, these all will run games smoothly, but at different resolutions and detail settings. Integrated graphics is going to improve in the next generation, but for now dedicated cards are needed if you enjoy games.

Here is a system that is a bit faster than the medium one I posted above, it has over 150 customer reviews, so if you read through those you will get a good feel for what you can expect.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220696

 

[Maziar]

I'd rather not spend more than about $1200, though I might be able to go a bit higher if necessary. Naturally I'd prefer to spend less, but I want something that is going be up to par and that I'm not going to have to worry about having a short lifespan which I know in some cases means that you'll get what you pay for.

Sorry about being vague, I just didn't want to say X and have it rule out Y or Z off the bat.

Thanks again. :}

Then check MSI GX640
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gx640260us-p-2766.html
It has a 5850M which is far superior than either 5650M or 5470M.

 

[rpg123]

Maziar's MSI GX640 is an excellent high end system.

 

[starrchilde]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions, I very much appreciate it. :}