Budget laptop for playing BF3 at high/ ultra setting

[Kpssandhu]

Hello,
I am going to buy new laptop for work and entertainment, I already have gaming pc at home on which I play BF3 and many more games.
I am looking for decent laptop which can handle games like BF3 with decent Fps at 760p.
Screen 14 in. Max
Should be light to carry.
Reasonably priced.

 

[blazorthon]

Your best bet would probably be an AMD laptop with an A8 or A10 APU. If you want higher settings for quality, then a dual-graphics solution might be great.

 

[Kpssandhu]

Can AMD handle game like Diablo or bf3 .. I heard they have issues of overheating .. Considering I am staying in a hot country

 

[Inferno1217]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214871

 

[blazorthon]

I haven't had overheating issues with any AMD APUs. That was an issue several years ago, but not with AMD's APUs. Diablo 3 is a very light game and you'd probably be able to play it in 1080p without a problem if the display went that high in resolution. BF3 should be fine in your requested resolution, although it might be better with a discrete card in CF with the A8s or A10s.

 

[Inferno1217]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246628

 

[amk09]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246628

+1 if you want to play bf3 on ultra then go with this laptop. the 660m is a beastly little notebook gpu.

 

[PCgamer81]

+1 if you want to play bf3 on ultra then go with this laptop. the 660m is a beastly little notebook gpu.

At the laptop's native resolution (1600x900) this laptop has no chance of maxing out BF3 at a respectable frame-rate.

OP: I am afraid that you are going to be looking at shelling out at least cool grand and a half if you want a brand new laptop capable of maxing BF3 at a decent frame-rate and decent resolution.

If I were you, I would go with this...

http://www.avadirect.com/gaming-laptop-configurator.asp?PRID=23907

That will do quite nicely for maxing out BF3 on the go.

 

[PCgamer81]

+1 if you want to play bf3 on ultra then go with this laptop. the 660m is a beastly little notebook gpu.

You do realize that particular mobile chip is integrated with the processor, right?

 

[blazorthon]

The Radeon 7970M is probably a better way to go than the GTX 680M. Its generally a lot cheaper, yet is an often better performing card, mostly due to it having far higher memory bandwidth. The GTX 680M is like a GTX 660 Ti, except with even weaker memory bandwidth. I don't recommend it at all. I'm not saying that it won't make someone happy, but it is not the best option.

 

[blazorthon]

You do realize that particular mobile chip is integrated with the processor, right?

The GTX 660M is not integrated into the CPU. The Intel HD 4000 graphics is, but the 660M is not.

 

[getochkn]

Budget and BF3 at ultra don't go together, laptop or desktop. lol.

 

[PCgamer81]

The Radeon 7970M is probably a better way to go than the GTX 680M. Its generally a lot cheaper, yet is an often better performing card, mostly due to it having far higher memory bandwidth. The GTX 680M is like a GTX 660 Ti, except with even weaker memory bandwidth. I don't recommend it at all. I'm not saying that it won't make someone happy, but it is not the best option.

The laptop I linked is available with either chip.

Personally, I am not sure that bandwidth is that important on a mobile display. But I could be wrong.

In any case, the Clevo comes with either.

 

[blazorthon]

The laptop I linked is available with either chip.

Personally, I am not sure that bandwidth is that important on a mobile display. But I could be wrong.

In any case, the Clevo comes with either.

Memory bandwidth is the only significant difference between the GTX 680M and the GTX 670. It obviously makes a difference because of the huge deficit in performance between them. Using good AA, the 680M crawls in comparison to 7970M.

 

[blazorthon]

Budget and BF3 at ultra don't go together, laptop or desktop. lol.

A $500 desktop can be built to handle BF3 excellently (even in MP) at 1080p. Budget laptops and BF3 don't go together very well, but low-budget desktops can easily be built with BF3 in mind.

 

[PCgamer81]

The GTX 660M is not integrated into the CPU. The Intel HD 4000 graphics is, but the 660M is not.

On that particular notebook it is.

 

[blazorthon]

On that particular notebook it is.

There isn't a single laptop that has any Nvidia graphics integrated into an Intel CPU. It can be integrated into the motherboard, but it can't be integrated into the CPU. That link is either wrong or referring to something else.

 

[blazorthon]

Also, Optimus is switchable graphics, not graphics that is integrated into the CPU. Switchable graphics is when a powerful GPU can be switched for a weaker, lower power consumption GPU depending on the workload. That's what Optimius does.

 

[PCgamer81]

There isn't a single laptop that has any Nvidia graphics integrated into an Intel CPU. It can be integrated into the motherboard, but it can't be integrated into the CPU. That link is either wrong or referring to something else.

If what you say is correct, the seller is flat wrong, or worded it wrongly.

That description falls under the Nvidia 660m header, that's why.

In any case, that's not the laptop to get based on the OP's demands.

 

[blazorthon]

If what you say is correct, the seller is flat wrong, or worded it wrongly.

That description falls under the Nvidia 660m header, that's why.

The best IGP of any Intel CPU is the HD 4000. None of Intel's CPUs have a Nvidia IGP. I think that they just meant to say that the 660M is integrated into the motherboard. I'll look into this to confirm/deny it for sure, but I'm absolutely sure that it is not integrated into a CPU. That would be a very large CPU die, especially for a mobile CPU. Although Intel puts up with Nvidia, they only do so because the alternative is working with AMD. Intel kinda hates Nvidia and the chances of them working together on such a project are slim to none, especially with AMD's APUs only seeing limited commercial success.

 

[ojas]

Um. I have the vaguest feeling that kpssandhu lives in the Indian subcontinent.

Mainly because of the "AMD cpus overheat" bit, that's pretty popular around here (and the name of course).

So is "where is that pentium V?" :lol:

Anyway, if kpssandhu could please state his budget i think that'll help everyone a lot, because the laptop that costs $1000 in the US ends up at around $1200+ here in India (i believe it would cost even more in the rest of the subcontinent).

And $900+ may not be his idea of "budget".

Also, a $1200 gaming laptop over here usually has a 660m or equivalent GPU.

Wouldn't really recommend a non-gaming laptop for BF3. You'll end up frying the CPU (i say this from experience, a friend of mine got a toshiba from the US and BF3 saw its CPU hitting 95*C+).

p.s. @PCGamer: agree with blazorthon, IGP means it's on the same die as CPU (and in earlier years integrated into the mobo, though that was a graphics controller, i believe, processing was still done by the CPU). Nvidia/AMD notebook GPUs can be removed from the mobo, and have their own memory and controller.

 

[blazorthon]

Um. I have the vaguest feeling that kpssandhu lives in the Indian subcontinent.

Mainly because of the "AMD cpus overheat" bit, that's pretty popular around here (and the name of course).

So is "where is that pentium V?" :lol:

Anyway, if kpssandhu could please state his budget i think that'll help everyone a lot, because the laptop that costs $1000 in the US ends up at around $1200+ here in India (i believe it would cost even more in the rest of the subcontinent).

And $900+ may not be his idea of "budget".

Also, a $1200 gaming laptop over here usually has a 660m or equivalent GPU.

That brings me back to the APU argument.

 

[ojas]

but blazorthon, an APU wouldn't be able to touch ultra...probably good for medium, maybe high with dual graphics.

 

[blazorthon]

True, at least for BF3, but with CF, it could get high (maybe ultra, depending on the APU and the discrete card as well as the APU's memory configuration and other in-game settings) and it would still be in an affordable budget.

 

[killerhurtalot]

Memory bandwidth is the only significant difference between the GTX 680M and the GTX 670. It obviously makes a difference because of the huge deficit in performance between them. Using good AA, the 680M crawls in comparison to 7970M.

memory bandwidth isn't the difference... it's got the same bandwidth...

the only difference is that it's got 4GB of vram instead of 2 and the core/memory clock is underclocked by a ton....