Gaming Laptop advice

[jkd123]

Hi all,

I need to replace my 3 or 4 year old laptop (an ASUS not geared for gaming) as it overheats and makes a noise like a hoover when it’s doing anything semi-intensive. Although I am not a hardcore gamer, there are some games that want to be able to play that I can’t at the moment (They Bleed Pixels, Stealth Bastard to name a couple). As I need a new laptop anyway I thought I’d go for one that could handle some gaming. I’m not interested in maxing out my graphics settings and would be happy to play some of the more intensive games on the lowest or preferably medium graphics settings. I don’t really want to pay more than £750 (less if possible!).
I’m thinking of getting a Novatech Elite N1525 (£739.99) which has...

Intel Core i7-3630QM @ 2.40GHz, NVIDIA GT 650M 2GB Graphics, 2 X 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory

http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1525.html

Any feedback on spec and/or the company/further suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[dodgyx666]

You could get a custom one with a 660m at www.pcspecialist.co.uk using discount code: PCS97 and also save a further 80 quid if you select not to have operating system (use your old one).

 

[edit1754]

The Novatech Elite N1525 is not a good option

The biggest problem with the Novatech Elite N1525 is that it comes with a 15.6" 1366x768 display. 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display makes things onscreen large, and 15.6" displays that have 1366x768 resolution tend to be low-grade LCD panels with very poor image quality due to low contrast.

It should not be a priority for you to get a Core i7 processor. The processor is actually one of the least important things for you to consider. There is a lot that it is more important to be concerned with. Most users will be affected little to none by the differences between most available processors. Game performance, for one thing, is bottlenecked far more by the GPU than it is by the CPU, and basic tasks such as email and Web browsing are completely unaffected by the differences between essentially any currently-available processor

-------------------

A better option would be the PCSPecialist Optimus IV. It comes with a slightly faster GPU and a significantly better display, in exchange for not having a Core i7 processor which you do not need.

PCSPecialist Optimus IV (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GTX 660M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - £694
- http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/optimusIV-15/
- You may want to bump the CPU up, because the stock Pentium benchmarks poorly in comparison. The listed price includes the i5-3210M, but that specifically is not a mandatory upgrade. You could take an i3 to save money, or an i7 if it benefits you to have one.
- Take 4GB of memory, because 2GB is on the low-side for a 64-bit OS. Take 1x4GB instead of 2x2GB if you want cheaper upgradability in the future. More than 4GB of memory probably isn't particularly necessary, but you can always install more yourself.
- You may want to go with a larger/faster hard drive. The listed price includes the 500GB 7200RPM, but that is not a mandatory upgrade.
- Recommended: Get one of the two matte display options, not the glossy display option. The matte reduces glare, and in my opinion looks better.

 

[jkd123]

Thanks for your replies, and thanks for your heads up on the Novatech edit1754 and your informative post. I'm going to go with the Olympus IV. I may go for the quad core and the 8Gb RAM anyway to be honest because I do other things like music production and maybe a bit extra will go some way to future-proofing it slightly.