Asus Stuffs 12 GB of RAM into Gaming Laptop

12 GB of memory in a gaming notebook. Excessive? Asus says no.

It seems like every day there's another company pushing the envelope (and our wallets) with a new high end gaming system. This time, Asus is pulling out all the stops with its newest gaming laptop, the G71gx.

Based on Intel's Centrino 2 platform, the G71gx is a force to be reckoned with in the mobile gaming market. While the specific processor is TBA, older G70 derivatives are outfitted with both Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, and it would be no surprise if Asus included a Core 2 Extreme option as well.

What we do know for certain is the G71gx will come with Nvidia's newest mobile GPU, the GTX 260M. Supposedly, the 1 GB GTX 260M will offer 50 percent more performance over the 9800M series without using any additional power. Plus, it can be configured for SLI and Hybrid SLI, although the G71gx will initially offer just one of the GPUs. As for RAM and storage, the G71gx can handle up to 12 GB of DDR2 memory over three memory slots and can be configured with up to 1 TB of storage (two 500 GB drives).

G71gx also comes with a 17-inch 1920x1200 WUXGA display as well as HDMI, eSATA, and if the older G71G is any indication, a BD-ROM/DVD-RW drive. No word on price or availability yet, but if you opt for the 12 GB of RAM and dual 500 GB hard drives, be prepared to kiss your tax return goodbye.

If you're looking for something a little more timid (and definitely less expensive), Gateway is also releasing a new gaming notebook. The P-7808u FX will go for a more reasonable $1,699.99, and should still offer some impressive gaming performance. Equipped with Core 2 Quad Q9000 (2.0 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6 MB cache), as well as a 1 GB Nvidia 9800M GTS, the P-7808u FX should offer up some decent frame rates in Empire: Total War. Like the older P-7811 FX, this newest offering in the FX series of gaming laptops will come with 4 GB of DDR3 memory, but the hard drive has been bumped up to 500GB. Unfortunately, the 17-inch display comes in at 1440x900, an odd downgrade over the 7811's 1920x1200 option. As for the rest of the P-7808u FX, HDMI, eSATA, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam are all included.