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Mobile vs. Desktop Gaming
Mr.Tweak writes "TweakTown has just posted an article investigating Mobile vs. Desktop gaming in their latest article entitled "New Age Computer Gaming - Mobile vs. Desktop Investigation". The article compares a Dell Inspiron 8200 with ATI Mobility 9000 graphics to a standard desktop system with nVidia GeForce4 Ti4200 graphics. Can notebook gaming really be taken seriously? We think so, and so should you!"
We all know that ID didn't want it out because they don't want people to judge the final product on it. I also belive that most people who would download and install it are big fans, and be quite aware that it wasn't representitive of the final product. But when TweakTown publishes frame rates, without even an attempt at a dislaimer, they're not doing anyone any favours.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
The real problem with gaming on laptops isn't the frame rate. These days, the type of one-generation-back video chips in portable computers can stil give you a good frame rate, even in modern games.
The rub is the display. LCD's just aren't very good at fast action. The switching times are too long, even on pricy units. Even screensavers tend to ghost and blur on an LCD.
BF1942 is easier to play on a CRT, and will be for the forseeable future. Maybe when new technologies like organic LED's come online, gaming on laptops really will be an option.
It sure sucks down on batteries, but for a portable gaming machine, it's the shit. A few specs...
- Pentium® 4 @ 2.8GHz
- 512MB DDR SDRAM
- ATI Mobility RADEON 9000
It's dope as shit, plus, you can get the trick (chameleon) paint jobthat alone, in my humble opinion, is worth the price..., but after all, I'm all about the looks (& FPS!!)First things first, let me get this straight. I'm all for frame rates. But i don't like to be elitist about it. 40 plus is fine for me, or anything where it doesn't realistically affect my frame rate.
Laptops do contain some awful video cards sometimes, and that's usually the decision made by the company at the time of specification. Way before actual production. But there are a few that are pretty good. Namely the high range of dells running 9700s and i believe there is a dell with a gf4 chipset in it also.
Say if you are thinking primarily of frame rates, i'm sure you could find something worth buying which wont be an embarrassment at the next LAN party. (I myself have a Dell 250n, and it's wonderful for me).
The main aim with a laptop is portability. If you remember the last BYOC LAN you went to, i'm sure you can also remember the annoying part of getting your pride and joy unplugged from the desk, all into the vehicle of your choice, and then unpacked at the actual location. With a laptop, it goes without saying this kind of affair is an absolute breeze.
That's why i chose my laptop over upgrading my desktop, which now stays at home. Yes, there are some games that take a while to load (namely Battlefield 1942, but i'm sure i'm not the only one facing *that* particular problem), but overall, the tried and tested LAN games (quake 3, UT, CS...) are all perfect for this machine, and many like it.
I noticed a comment about a 5.1 system being unavailable to a laptop. This is untrue, especially with the Creative Audigy external USB soundcard. And anyway, who's prepared to take 6 speakers to a LAN party? Chances are you'd use headphones anyway, and with many laptops carrying virtual surround sound in their chipsets, you could be better off with most desktop owners.
A note on the Alienware a51: i was actually going to buy this machine, but after shopping around (something i normally don't bother doing), i found that there are many better machines, at much lower prices. Realistically, You're paying for a brand.
In terms of screens, you can get upto 16" screens. Thats more than sufficient for a laptop, me thinks!!. I've got a humble 14.1" that only does 1280X1024, but it's the shit. The 16"s can easily do 1600X1200. So your out of luck there too.
If people love to steal them, protect them for christ's sake.. Don't leave em laying around the airport in Amsterdam. You've got in your possesion an expensive piece of equip.. dont let it slide...
Can't upgrade.. have you heard of mini-pci?? Plus RAM is so easy to upgrade on a laptop...
Money, a laptop is dope as shit to game on when you are on the go..
I had 2 and know 5 people with Dell I8xxx series, they are flimsy and 3 of them have had problems with display hinges becoming lose and all of them with ribbon cables and video connectors coming lose.
Forgot about the drives in my previous post.
;)
Yes they're horribly slow, my external firewire drive at 5400rpm is a lot faster than the laptop's internal 4200rpm.
BUT! Rescue from slow drives is at hand!
See the following article at Extreme Tech.
IBM will soon give us 7200rpm mobile drives! I see myself spending more money on my laptop next year... Oh well.
Off topic: are the P4M and the ATI7500 in the IBM laptops "removable" at all?
Enjoy!
NetNewsWire into Yojimbo!
As long as high-performance chips chew lots of electricity and turn it in to lots of heat, desktops are modular, and laptops remain branded items rather than generic I can't see this situation changing.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Then I thought about upgrades.
With a laptop, you're practically stuck with your video card and processor, not to mention CD/DVD drives or sound. Yes, I know it's possible to upgrade these parts, but the cost of them far outweigh the convenience of their desktop counterparts.
A laptop would be great for gaming if, for example, Doom III were never made and the technology required to play games plateaued. I don't see that happening, which is why I'm still using a mini-tower for my gaming needs.