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High Performance Gaming Laptops On A Budget?

Posted by simoniker on from the portable-gaming-goodness dept.

Cory Tunney writes "In my quest to find a gaming laptop that will fulfill my gaming fantasies, but not kick me in the wallet at the same time, I've come across many options. Alienware is out of the question, as are companies like VooDooPC, but out of the rough comes companies less known but with impressive hardware. Sager seems to have won over a pretty large group of fans, and iBuyPower also seems to put out a decent amount of bang for the buck. However, when it comes down to it, I am still left with several options and I do not know what road to travel. So here's the jist of it - a system with a price tag around $2,000, a high-end video card (Radeon or the equivalent NVidia) and a system with an AMD would be a plus, but I will not rule out Intel if they can offer similar performance. So, Slashdot readers, what systems can you recommend?"

6 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Honestly... by consolidatedbord · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm sorry, but you have GOT to be kidding me. You just can't realistically find that in your price range. Sure, you can skimp out on HD space, or maybe drop the pre-installed software, but as soon as you sacrafice a brand name, you lose things like a decent warranty, and quality parts.

    Bottom line.

    --
    while true ; do echo this is my sig; done
  2. Don't get a laptop by mrluisp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know this isn't exactly on topic, but don't get a laptop for gaming. My last two computers have been "gaming" laptop. It just isn't worth it. It really isn't. The cost of a laptop is so much higher than a desktop, and the performance is so much lower. A Geforce4Go 5600 isn't anything like a Geforce 5600 FX. Laptops are essentially crippled by their graphic cards, no matter how hard Ati and nVidia try otherwise. My biggest argument against laptop is that the graphic drivers aren't updated. nVidia specifically states on their driver pages that laptop users should get updated drivers from their manufacturers. Maybe this issue is limited to Toshiba, but my graphics card's drivers have not been updated once by Toshiba since I bought my laptop a year ago. If you get a laptop, it will be fine for the first 6-8 months, but as soon as new games come out which rely on updated drivers, you will start missing out. I've tried upgrading my drivers, and all that does is create sub par performance and quite a few artifacts. Simply put, the graphic drivers are not optimized for laptops.

    1. Re:Don't get a laptop by obeythefist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I strongly agree with the parent. If you intend to play games on a PC, the laptop is not the form factor you want.

      Laptops are popular for LAN gamers and I can see the appeal, but seriously, for the same kind of outlay you can buy a flat panel LCD display and a shuttle or similar small form factor PC. These small systems cost more than a full sized desktop but they will easily outperform any laptop in the same price range. They're also significantly more upgradable than a laptop, and the drivers are much better.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
    2. Re:Don't get a laptop by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Insightful

      " If you intend to play games on a PC, the laptop is not the form factor you want."

      It is if you travel a lot like I used to. You don't get as many neat effects. BFD. You're still not bringing your desktop to the hotel.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  3. Go Small Form Factor by pat_trick · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know you say you're looking for a laptop, but for that price range, you're not going to find what you really want.

    I'd say build yourself a small form factor pc. The plus side of this is that you get something that's still portable and will cost /much/ less than a laptop. The downside is that you'll need to haul / find a monitor wherever you go.

    I have a Shuttle SN41G2 (http://www.shuttle.com/) and it works wonders.

  4. An Old Maxim by Prien715 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Generally you pay 2X for a laptop what you'd pay for a PC equivalent. For $2000, you'd be better off just buying a $1500 gaming PC and a $500 laptop to do work on. Towers, especially with LCD displays, can typically be carried in a backpack (normal cases) or smaller (small form factor). Battery life really isn't an issue since a gaming laptop dies after about an 1-2 hours anyway.

    That, and you can't upgrade laptops easily. It's cheaper to go buy a reasonable GFX card (~$200) and then buy a new one when you need it for a game than buying $600 card to start out with. You don't have that freedom with a laptop.

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    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.