32 replies to this topic

[Catamount]

DV^McKenna, on 29 January 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

Craptops are not gaming machines no matter which company dresses them to pretend to be.

Eh, that's not a bad gaming machine. Actually, if you upgraded to two 6990Ms, it would actually be pretty decent, as good a reasonably high-end single-GPU system... with a sub-par CPU.

The problem isn't that it's not a gaming machine, it's that it's an $800-$900 gaming machine, packed into a (at that point) a $2150 laptop, that isn't even a laptop anymore because of the heat/weight/battery issues. I'd rather pay $1000 for a normal desktop (after the price of a real monitor is added in) than $2150 for a slightly more portable desktop!

Edited by Catamount, 29 January 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Catamount, on 29 January 2012 - 08:09 AM, said:

Eh, that's not a bad gaming machine. Actually, if you upgraded to two 6990Ms, it would actually be pretty decent, as good a reasonably high-end single-GPU system... with a sub-par CPU.

The problem isn't that it's not a gaming machine, it's that it's an $800-$900 gaming machine, packed into a (at that point) a $2150 laptop, that isn't even a laptop anymore because of the heat/weight/battery issues. I'd rather pay $1000 for a normal desktop (after the price of a real monitor is added in) than $2150 for a slightly more portable desktop!

This is my point the hardware may be OK but for the price and problems of space inside a laptop/ battery usage it just does not work.
Laptops can not be gaming machines ;p

[Catamount]

Not good gaming machines, anyways (and not even mediocre ones!).

I used to game on an old 1.3ghz Celeron with a PCI Radeon 9000Pro (128mb, yeah baby!). It was my "gaming machine", but that didn't make it good!

[Morashtak]

As someone who bought a "gaming laptop" (XPS1730) I would be one of the first to say that not they are bad but that they are an imperfect compromise.

Pros:

• Smaller than a desktop; takes up less desk space. Can be placed on any surface large enough, even a TV tray.
  
• Semi-portable; note I did not say portable. Not like you can just toss it in an overnight bag and go. Easier to take to LAN parties.
  
• Secure; insomuch as one can lock it up inside a smaller space than a desktop.
  
• Easy to set up, plug in and get going - Power cord and internet connection (wired or wireless).

Cons;

• Limited expandability; no expansion slots beyond a second HD slot (if equipped). Newer laptops may have some expandability but it will never be as flexible as a desktop.
  
• Limited upgrade options; this laptop has it's own gpu "brick". If this has been rectified with newer laptops then this is less of a factor.
  
• Heat buildup; Being it takes over a dozen screws to open the case the routine cleaning does not always happen on time. This leads to more dust which equals more heat.
  
• You get what you paid for; unless you are willing to plug in a USB keyboard and separate monitor you will be using what the laptop came with. And if you do start plugging in peripherals you quickly increase the size of the computer's footprint which defeats the purpose of buying a laptop.

There are more but these are the main points I have experienced during the time I have owned this laptop. I won't say it was a failed experiment, in fact it was very nice to have it while it was running well, but during these last few weeks as it was slowly dying I found out how unfriendly it could be to fix using parts from ebay, etc (ex. search on ebay for a 9800M graphics card and justify spending $1,000 on a replacement card for a 3 year old machine).

Edited by Morashtak, 29 January 2012 - 09:13 AM.

[Catamount]

Morashtak, you should also add "vastly less performance for the money paid, with a vastly lower cap on performance".


Of course, I still own a laptop that's fair at gaming, especially for a two year old machine (Asus N61JQ-X1), but that's because the mobility was more important to me than most, going to a commuter college that was a 45-minute drive each way with 3-hour gaps between classes... plus I already had a desktop

[ShoveI]

So, I found a website that I thought looked like a pretty good reference and was just wondering what some of you thought.

http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/

[Gremlich Johns]

Nice site, just make sure you put as many fans as you have slots in your case for (with filters!!) and put after market coolers on your CPU and GPU(s) (if you can fit them into the case, that is)

Edited by Gremlich Johns, 01 February 2012 - 03:21 PM.

[Vulpesveritas]

only problem i have with that site is that it seems to be run by a Nvidea fanatic, when AMD/ATI clearly has the lead at every price point for the moment, save for the gtx 570.

[Catamount]

Vulpesveritas, on 01 February 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

only problem i have with that site is that it seems to be run by a Nvidea fanatic, when AMD/ATI clearly has the lead at every price point for the moment, save for the gtx 570.

You're not lying. When the author says "to put it simply, at the time of writing I believe the latest NVIDIA cards are the better buy right now", that's just blatantly false, and that's not a matter of belief.

For instance, the Geforce GTX 550TI delivers basically the exact same performance as the Radeon HD 5770/6770, but costs 20% more, consumes more power, puts out more heat, and runs hotter (so it doesn't get rid of that heat very efficiently either).

The GTX 580, even before the 7970, was one of the worst values in gaming.

[Ashrok]

DV^McKenna, on 29 January 2012 - 08:48 AM, said:

Laptops can not be gaming machines ;p

I disagree. They can be gaming machines, they're just not gaming machines that you would buy, due to many factors that such as price, etc.

Just because you wouldn't buy it rectifies the fact that gaming laptops are capable of pumping out performance on a mobile platform, for a price, of course.

I myself got a Sager NP8150, with an HD6990M, i7-2630QM (which I plan on upgrading later on), 12GB of RAM, and a 750GB HDD in it. Cost was about ~2000USD. Now, as an animator, I tend to use a lot of video editing suites and 3D modelling programs, so this makes perfect sense. I can't store away a tower and monitor at the end of the year when I'm forced out of the dorm (all students are evicted from dorms every end of the academic year here.)

Besides portability being a major plus, it's also far more value than, say, a 15"-17" MacBook Pro, which would float at around the same price here with far inferior specs. So yeah.

[Vulpesveritas]

Ashrok, on 02 February 2012 - 07:49 AM, said:

I disagree. They can be gaming machines, they're just not gaming machines that you would buy, due to many factors that such as price, etc.

Just because you wouldn't buy it rectifies the fact that gaming laptops are capable of pumping out performance on a mobile platform, for a price, of course.

I myself got a Sager NP8150, with an HD6990M, i7-2630QM (which I plan on upgrading later on), 12GB of RAM, and a 750GB HDD in it. Cost was about ~2000USD. Now, as an animator, I tend to use a lot of video editing suites and 3D modelling programs, so this makes perfect sense. I can't store away a tower and monitor at the end of the year when I'm forced out of the dorm (all students are evicted from dorms every end of the academic year here.)

Besides portability being a major plus, it's also far more value than, say, a 15"-17" MacBook Pro, which would float at around the same price here with far inferior specs. So yeah.

You better have a decent cooling pad then. And also, who says a desktop can't be portable and still game?
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811146065
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811154071
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811154094
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811163157
Albeit you then have to carry your monitor too, these have handles and can hold a fairly decent system.

[Ashrok]

Vulpesveritas, on 02 February 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

You better have a decent cooling pad then. And also, who says a desktop can't be portable and still game?

Sagers stay quite cool, mine rarely goes to 90c unless I'm really raping the laptop with final gathering in Maya, and the GPU never goes above 85c. Really. o.o Just used some rubber stand things I got for cheap to elevate it a bit.

And yeah, I know. Considering that I DO stay abroad, and I already have a whole bunch of stuff I haul from one end of the island of Singapore to the other for storage, adding in a desktop, AVR, and monitor really wouldn't help.

It's not like I'm one of them folk's who go buy an AlienWare or something 'cause it's shiny. I know the costs of components, the nuances between manufacturers, the development of tech, and all. I just dislike sweeping statements like the one posted above. Laptops can be gaming machines, they're just not gaming machines most people would need to consider.

Edited by Ashrok, 02 February 2012 - 09:31 AM.

[Vulpesveritas]

Ashrok, on 02 February 2012 - 09:25 AM, said:

Sagers stay quite cool, mine rarely goes to 90c unless I'm really raping the laptop with final gathering in Maya, and the GPU never goes above 85c. Really. o.o Just used some rubber stand things I got for cheap to elevate it a bit.

And yeah, I know. Considering that I DO stay abroad, and I already have a whole bunch of stuff I haul from one end of the island of Singapore to the other for storage, adding in a desktop, AVR, and monitor really wouldn't help.

It's not like I'm one of them folk's who go buy an AlienWare or something 'cause it's shiny. I know the costs of components, the nuances between manufacturers, the development of tech, and all. I just dislike sweeping statements like the one posted above. Laptops can be gaming machines, they're just not gaming machines most people would need to consider.

dude that is still running hot DX i start to freak when I see my computer reaching 80* C. With my cooling pad I run ~60*C with my phenom II Quad core.

Then again, I'm OCD about cooling, somuchso that with ~$2000 and portable I came up with this;
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811146065
Mobo: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131806
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115095
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814161399
PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817121092
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136793
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135252
Hetsink: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835181017
TIM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835426020
Fans:
120mm- http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835426024 X5
92mm- http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835186034 X1
Cables: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16812718001 X2
total cost: $2028.41