your thoughts on gaming laptops?

what are your thoughts on gaming laptops? what brand would you buy?

Even the best ones are underpowered compared to a budget rig

I dunno if that's worth 2k, 3k, 4k to you

usually not worth it IMO. I bought a basic Acer last year for $700, with an i7, 8gb ram, and an nvidia 650. Runs BF4 on high/medium no issues, and many other games on high. The premium for a 'gaming' laptop is incredibly high, but if you are always on the go, then it might be an ok purchase

A gaming laptop can't replace my desktop gaming PC. But, It's a nice addition when I'm away from the latter. My ASUS cost me $800 which is around the price I pay for a mid-range DIY rig.

I'm pretty happy with my MSI GX70 but I use it for then just gaming, like college stuff like writing papers and stuff.

It doesn't feel quite as heavy as my old dell 1720.

For the price I think it does alright as I really didn't want to spend a lot on a gaming laptop.

Since I'm planing on building a new gaming desktop Someday soon.

I hate to steer you wrong, I'm uncertain about this

One thing you can do instead of buying a "gaming laptop" is spec out the cpu and gpu

Meaning, figure out how good a hardware it has before you buy it

Also read reviews, if ppl are able to play BF4 on a laptop, I'd say that's a pretty good purchase.

Hardware is so good and far ahead of games at the moment they make more sense than they used to. Obviously they're more expensive and the size and battery life make them pretty bad at actually being laptops, but if I was rich i'd probably have one.

what about custom built laptops such as alienware?

IMO Toshiba makes a good gaming laptop.

Have a Toshiba Satellite S870 and it runs most games on high or medium high. Here are my specs:

Intel Core i7 2.30GHz (3.30GHz Turbo Boost 2.0), 6MB L3 Cache

AMD Radeon HD 7670M Series 1GB DDR3

8GB DDR3 1600MHz Memory

Realtek High Definition Audio

MS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1

Though it did cost me $1100 but its will worth it to me.

Gaming Laptops are like portable consoles for people that can afford them. You can't upgrade them much, so you want to pick one that will last for years. Unfortunately, so many of them are subpar to accommodate to consumers with a strict budget, it's really not worth it unless you're willing to buy the best of the best. Alienware is probably a good place to start if you're rich, but Toshiba is also known for high quality at a reasonable price. Don't expect to pay less than $3000 for a decent one, though.

I think it's very expensive toy, even more expensive than a high end gaming PC, more like the double of the price and is basically cannot be upgraded.

Laptops = best designed to draw as least amount of power as possible and to not heat up too much..

Gaming PCs = best designed to have a large video card which draws the most power out of probably all PC components and to kick out plenty of heat.

As you can see Gaming Laptops are pretty much a logical fallacy and probably always will be.

Gaming laptops are incredible machines. Now, if you have options you should definitely go with a desktop to maximize power per dollar but if you're in the market for a laptop and you want to be able to game on it then there's no problem. You can buy a high-end gaming rig for less than what people pay for their Macbooks. Personally, I use the Samsung Series 7 Gamer. It cost me $1700 and will be able to run games at high settings for a long time. Along the way I may purchase a better monitor, maybe upgrade the video card one day but there's really no need. It's all a matter of purpose and what you want as a consumer.

@leon2365: Alienware are big ripoffs

i'd go for something like Sager when you can choose all the components yourself. a LOT cheaper than an alienware machine too.

Yup. I remember my wife's 2002(?) Sager which was a virtual copy of Alienware's very first laptop. It costed almost $1800. That was a high price. But, the Alienware equivalent was $2300. The extra $500 was courtesy of a lime green paint job. He He.

Nowadays, I can game decently with an $800 laptop. My laptop is in the midrange category (like my gaming PCs) and I run the majority of my games at High or Ultra detail. I have to settle for Medium, sometimes High (depending on location), in Crysis 3 and a mix of High to Ultra in Far Cry 3. They're not maxed out at the resolution I play them in. But, considering just a few years ago, it was unthinkable to even play current FPS games on a laptop, I'm delighted with the laptop market today.

The new consoles may spur new game development that'll cause me to buy less demanding games in the future for my lappie. But, no big deal to me. Gaming on a laptop is secondary to me, even if it is a gaming laptop. It can always revert back to doing productive work. I think I'm getting my $800's worth.

My lineup back in 2003.... Wife's Sager at center...... I still chuckle at the thought of a $500 paint job (the Alienware's).

Gaming + laptop don't mix if gaming is your primary thing. I recommend buying laptops to have a portable computer and some mid-range gaming, but a desktop for all other gaming.

Hah no way can you run it on med high. Maybe at 30fps

lol gaming laptops

I have a lenovo y510 and am loving this gaming laptop. i got a good deal for $1000. also came with a three year warranty. i don't own a lot of games but so far I can run all the batmans on max settings, borderlands on max settings and diablo 3. origins and arkham city look beautiful on max settings :)

in the 40s, yes

His GPU is similar to my GTX 660m. The framerates for BF4 at Medium preset should be in the 50's while the High preset should be in the 30's.

Here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-660M.71859.0.html

The majority of games play at High with avg framerates higher than 30fps. At Medium, playing games at 30fps is the exception with maybe 4 in the whole list. The rest play at significantly higher framerates.

what if you were visiting a friend's house for 3+ months? wouldn't a laptop be easier to carry versus hauling your entire desktop rig? portability is the high point for gaming laptops isn't it?

My thoughts? A complete waste of money. You're paying much more money for an experience that will never be as good as a desktop.

That's it. A handheld or tablet isn't going to be enough to satisfy my gaming when traveling. By traveling, I mean driving a couple thousand miles each way or traveling abroad which I do with family several times a year. If I can bring my gaming PC with me, it'd be ideal. But, that's simply not going to happen. A laptop is the most convenient means of bringing PC gaming with me.

I have a PSP, NDS, and Android tablet. They're good for times when I'm at the food court in the mall, waiting for my wife to get done shopping. But, they're no substitute for my PC games when on the road.

I too was against gaming laptops just earlier this year. Ha Ha Ha! Then the reality of what kind of gaming I want to do while on the road set in.

Extremely over-priced.

Once you buy a gaming laptop there's hardly any way for you to upgrade it. So basically you spend thousands of dollars on something that will be obsolete in a few years.

If you're going to PC game you will save MUCH more money by doing it on a desktop.

Ew laptops. If i needed to move somewhere and can't carry much, i'd get some of those mini portable cases, cba over spending for some underpowered piece of plastic with lights just because it's for "gaming"

What kind of games do those things play?

It's just a mini case that u can fit with a fancy big card

its nice to have the option available but, in terms of value for money, they are pretty poor. if you are getting one be very clear why you need a laptop and why a desktop wont work for you.

i am getting a laptop (a vortex 4) because i need to be able to move around a lot and quickly. where i reside may or may not have a TV and i dont have a car to lug a desktop around (they cost too much to run where i live). I also have no space where i currently live for a desktop. i will be putting the laptop on a box that will be over my lap.

so for me a desktop simply is not possible. i actually have my old desktop here waiting to be played but i just cant set it up :(. it also means consoles are off the table for me also for the foreseeable future.

Under-powered, expensive, hot, loud, not really portable. Build a desktop instead for much less money.

Like a Shuttle case?

\Those mini cases tend to be on the expensive side. By the time I'm done adding stuff similar to my laptop specs (eg WiFi, backlit keyboard, OS, 14" LCD), It'd cost more than the $800 of my ASUS and that's with an i3 and a 2GB HD 7750.

It's still not as portable. He He.

Gaming laptops aren't my thing since I dislike playing games on the move and they lack processing power. But I do have an ordinary Dell laptop for Internet browsing and work outside of home.

Desktop PC all the way.

sure laptops may be expensive, but calling them outright horrible is a little harsh isn't it? ive heard of some laptops having very good hardware inside of them. sure a desktop can handle more, but then when you want to go over the top with them, some people start saying "that's more than you need for gaming right now."

I know this isnt a gamin laptop but whats the best I could play on this.

Intel(R)Core tm i72640 QM CPU@ 2.20ghz(8cpus) ,~2.2 ghz

Intel(R) HD Graphics Family Total Memory 1696 MB

Memory-6144MB Ram

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

I enjoy gaming on my laptop (670m) when I can't access my desktop. My laptop plays most games alright except for BF3 which I have to play at medium. Overall the experience is very close to my desktop, no complaints here. I don't have noise or heat issues whatsoever because the engineers at Asus were smart enough to design with those issues in mind.

My one gripe is the size of some gaming laptops, mine is >17in and it is quite cumbersome. If I didn't have a smaller laptop I would be absolutely screwed with how much I need to carry a computer around.

It's nice to be able to do some LAN gaming and only having to pull out an extra laptop instead of setting up another desktop, monitor, and keyboard.

While gaming laptops are certainly less value for your dollar than desktops, I wouldn't say they are a bad buy for everybody. If you have enough disposable income, they can be very handy. I have an ASUS gaming laptop 4 years old that I am bringing to people's houses to LAN or letting them check out some games I have.

I always liked the laptops at cyberpowerpc.com, and that will probably be my next stop for a gaming laptop when I can work it into my budget.

if you need to have a portable PC you don't really have a lot of options, now do you? you are paying a premium, but if laptop is what you need, then laptop is what you must buy.

i would've bought a gaming laptop if i had the money. i love the idea of having a portable gaming "console" (just hook it up to a TV anywhere and use wireless x360 controller) and workstation in one package.

they are still cheaper than non-gaming Macbooks.

You can get some of the more expensive ones by purchasing a refurbished model. I got my Asus G75VX which goes around 1600-2000$ during the time I got it, for 800$ off Newegg. Added an SSD to it and it's working flawlessly.

I mostly use it when I have to go out of town for long periods of time and I feel like gaming.

BF4 (adjusted to PS4-like graphics) runs 60fps+ on it.

my thoughts on a gaming laptop.....dont get one.

EDIT: just to clarify why i say dont get one, Mobile graphic cards are pretty underpowered in comparison to a desktop gpu but because its a gaming laptop its going to cost more compared to a gaming desktop. i have a "gaming laptop" and its....ok....but im still planning on building a desktop. been planning for a few years now, lol but imma get it done one day soon....probably treat myself for my birthday next year, that way i can price out the parts that i want and buy them at my leisure.

I paid $800 for mine brand new. If I'm not vacationing somewhere, I'm using it for my classes. I do my homework on it where ever I may be. Gaming with it when I'm away from my (desktop) gaming PC requires a bit of planning because I need to have an available power outlet to use the nVidia GPU (instead of the Intel one). That's not a problem in campus or during stopovers when I'm traveling. Most student lounges are being redesigned to accommodate laptop users.

$800 may seem a lot. But, the old non-gaming Toshiba it replaced cost me $927 back in 2007 not to mention the wife always buy a ~$2k Sager every few years and she doesn't even game on it. She said I can buy one too if I gave up my gaming desktop PC. He He. Of course I said no.

When I buy a laptop, I value things like portability and style.

Unfortunately, gaming laptops are huge, not very stylish, and run hot.

Ultimately, I'd rather rely on lowering the settings and relying on Intel's integrated graphics to see me through rather than deal with a gaming laptop. The tradeoff (especially in terms of portability and heat) isn't that bad.

Agreed. But there are exceptions. Some premium gaming laptops offer some pretty good performance, but are typically always above the $1500 price point.

An important question for leon2365: what types of games do you play?

I mostly agree, but don't think the premium for mobile gaming hardware is "incredible". If someone can only afford one computer and needs to be mobile, they're gonna need to compromise if they also want to fulfill their gaming responsibilities.

I'm not sure that's so true with respect to laptops. If you want to crank newer titles like Cod:Ghosts, BF3, or Crysis 3 at 1920x1080 on a laptop, the price tag is gonna be approaching $2000 at a minimum. I think a desktop (without the peripherals) doing the same would cost less than $1000.

You gotta stick your principles.

Personally, I like gaming on laptops provided they're sufficiently powered... and unfortunately sufficiently highly priced.

If you mean desktop gaming PCs? Sure. I'm never giving up the desktop gaming PC. But, it's also nice to have other options for playing my PC games.

I have a new Razer Blade Pro, and I love it.

But I wouldn't recommend spending that kind of money on a laptop unless you're going to use it for more than gaming. Honestly, no gaming platform is worth all that money. I see people dropping a grand on a video card just to get better framerates and higher anti aliasing on videogames, and it blows my mind. There hasn't been a videogame released on PC in over a year that's even worth having all that power.

If you need a laptop for work, for school, for producing music or editing video, and you like games and you have the money, then sure go for it.

A huge waste of money in my opinion. Gaming is something I do at home, not when I'm out and about. I'd rather limit where I can play and have the advantage of a big screen, more powerful hardware that can be easily modified, and all of this for less than a top of the line gaming laptop.

For people who need a powerful laptop for reasons other than gaming, and having that computing power in a portable format is important, then fair enough.

The same can be applied to a desktop gaming PC. The reason I game on the PC is because I can also do important stuff on it. Would I assemble a gaming PC just to game? Heck, no. I spend more time doing productive stuff on my gaming PC than gaming itself. Same goes for my gaming lappie. Same goes for my Android tablet.

There's a similar pattern for all three.