Going to college and need a laptop to game with?

[victorv]

XPS 17
MEMORY - 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory

PROCESSOR - 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM processor (2.40 GHz, with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz)

OPERATING SYSTEM - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English

HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive

VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus

HD DISPLAY 17.3" FHD (1080p) with 2.0MP HD Webcam & Facial Recognition

INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

SOUND OPTIONS JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3 + Creative SoundBlaster X-FI MB 1.2

So this is a rig I just made and the price is $1,757.. Would this be enough to run games like bf 3, Skyrim, MoH Warfigher (speccs haven't been released I don't think), and demanding games like that? If you have suggestions, PLEASE post them. Also, I absolutely hate customizing laptops for gaming because I don't know what the bare essentials are for what I am looking to do with it. I simply do not know enough about computers to be able to know 100% what I am doing. Prince range is around $1500-$2000. I want to avoid getting it too close to $2000 and definitely do not want to go over $2000. Any help is highly appreciated Also, I am not sure if this is the correct thread to get this viewed by the gaming people of TomsHardWare so if I should move it somewhere else, please let me know!

 

[DelroyMonjo]

Compare that with a real video card.
http/community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GT+555M/review

 

[victorv]

Compare that with a real video card.
http/community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GT+555M/review

Lol what? As I said, I don't understand that much about this. As I look at that, it is showing me a statistic about 3d mark score... I don't even know what that is hahaha.

 

[geogolem]

Based on what I see in that graph, it is comparing various video cards price and performance. The green bar represents the price of the card while the blue bar represents the performance. If you notice the nvidia 555M card you are talking about costs (green bar) a ton more than other video cards and yet delivers far less performance (blue bar)....

Gaming on a laptop is expensive and mediocre at best. The difference in capability of a desktop computer vs. a laptop is great. That being said the mobility of a laptop is great for various things. Might I suggest you simply buy a really cheap laptop and spend a large portion of the remaining money on a decent gaming desktop??

Decent laptops for anything other than gaming these days are really cheap and it doesnt take that much to build a decent gaming desktop either.

Its also really useful to have both a desktop and laptop especially now with cloud services like dropbox etc.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

3DMark11 measure primarily video card performance. The higher score the better you are likely to have a decent gaming experience.
Look at this and see if this helps:
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOllwcvlZwg

 

[victorv]

Based on what I see in that graph, it is comparing various video cards price and performance. The green bar represents the price of the card while the blue bar represents the performance. If you notice the nvidia 555M card you are talking about costs (green bar) a ton more than other video cards and yet delivers far less performance (blue bar)....

Gaming on a laptop is expensive and mediocre at best. The difference in capability of a desktop computer vs. a laptop is great. That being said the mobility of a laptop is great for various things. Might I suggest you simply buy a really cheap laptop and spend a large portion of the remaining money on a decent gaming desktop??

Decent laptops for anything other than gaming these days are really cheap and it doesnt take that much to build a decent gaming desktop either.

Its also really useful to have both a desktop and laptop especially now with cloud services like dropbox etc.

I understand where you are coming from and I am knowledgeable to the point that I know a gaming desktop has better performance for cheaper. BUT, as I said, I am going to college and need something mobile to be able to do work and play games on. I am not carrying a desktop back and forth from college, that's out of the question. I understand I will pay a lot for a gaming laptop when I can get a similar gaming experience on a desktop for nearly half the price, but I am paying the extra for portability, homework, gaming, school etc. Thanks for trying though

 

[DelroyMonjo]

geogolem, good idea. For $400-$500 one can get an entirely good laptop and have $1200 left over for a fairly awesome desktop gamer.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

Suit yourself, you will get 20FPS in BF3 or even less at 1080 resolution on that laptop even though it costs $1700.

 

[geogolem]

Any laptop you purchase with gaming in mind will be bulky (not portable) run hot and totally underachieve when it comes to game performance/usability...

I doub't you'll want to be playing games in the library or on a bus let alone with a huge and bulky laptop that has horrible battery life and heats up like the sun ..

Honestly I think you would benefit from having a nice reliable desktop computer in your room or house where you live and a nice cheap portable laptop. You don't want to be carrying around a 17" laptop trust me. Its just not portable.

Things are changing so rapidly in the laptop/portable market its a really foolish idea to drop a ton of money into such a device. If you spend $2000 on a laptop I bet you will only get 1 - 2 years use out of it and will feel that it is not satisfactory... if that.. maybe even less... If you want mobility don't buy a 17" laptop. Buy a nice 13" laptop with decent battery life. Save your money and build a nice desktop computer that will give you a good backbone for a number of years. Hell you could buy a new laptop for $500 every year and the second one you buy will be much better than if you spent $2000 on one laptop now.

This is from experience of someone who spent $3000 on a laptop when they started university (albet it 9 years ago)... lol

You don't want to have a heavy bulky laptop. If you buy with the intention of playing games I am quite certain the end result will be a bulky laptop with horrible battery life that will not meet your expectations for any games. You'll end up not really being able to use it for gaming and you'll regret being stuck with such a bulky system..

Just my opinion/experience... no offense...

Plus I think laptops/portable market will change alot after this October when Windows 8 comes out.

 

[victorv]

Best answer selected by VictorV.

 

[victorv]

Ok I get it! You guys persuaded me I think. I'll do a little bit more research and I'll figure it out. Thanks a lot for your help guys, really appreciated.

 

[victorv]

On second thought, you seem to be very knowledgeable Delroy. Can you show me a good gaming desktop for around $1500-1700? I WILL NOT order piece by piece and build it. I am definitely not that guy . Ill open or look at a thread that has suggestions but I kind of trust you now so if you can, that would be highly appreciated as well

 

[geogolem]

I just wanted to clarify my point as well... When in university/college a laptop is definitely a great/wonderful thing to have for (1) schoolwork (2) communicating (3)watching movies/tv shows. I wouldn't go to school without a laptop - you will find your studies that much more feasible and enjoyable with such a portable and useful device....

Having said all that, laptops just don't seem to fit the profile for gaming.. the energy/heat issues are a major issue and there is a severe penalty and cost associated with the high requirements of gaming on a portable device.

Things are improving alot and I would expect this situation to hopefully change alot in the next 2 years as the portable market is really heating up with competition and progress.

I would have been at a loss in school without my laptop; however I would have benefited by having a decent desktop rig at home in my room etc.

From my perspective, school requires a laptop. Gaming requires a desktop. The beauty of the situation is that today you can probably get both while back when i started/went to school the cheapest laptops were still at least $1700.

If you select/build the right desktop computer its highly upgradable and can last a long time. Laptops not so much... they are typically a use/replace type of device... especially these days.

Its not that spending 1700$ on a gaming laptop is out of the question. Its nice to be able to do everything with one device; however I just think you really need to investigate the performance of the device and make sure that it will meet your expectations for usability/performance and lifespan...

Again from experience of having multiple devices/computers/laptops over the years I have decided that the ideal situation is to have a decent desktop computer at home while maximizing the portability of my other devices.

Perhaps this article can be of some help:
http/computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming-laptops/the-different-types-of-gaming-laptops.html

I'll be interested to see what Delroy comes back with in his suggestion and how his views clash/support mine

 

[DelroyMonjo]

You might try looking to see if that video in your currenly selected laptop can be upgraded but it will be expensive for little gain. You have just about reached the limit for a gaming laptop.
Here is a link to compare laptops and respective cards. The $1999 laptop will outpace your current video card. The lower priced laptops will be about equal to what you already have.
http/www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m17x-r3/fs

 

[DelroyMonjo]

I agree with you posters on the laptop college/gaming responses since you've had the actual experience of finding out what a 10# or 12# laptop can feel like after dragging it around for a few weeks. But if VictorV wants a laptop, he's gonna get a laptop.

 

[victorv]

Ok well I am not sure if you guys are familiar with college dorming but would bringing a desktop to a school (CUA which is 5 hours away from me) a good idea or even possible? And I am leaving all options open regarding buying a gaming laptop but I will research. Your opinions are highly appreciated, but some other peoples opinions differ from yours so I will investigate further. Thanks a lot guys!

 

[jessterman21]

I agree with Geodude. $1000 will buy you an amazing desktop that can handle any game at 1080p at Ultra settings. $1000 also includes a decent monitor, Windows 7 (though you can probably get a great discount as a student), and peripherals.

Then spend $500-600 on a 13-inch laptop with great battery life. Here's a decent one: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152287

 

[jessterman21]

Ok well I am not sure if you guys are familiar with college dorming but would bringing a desktop to a school (CUA which is 5 hours away from me) a good idea or even possible?

Absolutely - unless you've got your heart set on gaming in the cafeteria or library. Seriously, don't waste your money on a hulking $2000 gaming notebook that only provides the equivalent performance of a $600 gaming desktop.

 

[victorv]

Absolutely - unless you've got your heart set on gaming in the cafeteria or library. Seriously, don't waste your money on a hulking $2000 gaming notebook that only provides the equivalent performance of a $600 gaming desktop.

I do agree now. So now, what do you suggest i do with a desktop? Would the alienware x51 be a good choice? It is small, portable, and the more expensive edition: Intel i7 2600 quad with the Nvidia Geforce GTX 555. That would come up to be around 1300-1400? I need help! Ahaha any advice, again, is appreciated. Please remain off subject on the laptops now, I get it .

 

[jessterman21]

I do agree now. So now, what do you suggest i do with a desktop? Would the alienware x51 be a good choice? It is small, portable, and the more expensive edition: Intel i7 2600 quad with the Nvidia Geforce GTX 555. That would come up to be around 1300-1400? I need help! Ahaha any advice, again, is appreciated. Please remain off subject on the laptops now, I get it .

Sure - that's a nice pre-built desktop that will game pretty darn well. Don't waste your money on the i7 though - the i5 will give you the same performance. Get the i5 configuration with the GTX 555 and 6GB RAM. That will game very well on a 1080p monitor (that you should buy separately from Newegg). I suggest this one - will be great for gaming: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175