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[Magnnus]

Hello everyone... I was wondering if I could have some advice on a new laptop I'd like to buy.

I'm looking for a 15" under or around $2000.. meaning something with a bit of staying power. Ideally, it should have no problem running modern games on full graphics (maybe even AA and shadows), because I would like to keep it around for a good number of years, and who knows what kind of requirements games will have by then. I'd rather not have a massive 17" 12lb monster, as I would still like something decently portable.

With that said, I have three choices after a few hours of looking around:

1. Dell Studio XPS 16 - http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-studio-xps-16?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

2. Alienware m15x - http://www.alienware.com/customize/area-51-m15x-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-AREA51M15X-AI1&SubCode=SKU-JGLCM

3. IBuyPower Battalion 101 M865TU - http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Configurators.aspx?mid=328

All three have essentially equivalent processors and memory (correct me if i'm wrong), but I'm finding it hard to get good comparisons between the graphics cards. The alienware is likely reliable, but also overpriced, while the battalion seems a great choice for the price. The XPS is cheaper than both, but I'm unsure about the 1GB Radeon HD 4670 (a good card, but great? not sure. great would be nice, as it can't be replaced).

So, if anyone has opinions on these laptops, other suggestions, other sites i should take a look at, etc, let me know. I appreciate the help! Thank you

PS: this is magnnus' brother on his account.. he thought you should know.

[ChairmanPoo]

The thing is that I was looking for this very thing this christmas, and for what I saw there was a big hardware diff between desktops and laptops, more than there was in the past. I am talking about laptops having only dual (not quad) processors. And of course the graphics card was far worse as well. And not only you are going with lesser specs, but if you want to make the best out of those lesser specs, youŽll end up with a huge, heavy, laptop, whose portability will be limited to "It's (a bit) easier to pack out than a regular desktop" when porting it to the car.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that if you are aiming for a powerful laptop you wont get a cost-effective one, and it will still be subpar when compared to what's moving around in the market. If it's gaming you want the laptop for, I'd go for a cheaper one that still was game-capable, but with the idea in mind that you are sacrificing specs to be able to substitute it with a new one earlier.

I'd suggest considering at least the posibility of getting a netbook for work/class (dirt cheap and as portable as they get), and a desktop for gaming (where you will get the best bang for your buck)

[Pleeb]

Computer gaming will never be very portable. The bigger and more powerful your hardware, the more spare batteries you'll want to take with you. Most of the 1000$+ notebooks I was just looking at had a manufacturer rating battery life of 6 hours, which translates into about 1 and a half in reality. Notebook hardware is always subpar to desktop hardware, and so you will not be keeping it around a good number of years as the hardware in it is already horribly underpowered as is.

Possibly look into some of those emerging game streaming services to use on a cheap laptop/notebook instead. There was a few new ones that look believable now. They'd be far more effective/efficient than trying to run modern games on any portable device.

For 1000$, you could build a VERY nice desktop PC. Learn to program and program your very nice desktop to stream the game to your portable?

[Magnnus]

Its true, and also quite tempting, that a good desktop costs that much less. So I am considering it... But at the same time i do like having something portable, and if a laptop can reliably last me 4 years (is that a possibility?) while performing well, i would be happy enough. Mainly, i feel a new laptop should be able to run current games perfectly.

Either way, I would like to compare what I can get in a laptop vs what i could get in a desktop.

Chairman... i dont even use my laptop in class, haha. But its nice to take it around the dorm/campus.

Pleeb: I do realize i wont get much out of a laptop without a power source; by portability I mean more of moving it around, going to LAN events, etc. And streaming games looks very interesting. I read a bit about it when it was announced and I'm looking forward to more developments, though i think it will be awhile before I can program my very nice desktop to stream for me =P

[Mr Tk]

The problem is that with a laptop is that for gaming it's not going to last you 4 years. Once you pick a laptop your stuck with the same graphics card for 4 years.

At least with a desktop you can update the graphics card at a later date.

Or you could just do with this XKCD strip does

[ChairmanPoo]

Or you could just do with this XKCD strip does

....actually, that is exactly what I do.

[Magnnus]

So i think ive decided on the Sager np8662