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General discussionLaptop recommendations?(85 posts)(85 posts)
(85 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted October 08, 2016
I have a Lenovo one I think is pretty good, granted it's a monster one that weighs a ton, so I have no idea how more normal ones are like.

I think this site is pretty good:

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-gaming-laptops-ct-118-96-98.html#!/p=clear&use2=60

They're fully customizable, so just pick one laptop and put whatever you want in.

And this site is pretty good to see what can and can't run on your laptop:

http://www.game-debate.com/search/games
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: Again, I'm really bad with estimating prices, but...
I think after a laptop hits $1,000, it stops being reasonable. At that point, I'd just get a desktop.
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HereForTheBeer: So portability is how much of a concern? I'm a laptop guy but if you can live with a desktop without much sacrifice then you can certainly get a better price / performance ratio that way.
I'd prefer a laptop, but if the specs/price are just THAT much better, I might be willing to go the desktop route.
Posted October 08, 2016
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HereForTheBeer: So portability is how much of a concern? I'm a laptop guy but if you can live with a desktop without much sacrifice then you can certainly get a better price / performance ratio that way.
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zeogold: I'd prefer a laptop, but if the specs/price are just THAT much better, I might be willing to go the desktop route.
Aye, desktops are generally cheaper.
Of course building one yourself would be even cheaper but I don't know if you'd be willing. :P
Post edited October 08, 2016 by omega64
Posted October 08, 2016
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HereForTheBeer: So portability is how much of a concern? I'm a laptop guy but if you can live with a desktop without much sacrifice then you can certainly get a better price / performance ratio that way.
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zeogold: I'd prefer a laptop, but if the specs/price are just THAT much better, I might be willing to go the desktop route.
From early reviews I've been reading (also looking for a replacement at the moment), the new 10-series nVidia GPUs are narrowing the gap a good bit. It used to be you were getting half the PC for twice the money, and now it's more like 80% of the PC for an extra, erm, 25-30% once you factor in the value of portability. Definitely getting better and better.

The 9-series seemed to be good, too, and now that the 10s are out you might start to see price drops on very capable 9s.
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: I've heard of Alienware before supposedly being really good/tailored to gaming.

Has anybody had an Alienware laptop? Can you confirm it's any good?
Haven't heard anything really, mostly seem overpriced so I never checked.
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: I refuse to go HP ever again. Thanks for the recommendation on the graphics thingamabob, I'm pretty much tech-illiterate when it comes to that sort of thing.
What's the advantages/disadvantages behind refurbished laptops?
One thing I like about Dell computer is you can reinstall Windows anytime because the product keys are built in, this save the company a lot of money. Sometimes you have to use the right recovery disc, but for all Windows 10 PC you can use the Microsoft stock Windows 10 ISO. With other brands, they usually have the recovery partition in the harddrive, so if you lose that or switch harddrive, you pretty much have to buy a new Windows license.

Refurb are returned devices so obviously they have issues, which should be fixed in order to sell again, but you may run into bugs or potential problems. The important thing is warranty that come with it. There are good deals on laptop now so you don't need to go this route.

I think you will be fine with a GT950 or GT960, these will handle latest 3D games relatively well, although not max out settings. You do want to get a computer with SSD harddrive if you can, it is a big boost to performance.

Alienware is owned by Dell now, they're basically gamer laptops, I don't think they're that great. There are other competing gamer brands like Razr, AORUS (Gigabyte), and Asus ROG, which are expensive and overpriced imo. I would rather get a business type laptop like the Dell XPS 15, at least you don't look like a virgin using it.
Post edited October 08, 2016 by eksasol
Posted October 08, 2016
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eksasol: Dell XPS 15
The screens on these are to die for supposedly. Also ridiculously expensive of course.
Posted October 08, 2016
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eksasol: One thing I like about Dell computer is you can reinstall Windows anytime because the product keys are built in, this save the company a lot of money.
I've mentioned this before about Dell, but another nice thing is that they supply to the user - via the Support website - super-detailed factory-level disassembly guides. A bit of a godsend if you want to tear into your laptop to, say, give it a really good cleaning.
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eksasol: I would rather get a business type laptop like the Dell XPS 15, at least you don't look like a virgin using it.
Unless things have changed recently, Dell have unfortunately moved their powerful stuff to Alienware. You used to be able to get a really nice gaming laptop in XPS clothes, but not anymore. This is one reason why I'm taking a hard look at Sager / Clevo: they're fairly plain-Jane like the XPS and look a bit more professional when using them at a customer. If Dell would put the best stuff in the XPS chassis I'd likely be getting yet another one.

Edit: messed up the quoting. Oops
Post edited October 08, 2016 by HereForTheBeer
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: I heard somewhere that always plugging it in drains it, so I'll see if I can take better care of the new battery.
If you are talking about the battery, as long as it can be detached (like I guess it can be on all PC laptops, but not "tablet PCs" necessarily), you don't have to keep the battery in at all if you don't need it.

I normally use my gaming laptop with the battery out, the laptop is plugged in all the time. I use the battery only when I know I'll need it soon, but then this big gaming laptop is more "portable" than "mobile", so I am normally not trying to use it somewhere where electricity is not available, like in a crowded bus or while jogging, swimming or climbing Mount Everest.

Just to mention this in case you thought that a laptop can't be used without its battery. Sure it can.

For storing a detached (laptop) battery for future use, I recall reading that the best thing is to fully charge it, and then keep it at a relatively cool (but not cold) place. Normal room temperature is fine I guess. Of course if you know you'll be needing the battery soon, it is a good idea to recharge it again beforehand. Common sense and all etc. My laptop battery is just resting there on the desk beside my laptop now, I think the last time I had it inserted was in June or so.
Post edited October 08, 2016 by timppu
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: I intend to use it on its own keyboard, but I could buy an external one if necessary.
If you are using the laptop on a desk anyway and its screen isn't tiny (like 13" or less), you might want to use an external keyboard just for ergonomics. You can use any common USB keyboard with one, in case you prefer the feel of a proper keyboard to laptop flat keyboard, and also with an external keyboard you can place the laptop more freely away from you, to the side or further away from you etc.

I usually use a normal Dell USB keyboard with my laptop, sometimes I use also a wireless Logitech keyboard. Both feel better than the ASUS internal keyboard, but it is passable too. And the points above about the placement of the laptop etc.
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: Again, I'm really bad with estimating prices, but...
I think after a laptop hits $1,000, it stops being reasonable. At that point, I'd just get a desktop.
I would feel bad giving that amount of money for laptop when you could buy very good pc. Within your budget, i would probably buy one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-700-GeForce-80RU00FEUS/dp/B01FJFN872/ - $689

or

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ - $780

If you want me to find you better laptops closer to $1.000 limit , i can send you some recommendations.
Posted October 08, 2016
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HereForTheBeer: This, plus budget. On a laptop you can spend anywhere from $250 to $5,000 without searching very hard.
By the way, have the prices of premium gaming laptops gone up worldwide, or is it maybe some weak Euro currency thing?

It is just that years ago when I bought this ASUS G75VW, it was pretty much the best ASUS ROG model you could get, and I recall I paid something like 1300€ for it. It was a top model performance-vise (GPU etc.), but I deliberately got it with e.g. a DVD-RW drive (instead of a Bluray drive), normal HDD instead of SSD etc., to get the price as low as possible.

Now when I look at e.g. ROG ASUS gaming laptops on the same store where I bought mine years ago, dang, you have to pay the very least 1600€, possibly 2000€ or over, even if you don't get the latest GPU models but even something like Geforce GTX 970M (my intention was that my next gaming laptop would have a GTX 980M at minimum).

Heck, now that I check them, the two ASUS laptops with GTX 980M cost well over 2000€. I'm pretty sure at some point they were selling GTX 980M ASUS laptops for like 1400-1500€, not sure about the other specs (e.g. has CPU changed to a newer one etc.).

[url=http://www.kannettavatietokone.fi/pikahaku.html?q=asus+g-sarja#8:1:3:0]http://www.kannettavatietokone.fi/pikahaku.html?q=asus+g-sarja#8:1:3:0[/url]

I just can't figure out what has happened, it does seem to me like getting even near top of the line (GPU-vise) gaming laptops nowadays costs much more than, say, 2-4 years ago.

I guess I won't be buying a more powerful laptop for now, and frankly I don't need one yet either, this is still working fine for the games I play currently.
Post edited October 08, 2016 by timppu
Posted October 08, 2016
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zeogold: Well, as some of you may know, my laptop's been kaput for some time. It was an HP Envy dv7, and about a month ago, I shipped it to the company for repairs (mainly physical damage). Everything was going fine and dandy until first they called and said repairs were being delayed, then called again about a week later and explained that they're missing a part they need and the company that provides said part is having issues. Therefore, they're basically saying that it's unlikely that I'll get my laptop back and they're looking to work some kind of deal out with me.

In the meantime though, I want to get a new laptop. Most other computers in my house (the one I'm using is a Vista desktop) are relatively slow. I've realized I can pretty competently complete my work on this thing, so I want the new laptop to be a gaming one, preferably one that could run something like, say, Arkham Asylum without overheating like the old one did. I don't want it to be too expensive either, but I'm not entirely sure how much these sort of laptops run for.

Any suggestions?
Depends on your needs and budget.

My first laptopm was a Fijitsu (or whatever its called) and it was so so. It had a tendency to overheat, had stability problems and completely broke down after 3 years (some people call it the average lifespan of a laptop, I call it short).

My second laptop was a W530 Thinkpad and it rocks. It's still solid after having been carried around for almost 4 years (with the occasional rough landing) and it never overheats. It got a discrete graphics card too (for gaming), but for the hardware specs, it's pricey (you pay extra for the stability and durability). Paid ~2300$ for mine and I'll probably pay around 3000$ for my next one (given the time it lasts, I figure it's a good investment so that it doesn't suck too much 5-6 years down the line in terms of specs).

If you'll mostly keep it at home and replace it in 3 years anyways or if you're simply on a budget and can't afford business-level durability, get yourself a gaming branded laptop from one of the more reputable brands (ie, I recall hearing Asus is pretty good).
Post edited October 08, 2016 by Magnitus
Posted October 08, 2016
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HereForTheBeer: This, plus budget. On a laptop you can spend anywhere from $250 to $5,000 without searching very hard.
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timppu: By the way, have the prices of premium gaming laptops gone up worldwide, or is it maybe some weak Euro currency thing?

<snip>
I just can't figure out what has happened, it does seem to me like getting even near top of the line (GPU-vise) gaming laptops nowadays costs much more than, say, 2-4 years ago.

I guess I won't be buying a more powerful laptop for now, and frankly I don't need one yet either, this is still working fine for the games I play currently.
Only a guess: The mobile GPUs these days are much closer hardware-wise than ever. More power, for certain, so they likely cost more per unit, and I think manufacturers are starting to put more emphasis on cooling. Better keyboards with back-lighting becoming a common thing, SSDs, better screens. All adds up a little at a time. Hopefully it adds up to getting an extra year or two out of a machine, which should offset the cost-creep.

Again, just a guess. Might be something else going on.
Posted October 08, 2016
Does anybody know anything about the customer service for each laptop company?
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionLaptop recommendations?(85 posts)(85 posts)
(85 posts)