Recommend a laptop

[Chainsaw]

I haven't bought a new computer since 2001. I had a decent gaming desk top at that point, but then work picked up and some other things happened and I got out of computer games. These days I use a Dell Inspiron 600m laptop that my wife bought a few years ago before I met her - but it's slow as hell and not good for games.

So we're thinking about getting a couple new laptops this spring. She's a lawyer, I write financial research and travel a bit. We both probably need something portable, but I'd also like each to have enough power to accomodate some online MMORPGs or a game like Dragon Age: Origins.

I used to know all the ins/outs of different processors, graphics cards and whatnot, but have just lost touch. Any suggestions, things to demand, things to watch out for? We have a reasonable budget.

 

[Ebonyr]

Well, it's not a laptop, but me new Acer Aspire One 11.6 screen netbook kicks some serious booty. Full size keyboard, 11.6 " screen make it a joy to use.

 

[drothgery]

My thought on gaming notebooks is that they tend to cost more than a much more portable non-gaming notebook (good graphics cards tend to be tied with large screens and less notebook-optimized CPUs, which means you get something that's big, heavy, and has poor battery life) and a dekstop that will offer better gaming performance combined (at least, if you've got a monitor already).

 

[Blackbrrd]

This one might be what you are looking for?
AnandTech: ASUS UL80Vt First Look: Mobility Redefined

Or this review, these are mostly moveable computers.
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3660&p=10

 

[Thanee]

For a good gaming notebook (one that runs Dragon Age) you probably get a more powerful desktop and a netbook.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Umbran]

So we're thinking about getting a couple new laptops this spring. She's a lawyer, I write financial research and travel a bit. We both probably need something portable, but I'd also like each to have enough power to accomodate some online MMORPGs or a game like Dragon Age: Origins.

The real question I think is - are you planning to be gaming while on the road? If not, then as ohers have noted, you might not need a gaming laptop - they are very expensive for the power they provide.

Basic business work (word processing, web-research, powerpoint, and most other officework applications) these days can be done by a basic Dell laptop that'll run you maybe $600 dollars.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I like my Acer Aspire 6930G. It really depends what you want. I like a "desktop replacement." None of the cords, portable, etc... It's big (16 inch screen), heavy (probably 7 pounds, I forget), and has godawful battery life (maybe 2 hours for gaming or movies, worse than my previous laptop from 2003, I think). But...I mostly keep it plugged in, it lasts long enough unplugged for my needs, and I LOVE the full-sized keyboard, NVIDIA graphics card, quality sound, and hard drive and RAM. The two worst things about it are that the mouse pad is disgustingly far to the left (I prefer center, or to the right if not centered) and that it has Windows Vista.

I got it for something like $750 last year during a holiday sale on newegg, so it wasn't terribly expensive, either. I definitely think I'd like it a lot less if I didn't have a mouse plugged in to it 95% of the time -- I can't express how much I hate the mouse pad alignment.

EDIT: In general, try to go for "second tier" (for lack of a better term). IM(limited)E with computers, the highest possible specs at the moment are massively more expensive than specs that are nearly as good. So I try to go for a mix of fair price and high quality. Also, whatever is cutting edge today will just be second tier in a few months anyway.

 

[Thanee]

I definitely think I'd like it a lot less if I didn't have a mouse plugged in to it 95% of the time -- I can't express how much I hate the mouse pad alignment.

Heh. But for a 'desktop replacement', which isn't really meant to carry around (and quite a burden if done so), a mouse is pretty much a necessity, anyways.

I even have a classy logitech VX nano in my netbook-bag, though the touchpad works really well on that one (currently sitting in the train and using it ) and as such the mouse is only needed for precision control, but not for surfing and other simple tasks.

Bye
Thanee

 

[LightPhoenix]

I won't reiterate the advice already in the thread, even though I agree with it.


If you're looking at gaming laptops, you'll probably have to go with something very new and higher-end. Personally, I would look for a laptop that would allow the video card to be upgraded. That way, you can stay mostly current as far as games go. I would also try and find a screen that can have the brightness increased; my laptop screen is definitely darker than my desktop, especially with off-center viewing angles on the laptop. Additionally, a lot of modern games are very dark. Make sure to buy a mouse.

Something to keep in mind is that hardware requirements are going to differ between games. A game like WoW has very forgiving requirements; I can play it on my four-year old un-upgraded laptop. A game like Torchlight is relatively lightweight, and will run better. DA:O will probably require fairly beefy hardware requirements. So I would take a look at the requirements for games you want to play, and make a decision based on that. If most of them are low-performance, you may want to spend less and wait on more demanding games (or use a desktop).

 

[Chainsaw]

Thanks for all the replies - very helpful!!