What gaming laptop should I buy???

[civgenius]

I know there's already some other threads out there about building a laptop, but I would rather buy one. I am looking at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-X3-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B00361G0ZO

I have about $1000 in my budget for a nice gaming laptop for civ 5 and starcraft 2. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Gaming and laptop dont mix. If you want gaming, get a desktop, if you want a laptop, get a laptop. Unless you have very specific needs (moving constantly being pretty much the only one, as in Abaddon's case) you dont need to splurge on a gaming laptop.

 

[civgenius]

Well actually I wanted to get a gaming laptop because I travel frequently and want to be able to play my games everywhere.

 

[civ_king]

Well actually I wanted to get a gaming laptop because I travel frequently and want to be able to play my games everywhere.

wait until Sandy Bridge, a good CPU bump plus a massive IGP bump

 

[civgenius]

I cant wait until then! Civ 5 comes out in 20 days!

 

[Steve2000]

I have this ASUS laptop. It has the new Nvidia "optimus" switching graphics. So it can actually switch on the fly between the integrated graphics and a Nvidia GT325M gpu. You don't have to reboot it, or tell it when to switch, it pretty much automatically switches to the higher graphics card when you play a game, but uses the integrated graphics when you are just web-browsing or whatever. And if it isn't using the graphics settings you want, it is really easy to set it correctly in the Nvidia control panel. You just tell it what gpu you want it to use for a specific .exe file, and it will always work in the future. You can even tweak a lot of the settings to your liking.

It is a pretty sweet laptop, and I have been using it since May 2010. So far, I have had no problems with Civ IV: Beyond the Sword, Mass Effect 2, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2, and MLB 2K 2010. I can't promise that it will run CIV V well, but it does meet what has been announced. It has a Core i5 processor and 4 GB of RAM on Windows 7 64bit. It is certainly not a top of the line gaming laptop, but it is a good compromise with decent gaming power, and due to the switchable "optimus" graphics thing it doesn't drain the batter life. I can usually get 4 hours of battery life if I don't play any games or watch DVDs. At a little over 6 lbs, it is not a total beast either.

Highly recommended.

 

[tokala]

I have this ASUS laptop.

That one really looks like a very good allround laptop, which is also decent at gaming. The video card is about halfway between minimum and recommended.

The "Republic of Gamers" one has a more powerful video card, which is just a tad below the recommended level. You will have to pay for that with more weight and probably shorter battery running times. It is about as powerful as it gets if you want to retain a semblance of portability, above that you will enter the realm of "desktop replacement" laptops.

 

[Steve2000]

... above that you will enter the realm of "desktop replacement" laptops.

That is exactly my argument for the ASUS computer I recommended (and own). I don't see the point of buying a laptop that weighs 11.9 pounds like the Republic of Gamers one. You can't really comfortably carry that around on your shoulder, thus negating the main benefit of a laptop. And, IMO if you are going to buy a huge desktop replacement type laptop, you might as well get a small desktop that is easier to upgrade. But I guess there is a market for those huge 10+ pound laptops, so to each their own I guess.

 

[civgenius]

thanks! I appreciate the help, everybody! I haven't made my decision yet though.

 

[tokala]

That is exactly my argument for the ASUS computer I recommended (and own). I don't see the point of buying a laptop that weighs 11.9 pounds like the Republic of Gamers one.

It's not THAT bad
11.9 lbs is the shipping weight, the thing itself weighs in at 7.3 lbs. I wouldn't want to lug something around that weighs more than my 5.5 lb Thinkpad, but that one is certainly not suited at all for Civ 5

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I have a 6lb MSI that will easily be able to run Civ 5. Doesnt mean I like carrying that much weight around, especially once you add in the separate power brick.

 

[Steve2000]

It's not THAT bad
11.9 lbs is the shipping weight, the thing itself weighs in at 7.3 lbs. I wouldn't want to lug something around that weighs more than my 5.5 lb Thinkpad, but that one is certainly not suited at all for Civ 5

Oh good, I am happy to be wrong then. It seemed a bit excessive, but I have seen other 10+ pound laptops. 7.3lbs is probably manageable as long as you aren't carrying it to work/school every day.