I'm considering buying this inexpensive laptop to play my 3D-intensive PC games on. This laptop has an 2.26 GHz i3 processor, 1696MB VRAM Intel HD graphics (which I suspect is the NVidia 3D graphics card since I read recently that NVidia and Intel merged and so they renamed all their NVidia graphic cards?) and weighs 5.5 lbs, has a 15-inch screen.

Should I buy it? I'm Latest Game Playing-starved.

i3 core laptop at Best Buy I'm considering


EDIT - Or if you can find me a superior laptop to this one for the same price or less that I can get either at Office Depot or Best Buy, please link me to it?

I don't think you'll find a good gaming laptop for $479.99 or less. Maybe for $200 more you could get something that would work for you.

To quote what I posted over at JA...


Where did you hear that?
You won't find any gaming laptop promoting itself by advertising Intel graphics.


No. As far as I can tell, it doesn't even have discrete graphics.

If you want a "budget" gaming laptop, check some of those listed here
http://www.laptopforgames.com/
Click the name of the laptop for the specs. (For example click where it says "Gateway-P-7917u-FX" for info about that laptop).

Notice many of the laptops on that page have Nvidia Geforce GTX 260M, though the IdeaPad has a Geforce 240M and the Sony has an earlier generation video card -- a GeForce 9600M GT.

You shouldn't go by that site alone though. It's just an example showing the types of laptop cards that are best for games. Nvidia has an edge over ATI because of the laptopvideo2go.com website, which offers different Nvidia video drivers for game compatibility.

You'd get a lot more bang for the buck with a desktop. Weren't you going to build one for yourself?

If you're looking for a laptop you can take to the mall and game with, you probably won't get much more than an hour's game time unless you can find an electrical outlet to plug it into. The latest 3D games eat up power.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

Here are a couple of laptops I've seen recommended, but they seem to be out of stock.

***lenovo IdeaPad Y560p with ATI Radeon HD 6570M***

***Acer AS7551G-6477 with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650***

Yes, I was going to build a desktop for myself, and from what I understand from that new CompTIA A+ Study Guide book I bought last month that laptops suffer a bit in performance as compared to desktops but the book said that if portability is one of the factors in wanting to game on a laptop, this is why more people choose a laptop over a desktop.

The bottom line is: I can't wait another 6 months to order these computer parts for the desktop, I'd like to take my laptop out and about with me (I'll use my netbook for movies only if I buy the laptop), and look here, I found a nice gaming laptop,

Alienware M11x laptop

for $600. It has the NVidia GeForce GT 335M video card, and it weighs less than 4 pounds.

It's not a laptop - it's a netbook. It also only has 2 GB of DDR3 Ram, no optical drive and only a 160 GB hard drive. Pretty pricey for an 11.6" netbook. The Acer Jenny linked you to is a much better deal and is actually a laptop, not a netbook.

Since it has a what I believe is a dedicated NVidia 3D graphics card, it'll suffice for about a year or so until I save up enough money for the parts to build the desktop PC (considering if I still want that desktop by then). I'll just set it up as a dual boot, and install XP on it (plus any device drivers if necessary), and use my external DVD drive with it at places like Barnes & Noble, the mall, etc. to game on.

Regarding the price, I believe that it's pricy because of the dedicated 3D card it has, the CPU, and the fact that it's built for gaming on rather than "standard" netbooks.

Should I buy it? I don't intend to go on the internet at all with it.

EDIT - There's 3 things that I don't like about that Acer laptop that Jenny linked me to, it has an ATI graphics card and I'm an NVidia fan, also, it has a 17-inch screen, and I'm looking for something more compact to take out (on the bus) and about with me, also it weighs 7 pounds, and I'm looking for something more like 5 pounds or less, but I'll admit the price looks good to me, and also, it's listed as "currently unavailable".

No, it's pricey because of the Alienware logo.

The ATI card in the Acer will play your new adventure games just as well as the card in the Alienware. If you are going to try to run Windows 7 on only 2 GB of RAM, you will be disappointed. The Alienware is $600 and the Acer (a much better machine) is $749. But if $149 is too much extra, I guess it's your money. Here is another Acer with pretty decent gaming specs for $699... Acer Gaming Laptop

And I'm failing to see why you would want to partition such a small hard drive and install XP on it. The new games you want to play will work just fine on Windows 7.

Thanks, Drac - I'll let Mom know about if she'll let me buy this one.


B/c I have in my office older 3D games (around 5 years old since the time they appeared in the brick-and-mortar stores in our area when I bought/played them) such as CSI, CSI Miami, Outcry, Rhem 3, Nikopol, PR: Immortals of Terra, Overclocked, Myst 3 Exile, Post Motem, Syberia 1 & 2, Real Myst, etc. that I'd like to replay, and although I usually don't bother to check the "win 7 and Games" thread, I believe it's a bit of a hassle to get these kind of games to run in Win 7, also, I like to take screenshots of my gaming experience, and I like to use a certain version (which I made a backup of) of XnView for these screen captures, and so far, this is all smooth sailing on XP. I don't know if it'll all (including my backedup XnView) would work ok in Win 7, but I'm willing to give it a try.

But what about some XP games that won't run in Win 7 (like Jazz & Faust)? - I'll try it on this new PC you linked me to Drac.

Should I buy that laptop you linked me to, Drac?

Just asked Mom about ordering this laptop, and she said she's afraid that if something goes wrong with the computer there'll be no store to take it to and either have it fixed or returned. Mom'd much rather go to a local store to buy a laptop than order it off the internet - it sounds like she doesn't believe me when I told her this was a better laptop, she wants to keep stretching for "something better," "something better".

Well, now I'm confused. I thought you said you wanted a new laptop to play new games on? All the ones you mention are older games... Don't you still have your netbook with XP on it to run older games? I guess I'm missing what you really want to do here. And if you won't bother to check the Windows 7 and Games thread, you won't know that many of the ones you mention work perfectly on Windows 7.

I certainly can't tell you what to buy - all we're doing is linking you to options since that's what you asked for.

If you want to play games and want something to carry about, you have to pay for it. I paid $899 for my Asus almost two years ago and it is worth every penny I paid.

But how to convince Mom of this? That laptop that Drac linked me to at Newegg looks like an excellent buy - I have my eye on it.



It's true, Drac - I do want a new laptop to play new (latest releases) games on - I'll try running these on Win 7. But as these older XP 3D games, that's why I said I intended to set the new laptop up as a dual boot for Win 7 64-bit/Win XP 32-bit, and I understand that you can have both a 64-bit OS and a 32-bit OS installed on the same computer, but first you'll have to partition the hard drive to accommodate this.




Yes, but now that I might be getting this new laptop, I may as well just use the netbook for playing movies on (and for move screenshot captures) only while I'll play both the new games and the older games on the new laptop.



My intention is to find a nice gaming laptop like the one you linked me, to, Drac.



After I get this laptop, I'll check out that Win 7/games thread, now that you mention it.



You linked to to what looks like a good buy, Drac. But how can I convince Mom to let me order that laptop from Newegg if she's afraid that something might go wrong with the computer?

It was just an example of what might fit what you were asking about, as Jenny also linked you to examples. I'm sure there are other laptops out there that would work. What happens in your home is up to you.

But all your talk of repartitioning a new computer so you can install XP is just asking for trouble. There are driver issues that you may not overcome just to mention one potential problem. If you get a new laptop with Windows 7, I'd advise just getting used to it.

anyone know how long that laptop (the laptop Drac linked me to) will be on sale at Newegg? Can you find this laptop (or a better one) for sale at the local Best Buy/Office Depot stores in the 15122 area for the same price (or cheaper)?

I tried copying/pasting that laptop name from Newegg onto Office Depot's website but I got a bunch of listings, same with Best Buy's website. And no, we don't have a Fry's or a Staples store in our area.



Ok, Drac, I'll try and get used to Win 7. But why do people set their PC's up as a dual boot in the first place if this (in quote) is the case?

Most people dual boot because they enjoy tinkering to some degree.
Maybe that's why you want to do it. But if you're more interested in whether or not your games run, you should probably give the computer a good try with Windows 7 before deciding whether or not you want to set up a dual boot on it.

Here are a couple of links you might find interesting:

*** Dual boot Windows 7 and XP ***

*** How to shrink a partition in Windows 7 ***
In theory you should be able to shrink the Windows 7 partition, create a new partition in the now-unpartitioned space, and install XP in that. XP won't create a boot menu for Windows 7 though. So you'll have to fix that. But it might save you having to install Windows 7 and all its drivers.

Cruise your mom might go for if you hadn't already bought so many toys.

Hawka, the reason Mom won't let me order that Acer laptop from Newegg for $700 is b/c of the cost, after taxes and shipping, it'll come to $800 or quite close to $800. So we're going to keep looking in the Sunday papers for sales at Office Depot and Best Buy for a 15-inch laptop with a NVidia 3D card and hopefully a 500 GB hard drive.

Maybe you should have thought it out a bit more before you spent the mega dollars on the Apple laptop, do you even use it?

I'm not sure where you and mom are getting your numbers, but that laptop would be $714.23 with shipping (no tax unless PA has suddenly started collecting internet taxes in the middle of the night). There is also a pretty decent one there for $600 after a $50 rebate and free shipping. But it has ATI graphics and your mind is made up against ATI.

Good luck finding anything at Best Buy that meets your very limited specs. They have them, but they are all over $1,000.

As far as I know a company cannot charge tax on an item unless it is actively doing business in the state it is going to. Such as if I buy something online from BestBuy, I would pay the same as the store, plus tax and then shipping. Most laptops don't get brought back to the store you purchased at anyway, they get sent by the store back to the manufacturer or you send it back. Most laptops you can buy an extended warranty for.

For instance I bought a Dell laptop for my daughter from BestBuy, when it came time to fix it under warranty, she had to deal directly with Dell. I would never go for BestBuys Geek Squad anyway, costs too much and takes too long. I think they send back to manufacturers anyway.

That's correct, hawka. However, Newegg is only an on-line business, so no sales tax is collected in most states. Same thing with Amazon. That may all change, but it hasn't in MO or PA yet.

Let's hope not, I pay way too many taxes already

Amazon is fighting it like mad, but some states which are in such deep debt are taking another look at it.

Yeah, I have to pay sales tax at Amazon. That does have a bearing on where I buy larger purchases -- sends me to Newegg, no taxes there.

However, my state has a section on Income Tax forms where we are supposed to declare amount spent for out-of-state purchases and pay the sales tax at that time.

Mom wants me to wait regarding getting a gaming laptop. I wanted to order that one from Newegg that Drac found for me while the sale is on, but Mom wants me to wait until we find a better deal - so if you guys find a better deal on a gaming laptop either online or in the West Mifflin area, please post.

I bought the Apple laptop for internet, photoshop, comic books, eventually Bryce 3D. Yes, I did consider all the factors - that's why I was going to buy 2 new computers, an Apple and a PC. The PC I am going to use strictly for games only - not too much internet, except to activate certain games.

And yes, Hawka, I do use the Apple laptop - every day in fact.

Errrrr, if I buy this Acer laptop that Drac found for me, how many years do you think it'll be before I'll have to shop for a newer laptop in order to play the latest adventure games?

Sorry, my crystal ball is on the fritz tonight.