laptops and games

I'm sure this has been discussed many times before but I can't find anything offhand. I'm actually thinking about getting a laptop.....are they any good for gaming?? What do you all think?? I need some sage advice.........thanks so much!!!

I have a laptop and I play a few games using the mouse, but if I have to use the keyboard it's hard. It's hard to explain, but the keys are to close to the keyboard.
Richard

If you are going to play games on the laptop, make sure you get one that can be upgraded. My sister in law had to buy a new one just recently because her video card could not be upgraded to play the newer games.

-Sandy
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Playing:Shivers

Liz...

This is Sandy Sleuth's sister-in-law. I've been playing adventure games on a laptop for several years now, but I now have to purchase another laptop because the video card cannot be upgraded in laptops. Apparently, the video cards in laptops (at present) all come welded to the mother board as opposed to slotted...like in a desktop. As a result, you just can't update your video card as the graphics in the newer games require.

So...if you are going to go laptop, make sure you get a good one right up front, with a fast processor, plenty of RAM, CD/DVD drive, at least a 15 inch screen, and the best video card you can find with the most memory (currently 256 MB in the laptops I've seen.), and buy an external mouse as the one on the laptop is not good for gaming.

I got my first laptop at Dell. Got it with a docking station so I can use it with a mouse and keyboard (wireless). At the time it had the best video card available (Nvidia GeForce). But that video card has only 32MB RAM, so the newer games that require 64 and 128 MB video cards won't work. I contacted Dell about upgrading and they gave me the above explanation. I priced the newer laptops at Dell, then went to Best Buy and did a "build your own" using an HP program. Since the sales clerk at Best Buy was into gaming, he and I together designed my next laptop. And it was about $500 less than the Dell...which already was discounted $500. We also discussed upgrades and he had the same thoughts as Dell. So, if the capacity is out there, it's not well publicized.

I guess it all comes down to what else you will use the laptop for...which will necessitate the mobility. Desktops are infinitely less expensive and more upgradable. But they chain you to one room. I've gotten used to gaming on a laptop and I really enjoy the portability. So...my newest toy will be used strictly for gaming. And I hope the developers don't go beyond a 256 MB video requirement for a while!

Hope this helps.

JK

Wow.....thank you so much for all the information.....I sure didn't know that laptops are not readily upgradable; so I'll have to be extra careful......and can you really plug in a mouse with them?? I know nothing about them but the portability would be really nice sometimes. Do you have to buy speakers for them or is something built into them?? Thanks for all the help!!

Hi again, Liz...

Yes, the laptops come with all the ports that a desktop comes with. So you could hook up a mouse, a printer, a monitor, etc.

They come with built in speakers, so you don't have to buy speakers for them. Although you could hook up external speakers or even earphones if you'd like. (I do that when I'm at my parents house because some of the games can get pretty loud!)

When I undock my laptop, and take it "on the road", to game with Sandy Sleuth, I just plug it in (otherwise we'd drain the batteries in a few hours. They do come with cords etc, to plug them into AC power.), plug in the mouse, put in the game CD and we sleuth and enjoy the adventure together. One of us drives and the other rides shotgun! As to the keyboard, I haven't had any problems with adventure games. Action would be a much different story.

If you have a Best Buy in your area, I would suggest making a visit and talking with one of the sales associates. They can answer all your questions, and now they have their Geek Squad folks that actually service the computers, etc, so they're pretty knowledgable.

Cheers!

JK

Thanks so much, JK, for all the info; it's been a great help. I'll have to do a little research i guess; but at least maybe I'll have some kind of clue! Thanks again!!

I play all of my games on either a Mac laptop or a PC laptop. So far, so good. I just read the system requirements and seem to do OK with that. I haven't played ALL the games we talk about here though, so it is good that you are doing research first.
Good luck and happy gaming!

Hi Liz,

I bought a HP laptop several months ago. I researched everything I wanted on it and went on line to HP. You can pick a basic model and then customize it to what you want. I also spoke to one of the sales people, because I had a few questions. The guy who helped me was also into gaming and very helpful. He typed up the whole order for me like I was doing it on line. Besides the discount they were running, I also saved on tax. I bought the best video card they had for this computer, because I knew I couldn't upgrade it. I got exactly what I wanted, which I couldn't have done going into a store and just buying one. Believe me I looked for months. I don't care for the keyboards on any of the laptops. I've only played games that use the mouse. The mouse is cordless which I really like. Check out the batteries that come with it also. I paid a little more to get Lithium batteries, because they are supposed to last longer. I also wanted a DVD drive on this computer which I also got. I think your best bet is to customize, no matter where you finally buy one. Hope this helps a little.

Thank you all so much for your advice.......it has been really helpful....now if I can just figure out what I want on the thing; i'll be halfway there!! Thanks again SO much!!

Let me weigh in here. I've been doing my gaming exclusively on a laptop for quite awhile now. I like them for most adventure games. 2 notes on other people's points:

1) The keyboard keys are more cramped on many laptops but not all. IBM is reknowned for having laptop keyboards that are very comfortable.

2) Many of the newer laptops come with video cards that can be upgraded. You have to ask, but you should be able to get one. This was a problem for a long time, but from what I understand, it has been solved.

As with all things computing, the driving force in what you buy is what your most important requirements are: if it is vital that you're mobile, a laptop is the only solution; if you just have to be able to play the latest, most requirements-intensive games out there, don't bother with a laptop.

It's a 'horses for courses' thing.

My most recent computer is a laptop - because a DVD drive and high mobility were the leading requirements. That I'm able to play current games on it is a bonus.

(for the record, it's an Acer Aspire 1360)

Gremlin

Hi Liz I do all my gaming on my HP laptop. I love it and I can game just about anywhere.

Thank you all so much for your input on laptops..........I'm pretty sure when my birthday rolls around this year; that's what i'm going to be asking for!! I'll be researching things til then! Thanks again for all your help!

One more quick question regarding laptops........i'm assuming that there's no problem playing one's OLD games on it?? That alone would make me happy! Thanks again!

HI Liz...

Playing older games is more contingent on the operating system. My old desktop is Windows 98SE. When I got my laptop, it came with Windows XP. Many of the older games, you can get to play on it...but some are just not compatible with XP. There are wise people here at GB, that can advise on a game by game basis...and there is even a website, that can assist with game configuration (Inferno's website).

By and large, I've been very happy since my migration to the laptop with XP. More games are able to play on it, than not. And those that can't, I can play on my old 98 machine.

Cheers...

JK

Thanks, JK........that's good enough for me! I have been able to get a lot of my older games to play on my Win XP desktop; so I suppose it'll then be the same with a laptop. Yippee.....i can't wait!!! I'll still have my desktop plus an old 266mhz Dell anyway.......ohboy, is there a BAAG's for computers and not just games????

Liz: Just my 2 cents:
I have several laptops of all sizes and CPU power. I play virtually all my AGs on laptops. Here are some important considerations:
-most AGs will play very nicely on a processor of 1.4 gigahertz or less and the higher the CPU power the bigger the laptop & the lower the battery life.
-If you want to be able to play AGs on the road a medium-size, medium-power with good or excellent battery life is better than a bigger, more powerful, less-portable laptop.
-therefore, only get a bigger laptop with a big screen & more powerful CPU if you need a desktop replacement.
-oh yeah, try to get a Centrino-based CPU- you may have to pay a little more but it will give you better battery life. Also, I haven't found keyboards on smaller laptops to be a problem for AGs- most AGs don't require use of the keyboard for the most part anyway.
-consider getting something like a Keyspan pointer (they run $70 at CompUSA). They allow you to sit back and click & point remotely all day so you don't need to fool with a mouse at all.

Thanks, SirDave.......that's sure something to think about. It's nice to be getting an education on laptops from my friends here at Gbers!! I've never heard of a Centrino-based CPU....do the major manufacturers have them; IBM, Gateway, HP, Dell, etc?? But i'm sure that you're right about battery life; that would be important in a laptop! And that Keyspan pointer sounds like a great thing! Thanks so much!

Centrino is the Intel processor developed specifically for laptops to provide longer battery life. All the major laptop manufacturers have Centrino-based laptops but they always cost $100-200 more. It is an expense worth taking on. Centrino-based laptops will typically have battery life of 4-5 hours vs. 1.5-3 hours.

Here's the Keyspan pointer I was talking about- this site is just for info, you can search to find places that sell it for the best price if you're interested. This is a great thing to have for those point & click games- I have them on all my laptops- don't care if I ever see a mouse again for AGs!

http://www.keyspan.com/products/usb/presentationremote/

Thanks again, SirDave, for your input. I will for sure be looking into all this; thanks, you've been a big help! I didn't know any of this a couple days ago!

I use a widescreen HP laptop (less than a year old) and it plays games fine. However, for some games that have low resolution, the graphics doesn't look so good, because it stretches the picture to the full screen size of the laptop display, this make the picture look very blurry and unattractive. I can't figure out how to make it better and I'm not sure if that's even possible. Games like the earlier Myst's and Mysterious Jouney look so bad I don't even want to play them. But fortunately the games I like more such as Syberia and TLJ are gorgeous.

That's too bad, Aquila, that the widescreen display doesn't work with all your games; that must be frustrating and unless you can change the resolution, or change from full screen to half screen in the game (like you are able to in Phantasmagoria), I don't know what would fix that. I'll have to keep that in mind when I go to buy my laptop. I play and replay some of my old games a lot; and a stretchy screen would look silly! Thanks for the information!!

This is an old thread that I resurrected because I've been hoping I could, some day, afford a laptop computer to play games.

This sounds awesome but very HEAVY.

The thought of carrying it on a trip makes me think of the old monster we share for travel at work. Once you get it loaded in the case with your goodies, you're carrying a lot of weight!

I think I'd want something a little lighter.

Melanie

I would get an Alienware Area-51m 7700 notebook instead but, that is my personal preference. Upgrading to 1 gig of memory in the Alienware brings it up to the same price as the Dell, which only has 512mb of memory.

Rusty

What's the weight on the Alien, Rusty?

Melanie

Liz, I've never played games on anything but a laptop. I've played all the most popular games.

I know this is not a selling forum but I have a brand new laptop to sell and it's one of the best for anyone interrested. If you have to edit this out I understand.

Incidentally, I just read where laptops are outselling desktops for the first time.

I have an HP zd8000/17"Brightview screen and I love the way those games look on it. I change the resolution on some games but Myst Exile looks awsome! Mysterious Journey Chamelion looks awsome! FWIW

I play all my games on a laptop - it's a lovely slim, light silver Samsung, which is a Centrino one. Recently my boyfriend bought me some external speakers that have their own desktop subwoofer. Wow! They make a HUGE difference. Even the Windows startup music sounds fantastic.

Before I had the Samsung I had a dell laptop, and I wasn't at all happy with it.The keyboard stopped working (after the warranty had expired but long before the computer was due to be replaced) and, as it's a laptop, it's quite a task to replace it. THe worst thing was that it took me months and months and hundreds of emails and phone calls to get Dell to give me a quote for replacing it! I was not impressed - after all, I was asking them to let me pay them some money, so they should have been more interested! In the end I didn't bother - just used an external keyboard until I bought the Samsung. Over a year on there have been no problems at all with it - touch wood....

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I also play all my AGs on laptops from a tiny Libretto to a large, heavy Vaio with a 16in screen. Since the Librettos run on Win98SE, I'm able to play all the old games and they play pretty well even on the small 5in screen.

One interesting (or at least I think it is ) experience with AGs & laptops came with URU which became notorious for putting special demands, by AG standards at least, on the systems it will run on. URU requires certain video boards to run and a relatively powerful system. It simply doesn't run well at all with a system that is at or near the minimum requirements. This became a problem when I planned to play URU on one of my laptops. None of the really portable ones would run it and it turned out that the only laptop that would play it was my desktop-replacement laptop- the Vaio. It was a little irritating because I had hoped to take URU with me wherever I travelled to- not an option with the big Vaio!

Gymcandy, I'm interested if it's a WIN98 so I can play the older games. I have a desktop win XP which works great for newer games, but would LOVE a WIN 98 laptop for the older ones I can't play.

It's An unused HP zd8000. P4 3.2GHz/512MB + 264MB Radeon x600 graphics card just like the one I use only I've added more memory to mine. The P4 is 1gig. It sells for $1735 after $100 MI rebate. I'm asking $1300.
Also 17" Brightview screen w/1440x900 res.


Which older games are you refering too?

Sorry! To answer your question...It's XP.

Melia, do you try changing the compatibility mode on those games, or is that a stupid question?

I've had older games that changing compatibility mode didn't help. Have gotten lots of help from Inferno, but would prefer not twiddling with the XP to make it fit older parameters.

I gotcha.

I believe Alienware sells laptops with upgradable video cards. Plus they are gaming machine configured for performance. They are more expensive but will be useful longer. Kay

Everything is upgradable with an Alienware. Alienware's laptops are no more money than Dell's top gaming laptop.

Here is a comparison:

Alienware vs. Dell


Rusty

Hey guys, check out this gadget for laptops. Great if you ever want to compute in bed, or anywhere else in your home for that matter.
www.savvydecorator.com/catalog/item/582561/1365278.htm

Laptops are the only reason wireless networking exists in my home. My computer room is also the spare bedroom. So when I have guests over, I'm on the laptop. I origanally bought it to play games when I travel. State of the art when I bought it, it won't play a lot of modern games. But it's still great at the old classics. In fact, it plays them much better than my desktop. But the real thing I've wound up using the laptop for is car travel. Load Delorme Street Atlas on that baby and hook up a GPS unit, then you'll know what I'm talking about. So, I've seen no reason to upgrade my five year old 700 Mhz Pentium 3 laptop yet. If it was my only computer, it might be a diferent story.

Albert

I may have to order one of those AHuber. I use my laptop on the couch and twist to my left because it sits on an end table.

Having arm and back trouble.

Hey gymcandy1, I do the same thing except my end table is on the right side. Its a pain to retrieve it from there so I just put in my order for the laptop caddy. Thanks for the link Al.
Kay

That's really funny Richard, but oh so true!
I just never heard it put that way, lol.