Gaming Laptop - for gaming & for personal use.

[xenardo]

Hi bros,

I'm not very IT-savvy so... might take sometime to reply some of your comments & recommendations here.

Firstly, I'm interested in getting a gaming laptop for myself which should fulfill these few points:


It should be able to handle WoW, L4D, Crysis maybe & it should have no problem handling Warcraft III (which means gameplay should be very smooth).
Surfing of websites should be very swift, which means the processor should be strong enough to allow me to multi-task efficiently (like tabbing in & out of games).
It should not exceed 2-2.5Kg. I'm not too sure on the weight criteria here (as mentioned above, i'm not an IT-savvy person). I'm a student awaiting the results of my tertiary school posting so If I go to a local polytechnic, I would not want my laptop to be too heavy. In short, it should be very portable.
It should be able to manage Microsoft Office (documentation & everything) very swiftly.
Memory-wise it should be around 4gb DDR2 ram if possible.
Graphic cards should be ATI Radeon as I heard it's better than NVIDIA/Intel graphic cards.
I don't really need a lot of memory space so maybe around 150GB-200GB of Harddisk space will do.


Next, about the cost, preferably it should be in between S$2k - maximum say, S$2.5k or so.

Thanks in advance for your help!

*edit: Personally I've tried the Acer website, and found this: http://www.acer.com.sg/public/page9.do?sp=page4&dau34.oid=48906&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0&dctx1=228&CountryISOCtxParam=SG&LanguageISOCtxParam=en&ctx3=189&ctx4=Singapore&crc=3072007270.

Is the above mentioned Acer notebook good?

[abrownbox]

Hi xenardo. Sorry I'm rushing to go out soon. So I'd just do a quick post of the models that I think are suitable.


HP Pavilion dv3025tx (SRP About $2200)
Vista Home Premium
2.1 Intel Core 2 Duo T8100
13.3"
250GB HDD
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS w 256MB RAM
6-Cell

HP Pavilion dv3525tx (SRP About $2200)
Vista Home Premium
2.26 Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
13.3"
250GB HDD
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS w 512MB RAM
6-Cell


ASUS F6V(SRP About $1900)
Vista Home Premium
2.26 Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
13.3"
320GB HDD
4GB RAM
ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD 3470 w 256MB RAM
6-Cell


ASUS U6Sg(SRP About $2500)
Vista Business
2.5 Intel Core 2 Duo T9300
12.1"
250GB HDD
3GB RAM
nVidia GeForce 9300M G w 256MB RAM
6-Cell


I think the HP Pavilion dv3525tx and ASUS U6Sg are very good options for you. :) Also, all are light weight averaging around 2kg.

(BTW, I typed all those in a rush...so do point out any mistakes if you spot any. Sorry about that)

[MrJacky]

If you got a budget of around SGD$2.5K you can't be very fussy. This is Singapore, not the US where most manufacturers allow you to customise your own laptop.

[xenardo]

Hi xenardo. Sorry I'm rushing to go out soon. So I'd just do a quick post of the models that I think are suitable.


HP Pavilion dv3025tx (SRP About $2200)
Vista Home Premium
2.1 Intel Core 2 Duo T8100
13.3"
250GB HDD
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS w 256MB RAM
6-Cell

HP Pavilion dv3525tx (SRP About $2200)
Vista Home Premium
2.26 Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
13.3"
250GB HDD
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS w 512MB RAM
6-Cell


ASUS F6V(SRP About $1900)
Vista Home Premium
2.26 Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
13.3"
320GB HDD
4GB RAM
ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD 3470 w 256MB RAM
6-Cell


ASUS U6Sg(SRP About $2500)
Vista Business
2.5 Intel Core 2 Duo T9300
12.1"
250GB HDD
3GB RAM
nVidia GeForce 9300M G w 256MB RAM
6-Cell


I think the HP Pavilion dv3525tx and ASUS U6Sg are very good options for you. :) Also, all are light weight averaging around 2kg.

(BTW, I typed all those in a rush...so do point out any mistakes if you spot any. Sorry about that)

Wow, thanks for your excellent input abrownbox. Haha, I'll be taking down the brand/model numbers when I go down to Sim Lim Square probably around next week! Thanks once again!

[xenardo]

If you got a budget of around SGD$2.5K you can't be very fussy. This is Singapore, not the US where most manufacturers allow you to customise your own laptop.

Hmm, were my criteria for selection very fussy? :S My apologies if it's so.

Perhaps if I consider removing the first point, whereby my main intention was just to game in Warcraft III, would I get more choices?

At the same time, I went down to Challengers today and their staff told me that ATI Radeon graphic cards are no good and he recommended me the Nvidia GeForce 9200 (can't really remember the number) w 512Mb Ram.

I've sort of decided on a model first at Challengers - the HP Pavillion DV4-1141TX w the 14.1" screen. Is it good in your opinion? It costs overall @ a price of $2199.

[dtwn83]

Just a note. The graphic cards that were shortlisted are the low-end dedicated cards. L4D and WOW will be playable, but on lower resolutions and settings. Crysis will be painful.

The 9200M GS is even slower than the 9300M GS and 8400M GS.

For the 2kg-2.5kg, there aren't many options. The Acer you shortlisted will vastly outperform the other options so far, but it also weighs in at 3.5kg.

Your best bet would be the BenQ S42, however, I am not too certain about the price as I do not know local prices very well.

The S42 will perform similarly to the Acer in gaming performance, but it's around 2+kg.

[GhostZM]

How abt the ASUS N80Vn?

Specs:
- C2D Processor P8600 2.4Ghz 1066Mhz FSB 3MB L2 Cache
- 14" WXGA (1280 x 800)
- 4GB DDR2 800 (2GB x 1 + 2GB x 1)
- Windows Vista Home Premium
- Nvidia Geforce 9650GT 1GB w/ DirectX 10 Support
- 320GB 5400RPM SATA
- Super-Multi
- Approx 2.6kg

Price is around S$2200

If you're interested, pls pm me :)


CheerS!!!;)

[xenardo]

Hmm alright, thanks for the useful input guys. I guess I'll go with the HP Pavillion. Crysis & WoW, I'm just interested in trying these 2 games out so yeah. Don't think I'll be playing long-term.

[MrJacky]

Hmm, were my criteria for selection very fussy? :S My apologies if it's so.

Perhaps if I consider removing the first point, whereby my main intention was just to game in Warcraft III, would I get more choices?

At the same time, I went down to Challengers today and their staff told me that ATI Radeon graphic cards are no good and he recommended me the Nvidia GeForce 9200 (can't really remember the number) w 512Mb Ram.

I've sort of decided on a model first at Challengers - the HP Pavillion DV4-1141TX w the 14.1" screen. Is it good in your opinion? It costs overall @ a price of $2199.
The dv4 is one of the three new series of laptops offered by HP in June last year, the other two being the dv5 and the dv7. If you noticed HP used to have their series in thousands (dv1000, dv2000, etc.) but they came out with a new naming scheme last year which also included the new Compaq Presario CQ series.

The dv5 is the most popular out of the three series, and in Singapore the highest configuration for the dv5 is the dv5-1036tx. The only thing that it doesn't fit into your requirements is the weight.

The dv4-1141tx is quite similar to the dv5-1036tx configuration. You get the same processor, same amount of RAM and same amount of hard disk space. dv5 offers a GeForce 9600M GT, dv4 offers the 9200M GS, dv5 offers 4 USB ports, dv4 offers 3.

The bad thing about these three series is that since they use dedicated graphics battery life will be affected. If you want longer battery life do check with HP about the availability of the 12-cell battery (dv4 and dv5 comes with 6-cell default, dv7 comes with 8-cell default).

[MrJacky]

Hmm, were my criteria for selection very fussy? :S My apologies if it's so.

Perhaps if I consider removing the first point, whereby my main intention was just to game in Warcraft III, would I get more choices?

At the same time, I went down to Challengers today and their staff told me that ATI Radeon graphic cards are no good and he recommended me the Nvidia GeForce 9200 (can't really remember the number) w 512Mb Ram.

I've sort of decided on a model first at Challengers - the HP Pavillion DV4-1141TX w the 14.1" screen. Is it good in your opinion? It costs overall @ a price of $2199.


* It should be able to handle WoW, L4D, Crysis maybe & it should have no problem handling Warcraft III (which means gameplay should be very smooth).

The GeForce 9600M GT should be able to handle Crysis at medium settings. Don't expect anything higher than that, or you got to spend more money.



* Surfing of websites should be very swift, which means the processor should be strong enough to allow me to multi-task efficiently (like tabbing in & out of games).

That usually doesn't depend on the processor but rather on the RAM. As long as a program doesn't put heavy load all these actions should be smooth.



* It should not exceed 2-2.5Kg. I'm not too sure on the weight criteria here (as mentioned above, i'm not an IT-savvy person). I'm a student awaiting the results of my tertiary school posting so If I go to a local polytechnic, I would not want my laptop to be too heavy. In short, it should be very portable.

12" to 14" laptops should be quite light to carry around, but it may not fall into your range. Always try lifting the laptop to see if you can manage it.

A backpack is always helpful.



* It should be able to manage Microsoft Office (documentation & everything) very swiftly.

No problem, even netbooks can do that perfectly fine.



* Memory-wise it should be around 4gb DDR2 ram if possible.

I would recommend that you pick a laptop that you like, and if it's short of 4GB then do a DIY upgrade by buying the RAM sticks. If the laptop comes with 3GB of RAM check the combination, the laptop may come with 1 2GB stick and 1 1GB stick loaded (2 + 1 = 3GB, or what you call 2+1 combo). If you want 4GB and if it has a 2+1 combo simply remove the 1GB and add in a 2GB stick.

DIY upgrades for RAM should not void the warranty for most mainstream brands out there.



* Graphic cards should be ATI Radeon as I heard it's better than NVIDIA/Intel graphic cards.

Intel currently only offers integrated graphics under their GMA line. Integrated graphics share the video memory with the system memory (your RAM). It isn't good when it comes to performance but when it comes to battery life your laptop can last longer.

NVIDIA and ATI both offers dedicated graphic solutions. It's difficult to compare them overall as most people compare their products rather than the overall brand.



* I don't really need a lot of memory space so maybe around 150GB-200GB of Harddisk space will do.

The minimum offered nowadays is 160GB. Up to 500GB is available nowadays.

Like RAM you can also do DIY upgrade for your hard disk. Check with your manufacturer on whether it voids the warranty or not. Most people have done their own HDD upgrades so it's quite safe.\

We don't normally refer to hard disk space as memory, as memory usually refers to the RAM.

[ZeptoSG]

Just a note. The graphic cards that were shortlisted are the low-end dedicated cards. L4D and WOW will be playable, but on lower resolutions and settings. Crysis will be painful.

The 9200M GS is even slower than the 9300M GS and 8400M GS.

For the 2kg-2.5kg, there aren't many options. The Acer you shortlisted will vastly outperform the other options so far, but it also weighs in at 3.5kg.

Your best bet would be the BenQ S42, however, I am not too certain about the price as I do not know local prices very well.

The S42 will perform similarly to the Acer in gaming performance, but it's around 2+kg.

The BenQ S42 and Nox A14 are both 14 inch and 2.5kg. The BenQ is very cheap compared to the Nox A14. Only difference is the Nox has upgradable GPU, 1440x900 screen and 8GB support. The BenQ has a LED screen and Hybrid power.

[xenardo]

Sorry for misleading everyone with the first point in my first post. Actually I'm just looking to have a graphics card that can play almost all of the games out there (as I MIGHT be interested in trying out Crysis one day...).

Thanks for your very detailed explanation on each of my points, I appreciate it a lot. As for the 12-cell battery config/availability, I will check with the staffs over there. And yeah, some of the 14"-16" laptops are only 2.5-3kg, which is ok for me. Anything that exceeds 3.5 is a big no-no, no matter how good the graphics or the CPU might be.

And Zepto, I will also check out the rest you have mentioned before I make my purchase, i've already made a shortlist:


HP Pavillion dv4-1141tx
HP Pavilion dv3525tx (pity that it's a 6-cell battery as well)
HP Pavillion dv5-1036tx (just to check, might find the more advanced GPU handy)
BenQ S42

[Porkey Ham]

Sorry for misleading everyone with the first point in my first post. Actually I'm just looking to have a graphics card that can play almost all of the games out there (as I MIGHT be interested in trying out Crysis one day...).

Thanks for your very detailed explanation on each of my points, I appreciate it a lot. As for the 12-cell battery config/availability, I will check with the staffs over there. And yeah, some of the 14"-16" laptops are only 2.5-3kg, which is ok for me. Anything that exceeds 3.5 is a big no-no, no matter how good the graphics or the CPU might be.

And Zepto, I will also check out the rest you have mentioned before I make my purchase, i've already made a shortlist:


HP Pavillion dv4-1141tx
HP Pavilion dv3525tx (pity that it's a 6-cell battery as well)
HP Pavillion dv5-1036tx (just to check, might find the more advanced GPU handy)
BenQ S42


wif its GDDR3 GFX, the BenQ s42 will eat them all. :eek: seriosly.

[MrJacky]

wif its GDDR3 GFX, the BenQ s42 will eat them all. :eek: seriosly.
Yes when it comes to graphic performance the S42 outdos all, but what the S42 has the dv4/3500/5 doesn't have, but what the dv4/3500/5 have the S42 doesn't have.

That includes the TV tuner, the more powerful processor which comes with the dv4-1141tx and dv5-1036tx and even HP's famous imprints.

[afrovillain]

so how much does the benq s42 cost?less than $2K?

[krionX]

Sorry for misleading everyone with the first point in my first post. Actually I'm just looking to have a graphics card that can play almost all of the games out there (as I MIGHT be interested in trying out Crysis one day...).

Thanks for your very detailed explanation on each of my points, I appreciate it a lot. As for the 12-cell battery config/availability, I will check with the staffs over there. And yeah, some of the 14"-16" laptops are only 2.5-3kg, which is ok for me. Anything that exceeds 3.5 is a big no-no, no matter how good the graphics or the CPU might be.

And Zepto, I will also check out the rest you have mentioned before I make my purchase, i've already made a shortlist:


HP Pavillion dv4-1141tx
HP Pavilion dv3525tx (pity that it's a 6-cell battery as well)
HP Pavillion dv5-1036tx (just to check, might find the more advanced GPU handy)
BenQ S42


Try Dell Studio XPS 13 (and/or 16, if size and weight is not an issue).

Default configuration for Studio XPS 13 at $2199:

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-studio-xps-13?c=sg&cs=sgdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

Processor
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz)
Operating system
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate
Memory
3GB DDR-3 SDRAM
Monitor
13.3” WXGA Display
Hard Drive
320GB* Hard Drive
Optical Drive
Slot Load DVD Burner*
Graphic Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9400M graphics
Wireless Network Card
Dell Wireless 1515 802.11n Mini-Card
Service
Learn More
1-Year XPS™ Premier Service with 1-Year CompleteCover™

[ZeptoSG]

The Zepto Nox A14 basically outdoes both the BenQ S42 and dv4/3500/5 except for the battery life unless you're looking to use a 9 cell battery. Since you can configure it with a 9650m GT card, higher resolution screen and TV Tuner, if you think a Digital TV tuner is important, but this will come at a higher price and quality.

[mickeycena]

[QUOTE=MrJacky;35259097]The GeForce 9600M GT should be able to handle Crysis at medium settings. Don't expect anything higher than that, or you got to spend more money.


9600M GT can only handle Crysis at medium settings? How about Fallout 3 at high details? Can it support? :)

[MrJacky]

If Fallout 3 is not any heavier than Crysis then yes you should be able to run it at higher settings.

Don't expect too much if you don't want your wallet to suffer, some of the more intensive games have to be ran at medium settings since the 9600M GT is just a mid-range card.

[ZeptoSG]

The 9600m GT with DDR2 VRAM is about 20% slower than a machine with a 9600m GT GDDR3. The 9600m GT with GDDR3 can actually run Crysis on DX9 high according to this guy's test. You need to look at the framerate figure on the top right hand corner of each game's screen shot.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=309733

[Porkey Ham]

FO 3 is quite optimized even for low end GFXes. there shouldnt be any probs playing it w/ 9400M. Any 9600m should be able to play.

[zihao83]

Hi guys, i need to get a lap top for gaming use(wow, l4d, dota)~ my budget is 3k or below~

prefer os - vista 64bits(have ma?)
prefer ram - 4gb+
prefer graphic - not sure

As for Asus F8 series, i am not sure wat the different between "va vr sn sv sg sp" represent... can some 1 help me out with it?

With 3k, am i able to get a laptop which is better den Asus F8. Preferred brand to be Asus or MSI~

[zihao83]

You can visit this site (http://shop.cube3.sg/categories/Portables/) to check out of gaming LAPTOP,DELIVERY FREE to ur doorstep and no charges=D

hmm:look: don have ASUS or MSI laptop leh~

[MrJacky]

I suggest you create another thread instead if you need a recommendation.

[N00blet]

Do not go for the laptops which has 8400GS.

The Radeon HD3200 and Nvidia 9100M IGPs can easily match it. And you can pretty much find laptops with them for pretty low prices under $1600.

So 8400GS is a no go. Get the 9400M or 9600GT. If you really want a 8400GS, go for the IGPs 9100/9300M or HD3200. Similar performance for a lower price.

I think the last IT show the BenQ S42 was going for just $1599 or $1699. Very good deal. And it was pretty light too for a 14.1 .

There seem to be some heat issues though. There's a thread around here somewhere..

[haylui]

dell xps should be ok ba

[mel_TS]

hey i am a owner of a S42 i bought it at the last it show at $1688 with a free upgrade to 4gb ram, 3 years warranty and a free external hard disk. which i think is worth it with the specs i got for it. so far its performance is good it can handle most rencent games like red alert 3, NFS:undercover, COD world at war in high to medium settings. it does not give me much problems expect for the heat issue at the left side of the laptop when playing games but it may be solved by just making my fan blow towards the left side of the laptop. hope this info will help TS in making his disscussions.
cheers =)

[Vassago]

You can check out the Promo from NEC too.

E6510 Model with Nvidia 9600GS 256MB Graphics Card.
Selling at S$1499 at Sim Lim and Funan.

In terms of price / graphic card, think this is the best value gaming notebook as of now.