fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2454 ]

[ SECRET POST #2454 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2454 ⌋

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So, I am hoping to go overseas next September. While I wait for that, I have been saving money to buy a laptop (since carting a desktop across the ocean is horribly impractical). I am hoping to get a laptop I can game on and plan on having saved up ~$1000 by next July.

I guess alienware is the go to brand when it comes to gaming laptops? I don't have the capability to build my own. I have two big concerns.

One is that by the time I go to buy my laptop in July/August of 2014 Windows 7 will not be available (tried Windows 8 and loathed it).

My $1000 laptop will be obsolete in 4 years and I don't think laptops are as easily upgradeable as a desktop (in concerns to hardware).

Any advice?

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, I have to recommend Lenovo. I just got one; it runs Skyrim beautifully and the Secret World incredibly well (disregarding the internet issue with the latter, which is a juggernaut all around). Plus my laptop (Y500 or something) was about $500 dollars cheaper than a comparable Alienware one.

Oh thank you! just glancing at their gaming laptops, they look cheaper. I won't even be paying something super intensive. Probably nothing more than WoW.

da

I might be confusing it with another brand, but if you have overheating issues, check the fan -- some were put on backwards

If you're willing to look at Lenovo, I would take a look at outlet.lenovo.com. I honestly don't know what they have in the way of gaming laptops because my focus was always different, but I've seen Yogas come up a few times (although I don't know the specs). Watching for a restock there is something of a patience game, but when you do get in early enough it can be quite a good price. Usually after a restock there is at least ~1000 in the laptops section, if not more. Especially if you're not going to be buying yet, it can be good to occasionally stalk to get a feel for the prices.

And yes they say refurb/scratch&dent, but the last desktop and laptop I got for our family looked pristine and have been working great.

Alienwares are pretty, but I don't think $1000 is going to net you a decent one. Sorry, I've heard they are a little overpriced. That said I haven't looked at them in a long while, so maybe they're little less outrageously priced these days.

Even if you can't build it yourself, f you're willing to get all the parts and have someone who's good at that sort of thing, build it for you, you can probably still come up with a somewhat decent gaming laptop.

Also a week or two ago someone linked a really helpful thread on laptops. I think it was this one.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3552651

Mind you in summer 2014 there will probably be even newer parts available, but hopefully that thread is a start.

Thank you! i will give this a read thru. :D

Don't bother with alienware. They're way overpriced for the machines they are, and are subpar for gaming. You're basically paying for brandname, not quality machines.

OH! Thank you, I just recognized the name. Do you suggest anyplace for me to look?

It's been a few years since I used an Alienware but at least up until 2010 they were always only slightly better and a lot more expensive than any HP, Toshiba, or even Dell laptop that was marketed for gamers. That could have changed but just be aware that a lot of the Alienware love over the years is based on how they look, not how they perform.

I was looking into getting a PC laptop recently (Mac user here but having a Windows machine would be handy) and there's a new version of Windows 8 coming out (or could be out by now) that is more like previous versions of Windows because Windows 8 is considered to be the biggest OS failure in the history of home computing. The new version is still called Windows 8, so it's definitely worth going to Best Buy or wherever and playing with a demo machine to see if you really can't stand it and want to shell out the money for Windows 7. If you still want Windows 7, you can buy it now so you'll definitely have it when you get your new laptop.

I have been on Dell but whenever I try to do the laptop options with a Nvidia video card (since the default ones usually suck), it automatically makes my options Alienware (I guess Dell owns it now). But I don't want/need a fancy case.

From my (admittedly limited) experiences in gaming laptop shopping: Laptops really are harder to upgrade than desktops, yeah, and the only solution I've found is not to spend too much on them in the first place. So, like others have said, skip Alienware, it's not worth it. If you're not going to be doing any crazy intensive gaming, you shouldn't have to spend more than $600-$800, tops.

Intel has better processors, but AMD has better graphics cards - for your purposes, I recommend an Intel, good processing will go a longer way towards overall usage than just a graphics boost. And if you're getting an Intel, try the latest generation i5, it comes with Intel Graphics 4000, which can play pretty much anything that didn't drop yesterday in at least low settings. Like anon above said, Lenovo is a decent brand, and you'll spend way less than $1000 with them.

As for the devil Windows 8, there's a few ways to deal with that, such as suggested in this article: http://blog.laptopmag.com/make-windows-8-like-windows-7

Umm, that's all I got. The Something Awful thread linked by the other anon has really great info on it. Good luck!

Man. I just can't imagine what Microsoft was thinking with Windows 8.

AYRT

They were probably thinking "TABLETS ARE IN, TABLETS ARE ALL, FUCK NON-TABLETS" or something along those lines.

DA

That's the feel I get. I like windows 8 on phones and tablets. Laptops and desktops, not so much.

Onboard graphics make me cry, don't do it OP. Get a laptop with an actual dedicated graphics card. I figured the new Intel graphics (I forget if I've got Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge) would be good enough for me, and I've regretted it. Well, I can run the mostly-older games I mostly play, but I've run into issues in other areas, especially Photoshop and the like.

AYRT

OP says they're mostly be playing WoW, not the latest games, and Ivy Bridge 4000 will most definitely play that. I can't speak for non-game stuff like Photoshop, since I never use it, so you might have a point there. That said, there are laptops that have 4000 with up to 1GB of dedicated video memory which should balance things out.

But if OP decides to prioritize graphics over processing, I wouldn't go with Intel anyway, because AMD has decently-priced discrete graphics laptops through various brands (check out AMD's site, they have a great method for you to sort for what kind of laptop you prefer). Discrete graphics with Intel on a laptop are too much for too little gain, IMO.

I recently bought a Asus Republic of Gamers laptop and I'm loving it. But it is really heavy. The dual exhaust back fans have been a huge plus for me though.

It's more of the $1500 range instead, but I decided it was worth the extra for me.

You might also look at business laptops, if you want a Win7 machine. That's where I found all the Win7 machines. I picked up a Dell Inspiron that was the equivalent of an Alienware laptop for about $600 less, and it's a decent gaming machine. Beautiful graphics. But yeah. I also suggest picking up Win7 now, if you're not going to buy your laptop until July. I know you can downgrade Win8 to Win7, but it's probably easier to get it now, if you can manage it, and then you can just reinstall Win7 when you get your new laptop.

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[ SECRET POST #2454 ]

Need Help With Laptop Buying

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