Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

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Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 1:18 am

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Khizune
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Howdy Exiles.
as the subject implys im looking around for a new computer. I'm replacing a Dell Inspirion laptop thats taken about 3 years of abuse (rage abuse) and its finally given out so i need a new laptop but this area of tech is absolutely foreign to me so im asking you guys for suggestions on a new piece of equipment that can handle intense prolonged gaming like skyrim, oblivion and other graphicly intense games
The only requirment is that its prebuilt. i have no experience building computers or any friends with that experience. Thanks to anyone that puts in a comment
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 9:38 am

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SL33PY
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First and probable most important question:
What is your budget?

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 11:12 am

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Khizune
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being serious and containing my optimism id say about 1,000$
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 6:33 am

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Stracius
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Khizune wrote: i have no experience building computers or any friends with that experience.
Anyone who builds their own machine for the first time starts with just that. Zero experience. You could cut that price down to about 6-700 and have a computer better than a pre-built. The experience is extremely rewarding, you'll gain self-confidence, and there are a lot of people here with plenty of knowledge to draw upon for questions (something I didn't have when I popped my own cherry :lol: ).

Sadly, I have no recommendations for prebuilt machines because I neither own one, nor keep up with the news regarding them. I can't help with those.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 12:11 pm

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Anubis
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Stracius wrote:
Khizune wrote: i have no experience building computers or any friends with that experience.
Anyone who builds their own machine for the first time starts with just that. Zero experience. You could cut that price down to about 6-700 and have a computer better than a pre-built. The experience is extremely rewarding, you'll gain self-confidence, and there are a lot of people here with plenty of knowledge to draw upon for questions (something I didn't have when I popped my own cherry :lol: ).

Sadly, I have no recommendations for prebuilt machines because I neither own one, nor keep up with the news regarding them. I can't help with those.
Have to say I agree with Strac.

Sorry that I can't offer you any prebuilt suggestions for the same reason - I've never bought one. Always built my own.
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 12:17 pm

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SL33PY
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Then let's focus on the other part of her question being a laptop

All laptops are pré built

Only recommendation I can make about laptops is the following: SSD no classic HD

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 1:29 pm

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M.Steiner
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I know very little about laptop specs for gaming unfortunately but I had a little look around on Newegg and found three 5* rated laptops in the gaming & entertainment category which come under (and one is just a little bit over) your budget:

$1,199.99
MSI GE Series GE70 0ND-213US Notebook Intel Core i7 3630QM(2.40GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M

$899.99
MSI GE Series GE60 0NC-498US Notebook Intel Core i5 3230M(2.60GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 750GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650M

$859.99
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 (59359560) Notebook Intel Core i5 3230M(2.60GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 1600 1TB HDD 5400rpm Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI


Not sure whether any of these would be ok or not but maybe someone else here will know? or be able to point you in the right direction :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 7:37 am

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SL33PY
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if you can adjust your budget a bit more on the laptop, get an SSD instead of that old style HDD

SSD are a LOT faster, make no noise, make no heat and drain less battery

Edit::

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m14x ... re-m14x-r2 looks solid and with coupon NLZ5145HLZF?FL you get $100

Deatils on the m14x:
Alienware M14x


(226 Reviews)
  • Market Value1 $1324.00
  • Total Savings $150.00
  • Dell Price $1174.00
    as low as $36 / mo* | Apply
  • Total savings include:
  • Alienware M14x Price Includes $150 Total Savings
  • 12 months special financing on all Alienware purchases.*
  • Save an extra $100 off any Alienware M14x or M18X purchase over $1299 with coupon NLZ5145HLZF?FL
Estimated Ship Date:
6 Jun 2013
  • Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
  • Display 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
  • Memory2 8GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
  • Hard Drive 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD
  • Optical Drive Slot Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW)
  • Video Card 1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M with Optimus™
  • Warranty 1 Year Alienware Basic Support
  • Weight 6.45 lbs
Edit 2:

Just checked, price with coupon applied: $1,174.00

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 9:08 am

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Khizune
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Thank you for the replies guys and as it stands I'm really liking the Lenovo IdeaPad that Steiner linked. As for the alienware. I have seen one of those a friend of mine has one. Its a pretty chunky laptop but I was told performs admirably. For now I'll debate between the two and when it comes down to it everything depends how much money i can earn this summer. Thank you guys greatly for the replies they really helped. Maybe when i need a new one some years down the road ill ask about building one :)
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 10:55 am

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SL33PY
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There also is a sub $1000 alienware m14x, with 6GB of ram instead of 8

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 3:50 pm

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M.Steiner
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Just a few notes and a quick comparison of those two:

The Lenovo has 2x GeForce GT 650M (2GB SLI) rather than the Alienware with just the one. However, the Lenovo page does say it has an "Ultrabay" - "an interchangeable bay that can be instantly swapped out for dual graphics capability (included), DVD/Blu Ray drive, increased storage space or an additional fan for cooling". So whilst this does come with dual graphics cards it seems to come without an optical drive as the ultrabay uses the same slot. So you'd have to buy one of those separetly and switch it in and out when needed by the sounds of that. I quite like the idea and freedom of that myself but could be viewed as a positive or negative depending how you look at it.

The Alienware has a 32GB SSD which the Lenovo does not. I don't have a SSD in my desktop but when I originally bought this they were still very expensive and a new thing. When I upgrade from this I'll be getting one though.
Alienware's HDD is 500GB whereas the Lenovo has 1TB.

It looks like Alienware has the better CPU (i7-3630QM vs i5-3230M)

Lenovo has a 15.6" display with a 1920x1080 resolution. Alienware has 14.0" and 1600x900.

Alienware comes with Win7 instead of Win8 like the Lenovo. I hate the look of Win8 personally though I've never actually used it to be fair.

Alienware has 8GB RAM, Lenovo has 6.


So both have their good points really.
This being said. When considering the Alienware - For an extra $25 you could get the $1,199.99 MSI which has the same CPU and RAM but has a bigger screen (17.3"), higher resolution (1920x1080) and a 2GB GTX 660M card. Though no SSD.


These links may be helpful to you too btw.
GT 650M (Alienware) | GT 650M SLI (Lenovo) | GTX 660M (MSI) <- These have benchmark results covering lots of different games (if you scroll down) which should give you a good idea what these particular cards can run and how well.
Laptop Video Graphics Cards - Benchmark List <- This should be useful too. It's basically a big list of all laptop GPUs split up into different tiers; High-end, mid-range, low-mid etc. You'll be able to see from that chart where abouts those cards come in at. The Alienware with its single GT 650M and the MSI with its single GTX 660M both come under mid-range (#74 & #67), though since the Lenovo uses dual cards that comes under the high-end section it seems (#36). Obviously going higher up into the high-end tier of laptop cards would mean going over your budget ofc :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 3:45 pm

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Khizune
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Edit 2.
I went ahead without any knowledge and find myself with windows on my macbook. But there's a problem. I can't play any games as the computer can't seem to render the graphics. I put in the drivers and utilities disc but the problem remains as well as no audio and no wireless connection. I type this from my droid. So my questions have changed.

1. How and where can I find the necessary components to fix the issue?
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:43 am

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SL33PY
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no clue, I don't own fruit

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:38 pm

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Khizune
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Tried downloading drivers and kept getting an incompatibility error. At this point I think its best I stop trying on my own and have someone with experience do it. Before I turn it into a brick.
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:43 pm

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M.Steiner
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Been a while since I last used a Mac so I can't really offer any first hand advice I'm afraid, maybe this will help though?
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:01 pm

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Khizune
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Its little late for boot camp. Ever kinda OS X program was wiped. I'm gonna take it to someone professional to do it or fix it. But thank you for giving the suggestion
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:24 am

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M.Steiner
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nps, hope they get it set up nicely for ya :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:53 pm

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Khizune
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So as it turns out Boot Camp was the solution. It installed every driver I was missing and I'm now running a working Windows 7 x64 system on a MacBook. Stiener I am sorry that i thought it wouldnt be the answer.
Infinity can be everything. And it can be nothing
I inhabit the nothingness
And from it I create everything.

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:56 am

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SL33PY
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It's okay, we forgive you if you deploy to Delve asap in a bomber :)

Re: Laptop/Desktop Suggestions

PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:01 pm

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M.Steiner
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No worries, good to hear you're up and running with it! :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

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