Author Topic: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?  (Read 6366 times)

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Offline Lucika

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"Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
I am currently planning to get a new computer (and for those of you who watch my LPs, that should have a proper microphone at last) and I've heard good things about the Fujitsu LifeBook NH570. It is basically the top of the price range I can currently afford, so I am not looking for an Alienware or anything :D

Can some of the more experienced guys around here give me some suggestions as to what kind of a laptop can I get for ~max. $1500?
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Offline Admiral LSD

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
I'm not a huge fan of surfboards like that, tbh. I believe at those kinds of sizes you're better off with a desktop in terms of price and performance. That said, however, for USD$1199 it doesn't look half bad spec-wise, though the graphics seem a little weak for a panel that size. Realistically though, I recommend you hold off for a little bit longer and see what comes out in terms of Sandy Bridge lappies.
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Offline Fury

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Ugh, not really a friend of so-called "gaming laptops". If budget is $1500, get $1000 gaming desktop and $500 laptop and you should get both mobility as well as gaming PC. Until we see AMD's Bulldozer, getting Sandy Bridge based Intel desktop PC and waiting for Sandy Bridge based laptop is smart choice.

 

Offline Jeff Vader

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Yeah. I have the impression that when you cram gaming hardware (or close enough) into a small box, or a laptop that is, heat will be an issue. Either it burns you or the hardware itself to death.
And if you're getting an 18" laptop, you don't really care about mobility (really, you don't take that with you, you drag that with you).
I'm with Fury on this one. If you need mobility AND performance, get a cheap notebook or a netbook for mobility, and a desktop for performance. Everyone wins.

(Plus, I'm biased against Fu****su, because my previous ****ty laptop made by them died exactly because of heat issues. It derp'd at 80 °C when idle, and at > 90 °C under stress. Does wonders to a GPU on the long run.)
23:40 < achillion > EveningTea: ass
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23:40 < EveningTea > ?
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14:08 < achillion > there's too much talk of butts and dongs in here
14:08 < achillion > the level of discourse has really plummeted
14:08 < achillion > Let's talk about politics instead
14:08 <@The_E > butts and dongs are part of #hard-light's brand now
14:08 <@The_E > well
14:08 <@The_E > EvilBagel's brand, at least

01:06 < T-Rog > welp
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01:07 < achillion > penis infection?
01:08 < T-Rog > Chlamydia
01:08 < achillion > O.o
01:09 < achillion > well
01:09 < achillion > I guess that happens
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01:09 < achillion > yeah
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01:10 < achillion > I was not

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Offline Lucika

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
PC is not an option, due to family issues I am constantly on the move between houses so I have to keep with a laptop.
HLP member 2008-2012 and Syrk:TUW project leader ~2010-2012

 

Offline Pred the Penguin

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
If you do get a laptop I wouldn't recommended getting one from Toshiba. There's have... weird issues, specifically problems with Win7.

And if you need a good microphone just buy it separate, which will almost always be better than integrated microphones. As an added plus you get to use it anywhere.

 

Offline Lucika

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
If you do get a laptop I wouldn't recommended getting one from Toshiba. There's have... weird issues, specifically problems with Win7.

And if you need a good microphone just buy it separate, which will almost always be better than integrated microphones. As an added plus you get to use it anywhere.

I am not THAT moronic to buy a new laptop just so I get a new mike. I am not Bill Gates. :D
And just to clarify my above point, I can drop a laptop in the car and drive from point A to point B (unlike a PC), making an 18" possibly a viable option.
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Offline Admiral LSD

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
If you do get a laptop I wouldn't recommended getting one from Toshiba. There's have... weird issues, specifically problems with Win7.

I've worked with a couple of Toshibas and they haven't had any major dramas with Win7. One (a brand new Satellite L650) shipped with it from the factory, so you'd expect it to run fairly well and the other (a Satellite A100 circa 2006) is one I upgraded myself and aside from some weirdness with the bluetooth and the lack of a 64-bit driver for one of the BIOS level things on it, it runs 7 fine too. The latter on isn't built half badly either. It was dropped, thrown about and generally abused by one of its previous owners for 2-3 years and only suffered a broken screen.
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Offline Pred the Penguin

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Guess it's my own experience then... well actually not mine, but a family members. Toshiba laptops do have nice screens and not half-bad speakers, though.

 

Offline Mikes

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
As a rule... i found that gaming laptops, especially the real expensive ones...  just suck, badly.

Heat issues... fan noise that rivals the vacuum cleaner... build quality issues...   my conclusion after extensive research is to never ever buy a laptop that is advertised as "gaming laptop".
There doesn't seem to be a single company that doesn't have some kind of huge flaw in their design.

And the problem with "non gaming" laptops, well, usually is that they aren't that good for gaming ;)
« Last Edit: January 23, 2011, 08:06:43 am by Mikes »

 

Offline Lucika

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
This was not specifically advertised as such IIRC but it looked good as I searched.

I forgot to post the specs:

Intel Core i5-450M 2.40GHz
4Gb DDR3 (not that important, I can always extend it later)
18,4 screen
500 GB HDD (again, unimportant, 1 have a 1 TB external if needed)
nVidia GeForce GT 330


So, how would these specs fair in your opinion?
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Offline Hades

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
There's this, which all around has way better specs that that Fujitsu at the same price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115869
[22:29] <sigtau> Hello, #hard-light?  I'm trying to tell a girl she looks really good for someone who doesn't exercise.  How do I word that non-offensively?
[22:29] <RangerKarl|AtWork> "you look like a big tasty muffin"
----
<batwota> wouldn’t that mean that it’s prepared to kiss your ass if you flank it :p
<batwota> wow
<batwota> KILL

 

Offline dragonsniper

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
A quick run down from the most obvious specs to me:

The I-5 line is not a bad line by any means, they are equivalent or better than the quad cores in many ways. I personally know someone with a processor a step lower than the one you have listed, and it runs most things like a charm.
As for the RAM, remember that W7 requires atleast 1.5GB just to run it's operating system (say 2gb to be safe), which would only leave you with 2GB for gaming, encoding etc. 6-8gb would be best, but that shouldn't be a prob if you can upgrade later.
As for the HDD, just be sure that it's of a somewhat respectable company, and not a no name HDD...
The graphics card is without a doubt the big question here, as a good 80-90% of games rely on graphical speed and not processor speed. If I have time later I'll do some comparisons, or you could. Remember this isn't going to be your huge crazy awesome gaming machine, but if the graphics are respectable, it seems pretty decent. Just my two cents worth.
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Offline Admiral LSD

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
There's this, which all around has way better specs that that Fujitsu at the same price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115869

It's also an Acer, which generally means it's lacking in quality :P

Seriously though, I wouldn't buy a machine with one of those quad core mobile i7's unless you have a clear and present need for more than 2 cores. If you aren't routinely stressing all the cores, the CPU will end up spending most of its time in either it's dual- or single-core turbo modes with the rest of the cores powered down defeating the point of getting a quad core in the first place. Trade down to an Arrandale i5 and you're likely to get a higher quality machine (since they aren't cutting corners in other areas to make u for the additional cost of the CPU) that's better at what you need it to do.

Again though, I wouldn't buy anything until the various manufacturers get their Sandy Bridge models finalised and launched.
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Offline Hades

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Actually, Acer, at least the models they put out couple of years ago, isn't/aren't bad, I've had two laptops of differing size and configuration from them and they both work fine after two years of service. I can't say that for sure for their newer models but yeah.
[22:29] <sigtau> Hello, #hard-light?  I'm trying to tell a girl she looks really good for someone who doesn't exercise.  How do I word that non-offensively?
[22:29] <RangerKarl|AtWork> "you look like a big tasty muffin"
----
<batwota> wouldn’t that mean that it’s prepared to kiss your ass if you flank it :p
<batwota> wow
<batwota> KILL

 

Offline Admiral LSD

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Maybe they have improved, especially now they've absorbed eMachines and Gateway meaning they can use those brands to cover the "cheap and cheerful" segments and reestablish themselves as a higher quality brand, but in this specific case I think they're cutting more than a few corners. A Clarksfield mobile i7 isn't cheap, nor is a Radeon 5850 Mobility so seeing both in what isn't that expensive a machine makes me think it's too good to be true.
00:19  * Snail cockslaps BotenAnna
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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
I'm using an acer laptop right now, and it has been running well for the past five years.

 

Offline newman

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
Actually, Acer, at least the models they put out couple of years ago, isn't/aren't bad, I've had two laptops of differing size and configuration from them and they both work fine after two years of service. I can't say that for sure for their newer models but yeah.

Agreed, I've been using an Acer 6935g for over two years now, no issues. Acer was the only one that offered that sort of performance for the price I paid for it, and the reviews were good so I went with it and haven't come to regret that choice. They may have been lacking in quality before but I honestly can't say that I've had any issues with Acer since I've been using one of their laptops.
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Offline Fury

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
As for the RAM, remember that W7 requires atleast 1.5GB just to run it's operating system
:wtf:
No it doesn't. I've used Win7 with 512MB RAM.

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: "Kindasortof" gaming laptop for $1500 - How are these specs?
God, $1500? That's insane for a laptop. Just be aware you could spend that much for a desktop and have a rig that will run everything on max for years.