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gaming laptop

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  • 20-06-2006 10:41pm
    #1
    j0e
    Closed Accounts Posts: 496 ✭✭


    ive got about 1000yoyos to spend on a gaming laptop any suggestions or should i be looking stateside?


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    #2
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    1000 euros won't get you a gaming laptop (unless you plan playing older games for which 1000 is plenty)

    Most laptops under 1000 euro - from both DELL and PC World, as well as Komplett - usually come with either an Ati Xpress 200m or the Intel GMA900/GMA950 integrated graphics controllers. You might also see, on some of the very cheap options, an SiS graphics controller - avoid this like the plague.

    The ati, from personal experience, is on paper the vastly better option but in reality it has absolutely hideous openGL support meaning it cannot even play six year old games running on openGL - this renders older quake III, Call of Duty United Offensive, Medal of Honor, Soldier of Fortune and a few others completely unplayable on the Xpress 200. It has better direct3D performance then the GMA though and can run Far Cry and Unreal 2004 on somewhat acceptable levels. It can even run Battlefield 2 and Call of Duty 2 on low settings, and Half Life 2 on low to medium.

    The gma900/950 is perfectly fine with older games like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, etc. It runs some new games as well but at a pretty poor level, its direct3d support is certainly not half as good as the xpress 200's but at least it can run opengl games without a hitch so overall i would call it the more balanced option.

    If you plan on playing somewhat newish games on low settings i would go for the x200. If you plan on playing older opengl based games, the gma900 is surprisingly the better option.

    If you plan on playing anyway recent games from 2004 upwards at decent levels, you must be willing to shell out a bit more...

    Dell, for 1,000, will give you a laptop with an x1300 or at best a x1400 - both ok cards but not ideal even for running the newer games on any sort of high detail. They are however both better then integrated solutions outlined above.

    Stretch your budget to 1,400 or thereabouts and you should be sorted for a someway long term gaming laptop.


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    #3
    Cochise
    Closed Accounts Posts: 110 ✭✭Cochise


    HP Pavillion zv6000, Soundstore, €1200. Bought one a few weeks ago great laptop. Decent for gaming but it weights a ton.


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    #4
    j0e
    Closed Accounts Posts: 496 ✭✭j0e


    not sure if i can stretch too 1400yoyos any1 got any experience of buying from usa?


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