New notebook purchase.

Steviemoyne

Hi all I'm thinking about buying a new notebook in the new year and was wondering if any of you had any advice on where to go to buy one.

Main uses: Intensive MMO gaming and software development / game design.
Needless to say that for the above I'd need a graphics card able to handle the load along with good processing speeds.

I was thinking of spending anywhere from €500 to €650.

I've only really looked at argos and found this one:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5089064/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_19780850%7CLaptops+and+netbooks%7C14419039.htm

If this link is to be belived then 80 fps for world of warcraft in 2005 would be an OK benchmark for a graphics card. I would of course like a higher end card if the price is right:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-4000.69168.0.html

Ram doesn't matter. I can always upgrade that after the fact. The graphics card seems to be the main focal point these days with processors tending to be around or higher than the 2.5GHz mark.

Any advice on where to look much appreciated. It does have to be a notebook for how easy it is to transport it over a desktop.

d22ontour

You might be better off asking in the PC building http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842 or Laptops http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=529 forums, they will make you some decent builds there.

uncle_sam_ie

500-650 euro's is to low of budget for a laptop that will do what you want. But, a you could build a good enough PC for that.

Steviemoyne

d22ontour wrote: »

You might be better off asking Laptops http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=529 forums, they will make you some decent builds there.

Thanks for the advice. Came across a website called pc specialists from following your advice. They've got a laptop model called the Inferno which seems very decent (graphics card benchmarks about 50fps for the likes of far cry 3).

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/inferno/

If anyone has any more suggestions I'd much appreciate them.

mikeruurds

I wouldn't suggest gaming on an 11.6" monitor if you can help it.

You may consider picking up one of the Medion gaming notebooks as they are set at a really good price point for the specs. The one I've linked costs GBP 479.
http://www.medion.com/gb/prod/MEDION%C2%AE+AKOYA%C2%AE+P6631+15.6%22+Laptop+%28MD97828%29/30012577A1?wt_mc=gb.intern.StdSelectableCarousel.welcome.on-ma&wt_cc3=Top%20Selling%20Laptops&wt_cc1=1_1

Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor, Windows® 7 Home Premium, 640GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA® GeForce® GT540M graphics, Blu-ray, 39.6 cm/15.6" full HD display

Generally notebooks with full HD res screens are priced much higher than this and the GFX card won't perform at max settings for FPS games, but should more than cover you for WOW or Guild Wars 2.

Canis Lupus

You need to post this in the forums linked to above to get more people involved but honestly unless you absolutely HAVE to have a laptop I'd be looking at a desktop. It'll be infinitely more comfortable for both intended uses and allows more room for upgrading.

Steviemoyne

Canis Lupus wrote: »

You need to post this in the forums linked to above to get more people involved but honestly unless you absolutely HAVE to have a laptop I'd be looking at a desktop. It'll be infinitely more comfortable for both intended uses and allows more room for upgrading.

I've posted it over in laptops thread already, thanks. Aye it's something I have considered. Compromising on movability for performance, considering that a pc for €XXX would knock out twice if not more processing speed, and as you said I could upgrade the graphics card and pick a serious one up for not much at all.

Chessala

If you want to go for a laptop for gaming, I would recommend you plan at least around 800€ for it.

I've been using an Acer 6930G for 3 years now and so far it has been handling even high-end games without problems, even though it's getting a bit dated now.

The newer Model I'm looking at will cost around 850€ but i know I can expect a stable performance.

Make sure you have your laptop on a stable surface and that all the breathing vents are free. i would also recommend a cooling board that you can place underneath. If you plan to use it in bed (like me =P), get a simple wooden board that holds your laptop and mouse. It's cheaper than a fancy table and does the trick just fine.

copeyhagen

ebay.de is great for gaming pc's.

Steviemoyne

Just for the sake of anyone thinking of replying to this.

I have the information I needed, I've opted to build a pc rather than purchase a laptop for the sheer fact that I can get 3 times the performance for the same price as any notebook I would purchase would cost.

I've also chosen to go this route because notebooks are so difficult to repair, depending on the problem normally it's more cost effective to chuck the silly things out rather than even attempt to get it repaired. That's been my experience at least. With a pc I can just remove and replace the faulty part (example: if the graphics card dies).

I also have room to upgrade with a pc, with a laptop the only two things that can be realistically upgraded is the hdd or the ram. With a pc the possibilities are endless (well, almost).

So thanks for the help, I don't need any more advice / help. If a mod wishes to lock this thread feel free to as I do not require it anymore.