Playing WoW maxed. What specs?

Sorry for all the posts. I have completely changed my pricing range, it is pointless for me to spend 1600 on a laptop, when all im going to use it for is WoW and surfing the web.

All i want is:
Play WoW on ultra (i could have 2 or 3 settings on high)
Have a 1080p screen
i7

My range has changed, ill spend up to 1300-1500 on it, probably even less. I just want a laptop that can do the above, and is for a good cheap price. Things i am looking at are the XPS 15. What should the laptop have in it to max out WoW?

Any suggestions?

 

My XPS 14 with i7-740 and 425M card struggles a bit at ultra. I play somewhere between Very High and some other things turned up. At full ultra I get 15-18 fps which is playable but not "smooth." At very high the game looks amazing.

You would want to move the card up above the 425/435 available in the XPS line if you want better ultra (e.g. 30 fps) with everything turned on. I am still not sure you will be fully happen with ultra/"all on" with the XPS 15. If you get the 2mb video card (435/445 line) with the XPS 15 you will get a slightly better experience than mine, but not every single thing on high. You might need to go with a different laptop if that's your goal.

 

With the kind of budget, why not look an ASUS G series laptop, maybe even a slightly used one in our marketplace. The Dell XPS line GeForce cards aren't the highest end, and you could get a used G73-JH with GTX 460M for that price range AND it still has a 2 year global warranty + 1 year accidental damage plan included.

 

I also wouldn't be able to carry that thing around.

I need portability to an extent, but performance as well. I am not looking for a dedicated gaming laptop, that would be a waste of money and not in my best needs.

 

You would be getting nearly exactly same specs for the same amount of money. XPS line is an upper end consumer model, though not necessarily for serious gamers (at least not since M1730). The G series offers you one of the best gaming GPU for the same price, as well as a Core i7 also. You also don't have to use it for gaming 24/7. If you are looking to burn that amount of cash just take a look at the G series.

 

I will have to see an Asus in real life before i decide on purchasing.
Hopefully this friday i'll head out to the computer shop to check out the size of them, and see if its something i would be willing to invest into.

 

OC the heck out of that 425m man!
You should get at least 100+ mhz boost on it using nVidia supplied software. Lots of people are having great success OC'ing the 4xxm series cards in the new XPS models.

 

With the XPS 15, the card would be a 435m since they want an i7. However, the 1080p is not available now so it's either wait, check the outlet, or go with a different brand.

 

What about heat? Is it much of a problem if I OC 100mhz? EDIT: Just read the OC thead on the XPS forum and downloaded MSI Afterburner (is that what you recommend? I assume you mean upping the core clock).

 

You should specify your desired average frame rate (30fps, 60fps, other) that you would like to enjoy. It could make a 100% difference in the performance you need.

I could spend well under $600 on a laptop with a 1080p screen and i7 and play WoW completely maxed out, but I may just get an average of 3 fps.

 

Why OC an entry level midrange card when you can a high end one from the factory? I would seriously take a look at a G series notebooks, very solidly built, I was considering buying a G73-JH..

 

Can't answer for the op, but for me personally?
I'm a grad student and must have a working laptop.
So Dell's next day/no questions asked Complete Care trumped anything Asus could offer. I've had Asus laptops in the past and hated them.

 

I disagree, ASUS offer a 2 year no quibble, no extra cost, global warranty.

I think ASUS will be a big winner in the laptop market this year.

 

To each his own.
They don't have on site repair in your home though.

 

I've seen some Dell on site technicians. They are overworked gremlins, and I wouldn't trust a motherboard swap in my room unless I did the work myself. But then again I'm the kind of guy who would take apart an entire laptop and repaste everything myself..

 

Unless you MUST have 1080p take a look at the XPS17, my wifes i7 + 445 combo runs a steady 60fps with all settings on high with ZERO frame rate slowdowns at all even on 25 man content. She could probably get at least 30fps at all ultra settings but she prefers the higher framerate to higher settings.

 

Btw, I also have a XPS 15 i5 + 425 combo that pulls 30-45fps with all all setting high except water on low (due to a glitch it dissapears at higher settings). Thats with the 1366 x 768 resolution and no overclock. The 1080p screen would be worse for fps obviously at native resolution. To me the visual difference between ultra and high is not that great on WoW to make it worth the loss in fps.