Any 14.1" laptops that is powerful enough for DX10 games?

Newbie question here...

Are there any 14.1" screened laptops that have cards that can play DX10 games? Or are they more in the 15"+ category?

I'm looking for a laptop that is below 6 pounds that is powerful enough to play the latest games and near future ones. However portability is important as I travel here and there.

Thanks!

 

Zepto Znote 6324w or 6224w.....u have to look at on UK site and ask for shipment to US. they have 8600m gt 512 gpu

 

Dell 14 inch Inspirons have a DX10 card, the 8400m.

It's not a powerhouse and you can pretty much forget a 14 inch gaming powerhouse because those two things contradict. If you're considering that though, the 8400m would be a solid card and would be great for older games and maybe some of the upcoming new DX10 games. I doubt it would handle all the setting on high, but it is DX10

The Dell 15 inch has the 8600m GT in it.

 

8400 is ****, dont have anything less than 8600 for games, which can play almost any game on full settings

 

Thanks.

Are you referring to the Dell 1520? I heard it will top out at 7 pounds. Although the card would be sweet...I'm looking for something more portable (roughly 5.5-6lb range).

 

Znotes are about 5.2 pounds, and both have the 8600 card

 

i beleive they are the only 14 " cards to have a 8600 card

 

The ASUS F8 is also rumored to have a 8600GT (speculation is between that and or the equivalent ATI card). The release date for the F8 is, once again rumored, to be August or September.
Info here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=128202&page=20

 

The 1520 would be my choice for the mix of portability and gaming. I am not sure you'd even notice the slightly extra weight.

I was checking the review of the 1520 by Stella on the front page, and it states:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3821

"With the 9-cell battery, it weighs slightly less than seven pounds."

You could opt for the default battery and get the weight down. You also get the slightly larger screen if you did that.


I'll confuse you further by saying that Gateway is coming out with very similar machines, shipping on July 22nd according to sources. They have a 14 inch model and 15 inch model, and I believe they will use ATI graphics card but the full options are not known yet. One site suggested a 2400 card which is DX10. Gateway will also offer HDMI supposedly, a feature the Dells do not have.

The Inspirons and the new Gateways will offer you a color choice which I personally think is pretty cool to have.

Regarding Dells if you would like to configure one online, try configuring a 1520 and then apply the $300 off coupon in the "dell coupons" secton of this site. It could help quite a lot and give you a good price/value tradeoff.

I'm personally considering a 1720 because I'd use it mainly as a stationary PC and with occasional travel. But yea I really like the 1520 also.

 

not sure about that....zeptos have been out for a while now get 3Dmark06 score of 3000-4000 depending on other configs

 

All -
Thank you for your replies!

Undsputed -
Your assessment of the 1520 really helped out. And yes, a laptop under 7 pounds is still portable. I currently have an ACER Ferrari 3200 and it's just about 7 pounds and I tote it everywhere. I was just bitten by the "lighter" bug but realize I would sacrifice performance.

I love the Dell 1330...but dang a 13.3" screen seems like a PITA especially if I were to play any FPS games on it.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3029

There is a difference between a DX10 GPU and a GPU capable of playing DX10 games, and given how the desktop 8600 and HD 2600 series are getting slaughtered, anything less than a 8600M series won't have much hope of running DX10 games.

 

I've found that my laptop is quite capable for FPS games. You won't run everything at full res, but I know you can get a 14" with a DX10 capable card currently, an 8600 or so. Personally, a 15" is too big for me.

 

Yea I dont really consider the 1330 a gaming laptop. No muscle and no screen to it.


The 1520 comes with 2 gbs of RAM as a free upgrade right now too which is worth noting. It has 160 gb hard drive and for $50, they bump you up to the 7200 RPM drive. Wireless N for an extra $25. Webcam built in. You can get it now for about $1200-$1250 or so after applying the $300 off.

From what I gather, the battery is a huge weight component so the lesser battery should make a difference.


Personally I was worried about 17 inch portability...haha. I think the 15 is a solid choice for your all around needs. It's the middle ground of weight and performance. If you can't enjoy what's on the screen because the screen is too small of the grahpics card too weak, the fact that it's a pound less will be of little value for you.

Then again, I used to carry all my books home in my back pack in school so maybe I'm just used to it haha.

 

I agree that 12" and 13.3" have too small screens for decent gaming and don't have the space for a decent GPU. I actually think 14" is the perfect balance between compabilities and portability since I'm one of those people who won't even consider anything heavier than 6lbs. I actually choose this MacBook Pro based on it's 5.6lbs weight which is light for a 15.4", the latest MBP is even better at 5.4lbs. I was seriously considering the 14" W3J back then, but then ASUS decided to focus on the A8Js, which just isn't the same quality. It's too bad Apple doesn't offer a 14" MBP.

 

how is gaming on the MBP?

 

It's still a Mac though And it's not Games for Macs, it's Games for Windows!

 

Yeah after reading the discussions here I'm leaning towards the 1520. Granted I'm not thrilled at the 6.9 weight (although with the heavy celled battery) it is the same as my Ferrari laptop (which isn't bad). Sure I can go with the smaller battery which doesn't bother me too much as I'm plugged in with the AC adapter 99% of the time when at home or in the hotel room. I took the Ferrari everywhere I travelled and never really thinking anything of it. As mentioned I was just bitten by the "why not try a lighter laptop" bug.

A 14" still sounds great, but I'm not sure how it would handle any games say a year from now (granted I'm not a hardcore gamer but I do love playing them especially BF2142). I think many of the 14inchers would probably hit the 6lb mark at least when using a 9+cell battery (if offered) so the difference will most likely be negligible compared to the 15".

Undsputed -
Of all the 15" laptops with the 8600mgt do you think the Dell 1520 is the one to get?

Thanks again for all your opinions...it has truly helped!

 

Yea, if you wanted to wait a bit longer to see if they up it to an 8700m, you might want to do that. And given the 8 series cards only just came out and are already up to 8700, the 8800 is likely around the corner...read that anytime now

You asked a tough question there for the 15 inch 8600ms. The big competition for this would probably be the Asus G1 which I believe is also 15 inch. I like Blu Ray which is why I'd lean toward the Dell but you probably don't mind that. You could try to configure the Dell to match the Asus (like the processor and all). Take a good, powerful processor cause you don't want to have to upgrade it in a year anyway. Screen size can be matched too. Also look at the appearance of both systems. I wasn't really a fan of the look of the G1 whereas I really like the colors and keyboard layout of the Dell.

 

Right now the 1520 with the current coupon you can get a wsxga screen and a 8600 gt, 2 gb and 160 gb hd for $909 free shipping. ( i would upgrade to 7100 cpu for a steep $150 though)

So Id just say get that and live with it being large. Thats an extreme deal and I dont think it will get any better.

 

Ok, if you want DX10 capability, look at GPUs no less than the 8600M GS. The 8400M GS and GT will both perform horribly with DX10 enabled, and not so hot in DX9.

The 1520 is a good choice, but if you want smaller screen sizes then you gotta look at Sagers, Clevos, maybe Asus, and things like Rock and Zepto. They usually have unusual setups that are really worth it for the money they cost. By unusual, I mean things that are not common but are really nice.

A suggestion would be the Sager Np2090. Although....if you are leaning towards the 1520, you won't be disappointed. Especially with that low of a price.

 

Check out BenQ s41.... However, it only has 8600GS, not 8600GT.

 

I saw some laptops at www.widowpc.com that I am sure would, but of cost it can be costly. A friend made up a custom one there, with duel-SLI vid cards and maxed about everythign and it cost about 3 or 4X as much as a regular brand one, but the machine is amazing.