Best "gaming" laptop for under $1000...

Here is your mission should you choose to accept it…

I've set out to accomplish the "impossible". Get a decent gaming laptop for under $1000 (Canadian dollars). First and foremost I should describe what I mean by "gaming". I am okay with mid-range performance. I was never one to worry much about the extra eye candy or super high resolutions. I just want decent playable FPS and I'm a happy camper. I don’t have any “must play” games right now. Most of my gaming is done on my consoles with the exception of an occasional FPS or MMORPG on the PC. I realize the limitations of my budget and really am just looking for the best bang for my buck in that price range.

Based on that range, I think I've narrowed down the GFX element to be either a X1400 or a Go7300? (please correct me if I’m wrong). I'd prefer a 14" or maybe a 15.4" model.

Oh, the one thing that is really hard to find but I would really like is the thumb mouse in the middle of the keyboard. I’ve had a Thinkpad for the last few years (Radeon 9000, Pentium M 1.6 GHZ, 1 GB RAM) and it’s hard to get used to a touchpad! It’s not an absolute must, but would be fantastic to have...

I digress… Here is what I've found so far. I'd appreciate your advice on whether or not you think there is something better out there and if this is a good deal or not.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations!

Dell Inspiron 6400
PROCESSOR: Intel Core DUO T2350 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
MEMORY: 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 533MHz, 2DIMM
GRAPHICS CARD: 256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory
HARD DRIVE: 80GB 5400rpm
LCD DISPLAY: 15.4" inch Wide Screen XGA
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows XP Home Edition
Price (before taxes and shipping): $978 (CAD)

So… the question is… Deal?!? Or no deal?!? Or better yet, anything else that would be a better deal?

Cheers and thanks again!

 

The 6400(e1505) is pretty much it, I haven't seen anything here in Canada that's sub $1000 with a good GPU. The cheapest would be the Compal HEL80/ASUS Z96j with the x1600 at $13xx or so, before taxes.

 

the x1400/x1300 is really all you'll be able to swing unless you can pick up a used machine.

I'd really advise you to wait, keeping saving, or buy a desktop.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I do have a desktop and I don't think I'll be able to swing any more money. I have the money, it's the wife that is the problem, hehe. I'm already going to try and upsell from my original pitch of "around $800". I prefer to game in comfort on my laptop or console rather than sit in the office on the desktop. Even though it has superior hardware, my desktop acts more as a server (multimedia, downloads, burning, etc) than a traditional desktop really. Once you go laptop, it's hard to go back... I just need an upgrade for my aging Thinkpad (Radeon 9000 64MB)... the wife can have that (it plays Sims2 well enough, hehe).

 

If you have $1300 U.S., go to newegg.com and check out the Asus A8Jp, with a Radeon X1700. It's by far the best budget gaming laptop I've seen. The Compal HEL-80 and HGL-30 both have a Geforce Go 7600 and can be equipped for around $1300.

If you really can't go above $1000, the Dell E1505 and HP dv6000t are the best choices.

 

another one to consider would be the toshiba a1xx series it sports a go 7600 and can be had for less than your budget which is 1000$

 

Go to london drugs i got my hgl 30 for 1000$ can

 

Ah-ha! And so the plot thickens!!!

I can't seem to track down the HGL-30 model anywhere for sale... is it discontinued?

 

If you are in edmonton try sherwood park

 

http://store.agearnotebooks.com/index.html

or

http://powernotebooks.com/

for hg30 notebooks

 

I AM in Edmonton...! Wow, the plot REALLY is thickening now! Hehehe.

I looked online and saw nothing. How long ago did you buy yours? What are the specs on it?

For the Toshiba models... I couldn't find much on those either. Any links?

Thanks again folks!


Edit: I just called London Drugs Sherwood Park and he sounded like he thought I was crazy when I asked him if they carried Compal HG 30 notebooks... ?...

 

Groovy, do you know if either of them deliver to Canada?...

 

Its called certified data(HGL30) at london drugs

 

I just called again, I called a different store this time. They haven't had any in the warehouse since Nov of 06... Too bad, looks like that was an AMAZING deal! He said the last price on them was $699, 14" display, Go 7600 GPU, CoreDuo CPU (didn't say what speed), 1GB RAM, 100GB HDD, DVD Burner... wow! Dang... now I jealous!

So, to everyone else. Besides that one or the Thoshiba one I can't find much information on. It still looks like the Dell 6400 eh?

 

^ for 699, that would have just been the barebones system; ie, you'd have to also buy the processor, hdd, ram, etc. and put it together yourself. So acutally that's not a particularly good deal.

 

That's what I thought as well, but according to EtownsFinest and the guy at the store that wasn't the case. They apparently cleared them out at that price. Certified Data was rebranded for their stores only. They don't carry them anymore.

Since that is no longer an option though, I would still appreciate that advice I was asking for if anyone else has opinions!

 

A DV6000t with a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 would be a good choice that you could get for $1000 or under, depending how you optioned it.

 

I bought a configured Toshiba A135 with a 7600 256mb for $1000 shipped not too long along.
Had I skimped on a few more things, I could have gotten closer to $900.
They don't have that option anymore on Toshiba website since they came out with a newer model.

I returned it anyhow cause it had a dead pixel plus I got my hand on a nc8430 for $700 on Craigslist.

 

well its a 17" but you can get the Everex XT5000T from OfficeMax or TigerDirect for between 700~900 and it has:

CPU AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-50 @ 1600mhz per core
OS Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
RAM 1 GB of 533mhz DDR2 occupying a single slot, leaving 1 slot available
Display 17” WXGA+ 1440x900 Diamond Brite screen
Graphics Nvidia Geforce Go 7600 with 256MB DDR2 dedicated
Audio Realtek ALC885 High-Definition Audio Codec
Hard Drive 100GB (5400RPM) with a slot for a second hard drive also available
Optical Drive 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer
I/O Ports
• 3 x USB
• 1 x DVI
• 1 x TV-out (S-video)
• 1 x Mic-in
• 1 x Headphone in
• 1 x Infrared – IrDA
• 1 x Modem – RJ-11
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN
• 1 x Express Card
• 1 x Firewire – 1394
• 4-in-1 Card Reader for SD, MMC, MS, and MS Pro
Communications
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet
• 802.11b/g
Dimensions/Weight
• 15.7” x 11.8” x 1.3 -1.6” (L x W x H)
• 8.45 lbs
Battery/Power
• 6-cell, 2.5 – 3 hours

 

I appreciate the advice everyone. After some careful consideration (and sweet talking the wife) I think I'm going to save up for another month or two and try and increase my budget to $1300-$1500. I'll be looking back around here around that time. There is some great info around here! Thanks again!