Best 12" gaming laptop

I wanted to revive a closed thread from two years ago but obviously I cannot do this; so I had to start another one... I am searching for a decent gaming laptop with a screen size of 12"; in the past there was Dell 1210 with gf7400 but nowadays I cannot find anything that keeps up with the newest games. Perhaps something with gf9500 will suffice; any suggestions?

 

LG P310 is 13" but is lighter than many 12". It has 9600GT.

Asus has some 12" models with 9300 I believe.

 

Where can one buy an LG P310? They aren't available anywhere in North America that I know of.

 

12" notebooks w/ dedicated GPU:

Asus U6Ve w/ 9300M GS
Samsung Q210 w/ 9200M GS
HP tx2z w/ HD 3200

And in case you're interested, 13" notebooks w/ dedicated GPU

LG P310 w/ 9600GT (no built-in optical drive, and only available in Canada, probably EU too)
Asus F6Ve w/ HD 4570
Benq X31 w/ 8600M GT (don't think it's available in the US)

 

More 13" options:
Samsung Q320 Nvidia GeForce G105M 256MB GDDR3
HP DV3t with Nvidia GeForce G105M 512MB GDDR3

 

HD 3200 is an integrated GPU.


One more 13" would be the Studio XPS 13.

 

You can check the link in my sig for my GPUs gaming power (lol)

nVidia's 9200M GS is adequate to game on (just), it will play many games but a few will slideshow . The good thing is that the 9200M GS is a very good overclocker, I've got a 30% increase in 3DMark06 score which translates into a 20-25% increase in FPS in game .

However, if you can get your hands on an LG P310 then go for it, the performance increase is huge

 

If you want to game with portability, your best bet is to man up and try the 14" Asus N81 with ATI 4650

 

Thanx guys, I am now searching for the LG but cannot find it in my area; gf9200 overclocked can beat a gf9300?

 

Go for a 13.3". You probably won't notice the increase in size, and it's still light as all hell. The XPS M1330 might suit you, it has the 8400M GS, and starts under 4 pounds. There's a known graphics card failure issue, but for this Dell automatically grants an extra year of warranty for models affected by this.

The Studio XPS 13 would not be too bad either.

 

Another 13" option would be the Vaio Z (only 3.4 lbs) with the 9300M GS.

 

I think the 9300 is just a 9200 overclocked anyway

 

Another 13.3" inch recommendation. Much more choice in the category, and they're small and light already.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U330 has switchable graphics... the dedicated being a HD 3450.

 

I have an IdeaPad U330. Nice machine. The HD3450 isn't a powerhouse by any means though. And switchable graphics doesn't do much for battery life either. Plus with the switchable graphics you're limited to Lenovo's graphics drivers as it is proprietary switching software, which haven't been updated since August 2008.

I think if you have the money and can find one, the LG P310, or Asus F6Ve are your best bet. Granted you can get the U330 for about $900 with coupons (mine was about that much shipped), and it isn't configurable. It only comes with 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo (P7350), 250GB 5400RPM HDD, and 2GB DDR3 RAM. So keep that in mind.

 

My friend bought i vaio z series which is a 13.1 inch screen with both a nvidia 9300 gs and a Intel 4500 GMA card which you can switch to with a built in button on the laptop. Costed around 2000$ with 4 gb of ram 320Gb HDD at 7200RPM and a 2.66 duo core processor.

 

For $2000, I think the Lenovo U300, even if you buy 4GB RAM (2x2GB) for $60 + 320GB 7200RPM HDD for $80, is much cheaper and similar to the Vaio Z. The HD 3450 is on par, if not better than the 9300m GS. Granted the 2.00GHz in the Lenovo is no match for the 2.66GHz in the Vaio Z. I guess it's all in what you're after and what you can afford.

I still think the Asus F6Ve is the best bang for the buck.

 

Ya, i think it is overpriced a bit also but all sony computers are over priced for what you get.
Basically the only benefit of a sony is it (IMO) looks awesome

 

Studio XPS isnt an option for gaming since it has dual GPU with Geforce 9400G (see macbooks) plus an additional 9200GS in hybrid sli. Which means good 3d-Marks, but poor FPS performance.
In case you get a Dell again check out the already mentioned XPS 1330.

The LG P310 is available in EU. maybe you can find the pre-model P300 with 8600GT.

 

Yeah, M1330 is a good choice too. I debated between that and the U330. I was going for the Dell until I found I could get the U330 for almost exactly the same price. Again, you get a smaller HDD (250GB) and less RAM (2GB), but I spent $60 extra to get 4GB RAM, and don't need a bigger HDD yet, and would rather have the newer tech in the Lenovo PC, and the LED screen.

 

Vaio Z has the highest screen resolution of any 13" with the 1600x900 option and being 16:9 also puts it's size between a 12.1" and 13.3" 16:10 notebook.


Bang for the buck right now goes to the HP dv3t with the $400 off coupon until May 11. That's a lot of free upgrades you can get and still keep the machine well under $1000.

 

HP dv3t seems to have an integrated graphic card.

 

You can get it with 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...KJbKvytzgWLnDkf75KHQn8b1pGLJTVn1wVZ!554557994

 

And if you jack the system price up to $1200 the card is essentially free with the coupon code:

http://www.notebookreview.com/coupons/

 

Well I'm surprised Sony hasn't learned their lesson about trying to sell overpriced computers like they did with their TVs, because quite frankly, their computer products never really impressed me except for a couple FZ models in the past when I was a computer salesman for a Fry's Electronics. Other than that, I found them way overpriced. Sure they look good, but that can't be the focus when a computer needs to be well performing for what you pay.

 

I agree, this is probably the smallest laptop where you could apply the label "gaming laptop" accurately. Another possibilty would be the Zepto Nox A14, but again 14".

 

So.. we started with 12 and ended with 14”... I still think that 12” is what I need - the size does matter in my case (not necessarily the weight below 4lbs), so it seems I have to search further...
Btw, that Asus N81 is one really powerfull gaming machine.

 

At 14" because a 12" gaming laptop doesn't exist and probably won't for some time if ever. Ultra-portable and gaming don't mix, gaming equals heat and ultra portable equals thin, these two completely oppose each other. I'm not sure if a 13.3" will ever go above light gaming but if 14" is too big that is probably your best bet, forget 12".

 

13" is your best bet, period. You can fit decent guts, like the Asus F6Ve with ATI HD 4570 and 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo. Those are gaming specs if I ever heard them. No it's not top end, but it's very respectable. Nothing much exists for 12". Trust me, I looked extensively before I ended up with my Lenovo U330. At least nothing that was affordable. Best you'll do is a 9300m GS for graphics too, and probably forfeit a DVD drive.