New Laptop, Better Gaming?

Hello, i currently have a toshiba laptop (see sig for specs) Now my friend just offered me a really sweet deal on his dell 9300 laptop. It has been modified to the XPS2/M170 BIOS so it can run the 7800GTX, whatever that means?

Here are the specs:
-17" UXGA Widescreen 16:9 (1920x1200 native res) Display with TrueLife
-Intel Pentium M 760 (2.00 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Dothan Core)
-2 GB OCZ PC4200 (533MHz) DDR2 SoDimm
-100 GB Seagate Momentus 7200 RPM IDE Hard Drive
-Dell Nvidia 7800 GTX GO 256MB Video Card
-8X DVD+/-RW DL Sony Burner
-130W Power Brick (XPS 2) & 90W Brick
-Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook PCMCIA Sound Card

Now how much better is this laptop with my current 1 gaming wise? I know the 7800 is better than the 7600 but how much better and how long do you think the card will last me considering I play games at med-high settings?

 

That notebook is very well specified. It has a very fast processor, and a very capable graphics card, and plenty of RAM. If you play games at medium to high settings, the graphics and package all otgether should last a few years.

 

mobile video card rankings

7600 vs 7800gtx

The 7800gtx will last you a few years, but the processor will be holding it back since in the next few years games will take use of dual core processors, it's a pretty tough trade off.

I think if you would tell us the price you're getting for the dell it might be easier to make a decision.

 

If I may ask, how much is he offering it to you for? Also, does your current A-100 not live up to your gaming expectations? The 9300 is considerably more powerful, but if you're already satisfied it might not make a whole lot of sense unless it's a great deal.

Your card may start to show its age a little sooner because of its 128 MB of VRAM. The 256 MB of VRAM on the go 7800 GTX and overall higher performance will buy it more time.

 

Beware of the size difference if you move your computer around at all.

 

I wanted a 17inch screen laptop, the 15.4 is killing me and i dont want to get an external screen. The price i am getting on the laptop is 1200can with free case,cooler, and g5 mouse

 

That's a tough call. The i9300 is an older laptop, and it might not have a warranty. The warranty was probably voided anyway when your friend installed the Go7800GTX video card.

The i9300 is better in almost every way than your laptop when it comes to gaming. Even if all games do end up using dual-core, they will still all run on a single core CPU because that is what the vast majority of people have. And, no dual-core processor is going to be able to make up for the difference between a Go7600 and a Go7800GTX. The Go7800GTX is many times more powerful.

Here's something to ask; why is your friend wanting to get rid of it?

 

BING!!! That's the golden question. Also, how good of a friend is he?

$1200 for that rig is just really really, really ridiculously cheap. Unless the processor is soldered on, I can see you buying a Core Duo for a $100 and making it the ultimate gaming laptop of your dreams, not that it wouldn't already be if it 1) really is $1200 and 2) does not suffer from heat/hardware problems due to the mod.

 

hes like a brother to me, known him since kindergarten lol, hes selling it to me cheap because hes leaving the laptop scene and moving back to desktop, it doesnt take more than 1200 to make a decent gaming system nowa days.

 

Even if the cpu isn't soldered on (which it shouldn't be) that upgrade isn't possible. The Pentium-M uses socket 479 (478 pins) and Core uses socket M (479 pins) and are of a totally different pin configuration. The laptop would also need a Bios update and a the updated Centrino Duo platform to use it even if the cpu did fit. The best cpu you can get for a socket 479 based machine is a Pentium-M 770 at 2.13GHz. As the machine already has a Pentium-M 760 2.0GHz any upgrade would hardly be worth the money as P-M 770s are very expensive.

 

I must say that Chaz's question was raised in my mind as I read through your post. But I think we now need to come back to my original question--are you not satisfied with the gaming performance of your current laptop?

I know you mentioned later you want a 17" system, but a much newer (technology-wise) e1705 wouldn't cost a whole lot more and would have warranty coverage and newer components.

 

i live in canada a new dell with a similar config but a 7900 in place of the 7800 and core 2 instead of single core would cost me roughly 2459.99 thats way to much, i live in canada and they dont sell e1705's they sell 9400's which are the same but much more expensive, also there are no dell deals on dell.ca so im looking at 2,400.00 where this 1 is 1200. And yes i am happy with the performance in my laptop but i need a 17inch laptop!!!

 

Your laptop is very nice i wouldnt get another 1 just for 1.6 more inches of screen. But it's your decision so watever.

 

Keep the one you got currently. I'd just wait until mobile DX10 GPUs from Nvidia and ATi become a reality. Then I'd consider buying another laptop. Your current one isn't bad at all.

 

thanks but that really doesn't answer my question, im more focoused on 7800gtx vs 7600 than trying to convince me to keep my current laptop. I am basically trading my laptop for this dell one, My moms gonna take this one off my hands and im gonna get the dell with the money. Basically its a straight trade if you will. In my opinion its worth it, my current laptop for a 7800gtx and 17inch screen!!!!

 

The dell would be better in gaming and your current system would be better in every other way. Your system has a better processor. The dell has a better gpu, you pick.

 

Good catch, guess I need to read the specs more carefully.

As for the final decision: I don't know about you but I'd make the trade. It makes sense money wise and performance wise.

 

Now that you've explained your situation a little more, I think it's a pretty fair deal. I don't think the Pentium M will hold you back much and you will get more gaming power and the 17" screen you want. As long as the 9300 is in good shape, it's a great opportunity for you, your friend, and your mom.

 

thank you everyone for your quick response and input, yea the dell looks sweet it has the carbon face plate on it too!!! Looks really nice than the plain silver all around!!!