Right time for a gaming laptop?

With DirectX10 and santa rosa on the horizon, is right now going to be a good time to get a laptop that has an emphasis on gaming? It wouldn't be the main use, but I don't want to get completely outdated within a year. So I just wanted to see what everyone thought.

 

No I would advice you to wait. DirectX 10 is coming soon with Santa Rosa, as well 812.n Wireless Lan support. And DX10 is really the big factor why I am not buying a notebook now.

Charlie

 

i don't think that DX9 support is going to disappear any time soon...

BTW, the first gen of DX10 parts won't be very good for DX10 games, not too mention the parts (prototypes) are currently VERY power hungry and not good for notebooks. I'd say don't wait for JUST DX10.

Santa Rosa...maybe a good reason to wait.
802.11n...this continues to get delayed on ratification, so it probably won't be in Santa Rosa...anyway the pre-N/draft-N is nothing but trouble right now so don't wair for it.
DX10...only if you have an okay gaming machine NOW should you bother waiting...expect to use DX9 hardware for another year if you ask me.

 

Now is as good of a time as any to get a gaming laptop. DirectX 9 still has a ways to go; no developer is going to put out a DX10-only game (and remember DX10 is yet to be released), because the transition between DX9 and DX10 isn't going to happen overnight.

 

You will always be fighting the advancement curve no matter how close to the edge you think you are. There is something beyond DX10, Core Due, 64 bit...you name it and they are already working on it.

 

Since Core 2's are starting to come out, and the current crop of graphics cards are really top-notch across the board, there's no reason to wait unless you want to save more pennies and get something better.

 

If you need a laptop now, it's a fine time to buy. If you already have something sufficient for another year or so, you could wait for Santa Rosa and Vista.

DX10 has yet to come out in desktop form, and it may be a while before the mobile version is worked out. Then, games will not support them right away either--as the vast majority of gamers will still be using DX 9 cards.

 

Vista in 4 months, Santa Rosa in 6, and R600/N80 mobile in 9. That is a long time to wait. You can buy a decent laptop right now and sell it in 9 months. I got such a great deal on my Dell a year ago that I can probably sell it for a little more than what I paid for.

 

The right time for a gaming laptop is when you need it. I just spent a year's savings on one (see my sig) and do not have the slightest remorse. As others have said, it will be a long time before games *require* Dx10. Some, such as Crysis, will support them, but don't forget that all we've seen so far of Crysis was running on one single Dx9 card.

I'd say a gaming laptop purchased now will last 1 to 2 years depending on how demanding *you* are with respect to games. With a Vista upgrade, it will run everything including Halo 3, Crysis, and whatnot.

C.