The best Netbook for gaming.

Intel must have started kidnapping their kids.

 

Ion is coming:

Link 1

Link 2

 

But shhhh don't tell Intel.

 

hmm interesting lets hope intel grows up and stops fighting.

 

It's a handheld, not a netbook, but should be out any week now...



http://openpandora.org/

 

That's really awesome looking... but it runs linux. Linux + gaming = ???
Oh, it's another development of the GP2X. Now I'm less excited, the GP2X has been around for ages and never took off. I waited and waited and waited, and finally just bought a PSP.

 

LOL that looks oddly like a DS.

Either way what kind of graphics are we expecting here like N64?

 

The only way I would buy it is if it played DS games.

Awesome little concept machine though.

 

I was just thinking about netbooks and gaming. I own an Asus N10J. It is great for gaming. The Atom support multithreaded apps, albeit not nearly as efficient as a dual core, but adds the benefit nevertheless.

That being said, a dual core netbook so far has been snubbed since even the dual core Atom runs at 8W vs the single core N270 at 2.5W, or even the N280 at 2.0W. Why not make a dual CPU netbook then? With the ability to idle or deactivate once CPU to minimize power consumption?

With dual N280's it would be max 4W power draw anyhow, and should render the same benefits, if not more should it not?

 

It can't be that simple, or it'd have been done. For one, the chipset they're using doesn't support dual processors, which is probably a big part of the issue. SOMETHING has got to make those CPUs use more power...

 

Well of course, I'm just theorizing that it is a possible solution. Intel needs to get off their high horse and be creative with stuff like this. If dual core with this architecture is not the solution, then maybe dual CPU is.

I'm sure it wasn't entertained because most netbooks have very limited packaging space, but it would be a nice addition to some of the larger netbook/notebooks like the Asus N10J.

 

Err because the Atom chips are not SMP capable?

 

Isn't it based more on the chipset than the CPU? I would think the CPU wouldn't care since it just processes what it's given, it would need a controller to distribute the load.

 

The Atom 330 is just two Atom 230s on a single chip so the idea is basically already being used....but that doesn't necessarily carry over to the N280.


The really technical stuff aside I'd have to say why they don't offer two N280s is size, heat and cost.

 

Around Dreamcast level.

I might get one if some decent games are released. I had a GP32 back in the day but using it as just an emulator gets boring after a while.

 

Dreamcast level? Wow thats really impressive i may take a glimpse into it myself.

 

Meh I say get a netbook for a netbook and get a DS for games. Trying to merge the two is only going to leave you falling short on both sides I think.

There are some really awesome EEE's out now but I am still holding out for a dual core version and hopefully a higher res screen.

I never tried DS emulation on my 1000H but now I have a reason too, I think it would be handled pretty easy. It does SNES, Genisis, ect without trying, but has a hard time trying to do dreamcast or n64 due to the 3d graphics.

 

DS emulation?> That exists wow i learn something everyday

 

Yep, it exists all right.

Its strange, my brother's desktop with a Core 2 Duo and Radeon HD4850 was running a DS emulator very slowly whereas my friend's laptop with a Core 2 Duo and Geforce 7400 was running it almost perfectly. Maybe my brother had a bad emulator or settings. I should try a DS emulator on my new desktop.


I'm still very anxiously waiting for a PC PSP emulator and/or a PSP2.

 

If anyone is serious in gming then better get a desktop or a 17' laptop with sli.

 

Ion netbooks coming Q2-Q3

MSI U110 with Radeon 3200?

 

That MSI looks good, except it still has that stupid 1024x600 screen. Give us 1366x768 at least PLEASE!

 

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/msi-wind-u110-eco-doesnt-have-ati-graphics-is-no-longer-intere/

It wouldn't have made sense because it would mean 780G chipset is used but it doesn't support Menlow plus the spec sheet says it uses US15W chipset which would mean it would have TWO chipsets.

 

The thing is we aren't talking about TWO seperate cores but rather TWO seperate sockets. That's a difference there. You'd rather just have Atom 330 when the result would be the same. The extra circuitry required would increase power consumption and complexity.

 

with this intel - nvidia war going on. I dont think intel dont want to be in the gaming business, but a ultra mobile business.
Via is aiming for consumer mobile entertainment, which is what nvidia trying to achieve on the new ions platform by the help of atom. Atom computing for 2 watts beats the via's c7 by 8 times less power consumption. I think small company like VIA do give up soon, by chance give the x86 licence to nvidia to make CGPUs, so we use 9400m sli for both cpu and gpu task, that would be cool

 

GN40 chipset a disappointment.

 

I was told by someone at work, that Macbook is the current most powerful little notebook as far as games goes, when running in bootcamp. It's just very expenssive:/


Do you guys know what are the most powerful small gaming laptops around 10, 11, 12 and 13 inches?

 

I disagree with that statement. Could you fill in the FAQ so that we can get a rough idea of your other needs

 

LG P310 is the best, follower by a certian Benq laptop I can't remember. Then the older LG P300 would be next I'm guessing.

But if you thought a macbook was expensive then your best option would be a Dell Studio XPS 13 which I would put slightly in front of a Macbook in terms of gaming.

 

Mac is far from the strongest hardware wise, and you have to submit to using there OS.

And its gonna cost you more.

This will put a beat down on the Mac: F6VE

Even better if your ok with 14" N81Vp

 

The p300 comes with a 9650m gt i believe. or a 9600m gt. It's in this category, but as mentioned above, it depends on what you like. Sony vaio z is also a beast but it's more expensive.

Btw ViciousXUSMC, you can use bootcamp to use windows on a mac and it runs it natively but windows machines will obviously run windows better. I know for a fact that apple's bootcamo drivers are far from being perfect.

 

yeah I know about BC, I have a mac but I built it myself to save $$$.

But then you have to get the BC stuff and a windows os in addition to the cost of the Mac which is already more expensive than the PC with the same internal hardware or better.

Unless your a mac fan or an osx fan and want one for some specific reason there is no reason to get one over a pc.

 

Nothing else actually. Just looking for the most powerful 10-13 inch.



The Sony Vaio Z - Still uses 9300m? Then you could get a Asus N10 which is a netbook sized at 10' with same graphics.

Dell XPS Studio 13 - looks sweet, but is 9500m a good card? Is it roughly the same as a 8600m GT? Seems to suffer from serious overheating...


LG P300/310 - Looks good. But also somewhat pricy.

 

Dell XPS 13 beats the Macbook. The 9500M combines the integrated 9400M GPU that's in the Macbook with a dedicated 9200M GPU working together.

 

In my opinion, you will compromise on too much just to have 2 inches less portability wise. It is just not worth it when you consider that you can get a 15.4 that is much more powerful.

I used to be going for the smaller laptops myself but after a while realised that it is just not worth if if you are interested in gaming.

 

Well, that Asus F6VE is pretty dang powerful for even a 14 or 15" at that price even. I own a 10", 13", 15", 17", and I definitely prefer the 10" or 13" when I'm travelling. If I *DO* need something more powerful, then I will go with my 15", although I think my 13" is powerful enough for most games (ATI HD 3450 vs nVidia 8600m GT DDR2) anyhow.

 

Yeah both Asus units are great.

Not only do they pack a ton of graphics power in a small package and are priced to kill, they didnt do like say gateway where they toss all of the cheapest and slowest parts into a package with a fast gpu to even out the price.

Both units have a great cpu, a big hdd, and 4gb of ram to top it all out.

 

Agreed!!! I bought a mac and i've had the same experience as any other laptop i've used. In fact, i'm on my own, concerning support for windows. My previous dell laptop came pre installed with Vista and i didn't have the reinstall it again and reinstall all the drivers. Apple drivers for bootcamp are kind of buggy.

 

I don't understand?

The macbook has a 9400m. XPS 13 has a 9500M, and you say it can work together with it's build in GPU? A Intel 4500?

 

I have a 15' ... And due to it's size and weight and like 2 hours of battery life, I never bring it anywhere. So it's most like a gimped desktop than a portable machine.


That's why I am thinking that 13' might be too much as well.

 

I love that you can get Blu-Ray for both of them. Have never seen that in a 13' inch laptop!

 

Wow, you have some massive laptops there.

I'd kill for a 15 foot display that ran for two hours on battery.

 

until you own or use a Toshiba X305, you dont know what poor battery life or weight really is

 

I've been looking some more at the Dell Vostro 1320 and the XPS Studio 13.


With Vostro you can get, 8 Gigs of Ram and Blu-Ray, but only a 9300m.

With XPS Studio you can only get 6 gigs of ram, no blu-ray but have a 9500m.


Damn, annoying.


I like the look of these machines. They look very sexy.

 

The Asus N10 is really cool with it's 9300m in a 10' notebook, and it's the only one of its kind. The new model will come with a Nvidia 130, apparently.

The problem is still the 1,6 Atom. If OCed to 2,1 GHz it can suddenly due some nice stuff, but the tiny Atom simply bottlenecks games. So the GPU becomes useless. It's sad. With no improvement on Ion Netbooks or Dual Atoms on the way anytime soon, I am not sure if I should hold out for a Gaming netbook anytime soon !

 

The NVidia 9500M GE is not a GPU per se but a combination of the integrated 9400M G and the dedicated 9200M GS working together to achieve better performance than by themselves. It should achieve a level around that of a 8600M GT DDR2 but is heavily dependant on drivers and support.
Also, if you don't need the muscle and would prefer having more battery life at any given moment, you can disable the 9200M GS and run on the 9400M G only. As of this moment, no Dell Studio XPS 13 has any kind of integrated Intel GPU.

For more information on the Dell Studio XPS 13 and it's capabilites, make sure to check the Dell subforum ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4).

Hope this helps .

 

I now somewhat regret going with a Lenovo U330 over the Asus F6Ve. It would have cost me about $350 more, but gaming performance is about 2x that of the Lenovo.

The Studio XPS 13 was a no-go for me mainly due to the fact that it only has one USB port. Plus it seems it had significant issues with the initial batch, which were released at the time I bought my Lenovo (just a month ago).

 

The good thing about the Asus units is Ken has posted actual gaming videos on there page in the links I put back a few pages.

The very idea that he is playing crysis says alot but it is lagging. But I also think he may be using fraps to record and that really kills performance.

 

Don't see why the Most powerful Netbook/Notebook 10' - 13' - Macbook? thread was merged with The best Netbook for gaming. thread.

OP was more interested in the Macbook compared to notebooks and the discussion had very little to do with netbooks.

 

Yeah the netbooks are the 10" atom based units.

the OP was more interested in a small notebook.

the only real "netbook" that can do any gaming is the Asus N10.