What makes more sense to you....

I've had my mind pretty much set on buying a great gaming rig that I could take to college with me in the fall but now that the PS3 is a $100 cheaper, I'm reconsidering what I should do.

My original plan was to buy the Sager NP5790 with the 7950GTX and upgrade that later on to either the 8700m or the 8800m. Seeing as nothing is certain about the 8800m, I will be fine with putting in the 8700 later on just to have the dx10 features. The 7950GTX should last me at least 2 more years so that would have been okay. Right now, I'm trying to get the best that I can for the money that I have. I was thinking that I could get a slower, yet decent gaming rig with a 15.4'' inch and 8600GT and supplement that with a PS3. In the second case, I wouldn't buy the PS3 until another 6 months or so.

I'm asking you what would be the smarter decision for a soon to be college student.

1. Buy the Sager NP5790 with 7950GTX and upgrade later.

2. Buy a 15.4'' with 8600GT and buy PS3.

 

number 2
I don´t know if the ps3 is the best option, but a computer and a console will allow you to play more games

 

number 2. and a ps3 is actually useful. i dont have any games for it but I do use it as a bluray player and use fedora core 6 on it.

 

yeah i mean, if you want maximal gaming potential, you will have more bases covered with a console and pc.

8600m gt is not a pushover card. it will hold you through for quite some time. consoles are more friendly to both developers and more inviting to your personal friends. its good to have a console.

 

plus theres the added plus of portability with nr 2. You can lug around a 17", but be prepared for an early hernia.

 

#2 is a way better option.

You can use the PS3 to play it's games (obviously) then when you travel you will be able to play new games fine for a few years as well. I'd go with the second option any day.

 

I would say option #3: intoxicated college girls.

Save your money for those, and make sure you go for top of the line hardware.

 

ps3's are way cool. I have 2 brothers, one has a 360 and the other a ps3. I think ps3 wins hands down. I doubt you will be losing much by choice 2.

 

Like everyone else that has posted to this point I'd recommend option #2 as well. The 8600 GT has DX10 capability, unified stream processors, HDR+bloom, and many other benefits the 79xx doesn't. The 8600 should get better as new drivers and new games come out to take advantage of them.

Then there is the visual difference in games/programs that are able to take advantage of the DX10.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/directx-9-vs-directx-10-worth-upgrading-to-vista-for-243099.php

 

I love option #2. The PS3 is just great if you want to get together with friends and have a blast on a Friday night. And, don't blow off the 8600M GT as some "psssh weak, runty card." The 8600M GT is quite potent, and on top of that, there's the increased portability of a 15.4" laptop compared to a 17" laptop. I don't see any reason why, between those two options, you shouldn't choose option 2.

 

That's exactly my situation. 8600m gt and a PS3. But I haven't got my new laptop yet.

 

I guess my problem was writing off the 8600GT as a weak card because it wasn't a gaming card. It turns out that option 2 does seem like the better deal because I will most likely save some money and be able to game more with the PS3. I completely wrote off the XBOX 360 after hearing Microsoft is spending $1 Billion to fix hardware problems (RED RING OF DEATH!). With the PS3, I also get a good blu ray player. Thanks for the help, you probably saved me a lot of money and time as well as losing any social life I might have had!