give up laptop gaming?

I recently purchased a dell 1520 with 8600m video card, and I love playing bioshock/CoH and other great games, the problem is, I take one look at games coming out soon, and cant help but feel like, my brand new laptop will be useless for gaming by next year, Crysis is not exactly a great game without its vivid graphics after all.

granted laptops are not ideal gaming platforms unless you are really rich, with my limited budget I am now forced with making a decision:

1) stick with my 1520 and play future games with low-mid settings

2) get a 1420 with 8400m, and play select few games like starcraft 2 and hellgate. Saving roughly $400, which will be invested into a gaming console instead.

So far im leaning toward choice number 2 because it is more future-proof, and a 1420 is more portable so i can use it for school too, what do you guys think?

 

Do you have any need of gaming while on the go, or of taking your gaming with you? If not, definitely go for option 2.

 

option 2 gets my vote


in school, you should study.

game when you get home (on your console or PC)

 

Give up gaming all together, it's a waste of time. Study hard, get a great job, and make lots of money instead.

 

i study hard, try to get a great job and make lots of money so i can game

 

Ur name makes me think twice of even reading what you said...

I say dont game in college or do it when you have NO homework and crap

 

Go for option 2 because laptop gaming will always leave you in that position.

 

go with console gaming, much cheaper. thats what im doing, straying away from pc gaming and going more console gaming these days.

 

pc games + ability to play on trips = priceless

 

i'd say keep the 1520, and ask the parentals for cash for christmas and save up a little cash yourself, and get the xbox360. i've got one myself and i'm in the market to get a laptop for gaming (my old athlon rig with an AGP 6800 gt just isn't cutting it any more).

one of the underated things about having a console, is the fact that you can go down to blockbuster and rent the friggin' games for MUCH cheaper than buying them. i mean, you can rent a game for 5 days for like 5 bucks or something. you'd finish most games in that time.

i'd keep the 1520 though. you can play pretty much any game out today, so why worry about future games like crysis which won't be out for many more months?

 

I noticed a trend in PC Gaming and its First Person Shooters.... All the new games for PC are FPS games and if you play those games, then your going to surely upgrade your computer often because those new games are very demanding... However, if you're like me and still play old games and have no interest in FPS shooters... than you should stay with your laptop...... I'm currently playing Flight Simulator 2004, Midtown Madness 2, FIFA 2000, GTA San Andreas and so on....

Basically :
-If you like FPS games and always want the new ones : Get a desktop at home that you could easily upgrade for the more and more demanding First Person Shooter... and get yourself some laptop with a weak graphics solutions (to save money)
-If you don't life FPS games and you stick with the remaining PC games that there is (basically the old ones), stay with your laptop... most PC games that are not FPS shooters play fine on any PC.....

 

Give up on the Laptop and Console altogether and build a Desktop -_-


If some reason you ACTUALLY NEED the laptop, and desktop can't full replace the needs or you feel it is far more of a hassle, but still wan't to game, then go for the cheaper laptop and get a console.

I'd personally suggest the Wii if you don't already have an HDTV/Monitor/Think your laptops screen is too small/doesn't have a VGA plug. Normally, I'd say get a PS3 because I love it, but since it's replacing the majority of your gaming, the PS3 doesn't currently have a HUGE selection, though it's getting better.

 

It comes down to your personal preference. Like someone mentioned gaming on trips is quite priceless. Pulling out an 8600m GT in the middle of nowhere is unbeatable.

When it comes down to PC gaming, you gotta stick with the times, and that means upgrading every now and then. A lot of the fun in PC gaming is tweaking, adjusting a whole bunch of different settings, adding customizations, different multiplayer options. I have some friends that play 360 8 hours a day and love pressing power and playing with their thumbs all day. While I don't find that fun, they don't like calculating frames, adjusting settings, talking with other users about different performance impacts, it's just a whole different ball game. You just gotta do what makes you happiest!

 

Nice comment there jb. Yeah it kinda is interesting to see how drivers, tweaking, and overclocking give you more performance and what settings gives you the best performance. I guess its all subjective though I bet some people grudgingly do it while others are excited about it.

 

thanks guys, i have decided to buy a 1420 instead.

 

On a slightly diffrent point, why is it that they can't fit anything better than a 8600GT in 15" notebooks? I understand they create more heat. But when intel hit the ceiling on clock speed they started to look at making lower clock speeds more efficent.

Why can't GPU manufacturers do the same thing?

 

We PC/Laptop platform gamers are more intelligent because of all these managerial issues.... we rock!!!

 

They are. They are using new fabrication processes to make the cards smaller and more efficient. The new 8800 may actually be able to fit in 15.4 inches.

 

How long a wait are we talking about?

 

it's estimated by this holiday season, so about nov or dec.

 

Keep in mind that not all future games will have the requirement of crysis. Have you tried the UT3 demo? it flys on my 1520. There will be many more games based on that engine then the crysis engine. Also carmacks new engine is supposed to scale very well.

 

I don't think that's the point!

I don't care if the engine scales well, I want it to be the best of the best, to get the max settings and run great.
What's the point if you MUST scale it to look like CS 1.6 graphics.

 

If you don't plan to game on the go, then getting a console might last you longer than a laptop (in terms of being to play future games). Or, you might want to get a desktop, although it would be more expensive than getting a gaming console.

 

get a $200 barebones kit with a Pentium D 3.4GHz, add in an 8600GT or HD2600XT for $99 or less, then buy a 19" LCD for under $149, and blam! Gaming comp on a budget and BETTER than consoles!! You'll be able to run everything at max in 720P (most console games res) or higher! And all for under $450 which is about that of a console, but can do MUCH more.


btw, it doesn't seem like your that serious about gaming, so I really think that a gaming desktop, and an average notebook will do well for you.

 

For the most part, FPS games are best on a console, however there are those select few PC only titles like Crysis that make FPS gaming worthwhile. Otherwise an 8400GS should be fine if you like RTS games. Most of them don't require a super video card to play.

To be honest 90% of PC games released in the next year should play fine on an 8400 GS with reduced resolution and features of course. For me, I wanted something portable but still powerful enough to play mainly strategy and some FPS games on the go, therefore 8600m was the decision. Would have preferred the DDR3 in this Dell, but at least o/c'd it can beat a DDR3 setup at stock.

Crysis should play on an 8600m too, just need to jump down the eye candy a little bit.

 

#1 --if your Dell currently has an 8600M and op 2 is an 8400, that makes no sense! Stay with the beter GPU

 

Like some people here were saying, if you on a budget and is a gamer, it is better to use console as the primary source for gaming instead of the other way around. You have alot of advantages when using a console, the first one is that you don't have to constantly upgrade the system. The game will continue to improve as time go one, but you only have to replace the system in about 4-5 years. So base on that logic, it should save up alot of money, well with the assumtion that you stick with one console instead of getting all of them. But even if you do decide to get all of them, it still technically cheaper, since you only have to spend about $1400 USD every 4-5 years

 

I have a gaming laptop, but only because I'm not settled yet, and I wont move a desktop through different countries. But as soon as I settle I think I'll start gaming in a desktop, where is cheaper to get a good video card.
The consoles are out of the question to me, because I would have to get a TV (and a good one is expensive).
Yes, I think TV watching is way more waste of time than gaming.

 

Right, but what you are all forgetting, is that in the console price you should include a TV. And a TV that gives you the quality of a monitor (more or less), is more expensive than any PC gaming system.

Sure, you'll say that you also use a TV for other stuff, but that is also applicable to a PC.

So what it should be compared is video card price vs console price, and PS3 and x360 have video cards equivalent to a Ati x1850, whose price is ~$150, and decreasing fast.

 

Let's not forget the prices of the games themselves. Console games are bloody expensive!

 

ON A LAPTOP!?!?!?!You expect too much out of your laptop seriously.

 

I think they are totally different questions. Consoles are great if you have a high quality TV, high quality cables, and a kick ass sound system. A notebook offers the ability to do other things besides gaming with a powerful video card (doesn't apply to everyone) and the ability to game in different environments, a library, away from home, @ work or wherever you may be.

Desktop gaming allows you to make an upgrade every now and then and you can see the increase in performance in your upgrades so there's more of a hobby element involved. With console gaming, it's a fire up the system and go approach, so it comes down to what you enjoy more.

Personally I get as much fun out of gaming as I do with tweaking, upgrading, and trying out new drivers, etc.

 

That's exactly what I feel about PC gaming. Most of my friends only do console gaming and when they encounter crap on the PC or want to get the best settings without slowdown, they always call me and ask for me for help. Bah. I feel like telling to STFU and lodge their stupid PS2s down their throats.

Anyway, I'd stick with your current laptop. 15" ain't so bad and you'll still be able to play newer games at medium setting. Or you can get a 13" (or 12" one. Not sure if there's a 12" one with a GF 8400M) one with an 8400M GS. The difference between 14" and 15" is neglible. Just ask your parents for money to buy an Xbox 360 this Christmas. Just make sure it uses the new Falcon board which has HDMI and runs cooler, or you'll end up like me, miserable because I'm an early adopter and now I'm holding off the cash for the Jasper revision. I'm still not sure about the Falcon because the GPU's still built on a 65 nm fabrication process and it still might get those damn 3 red lights.

And another thing, just like what jb1007 said. Getting an Xbox 360 or PS3 is pointless if you don't have an HDTV. Well, in my country HDTVs are generally for upper-middle class people like me (yes, I have one but it's not too big. Samsung 32" 1080i LCD TV) and it's considered an ultra-luxury product due to the relatively low income here (I'm in the Philippines). It's not that gaming on SDTVs are bad, but you're missing the whole point of getting a HD product without a HD display. My former classmate who's now in the US got a 32" LCD TV for only $450. Don't know the brand though. I'm guessing it's cheap there. If you go here, the prices of LCD TVs are double of those in the US.

P.S. Desktop gaming is expensive if you're the hard-core type. Not everyone can afford to buy a $600-$800 dollar high-end video card every year. I haven't even mentioned the other parts yet.

 

8600 GT in Acer laptops .....how is it for Crysis? no one specified that...

 

Well, that would be because the few people that know aren't allowed to say. And they're running with uncompleted, unoptimised versions only. It is expected, based mostly on the few reports about performance in the unoptimised beta version and on the official system requirements (so in other words, with very little evidence), that any 8600M GT will play Crysis on 1280x1024-type resolutions with DX10 settings on low-medium. Those with DDR3 memory (like the Asus laptops) will play a bit better than those with DDR2 memory (like the Dells), but saying anything beyond that rough estimate and this general fact is sheer speculation until the game is released.

 

FPS better on consoles, where did you come from? A mouse and keyboard is superior to your ridiciluous controller. I own a 360 myself and hate FPS on console.

 

Toughie. I'd say 1420+ console. ALternatively Vostro 1400 and better console ^^

 

Hmm, I didn't see this mentioned but it is a big one for me. Altough consoles are cheaper than a decent desktop, I think in the long run they are more expensive, for some people that is. Console games don't see to go down in price very quickly and are generally a little more than PC games in the first place... I am kinda strange in that i wait for a game to drop to no more than $30 before I buy it and in my experience on a console I would be waiting a long long time...
Plus being able to upgrade your PC and not having to buy a expensive HD TV or sound system for your Next Gen console system is a big plus in my opinion. And a custom built desktop really isn't that expensive..
Don't get me wrong though, I enjoy console systems a lot, but I don't think one could ever become my main gaming system. I wouldn't mind having a HD TV and a Xbox 360 to go with it, but I'd rather spend my money on a nice pc and a bunch of games...

You really can't expect too much out of a laptop as far as gaming goes, stick to a desktop or a console and a decent laptop to play the occasional middle of the line game.

Oh and make sure you get your homework done and study hard to get the nice job, because if you don't you'll end up miserable... Gaming shouldn't be your full time job, just a hobby.

 

Guys, this is not a console vs pc debate thread. The OP was asking for a recommendation on what to do in a specific instance, and then decided to go ahead and buy a 1420. So it's not really necessary to keep debating this.