gpu options for a 12" - 13" notebook

Hi,

My "old" ul30vt passed away and I need a new 12-13" notebook (not netbook).

Since I don't have Dell in my country and the Sony Z is unreadable (for me) on those 1920x1080 over a 13" screen, what kind of alternative do I have ?

After reading some threads it seems that the 310m is my best option.

CPU and the other specifications are unimportant: I use it to read mails, do some MS office docs and play games (mostly RTS).

Thx in advance,
JCF

 

13" Acer 3820TG has a HD5650. It's the most powerful gpu in the smallest chassis OR
11.6" Alienware M11xR2 with a GT335M

Could otherwise consider any expresscard-equipped notebook with Intel IGP and do a x1.Opt DIY ViDock, eg; US$220 GTX460 setup. We are waiting to see how Sandy Bridge-equipped notebooks, with double the bandwidth, can accomodate that setup. Means a 12" Lenovo X220, Dell E6220 or HP 2560P could be serious 12" gaming boxes

 

a second on the Acer 3820TG, it kills the 310 by a HUGE margin. okay even the 335 in the AW M11x

 

I am using the 3820TG - amazing little machine.

7 hours on battery surfing, then plug in and play Mass Effect 2 maxed @ 45-60 fps.

 

The 5650 and the 335 are actually very close in performance, so either the Acer or AW would be fine. Just keep in mind that with the AW you'll havve less downtime than you would with the Acer since it offers next-day home tech support, which is important for school. Laptop companies that have the "box 'em and ship it" warranties usually keep it for 2-5 weeks (1 if it's HP), so take that into consideration when choosing.

 

been to the AW forum lately??? I have an 11X and it is noticibly slower on the gpu than the 5650, plus the ULV chip cant keep up with the full i5 in the 3820TG.

as for AW's onsite support, sure theyve been to my place about a dozen times and cant keep it running even after 3 replacement units. as an owner I honestly CANT reccomend one until they possibly build a revision 3 which sucks less.

 

Well, depends on cost. You recently could get a refurb M11x with SU7300, GTX 335m (obviously), 4GB DDR3, 320GB HDD for $549. I got mine for $499 during Cyber Monday, but it's one hell of a deal even at $549. I was eyeing the 3820TG heavily but final costs would have been nearly $800, and for $300 less I'll take the M11x.

But for $800 I think the 3820TG is the way to go.

 

in Canada the 3820TG has been on sale at $650 plenty of times.

 

Not to USA... NCIX is about the only option and typically was ~$749 + shipping & insurance.

However the OP didn't mention their country.

 

An awesome deal, especially if you overclock it to 1.9-2.1Ghz as being done in http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...m11x-r1-ics-only-sorry-slg-not-supported.html .

 

My thoughts exactly.

To the OP: The -20% off outlet coupon expires in a few days. A refurb M11X comes out to 525$~ and that's with 4GB ram and 250GB HD (1 year warranty too). Most students are tight for money and can't afford downtime.

@Crazycanuck: Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the M11X You win some, you lose some in the laptop world. Warranty repairs are a coin toss, however if the repair facility messes up, then thats even more weeks of waiting, unlike a next-day tech, which can return immediately if there's a problem.

Plus a user in the AW forums mentioned that they fixed the hinge issue on newer R1/R2's and have the part replacement now in-case something were to a occur (I was reading last night). Apparently they just got them in.

 

Yeah, but I'm SLG, so I'm screwed.

 

Guys,

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Unfortunately Alienware, being part of Dell, is not available in Portugal.

And I have heard some words about Acer support in Portugal that I can not transcribe here...there might be some ladies reading this thread.

However, given the unanimous vote on the 3820tg, the line of risk assessment is starting to fade out

 

Jcf If you like I can give you the name of the best repair company I have ever used, and I have used many,
they fiexed my msi laptop in a few days, and there are in portugal to. all under warranty.

 

the vaio SA is coming out, and currently it sports the 6630m against the weaker 6550 (aka 5650) and a SB processor, the screen is 1600*900, it appears to retail around 1500 pounds while having 256gb of RAID 0 SSDs, so the price of the HD version would be about 1000 pounds.

 

Hi Portugeeza1.

The info about that portuguese repair company would be much appreciated.

Also, it seems that, in Portugal, the 3820tg i5 version is not available...

 

LOL - I had a three year next day warranty on my M17x. You would be lucky to have a tech come out after a couple of weeks. Plan on taking the day off too.

That is more like it.

Mine was $669. It is better made than the M11x IMO.

 

I dunno. The m11x is pretty solid, and now that they're fixing the hinge issues there's no other significant concerns. It's good for those that were able to get a good deal on the 3820TG, but it's a lot more common and easier to get the M11x for US buyers for less than $600. Like right now all refurbs are 20% off.

 

Where did you buy an Acer 3820TG for $669? The lowest I can find is $755. I need a replacement for my getting-a-bit-heavy-to-carry-around-everywhere laptop.

 

I believe the 3820TG has been revised and replaced the 5650 with the 6550 and comes stock with the i5-450m. I haven't seen it less than $800 now.

 

6550 now eh? Interesting...

 

Here's hoping this 3820TG surfaces in Canada in the next few months.

 

Which laptop? The 3820TG? It is primarily in Canada, but not in US.

NCIX.com - Buy Acer Aspire AS3820TG-6829 Intel Core i5 480 4GB 500GB 13.3IN Radeon 6550 802.11N BT WIN7 HP Notebook - LX.RAC02.041 In Canada.

 

Got that one with 480M as well. 6550 has a 50Mhz higher Core clock and increased voltage.

7830 3dmark06 score on stock and overclocks like crazy.
850/1050 is perfectly stable in my machine, haven't tried higher but I'm pretty sure it could be pushed quite a bit further. 10k 3dmarks is not a problem anymore with this card .

 

None of the options on this thread were available here so, I waited.

I'm bumping it now with the hopes that there are new options with SB for a 12" 13" laptop with a decent gpu.

Thx

 

Well, the 3820TG is still your best option with Core i5-480, 6550m, 4GB DDR3. Not sure what else you're waiting for. You can buy it from NCIX shipped to US for not much more than $800. You may be waiting another 3-6 months for a SB variant because dual cores were only just released.

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=58434

 

Yep.

In the next two or three months you can pick from an Acer 3830TG (Dual core Sandy Bridge/Geforce GT 540M), and the Sony SA/SB series (Dual core Sandy Bridge/Radeon HD 6630M).

 

I may actually sell my M11x and get the 3830TG if I can swing the cost difference.