video card for longevity

Hi Im looking at buying a laptop to play games on, and I have been confused by all the graphic cards on the market. I want to know what is the best card that I can get to keep it as usefull for as long as possible. Thanks in advance

 

Laptops are not going to last all that long as they are severely limited in what they can do with heat/space restrictions. I think 9800 SLI is the best out now, but your looking at a $3000+ laptop when you can build a desktop to decimate it for under $1000

Your better off with mainstream like a 8600GT or the 9600GS wich can play current games with high/med settings at decent resolutions for $1500 and then later on when it becomes obsolete buying a new laptop again with the newest tech. Since you spent well over $1500 less, you already paid for your new laptop, in addition you get more up to date goodies.

 

Well, it's plain that the most powerful cards will have the most longevity. The top three single card solutions that are for sale, in laptops, are as follows:

8800m GTX, 9800m GT and 9800m GTX.

The 8800m GTX is equivalent to the 9800m GT, and the 9800m GTX is a more expensive, marginally more powerful beast. No reliable benchmarks have been conducted on the 9800m GTX, but you're looking at an 15% theoretical difference - probably less in practical use.

It's not about having the newest tech, it's about having a great gaming experience. Just because someone else gets a faster card, your card doesn't suddenly get slower. If you want to experience Crysis very high you can either build a high end desktop rig today, or wait around for 20 years to when your phone can run it in emulation. Cutting edge technology does become trivial in time, but it's taking longer. Time is money, and some people don't want to wait around.

 

cool makes sense. I like the idea about going for the 1500 laptop. I started looking at what you could buy and it got expensive fast. And im not that much into games i just want to be able to enjoy the game and not curse at the computer the whole time thanks for the advice. i was also kind of worried about getting suckered into getting a more expensive card that i didnt need so thank you

 

Yes, I am a master of the price vs performance game.

You pay a huge premium for top stuff, and the computer world in general is fast moving and todays king of the hill is tommarows run of the mill. However in notebooks that change is even faster. The top notebook card is usually less than half of the top desktop card and games move at a pace as to tailor to the desktop world. So playing on notebooks means you have to understand ceritan sacrifices must be made.

If your a incredibly ritch bastard you can buy a top notebook every 3 months, but for the rest of us, staying reasonable with mid range is the way to go. As a mid range now, and then one in 6-12 months will keep you ontop of things better than buying the best of the best now and having to stick with it for over a year.

In doing this you also get not just the newer/better gpu tech. But better HDD tech, screen tech, cpu tech. ect.

I mean look at the new M50VM its 9600GS is equal to the GDDR3 version of the 8600GT, the GS is a step below the GT but just because its a new tech it manages to stay equal all while running cooler and using less energy.

Infact if I had to buy any notebook right now the M50VM is what I would get, unless I find a killer deal on the older M50SV due to it now being replaced.

Here check out Kens review of the new M50VM - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273404

Look at all of the great stuff it comes with for the price ($~1500) 4gb ram, 320gb HDD, good video card, great screen, keyboard, speakers even. He has gaming videos posted too so you can see what to expect from it.

Here is the older version that just got replaced the M50SV - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=229282 I would look at this review just for the pictures/videos as the new model is the same as the old minus the tech upgrade so you can get a feel for the laptops great looks/feel. I would get ether model but perfer the new one. The old one tho if found for like 20% off due to being refreshed I would take the discount and be happy.

 

awsome ill start looking around maybe ill get at mid range notebook and start saving for a desktop to put in my aprtment. Since im off to a new college ill be traveling alot less and a desktop might work for me

 

Again I can help you.

Look at the mid range notebooks around $1500 and then build a desktop for less than $1500 and you will still be geting away with spending less than the amount you would for a single "gaming laptop"

What kind of desktop can you build/but for the least amount of money?

One like mine

Here is my build: http://forum.desktopreview.com/showthread.php?t=234528

Total Cost: ~$1200 and we are talking about a high end system, maxing out every game at 1920x1080, over 1200GB of HDD Space, ect.

Here is some of my benchmarks so far: http://forum.desktopreview.com/showthread.php?t=234708

I need to add to it my 11.2 second wprime run and some fraps info for games with no built in benchmarks.

 

Keep in mind that there are one or two laptops out there with the 8800M card (can't remember if it's GS, GTS or GT) and that are as cheap as many with the 8600M GT or 9500M GS. Although I'm fine for the time being with my Asus G1S (8600M GT DDR3), which lets me play everything I want at the res and smoothness I want (Crysis being the only exception), if I were to choose a laptop now I'd be going for the Gateway one with the 8800 card. That's bang for your buck there!

 

cool thanks both of you. it looks like i picked the right place to get advice im looking at both computers today thanks

 

I have been hands on with that gateway and its a one trick pony....

It does have the 8800 in there, but the rest of the machine in my opinion is pure crap. The chasis was very plasticy and cheap feeling, the screen quality and resolution was an absolute joke, the cpu was horribly low spec.

I would rather have a machine thats all in balance where the parts work in unison with each other than sacrifice most of the machine just to raise spec for one part, the gpu in this case, to keep a low price line.

The screen alone would ruin the gateway for me, the display is the very interface of wich you interact with everything you do on a computer, no matter how good the computer is if your using a crappy screen the experience is not enjoyable.

These things are on display at best buy, so feel free to get hands on with it yourself.

Looks like best buy just got there choped down version of the G50MV in tho! If you were interested in the Gateway this looks like a very similar kind of setup. mediocre cpu/hdd/screen and a high end gpu (9700GT) but atleast in this case the chasis is of great quality, and I would hope the screen is a better quality. Atleast the Asus is a 15" laptop tho, the Gatewa is a 17" so that makes them worlds apart, and makes the low res more acceptable on the Asus.

BB's G50VM - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...g50vm&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1213046768588
BB's Gateway - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...teway&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332501169

Give me a minute to try to spec them out.

Spec out:
G50 first vs Gateway 2nd

HHD: 200gb vs 320gb
GPU: 9700GT vs 8800GTS
CPU: 2.0ghz vs 1.83ghz
Platform: Montevina vs Santa Rosa
Screen Res: 1366x768 vs 1400x900
Price: $1250 vs $1350
Size 15" vs 17"

Hmm given that... Its hard to decide. The gateway has beter specs most the way around except the absolutely horride cpu and the price / platform. the 9700gt may be very close to the 8800gts I am not sure since the 9600GS is on par with the 8600GT. Still its a 15" vs a 17" tho and that makes the Asus much better IMO as a 17" should without fail have a higher res screen and has no excuses to hold back on hardware. 15"ers have more limits due to size.

 

Youll never really get longevity unless you play the same game over an extended period of time. Granted if you buy the top graphics card today it will play games longer then other, but wont guarantee game play for a set amount of time. Now I have an 8600mGT and it does all my gaming at med-high settings and res depending on the game, but I also bough this as a work/poweruser rig and not just gaming. It is still your best bet to build a desktop for a pure gaming rig, and as ViciousXUSMC stated for less then $1000 you can build a much more powerful rig then the top gaming laptops out now as well as have it last longer, and be able to upgrade to a newer card if need be.

 

hey ViciousXUSMC, if anyone of notebook owners is building a desktop, i dont think they have a monitor since they were mobile gamers, so it sould be fair enough to add a decent monitor to the total payment check , the least budget monitor to get with SLI/Crossfire would be around 1000$..

 

Meh I use my HD TV as my monitor, I also on the go use my laptop as my monitor.