15.4" vs 17" Screen Size For Gaming

Hi everyone, I got a quick question for everyone that games on their laptop and has a 15.4" or a 17" screensize. My question is: is a 15.4" screen size too small to play games on (in terms of the physical size of the screen, not the resolution). 15.4" are appealing to me because they are much lighter, more portable, and cheaper as well. I know some of this is probably a personal preference thing, but I still want peoples opinions. By the way, the screen that I am looking to get is a 15.4" 1600x1050 Matte screen. Thanks!

berrberr

 

15.4" is definitely playable, especially if you have the 1680x1050 screen and a nice video card. I play CoH on my 15" HP all the time and love it.

17" is nice, but the laptop is definitely less portable then. The 17" notebooks tend to get the elite video cards, though there are plenty of capable 15" notebooks too.

 

I have a 17" screen, although the resolution is actually 1680x1050 so I think I can relate. These days I believe this resolution is the highest anyone should go for 15.4" screens. If you have good eyes it is quite fantastic and modern graphics cards seem to be able to manage this resolution fairly well.

I also have a 15" non-widescreen that runs at 1024x768 and find it slightly cramped. I was checking out 15.4 widescreens at Bestbuy and the Apple store and found that any resolution around or above 1440x900 is absolutely fantastic.

Besides, 17" really doesn't look like that much more space when you compare it right next to a 15.4". And 15.4" is SO SO SO SO much more portable than a 17".

 

i have a 17" and im now wishing i went for the 15.4" screen.
its just a to big to cart around.looks nice but can be impractical

 

I play games perfectly on my 1280x800 screen.

 

The screen in my sig is great, but I personally think I'd prefer screens as follows:

15.4" @ 1440x900
17" @ 1650x1050

 

i think 15.4 is a perfect size for gaming...plus it allows for portability
and if you want to up the screen size, just hook your computer up to a monitor

 

I'd definitely prefer a 17" screen for gaming... it's just easier on the eyes. My dv8000t makes games look gorgeous though its modest video card has trouble pushing the frames sometimes. The larger the laptop, the better graphics card you'll want to get in most cases. If i were to buy a new laptop though, i'd get a 15.4" for portability, although my dv8000t is still fairly portable at about 8 pounds.

 

I actually really like 17" screens, thats what is making my laptop decision.....plus a lot of them come with the numpad, which I cannot live without, at all, ever....

 

I would only buy a 17" notebook if i had excess money to spend I bought my dv8000t for $750 refurbished off ubid.com so that's the exception. Plus, i had no experience with large notebooks so i just jumped on it when i saw the price. I don't really regret it, but I'm sure i'll never get another 17"... they seem pointless to me. I truly believe that buying a 17" or larger notebook is wasteful because desktops of the same price are so much more powerful. Notebooks are meant for portability.

 

the funny thing i keep hearing ppl talk about is portability. seriously if u really were after portability then u wud just get a 12 or 13" or even smaller lappy, that is portability for ya. but its as if we are carrying them in our hands to complain about portability, theyre stuffed in a bag and all u gotta deal with is the handle in your hand or strap over your shoulder. there are 17" laptops today that are just a bit more than 15" ones but offer better specs. sure theyre slightly heavier (and I say slightly cuz its only a few lbs extra) but u get more screen space, usually a better video card and even an extra drive on some. seriously after walking for 1-2 hours with ur laptop in a bag it wont matter whether its 15 or 17, it will still be "heavy" lol

plus with our notebooks getting lighter it wont be such a big issue weight-wise. size-wise, well u are getting more for your money.

 

it's true that 17" is still "portable" but it's not something most people would like to carry around to school or work almost everyday. That's why i think it's smarter to buy a desktop and save money for perhaps a smaller 14" notebook rather than spend a full $2k on an 8-9 pound thing that would tire you out after 15 minutes in your backpack.

 

With all the engineering books + my medical bag the 2-3lb difference a 15.4 to 17" screen wouldn't matter at all, and the college I went to was literally built on the side of a mountain with 2137 steps to the building with most of my courses, from my dorm down the mountain. Now walk back up those same steps to get back to the room... Oh, did I mention I lived on the 3rd floor and there was no public elevator? that's another 106 steps =P (you count these things when you live with them =P)

 

LOL if u tire cuz of a laptop in your backpack after 15minutes of carrying it then u seriously need to go see a doctor. the difference is minimal really depending on which one you get but the benefits outweigh the cost IMO

 

A 17" is not a "portable" laptop perhaps, but you pretty much have to be a wuss not to be able to carry it around. If it's a problem, put in in a backpack, and voila, problem solved. I carry my 17" unit with papers etc in my shoulder case, and rarely find it a problem.

 

the diffrence is not that large really. 2"...

The extra realestate on a 17" is nice and may let you get emersed in the game abit more, however in pure gaming terms the largest benifit of a 17" over the 15" varity is that the 17" allows for much stronger components.

Cards like the 7950GTX and probably the 8800GTX (if it comes out) will be exclisive to 17" size unless you get a really thick 15"

You have to keep in mind resolution tho. If you play at a navtive resolution a 17" could perform worse, so remember to play at a lower resolution and let it scale up.

This is a benifit of a 17" tho. A few of the ones I was liking (G2S-A1) have a 1920x1200 resolution, this allows full 1080p playback so you can watch HD movies at there native resolution. Gaming I say 15/17" is really a tie. Movies tho the 17" is better.

 

Bags for 17 inch laptops are huge. You have to account for that extra weight as well. Throw in an extra battery and you are carrying around 5-6 extra lbs. The issue is not only weight though, but size. It's very unwieldy to carry around a messenger bag that long in length. Backpacks are easier to carry 17 inches in, but I haven't used a backpack since I was an undergrad.

Let's also not forget that if you take your laptop anywhere (like a cafe), you need space for your mouse, and the width of the 17 inch won't give you much. Throw in a conservative 8 hour day and that extra 5-6 lbs plus 4 inches of bag length is VERY noticable and annoying. Magically that all disappears with a 15.4 inch. Day in and day out, 17 inch is not portable.

 

You say tomato, I say tomahto..

If the weight is that big of an issue, get a bag with wheels.

As for room for a mouse, use the wrist wrest (I'd done it many times on the system in my sig), and don't carry the extra battery if you are carrying the power supply since outlets are plentiful "anywhere, like a cafe".

 

If I were buying a machine I only moved once every few weeks or months a 17" would do well, but if it had to move regularly I'd want 15.4 or preferably 14.1 or 13.3".

 

17 inch laptops are HUGE, theyre not what i would call portable. Yes you can pick them up and move them around, i can pick up my pc and move that around too. Both are just too big, heavy and cumbersome to do so. 15.4 is as big as i think someone should go personally.

 

I really dont get the big deal, everyone acts like a 17inch laptop is some epic sized 50lb object that is impossible to carry in a backpack, it's barely a pound more and fits fine, you don't need some huge duffel bag to carry them, theyre just a little bit bigger. If 7.7lbs is heavy to you then.....wow.

 

aww, too bad this isn't a poll...now wouldn't that just be spankin!

 

They should make 16 inchers so people will shut up

 

LOL, that makes sense

 

A 17 inch 7.7 lbs. laptop...must have a Intel 950 for a gfx card. Sounds fun...

 

Although a 16 incher sounds good for people like you and me, but there are going to people that will argue that its a bad idea because then they can no longer argue about 15.4 vs 17 instead of just enjoying their computer. Why in the world would you want that to stop????

 

You are sooooo right, can't get rid of those wonderful flammers ..

It is kinda like you just can't make a Mindows or a Wac, because then nobody could argue about Mac and Windows

 

There are minimal differences in weight and footprint between most 15.4" and 17" laptops. If portability is a major issue, then someone should be looking for something smaller than 15" laptop.

My 17" with a go6600 weighs about 7.7 lbs. About 1-1.5 lbs more than a standard 15.4" laptop.

 

wow seriously you guys amaze me, i use both my dads 13" and my moms 17" on a regular basis and i barely notice a weight difference and it isn't cumbersome at all. honestly, this is like saying you shouldn't get an SUV because it will look cumbersome in your drive way...who cares. not everyone is as OCD as you.

 

Well, a 13" notebook will probably weigh about half of what the 17" weighs, so there is a definite large weight difference there. PErhaps you have god-like strength, and us mere mortals cannot appreciate that because of our OCD.

 

okay, i worded that wrong...of course there is a difference, what i'm saying is that the weight is still barely noticeable in a bag or something.

god-like strength? i'm 18 and i weigh 135. try again.