Computers & Networking

[asuryan125]

which one should i get.

[Matthew-GS Retired: Community Advocate]

Greetings, asuryan125:

Here is a good place to start (follow links for laptop guide):   Computer Purchasing Guide 

Perhaps you could provide us more information to better assist you:

• which games do you like to play or look forward to playing?
• which anti-virus and anti-spyware will you be purchasing?
• do you use a game pad or would you prefer a laptop with full sized keyboard (with 10-key pad), etc?
• are features or price more important?

Remember to consider all of your needs, wants, services, software, etc., when budgeting for a computer.  These are sometimes overlooked but still important to ensure the ultimate gaming experience. 

I am so glad you asked this question, perhaps we will make next week's Forum Find a gaming laptop suggestion ...

Please specify the above and encourage everyone to share what they prefer...

[MobileExpert]

Keep in mind, though, that as a rule of thumb, a true gaming laptop is:

• Bulky
• Heavy
• Large
• (very) Expensive
• Let's just call it "semi-portable"

Don't let this discourage you, though. These tenets usually only hold true if you want to play the newest high-end games. Why don't you tell us the names of some games you're planning on playing. You might be surprised how small and affordable your ideal laptop is.

[renereal]

i have a toshiba  a305-s6916 its a budget laptop for $779 and can handle most games with high resolutions set. a few games like crysis need to bee set on medium resolution. this is a budget machine so ur not going to get top of the line here but this machine is amazing for the price.

[Starflyer59]

What is your budget for a new laptop? If you want a gaming laptop that will last you for more than 2 years then you should be prepared to spend between $2000-$5000+.

Anything under that price is not going to last you very long and will become quickly outdated.

There are laptops that out there for under $1000 that will play most games on medium settings.

The best gaming laptops are from companies like Dell with XPS line of laptops and desktops, Alienware, Falcon northwest. Ibuypower has some really good deals. The gateway FX series is ok.

As you can see..I am trying to discourage you from buying a laptop for gaming.

Computer gaming requries upgrades to keep up with newer games as they are released and laptops just do not have the option of being upgraded everytime a new game is released.

It's a waste of money to buy a laptop for gaming and it only last you for 1-2 years and then you have to buy another laptop.

Go with a desktop!

[GeekWally]

As for gaming laptops you're mainly looking for :

-a fast multi-core processor

-a good graphics card

-a decent bank of RAM

-decent Harddrive space

As for notebooks that you'd find at Best Buy, the  ASUS brand notebooks are geared towards price concious shoppers (ASUS has been making motherboards and other parts for years) and the Gateway FX series are aimed directly at gamers.

The Dell XPS notebooks as of late and in my opinion, have been geared a bit away from gaming and more towards faster computing overall (business, etc.)

As for games, unless you're looking to play Crysis on full graphics, Both the ASUS and the Gateway models carried will be great.

[Noob]

ASUS boards are awesome!

[MobileExpert]

And expensive. I'm running an MSI.

[BBBob]

Unless you really must have a laptop I am in total agreement with starflyer on this one. It is impossible to upgrade laptops and they are very expensive. A good desktop can be upgraded as need be and as you can afford it. Just my thoughts on this.

Bob