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Help buying a new notebook
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 03:25 |
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My IGCSE exams are coming up into 20 days, and after they finish I want to get a new notebook pc. I want to be able to game on it and hopefully game hard.
I have found a laptop that fits my price range of 5,100 Saudi Riyals which is around $1360 give ir take. It is the ASUS M51 Sn
These are the specs of the laptop:
Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate,
Genuine Windows Vista® Business,
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium,
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic,
Processor & Cache Memory
Intel® Core?2 Duo Processor T9500/T9300/T8300/T8100 : 2.6 GHz - 2.1 GHz, 6/3MB On-Die L2 Cache, FSB 800 MHz;
Intel® - 2.0 GHz, Core?2 Duo Processor T7700/T7500/T7250 : 2.4 GHz 4/2MB On-Die L2 Cache, FSB 800 MHz
Intel® Core?2 Duo Processor T5750/T5550/T5450/T5250 : 2.0 GHz -1.5 GHz 2MB On-Die L2 Cache, FSB 667 MHz
Chipset
Mobile Intel® PM965 Express Chipset +ICH8M
Main Memory
DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM socket for expansion up to 4GB SDRAM
Intel® Turbo Memory Technology with 1GB NAND Flash(optional)
Display
15.4" WXGA/WXGA+/WSXGA+ Color-Shine (Glare-type),Asus Splendid Video Intelligent Technology
Video Graphics & Memory
NVIDIA NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M GS, 512MB VRAM External 512MB VRAM , TurboCache: 768M with 1G system memory, 1280M with 2G system memory
Hard Drive
2.5" 9.5mm SATA
120GB,5400rpm
160GB,5400rpm
200GB,5400rpm
250GB,5400rpm
Optical Drive
5.25" , 12.7mm
Combo:
DVD Super Multi DVD Super
DVD Super Multi Light Scribe
HD DVD
Blu-Ray
8 in 1 card reader: SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter
1.3 Mega Pixel swivel web camera
Integrated Intel® High Definition Audio chip ( Azalia) compliant MDC fax/modem and 10/100/1000 Base T
Built-in Bluetooth? V2.0+EDR(optional feature)
Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN or Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection(optional)
Power-on/Suspend
Battery Charging/full/low
Storage device access
Capital / Scroll / Number Lock
Wireless/Bluetooth on status indicator (optional)
Bluetooth on status (optional feature)
1 x Express card
1 x TV Antenna Input (Optional)
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF) 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor
1 x TV Out (S-Video composite) 4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x IEEE 1394 port 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x RF in
Built-in speaker and microphone
KeyBoard
19mm full size 88 Key with MS Windows function keys
Battery Pack & Life
6 cells: 4800 mAh, 53 Whrs
9 cells: 7200 mAh, 80 Whrs
AC Adapter
Output: 19 V DC, 4.7 A, 90W
Dimension & Weight
36.5 x 26.9 x 2.8 - 4 cm (W x D x H)
2.95 kg, (6 cell battery pack)
BIOS Booting / HDD User Password Protection and security lock
Kensington lock hole
Supplied Accessories
Optical Mouse
Carrying bag
TV remote controller, receiver, and antenna(Optional)
Warranty & e-support
2-year limited global hardware warranty
1-year battery pack warranty
Is this graphics card good?
I want to be able to play games like bioshock, COD 4, UT3 and such on high, and the crazy new games like Crysis and Assasin's Creed on like mediun or a decent stting
I'm also open to other laptops in the same price range
Thanks
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 09:58 |
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The laptop is a decent spec, but the graphics card is hopeless for playing games to the extent that you want to.
I'd recommend trying to get something like a Dell XPS M1710 or Alienware Area 51-m if you want to get decent gaming performance out of a laptop.
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 11:03 |
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Thanks for the feedback.
I have also seen the XPS 1750, and alienware laptops (and would love to get one)
However, I'm fifteen, and my budget and parents won't let me get either of those laptops above.
Another reason is that I would like to be ables to take the laptop with me when I go to a friend's house, or on holiday, and the 17" beasts are not very portable, so I'm looking at a 15" laptop that will last me a couple of years.
I read here : http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus...ook.8452.0.html
that it is decent for gaming.
I have also looked at the XPS M1530, and ASUS G1S
Thanks, also if you know of any other decent 15" gaming notebooks I would be much obliged
PS: My current rig is crap (P4 + 1GB RAM + 7600GS) so I think this is an improvement.
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 11:08 |
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The card is admirable compared to laptops of old but it's not really anything exceptional and if you want to play Crysis on a laptop and it not look dump, exceptional is what you need.
The laptop scores 4051 in 3dmark06. To be able to max gears of war and UT3 at 1440x900 you need a 3dmark score of about 4000 so fair enough.
Bioshock will require about the same score. To max Call of Duty 4 you're looking at around 5000 3dmarks, but to run Crysis at all high setting at 1440x900 you need about 10,000. Crysis is not going to run well or look good on that laptop.
Have you considered giving portable performance a miss and going with a desktop? You can get much better performance out of it. Heck, there'd probably be enough left over from your original to get a cheap laptop so you can have a PC of at least some sort to take with you. After all, $700 builds an admirable gaming PC these days, and that's half the cost of the M51 Sn.
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 13:23 |
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I didn't think this would be able to run Crysis on full, so that was expected.
I think you are right about a desktop, but my parents would never go for it cuz I got my current rig only a year ago. And I live in Saudi Arabia where it is hard to find decent deals when building a rig so no way I could buils a decent rig in 700 bucks here. Piracy is also an issue, so to get original vista [to play with DX10] here is almost 266 bucks.
I would also like a laptop because I will be going to college/uni in about two years so I think if I get a good laptop it should keep me going for at least 4 years, and will be easier to transport compared to a rig
I am not a hardcore gamer, I play COD 4 on full on my current rig with no DX10, and a res. of 1080 x 760. So if this can play bioshock, GOW, UT3, and such on full at the high res you mentioned, (with DX10?), then it is actually pretty mindblowing for me when I consider That I can afford it.
I'm also looking at the MSI GX600 Extreme, a little pricier, but it looks wicked, is it any good??
Thanks Sammorris
I really apreciate you helping me.
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. April 2008 @ 16:37 |
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With DX10 you might have trouble, with DX9 it's certainly doable though. One problem you may encounter is that Vista uses a lot of memory, so you may have problems with only 2 gigs. One of the other bonuses I mention when telling people to build their own PCs is that you can use windows XP, which is much preferable to Vista in most cases.
Have you considered simply upgrading your current desktop instead?
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 05:33 |
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I have thought of updating my current rig, but when I got it built, I had no knowledge of anything computers so i was ripped off.
The mobo has only 2 ram slots (filled with two 512 sticks)
I have a p4 3.4 GHZ and a 7600GS
How could I upgrade this??
PS- You said the m51 can play gears of war and ut3 and bioshock on full, is this with or without dx10?
Could I play a game like world in conflict in this on full with res scaled back a little.
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 06:35 |
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World in conflict doesn't really run much worse than UT3 and Bioshock, it's not the most demanding RTS out there, so you could probably max it at 1440x900.
I've not actually run any games on DX10 as I prefer using windows XP as my OS, so I can't tell you exactly what the performance hit is like. From what I hear though, it's quite significant, and the screenshots I've seen are far from overwhelming. One side-effect of using DX10 however is that Anti-Aliasing won't work.
As for your desktop, essentially make a full basic replacement. What I mean by that is, replace all the components except for the case (unless it's a tiny one with hardly any fans in which case that goes too), power supply and all the performance-determing components, i.e. RAM, CPU, Motherboard and GPU. You can leave the hard disks and CD/DVD drive(s) well alone unless you need extra storage.
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 09:25 |
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The case is crap because when I bought it I knew nothing about pcs
It doesn't even have a fan at the back,
I think it would be a waste for me to try to upgrade this, and it would be better to buy a new rig.
I really like laptops, and wnat to know which 15.4" notebooks can give me a decent gaming experience, and with a decent price tag (not like the alienware beasts that cost an arm and a leg)
Thanks again sammoris for helping me out
PS - I saw the pic of your rig, and I think it looks awesome (specially with the whole UFO thing going on with the lights ;P)
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 09:29 |
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Mmm yeah it doesn't sound like that case would hold up well with new components.
Could you perhaps try and grab me some links to some stores you'd be happy to buy a laptop from? I'll have a look around and see if I can find a decent deal.
Thanks for the compliment by the way, much appreciated! :)
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 11:44 |
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No worries
The thing is that I live in Saudi Arabia, and don't know which websites ship here, and how much they charge for shipping. I buy all my computer parts from an area known as "The Computer Market", although it can sometimes be dodgy.
I just want to get an idea of which decent 15.4" gaming notebooks are out their, and roughly how much they cost. After my IGCSEs are over (June 11 :D) I will go out an about looking to see if I can find the notebook I have decided to buy.
I have read about thses and they all really appeal to me:
-- ASUS M51sn
-- ASUS G1S
-- MSI GX600 (KILLER DESIGN!!!!! and OVERCLOCKING BUTTON)
-- MAYBE Dell XPS M1530
I haven't however researched the topic very well so I'm not sure what else it out there that matches these in performance.
PS -- Can you tell me whether the MSI is any good, cuz I am sooooo loving the design [I love tribal flames - I'm sumwhat of a tribal artist so...)
Thanks again for all the feedback
AFTERDAWN ROCKS!!!!
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 12:30 |
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The M51SN varies in specification so it can be configured to be like any of the others, obviously with an accordingly varying price tag:
Asus G1S: T7500 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1680x1050
MSI GX600: T7250 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1440x900
XPS M1530: T7250 CPU, 250GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1280x800
As you can see, the G1S has the better specification with a faster CPU and the best screen. The M1530 has the biggest hard disk but the worst screen. The ideal combination would be of course to spec the M51SN to have the 7500CPU, the 250GB HDD and the 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) screen. This will be pricey, but will give you the best compromise. The graphics performance of all these seems quite similar, not able to play Crysis properly but most other games will be alright.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 28. April 2008 @ 12:32
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 13:20 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
The M51SN varies in specification so it can be configured to be like any of the others, obviously with an accordingly varying price tag:
Asus G1S: T7500 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1680x1050
MSI GX600: T7250 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1440x900
XPS M1530: T7250 CPU, 250GB HDD, 8600M GT, 15" 1280x800
As you can see, the G1S has the better specification with a faster CPU and the best screen. The M1530 has the biggest hard disk but the worst screen. The ideal combination would be of course to spec the M51SN to have the 7500CPU, the 250GB HDD and the 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) screen. This will be pricey, but will give you the best compromise. The graphics performance of all these seems quite similar, not able to play Crysis properly but most other games will be alright.
I was thinking along the same lines, the M51 allows the most customisation, so I could get that and configure it to get the best of all current 15" gaming notebooks right??
How much better is the 7500CPU compared to the 7250, and can any of them be overclocked, as I may want to increase Ghz later.
How much better is the 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) as compared to the normal 1440 x 900 one. I am not to sure on how resolution affects gaming, but doesn't it make the icons smaller on the desktop, and so on??
I currently have a res of 1024x720 and when i make it 1---x1--- the icons get mych smaller and I find this a little irritating.
Thanks again
PS Does the 9500M GS give better results than the 8600M GT??
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
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28. April 2008 @ 14:33 |
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The 7500 isn't hugely better than the 7250, but it's a noticeable improvement. While laptops can be overclocked, usually you can't go far without them overheating as you can't fit third party cooling systems.
As for the resolution, the icons get smaller but the picture becomes much more crisp. You can however increase the DPI of the windows desktop to take advantage of the higher resolution.
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Senior Member
2 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 15:22 |
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So I should go with the t7500 as this is better and will be more beneficial to me in the longer run.
With the t7500 will the price be about mid-range??
and what about with the T8xxx Processors mentioned in the specs????
What speed does the T7500 run at, and is it decent by today's standards
Sorry I don't know much about dual-core and quad core processors.
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. April 2008 @ 15:32 |
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The T7500 is comparable to a standard fare desktop dual core CPU. I'm not sure on the exact performance differences, I haven't looked into it much. As for the pricing, try it yourself on the Asus site.
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Senior Member
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29. April 2008 @ 07:49 |
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Will this laptop last me long in terms of future use, I usually just do assignments on my pc, watch vidoes, surf, chat, and download off the net.
Will this laptop play future games like assasin's creed, devil may cry 4, far cry 2 and such??
Thanks
PS - Which is better the 8600M GT or the 9500M GS
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. April 2008 @ 09:10 |
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It'll probably play them, but not at all well. laptops that can play top end games cost absurd amounts of money.
The 9500GS seems slightly better than the 8600GT.
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Senior Member
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29. April 2008 @ 10:07 |
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I thought so, but the laptop should last in terms of gaming at lower resolutions, normal teenage use such as burning DVDS, movies, music, homework, surfing and so on Right??
At least a few years even if it can't play games.
How would this laptop be at multi tasking.
I checked the asus website but it doenst, allow me to configure the specs and get an idea of the price. Could you by any chance give me a direct link.
Thanks so much once again bruv!!!
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. April 2008 @ 10:37 |
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For casual gaming those laptops will last a decent amount of time, and they're fine for multitasking, but unless you're very rich, if you want a gaming PC, it has to be a desktop.
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Senior Member
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29. April 2008 @ 13:55 |
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Well even though I love games, I am a casual gamer beacuse I don't need the best graphics, or the highest res.
This laptop is also good at multi-tasking, so it should last me a good couple of years.
I have decided to buy the ASUS M51Sn, with the specs you told me, as long as I can get a price estimate beforehand, I'm still looking.
What is the advantage of the 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) screen???
I;m not sure
Thanks
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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29. April 2008 @ 14:02 |
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Significantly better image quality, if you saw the two side by side you'd instantly notice the difference.
Good call on the M51SN. I wouldn't exactly call you a casual gamer for not giving a damn about the image quality. Loving detail settings makes you an image quality pundit more than anything else.
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Senior Member
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29. April 2008 @ 14:44 |
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Thanks Sammorris For helping me out.
And answering all my qeustions.
Now all I have to do is wait for my exams to finsh, then I can check to see if the laptop is availible in Saudi Arabia or not.
PS - I will probablly get this with 3GB of ram. Will this be enough to game on vista beacuse I have heard that Vista is a real resource hog??
Thanks once again, hopefully one day I'll have enough expertise as you, and build a rig as crazy as yours.
EDIT: {FINALLY FOUND THE BUTTON LOL :P}
PSS- Could you give me a link to where I can find the PCmark benchmark program you are talking about, as I want to test my current rig and see how mant marks it gets.
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 29. April 2008 @ 14:52
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AfterDawn Addict
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29. April 2008 @ 15:42 |
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30. April 2008 @ 03:17 |
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Okay thanks for the link and the info
I am going with Vista, because it is what comes as the default, and I don't really mind beacuse the games should be okay, and I can install XP myself if i want to.
Thanks a lot man
I won't be replying for around two months, because I need to get serious and start studying, however I will give an update, on whether or not I can find it here and when I Buy it
Peace EVERyONE!!!!
(+[_]%) 1: 2.60 > 2.80 > 2.81 >3.03 > 1.50 > 3.52M33 > 3.52M33-4 > 3.90M33 > 3.90M33-3 > 4.01M33 > 4.01M33-2 > 5.00M33 > 5.00M33-3
My GAMING LAPTOP!! : Acer Aspire 5930G - P8400 2.26Ghz//4 GB DDR2//GeForce 9600M GT 512MB GDDR3
Ultimate Handheld/Portable Gaming Device :P
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