My HP Touchsmart tm2t laptop decided to kick the bucket - the graphics controller crapped out on me. Would there be any way to fix that other than sending it to HP for them to fix?
If not, would anyone be able to recommend a cheap, reliable (as in it won't crap out on me in a year...), and decently powerful laptop? I wanna be able to at least run games like the soon to come Diablo 3 and Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 and such on it.
ID:278504
 Nov 2 2011, 4:22 pm
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You all missed the point of my post for the most part... Instead of arguing about the pros/cons of laptops vs desktops, how about you just answer my question(s)?
I have a desktop. End of debate between you two. I simply wanted suggestions on what laptop to buy that can affordably play the types of games I listed. The reason I want a laptop that can play those games is because I am not always at home to use my desktop. My touchsmart laptop made things extremely convenient with its touchschreen and stylus capabilities, along with it having a dedicated graphics card. However, there's no way I could afford another touchscreen capable laptop anytime soon. The only issue I had with it was the processor I chose for it, and I was planning on upgrading it, but since the graphics controller decided to crap out on me, I no longer need to worry about doing that. Anyways... I preferrably do NOT want another HP laptop, simply because they are notorious for building laptops that only last the warranty period, and not for forever like their desktops do (I still have an old HP Pavillion from like 1998 that still freakin' works >_>). | |
The first link I posted was a direct answer to your question. If you want a gaming laptop, you're looking at spending between $700-800. That Acer is the cheapest thing I could find in about 20 minutes of looking around at reputable sites that fits your needs. Most anything cheaper lacks an appropriate graphics card. I imagine you could catch something on sale and get something else that suits your requirements, but for standard price pre-built, that's a pretty good deal.
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Is there a version of that laptop with a 7200RPM HDD?
....HOLY CRAP I found the Acer Iconia... Very sexy... Nintendo DS on steroids... I want o.o | |
There's:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152277 Which is pretty close. The big difference is that it has a dual core i3 instead of quad core i7, so you'd be sacrificing 50% CPU for a faster HDD. This one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158074 Has an i7 processor, roughly equivalent dedicated GPU(It's AMD instead of Nvidia, if you care), and the 7200 RPM HDD you asked for. It's a bit more expensive, but that's to be expected when you upgrade something without taking a hit somewhere else. | |
Right now I'm looking at the Acer Iconia dual screen touchscreen laptop (link) o.o My friend works at Best Buy, which most likely has it and if it does, he'll be able to get me his employee discount on it, which I will spend the difference on a warranty. :D
P.S. I'm avoiding HP when it comes to laptops. | |
Unless you just absolutely must have a gaming laptop, I would have to advise a desktop instead. They're easier to fix and generally much more upgradeable, meaning you don't have to buy a new one to keep up with the ridiculous graphical improvements. They also cost less for the same amount of power.
If you do absolutely need a laptop for non-gaming reasons, you should also consider having a desktop for gaming and a cheap, possibly used, laptop for school/work/couch browsing.
I would imagine you know what to look for in relation to what you need, but the really major thing to look out for in a gaming laptop is the graphics card. Anything Intel should generally be avoided like the plague, and it's generally a good idea to try and find something that has a dedicated graphics card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215198
This one checks out fairly well, though it probably wouldn't stand up to super high graphics mode on all the latest games.
Basic specs come up to 2.2GHz quad core i7, ~0.7GHz 1GB graphics card, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD. $750
Compared to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227357
3GHz Quad core Athlon 2, ~.8GHz 1GB graphics card, 4GB RAM, 1.5TB HDD. $620
With the difference between the 2, you could pick up a cheap laptop on craigslist/in the paper for the aforementioned non-gaming purposes, in addition to saving money by upgrading the desktop over buying a new laptop in a couple of years.
All of this is assuming you don't want to build a computer, which would cut the costs down a bit. Either way, the difference in cost/power is quite significant between laptop vs desktop.