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Does the Dell XPS 15" laptop make a good gaming laptop? Looks like it comes with the NVIDIAŽ GeForceŽ GT 750M 2GB GDDR5 graphics card. I don't know anything about graphics cards these days. Will that graphics card be good for a few years? News reports are saying it will be updated with 4k screen and skylake processor, but Dell website says it has the 4k screen now. Has it already been updated or will that not happen for a few months? Is there a website that tracks Dell's product updates like mac rumors does for apple?
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Jun 13, 2015 23:08
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Deadulus posted:Does the Dell XPS 15" laptop make a good gaming laptop? It's a great laptop, but not for gaming. A 750m is a really really bad card.
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Jun 13, 2015 23:12
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Cat Army 
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Deadulus posted:Does the Dell XPS 15" laptop make a good gaming laptop? From what little I've been able to understand, even very good mobile GPUs will barely be able to use 4k for gaming, as the machine just doesn't have enough power for it. And the 750M is not a very good one.
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Jun 13, 2015 23:27
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So the 4k screen actually handicaps that laptop in terms of gaming or are you saying that the 4k screen won't look any better during gaming than a non-4k screen? What laptop would be better for gaming with then? HP Omen? I know Dell has the alienware computers but they are so ugly plus I wouldn't want to take it out in public. I travel a lot so I am looking for something I can game with on the road. Raccooon fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Jun 13, 2015 |
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Jun 13, 2015 23:34
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mad_Thick posted:I totally forgot about those. As a budget-conscious consumer, I'm really thinking about picking up one of those sorts. Right now the Zenbook is at the top of my list, but just below would be a Transformer. Ashrik posted:When I was searching for a laptop that fit what I wanted, the HP Omen seemed to work pretty well. It was compact, light, metal body with pleasing aesthetics. The truth is, I just wanted something light and cool-looking that could easily fill in as my daily web/youtube browser long after its use for mediocre gaming fizzled up. If it had a 970M or 980M, it could have lasted as a mediocre gaming box just a wee bit longer. Reviews I had read put its heat and loudness within something I could deal with. I don't have any experience or knowledge about HP or its reputation, so I didn't have that to go on. Anyway, can't really help with the metal body specifically and I didn't do a ton of research into thinner laptops because that wasn't something I really needed/was willing to pay extra for but... actually I was going to name some thin gaming laptops but found this article instead and this isn't bad to start your search from: http://gizmodo.com/the-best-thin-gaming-laptop-for-every-need-1699528863 I specifically already had the Asus G501, MSI Ghost/Stealth, and Razer Blade in mind as suggestions, and I guess there's the Alienware 13/15 too but I think the 13 is a little underpowered and the 15 is a little on the fat side, though not as fat as say my Asus G751. You pay more for each bump up in GPU to begin with, and the premium is just worse on thin laptops, so definitely consider exactly what you want to be able to play or how portable it needs to be; if you can get away with going through your indie backlog and can get something with like an 860/960M then you have a ton more options. The 965M looked pretty great too, I think it was only very recently introduced but is in between the 960/970 (duh, just that there was previously a huge difference between those two) and doesn't carry an enormous premium. Otherwise you're looking at a bare minimum of $1300ish for any 15" laptop with a 970M, and it only goes up from there if you want a 980M or a thinner laptop or whatever. If you have the money I think gaming laptops can actually be great and worth it, and can have great hardware, just that they are terrible value compared to a desktop, and very restrictive considering there are like thousands of other laptops available for $200-1000 that can do everything else just fine. I justified my ridiculous laptop based on it still needing to move, albeit only maybe once or twice a day, and considering I basically got an open box ~$2500 laptop for $1650 it was actually a decent value  I priced stuff out and building it as an ITX desktop wouldn't have saved me enough money to be worth the extra hassle compared to having everything in laptop form. At the same time though, my $150 2-pound Transformer would be almost as good at posting this.Deadulus posted:So the 4k screen actually handicaps that laptop in terms of gaming or are you saying that the 4k screen won't look any better during gaming than a non-4k screen?  I think if you're concerned about aesthetics and not embarrassing yourself in front of clients and that kind of thing, and wanted a thinner laptop without spending a ton, it would definitely help if you could get away with an 860/960M, then you could simply get a Y40 or whatever.
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Jun 14, 2015 00:19
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This is maybe an insanely naive/foolish question, in one direction or another, but how are macbooks gaming wise? I'm asking both in terms of performance, and whether they can actually run games--does one have run windows in order to do that? And is that very difficult to set up?
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Jun 14, 2015 00:42
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Alright Goons, My Girlfriend's Mac Book Pro 13 (Early 2011) finally ate poo poo this morning. The battery is 100% dead and although I plan to fix it (hey gently caress you Mac, $212 for a new battery?), she wants a new laptop since this one has been in heavy use for years now. Budget: Absolute max including tax (PA, 6%) $1800, anything less is appreciated savings. Screen 13" to 15", no need to be bulky, she was perfectly fine with her 13". A touchscreen is not necessary (it's nice, but I don't place a premium on it). Use She uses it for heavy web browsing, Netflix steaming, ghetto games (Bejeweled, Plants vs Zombies, etc.) OS I want to go Windows, ideally Windows 10 free upgrade when that's available. SSD I definitely want an SSD, 256 minimum, 512+ ideal. Case I don't want a case made out of melted plastic spoons and used zip lock bags. I am willing to pay more for nice metal/carbon,etc. Battery This will see between 6 and 12 hours of use per day, so I need something that has noted longevity/durability, having great battery life is a huge plus. Misc The less noise and heat it gives off the better. Ease of replacement/repair is a huge plus along with any above and beyond warranty/customer service (without paying a lot extra). I'm not loyal to any brand or store, I want the best bang for the buck while still getting a great laptop. Ideally I want to order a laptop by next weekend. I plan to drive out to Microcenter tomorrow to look at their models so she can see them in person, maybe also look at any deals they've got going. I will give it to Mac that their display was really nice, so ideally I would like the laptop to have a comparable display if possible, if not, as close as possible without going hog wild on spending. Thanks in advance for any responses!
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Jun 14, 2015 01:22
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How bad is the T430s 1600x900 screen? I know the t420 screens sucked, but maybe they improved them? Also, are there any glaring issues with the x240? Are they as repairable/easy to find parts for as the T-series computers?
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Jun 14, 2015 01:25
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The Rev posted:I will give it to Mac that their display was really nice, so ideally I would like the laptop to have a comparable display if possible, if not, as close as possible without going hog wild on spending. Dell XPS 13
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Jun 14, 2015 01:27
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IuniusBrutus posted:How bad is the T430s 1600x900 screen? I know the t420 screens sucked, but maybe they improved them? Garbage - no improvement over the earlier ones
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Jun 14, 2015 04:00
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Staring down two very similar Acers on Newegg. I'm looking to replace a 4-year-old HP that kind of sucked when it was new and has become prone to shutting down in heat. I'd like to use it for pretty casual games that I impulse purchase on Steam sales and Civ. I use my PS4 for big releases. Both are i5 5200U's at 2.2ghz with 8 gigs of memory and 1tb hard drives, which I might replace with an SSD or SSHD. Contestant 1 has 1920x1080 res with Intel 5500 graphics. It also has a 6-cell battery. It's $480. Contestant 2 only has 1368x768, but has a dedicated card with GeForce 940M. It only has a 4-cell battery, but does replace a USB 2.0 with a second 3.0 over the other model. It's $500. The description also lists this as having a "Hybrid HDD", which is a little weird. I'm assuming that's an actual Hybrid, but the specs aren't too clear on it. Any feedback would be welcome. I haven't been shopping in a while. Also, if I matters I've got awful eyesight and kind of prefer text a little bigger. Vice Zoomler Aestro fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Jun 14, 2015 |
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Jun 14, 2015 04:58
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Deadulus posted:So the 4k screen actually handicaps that laptop in terms of gaming or are you saying that the 4k screen won't look any better during gaming than a non-4k screen? You aren't playing 4k games on any single graphics card now that isn't 980ti or Titan X. And those run $700-$1000 for the GPU alone for desktops. A 980m is a little bit worse than a desktop 970, so about half as good as a 980ti. Without SLI'd 980ms you are just flat out not playing games at 4k at any appreciable framerate. Without a 965m minimum you're also not playing many games at 1080p. If I was buying a new gaming laptop that was my sole system, that'd be the minimum for me, and a 970m would be ideal.
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Jun 14, 2015 05:23
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dissss posted:Garbage - no improvement over the earlier ones Kind of figured. Are there any issues with an x240 that isn't obvious from a spec sheet? How is parts availability / durability on them? Comparable to the T-series ThinkPad?
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Jun 14, 2015 05:40
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The Iron Rose posted:You aren't playing 4k games on any single graphics card now that isn't 980ti or Titan X. And those run $700-$1000 for the GPU alone for desktops.
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Jun 14, 2015 05:44
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The Dell XPS 13 looks like the perfect laptop for me, but how is the trackpad/multi-touch gestures? I never realized how much I cared about the trackpad until I had to fix something on a friend's Toshiba work laptop.
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Jun 14, 2015 05:49
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roomforthetuna posted:You can play older games at 4k with an 860m and have them perform fine (I have a Y50). There's mostly not much point, because the models and textures aren't designed for that, so it probably looks worse than it would at 1080 because it reveals angles and aliasing, but the hardware handles it fine. Sure you technically can but not at appreciable framerates. Most games that have support for 4k are also too intensive to really play at 4k on an 860m. poo poo most games are too intensive to really play at 1080p on an 860m.
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Jun 14, 2015 05:52
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Straker posted:Ah ok fair enough. Well, I don't know a ton about current HP laptops and don't want to be a hater but for years I think their consumer laptops have been nearly universally poo poo on, and everyone I personally know who's bought an HP laptop has had problems with it that they really shouldn't have, generally pertaining to poor build quality it seemed. Granted that's only like four people but still that's four people too many to be having problems with dumb plasticky laptops. Just about everything in the $950-$1400 range seems to be compared favorably to the Lenova Y50, except perhaps in battery life.
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Jun 14, 2015 10:27
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Thinking about getting a new laptop - what kind of specs should I look for to future-proof myself for 4K Video playback?
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Jun 14, 2015 15:33
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Hadlock posted:Is the one in the OP not working for you? It wasn't. It repeatedly wouldn't let me create an account. I found another though at http://www.bradsdeals.com/stores/lenovo . The website is super janky, but the code worked.
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Jun 14, 2015 17:57
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porfiria posted:This is maybe an insanely naive/foolish question, in one direction or another, but how are macbooks gaming wise? I'm asking both in terms of performance, and whether they can actually run games--does one have run windows in order to do that? And is that very difficult to set up? Do you actually need Windows? Well, maybe. You can buy games for OSX, but there are not as many titles as there are on Windows. It's not the barren desert it used to be, but it's not great and some ports are pretty lazily done. Performance OSX is bad at 3D. This is supposed to improve with Metal on the next version of OSX, but of course only with more recent games that incorporate it. If you use boot camp to install Windows, it will be comparable to any other laptop with the same specs. Boot camp is fairly easy to set up. If you want to game, Macbooks are not the best option at all. A laptop period isn't the best option at all, but hey.
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Jun 14, 2015 18:09
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I want to change my Thinkpad t400 battery. Battery life is supposed to be 4 hours, but I only get 1.5. I think I have a 4-cell, and I want to get a 9-cell. Is there anything I should know before buying? Or do I just plug in the new one?
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Jun 14, 2015 19:55
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eminkey2003 posted:I want to change my Thinkpad t400 battery. Battery life is supposed to be 4 hours, but I only get 1.5. I think I have a 4-cell, and I want to get a 9-cell. Is there anything I should know before buying? Or do I just plug in the new one? http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T400-7417-Battery/dp/B003BQ7UOE Looks like plug and play edit: I'd prabably get a new charger with it, too http://www.amazon.com/Notebook-Batt...D65D66545F3B7D7
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Jun 14, 2015 20:32
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What's the best way to find the value of my 2008 Macbook? Is there a website that it reliable? Late 2008 MacBook 13" 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB OS X 10.8.3 240 GB Solid State SATA
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Jun 14, 2015 20:56
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AzCoug posted:What's the best way to find the value of my 2008 Macbook? Is there a website that it reliable? http://www.mac2sell.net and plug your specs in
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Jun 14, 2015 21:11
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TenaciousTomato posted:http://www.mac2sell.net and plug your specs in Thanks
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Jun 14, 2015 21:55
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I'm looking for something to replace my aged, dying Gateway notebook from years ago, and I'm having trouble sorting through the massive number of options out there. I have an idea of what I want - near desktop performance, at least 128GB SSD (more is better), at least 4GB memory (again more is better), touch screen 10"~14" size, at least 8hrs battery life, Windows OS. I'd like it to be convertible for use in a tablet mode. Stylus is a plus. Does not need to be able to play demanding games, integrated graphics is fine. Price isn't an issue - I'd rather spend more on something I want than less on something that doesn't meet my needs. Any goon recommendations? I know the above still leaves a pretty broad list. I'm looking specifically for things known to be good performers in their price range, solid construction, etc. Tykero fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jun 14, 2015 |
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Jun 14, 2015 22:17
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eminkey2003 posted:I want to change my Thinkpad t400 battery. Battery life is supposed to be 4 hours, but I only get 1.5. I think I have a 4-cell, and I want to get a 9-cell. Is there anything I should know before buying? Or do I just plug in the new one? You just plug in the new one. Personally I'd order one straight from Lenovo via their website.
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Jun 14, 2015 22:42
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AzCoug posted:What's the best way to find the value of my 2008 Macbook? Is there a website that it reliable? How's the battery? Put in up in SA Mart
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Jun 15, 2015 02:10
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eminkey2003 posted:I want to change my Thinkpad t400 battery. Battery life is supposed to be 4 hours, but I only get 1.5. I think I have a 4-cell, and I want to get a 9-cell. Is there anything I should know before buying? Or do I just plug in the new one? The only thing to pay attention to is the source of the battery. You can trust official Lenovo ones, but third party ones are hit and (mostly) miss. You run the chance of not actually getting the capacity you wanted (a 4 cell masquerading as a 9) and possibly a poorly made battery that can ignite.
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Jun 15, 2015 02:33
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The Lenovo ones will also have higher advertised Wh lifetimes per volume -- and hit those.
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Jun 15, 2015 02:50
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Bob Morales posted:How's the battery? Put in up in SA Mart It's great when it's plugged in. Otherwise it probably needs to be replaced. Trying to get an idea of what it's worth before I put it up. $300?
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Jun 15, 2015 03:56
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Straker posted:Yeah, I was pretty blown away, I guess if I actually paid the full retail $400 or whatever it would merely seem like I was getting what I paid for, but either way it's been really fun for browsing and other typical use. The idea of doing full-fledged PC stuff like torrenting, keeping online backup, steam, cloud stuff/services etc. running in the background constantly, storing a lot of important data locally and generally going to the effort of making it "my" PC feels a little awkward when it's more like a thin terminal/impersonal content consumption device, but regardless I really loved it right away. I'm thinking about getting this Asus Transformer: http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-T...ransformer+Book There seems to be a ton of different ones on Amazon for some wacky prices. This one seems like the best for the price.
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Jun 15, 2015 04:35
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AzCoug posted:It's great when it's plugged in. Ebay is a pretty reliable indicator, and it's looking like $250-350 depending on options, condition, extras, shipping, etc.
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Jun 15, 2015 04:38
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mad_Thick posted:I'm thinking about getting this Asus Transformer: I've used the T100A a bit because a business I do work for bought a bunch of them for folks to look at pdfs on. The touch screen is good, the touchpad is bad. It runs normal stuff decently but when you do things like windows updates they take forever, probably because of the 2gb of RAM. Hopefully Windows 10 is well supported on them. You get one USB port while the keyboard is attached and it's got a micro-hdmi port for video output. So it could be better but it could definitely be a lot worse. The fact that it comes with Windows and Office helps a lot.
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Jun 15, 2015 07:41
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Tykero posted:I'm looking for something to replace my aged, dying Gateway notebook from years ago, and I'm having trouble sorting through the massive number of options out there. The Surface Pro 3 might be right up your alley
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Jun 15, 2015 08:17
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Ashrik posted:The Surface Pro 3 might be right up your alley The Surface Pro 3 looks great, but I feel like it's too far on the tablet side of things. I walked into a Best Buy the other day specifically to hold one in my hands and I just didn't care for it. I don't like the keyboard attachments they offer, the lack of physical ports, and the thermal issues. It's something I'll be revisiting until I make a decision, though. It's still a pretty solid device. While typing this I got distracted and found the Acer Aspire R13 and I have to admit it's really appealing. It feels like exactly what I'm looking for. Reviews seems warm but not glowing. It's hard to put it out of my mind, though. That hinge design is perfect for the use case I'm envisioning. I love that it doesn't leave the keyboard facing down like most other convertible ultrabooks. Problem is it's not available in any brick and mortar locations, so I can't try it in person before I buy it.
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Jun 15, 2015 17:31
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One of our vendors issued surface pro 3's to everyone in their team who travels regularly and they seem to really, really like them. They seem to have standardized on the soft touch fuzzy keyboards and seem really effective.
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Jun 15, 2015 18:33
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Is it worth having a gaming laptop if I'm not planning on using it for gaming? My Asus finally poo poo the bed (screen's been falling apart for months) and I ordered a Lenovo Y50-70 because I had some money lying around. If I have to use it for games to justify the purchase, I'm fine with that, but I'd like to think it was money well spend regardless.
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Jun 15, 2015 22:16
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Trying to decide between a Macbook Air and a Macbook Air Retina. - Retina is $100 more - Non-Retina has a 13" monitor vs 12" - Retina has a Retina Display - Retina has 8GB RAM vs 4GB. Anybody have something to say about the last bullet in particular? How much of a difference is that extra RAM going to make, now and down the road? Photoshop, iMovie, and Excel (using large spreadsheets) are the most intensive programs I'm likely to use.
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Jun 16, 2015 01:00
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Alvarez IV posted:Is it worth having a gaming laptop if I'm not planning on using it for gaming? My Asus finally poo poo the bed (screen's been falling apart for months) and I ordered a Lenovo Y50-70 because I had some money lying around. If I have to use it for games to justify the purchase, I'm fine with that, but I'd like to think it was money well spend regardless. You're giving up a lot of portability and paying extra for the GPU. The modern HD4500/HD4600 etc intel integrated graphics are Good Enough for most middle-tier steam games these days. You could probably get away with a base model XPS 13 which is higher quality, better battery life and better screen while also being smaller. Ramrod Hotshot posted:Trying to decide between a Macbook Air and a Macbook Air Retina. 8GB isn't absolutely required today, but you'll feel it in a few years, especially if you're a browser tab addict. 8GB is quickly becoming the new standard, and you can't upgrade it on a Mac laptop so it's worth the extra expense. If the price difference is only $100 for you, I would go with the Retina model, it has a vastly longer battery life, better track pad, and the display is lightyears ahead of the non-Retina.
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Jun 16, 2015 01:10
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