Gaming Laptop or Desktop Upgrade?

RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
edited November 2011 in Hardware
So, ICOK definitely had me wishing I had a non-tampered with laptop that I can game on.

I was also planning on spending about $1000 to upgrade my 3yr old desktop. (New mobo, ram, SSD, case, 3x monitors, extra 6870 to run in crossfire with existing.) The plan was to be able to run BF3 in eyefinity for maximum win.

DJ Meph and I did some searching on HP and we could build a Pavilion for about $2,100. I'm not 100% sure about its components, I can provide more info on that if people are curious.

I have several questions for you all:

1) Is there a gaming laptop that can support Eyefinity and run BF3?
2) Does anyone have experience with running BF3 on a laptop?
3) I travel (a lot recently) and I miss being able to play games. Is this worth the extra $1000 (assume that its affordable, but a stretch for me)?

Any other thoughts? Need help deciding what to do!

Comments

  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    1) yes, but it is fugly

    <iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kmSf6yFdsn4&quot; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    That song is like the unofficial anthem of bad internet videos.

    For what it's worth, rather than going all out on a desktop replacement, you can try shooting for the best of both. Depending on what you wan to play and how well (or even WHERE, if you're flying a lot) you might want to look into an m11x.

    I know, I know, Alienware. It runs a surprising amount of games, though, and is in a tiny package you can take wherever. Switch to non discrete and you have ~5hrs of battery life before charging again. I bought it specifically for EPIC this year and it served me well. It's a very niche market - I wanted something relatively lightweight, hearty and small enough to open on a plane table. It cost me about ~$700, which leaves you plenty of room for an upgrade to the desktop as well. It's no longer the only ultraportable option, either, so there might be better deals to be had.

    Just some food for thought.
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    Greg,

    what if you had 3 monitors and didn't use the laptop monitor? Depends on the laptop?

    Nights,

    I would be taking this with me in addition to my work laptop, usually. I'll probably spend the money on a decent laptop bag (Slappa affiliate links!) so the weight will only be a moderate concern for me. I really had my heart set on eyefinity when I was going to work on my desktop upgrade, so that is going to be hard to give up AND spend more money on a laptop...

    As I type this however, I think I begin to really see your value. I could spend $700 and run everything BUT BF3 on the laptop, and get the desktop upgrade as well, and still be money ahead of getting the full gaming laptop.

    So torn.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    Ryan,

    I've seen laptops with dual video outputs, but three?

    time to googles
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    well, looks like the HP Envy 17

    <iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QRdF-Xno1_o?hd=1&quot; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    <iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yo5fYItj9fo?hd=1&quot; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    The only recent laptops that support Eyefinity assume that the laptop's display will be included in the configuration. Mostly that means external DL-DVI + DP or DL-DVI + HDMI connections.

    The Eurocom Panther 2 and the Alienware m18x come to mind for platforms that use the HD 6000M Series. They even support CrossFire 6990M if you seriously intend to play BF3 at max res with max details on a notebook. Beastly systems, truly.
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    the price tag on the Envy is just... high...
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    CannonFodder wrote:
    the price tag on the Envy is just... high...

    Compared to...?

    To be a true competitor to the Envy17, a laptop has to be current generation i7 and have the following:
    - 17" LED Backlit LCD at 1920x1080 or better
    - >=8GB default memory configuration
    - HD6950M or better
    - Minimum 2 HDD supported
    - Needs to go at least 3hrs heavy use on <=9 cells

    That narrows the actual competitors down significantly. When you look at who's left, that's Alienware m17x, Sager NP8170, Sager NP7280, Sager NP7282, and the "boutiques" like Origin that are $2.5K+ base price to literally do nothing more than rebrand Sager with the same mediocre warranty. (We could include Asus, but we have quite the collection of dissatisfied G73 owners around here who will tell you just what a piece of junk those are.) There are other competitors, but not available in the US. Thanks a bunch, MSI. Thanks a bunch.

    When you put it in that context, the Envy17 is actually priced slightly toward the lower end trending toward about the middle of the pack, depending on your configuration. (Again: this is not about what you're looking at, it's about which specific laptops specifically compete with that specific laptop.)

    Outside of this lot, you have to go one of two directions. Bigger and heavier with similar/same specs (Toshiba Qosmio 18" at ~15lbs and that's NOT travel weight) or smaller screen with similar/same specs. If you want the higher end like Thraxbert mentioned (m18x, Sager NP7282) expect to spend at least $3K by the time it's all said and done. You can get an SSD equipped Envy17 for a lot less.
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