Good Gaming Laptop Build?

**jettca** · September 17th, 2009, 05:30 PM

Before anyone says anything about laptops being bad for gaming, please read these specs... Its a $1589 build from cyberpowerpc.com, the Xplorer X5-9900 model, with spec customization. Its my first time doing any serious laptop shopping, and I wanna make sure I won't run into any dilemmas with the laptop I am most considering. Anyways, here it is:

Notebook: Clevo M860TU Notebook 15.4" WSXGA+ 1680x1050 Pixels w/ Built-in 2.0 Megapixel Webcam, Built-in Fingerprint Sensor, HDMI Port, & Li-Ion Battery, Universal AC Adapter
NOTEBOOK COLOR: Xplorer X5 Notebook Cover (Original Color)
DISPLAY LCD: 15.4" WSXGA+ TFT LCD Display 1680x1050 Pixels
CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Mobile P9700 Dual-Core Processor @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 6MB L2 Cache
MOTHERBOARD: Mobile Intel® PM45 & ICH9M Chipset Mainboard
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-1333 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
VIDEO CARD: Built-in NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M 1GB DDR3 Video
Free Game: FREE GAME - Street Fighters IV
HARD DRIVE: 500GB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive
USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
OPTICAL DRIVE: 8X DVD Rewritable Drive (NB-312-DVDRW)
SOUND: BUILT-IN AC 97 SOUND
SPEAKERS: Built-in Stereo Speakers System
NETWORK: Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Card
MODEM: BUILT-IN 56K V.92 FAX MODEM
KEYBOARD: BUILT-IN KEYBOARD
MOUSE: BUILT-IN TOUCHPAD
Internal Wireless Network Card: Intel WiFi Link 5300 a/b/g/n Wireless Adapter
Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth
Flash Media Reader: Built-In 7in1 Media Reader
BATTERY: 8-cell Li-On Battery Pack (M860TU)
CARRYING BAG: Free Deluxe Carrying Bag for 17 Inch Notebook
NOTEBOOK TRAVELKIT: NONE
AC ADAPTER: Universal AC-DC Adapter (M860TU)
CAR ADAPTER: NONE
VIDEO CAMERA: Built-in 2.0 Mega Pixels Webcam
PRINTER: None
PRINTER CABLE: None
IEEE CARD: BUILT-IN 1394 IEEE FIREWIRE PORT
USB PORT: 4 x USB2.0 Port Connectors
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon: (Free Upgrade coupon with purchasing of Vista Home Premium) Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
FREEBIES: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
SERVICE: STANDARD 1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

Thats copied straight off the site for what I'm looking to buy. I researched the weight, and its an amazing 5.73 lbs... I don't know how they fit it all in. I will be partitioning it to run Debian as well. Thanks for any advice you can give.

**Aaron_8015** · September 17th, 2009, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by jettca

Before anyone says anything about laptops being bad for gaming, please read these specs... Its a $1589 build from cyberpowerpc.com, the Xplorer X5-9900 model,

Its not that laptops are not good for gaming it is that they are not as good as their desktop counterparts. Also the cost of lower tech in laptops is enough to buy a desktop with newer/faster components. For that price you could get a good i7 rig with a 285GTX a couple terabytes of storage etc.

As for the laptop, yes it will play games happily (I gather you want it for gaming) at that res with all the settings up (although not for long I doubt the battery would last an hour). You would just need to think about dropping that kind of money into it, as unlike desktops you cannot upgrade components (you might as it is a custom but it wont be easy) like in a desktop when they get outdated.

Welcome to TechIMO by the way.

**jettca** · September 17th, 2009, 05:51 PM

Yeah, I see your point. However, I'm investing a lot in this because I need a laptop that will serve me through college. And gaming will be one of a few functions; I plan on doing game design, as well as some audio recording/mixing/etc. And compared to the typical college laptop, a Mac, the price isn't too bad.

**Aaron_8015** · September 17th, 2009, 06:30 PM

Well I have given my thoughts on the laptop, but like most who are after a gaming laptop, have been suggested to get a cheaper laptop for your collage work and get a desktop for your gaming needs.

**nemowolf** · September 17th, 2009, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by jettca

Yeah, I see your point. However, I'm investing a lot in this because I need a laptop that will serve me through college. And gaming will be one of a few functions; I plan on doing game design, as well as some audio recording/mixing/etc. And compared to the typical college laptop, a Mac, the price isn't too bad.

No laptop is going to last 4 years. Period. Your battery will need to be replaced. If you lucky you wont overheat the board at some point, but count on something getting fried simply because your not going to think about things like keeping the AC at a decent level and keeping adequate airflow for your laptop.

The tech alone is already two years behind desktops ... so count that in and your going to have six+ year old tech by your fourth year. Your going to be so displeased with its performance more and more as each year goes by ...

As recommended above, your far better off getting a 300-400 netbook for use in class and general college junk you think you may need to do outside of your dorm and spend the rest of your money on a screaming gaming rig. Even with building it yourself and shipping costs associated, your going to save a few hundred bucks which i highly recommend you spend on buying books on how to meet women and the kamasutra.

If your smart about college you will make gaming less of a priority and make the opposite sex the focus of your free time. Trust.

**tony_j15** · September 17th, 2009, 08:29 PM

Welcome to TechIMO!

The laptop you mention above is good for it's price, but as the others have mentioned, you'd be better off spending the money on a desktop. Just think, if the laptop gets dropped, stolen, crushed, or has anything spilled on it, it's toast. the battery will last 2-3 years max and chances are the screen, hard drive, or optical drive will give out on it. With a desktop, merely replace said failed items with new better ones. With a laptop, you trash the whole thing (unless you get lucky and it's under warranty).

I disagree with nemo. Gaming is a way more important priority than women.

**cksboy15** · September 17th, 2009, 09:29 PM

I disagree with nemo. Gaming is a way more important priority than women.

Agreed (fortunately my wife is at work)

As for the laptop
I wouldn't be surprised if it overheats the first time you run a game. I know my toughbook has heat issues while playing an older game on it.

**jettca** · September 18th, 2009, 04:46 PM

Well, I can see I'm not going to get a direct answer this way, though some of the advice was useful... So let me be more clear.

I need both portability and power in one computer. I plan on running more high-end graphics engines in class, as I will be a computer science major and will hopefully be taking some graphics/game design courses.
And I will need a laptop with good multimedia capabilities for recording with my band (more important than both gaming and women :P). And when I'm not doing any of those things, I will be spending most of my time on Debian anyways. Like I said, gaming is one of multiple functions, and more a side function, but if it can game well, it can do the more important tasks equally well, I'd imagine.

Now I'll ask it again, will I run into any specific issues with this laptop, and are there any ways to make it more efficient, or other options to consider before I make this purchase?

**Aaron_8015** · September 18th, 2009, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by jettca

Well, I can see I'm not going to get a direct answer this way, though some of the advice was useful... So let me be more clear.

I need both portability and power. I plan on running more high-end graphics engines in class, as I will be a computer science major and will hopefully be taking some graphics/game design courses.
And I will need a laptop with good multimedia capabilities for recording with my band (more important than both gaming and women :P). And when I'm not doing any of those things, I will be spending most of my time on Debian anyways. Like I said, gaming is one of multiple functions, and more a side function, but if it can game well, it can do the more important tasks equally well, I'd imagine.

Now I'll ask it again, will I run into any specific issues with this laptop, and are there any ways to make it more efficient, or other options to consider before I make this purchase?

Well considering someone else is building it for you Im sure its safe to say there will be no issues, if there is then they will fix it under warranty. Which brings me to my first suggestion, make sure you get a good warranty on it. If you are going to be carrying it around everywhere with you and accidents do happen, then you wanna make sure it can be fixed. I would most certainly look at a bigger battery tbh I think its silly putting an 8cell battery into something like that (thought 12 was the norm for these sort of laptops) so if you can get a bigger and spares you should be sorted.

We just like to get the point accross to make sure you are certain of what you want.

**nemowolf** · September 18th, 2009, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Aaron_8015

Well considering someone else is building it for you Im sure its safe to say there will be no issues, if there is then they will fix it under warranty. Which brings me to my first suggestion, make sure you get a good warranty on it. If you are going to be carrying it around everywhere with you and accidents do happen, then you wanna make sure it can be fixed. I would most certainly look at a bigger battery tbh I think its silly putting an 8cell battery into something like that (thought 12 was the norm for these sort of laptops) so if you can get a bigger and spares you should be sorted.

We just like to get the point accross to make sure you are certain of what you want.

Extended Warranties for the WIN! There is no price you can put on piece of mind. Knowing that you can send it in and get it fixed at any time is something that most people just end up regretting when they cant do it.

Selling extended warranties was one of my specialties because after hearing the war stories of housewives pushing a bag of groceries onto the counter and sliding the laptop right off the other end makes it easy to understand why its great to get an extended warranty with the Damage and Hazard coverage.

BTW, just adding my two cents ... just because someone else built it does not mean its a quality build. There was a Digital Picture frame that came pre-installed with a virus. There was the Sony USB Key that came with a wonderful rootkit as part of its pre-installed software. Lots of nasties out there make it to production and you wouldnt know until its too late. Same goes for faulty hardware.

**jettca** · September 18th, 2009, 06:49 PM

Alright, thanks. I'll be sure to get the extended warranty. I would definitely like more battery life than it comes with (about 3 hours), but it would cost me an extra $100+. I have to keep this under $1700, and the 3-year warranty will be a good deal extra to my original cost. That's probably more important, but if battery life becomes an issue I can always upgrade in the future. One worry I have is from the fact that I've never heard of Cyberpowerpc.com before just this past week, and haven't seen many reviews besides those on the site, and one on geekwithlaptop.com. So if anyone knows any way to better establish they're credibility, or if anyone has heard of them, I would like to learn more about this company before investing this much in it.

**nemowolf** · September 18th, 2009, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by jettca

Alright, thanks. I'll be sure to get the extended warranty. I would definitely like more battery life than it comes with (about 3 hours), but it would cost me an extra $100+. I have to keep this under $1700, and the 3-year warranty will be a good deal extra to my original cost. That's probably more important, but if battery life becomes an issue I can always upgrade in the future. One worry I have is from the fact that I've never heard of Cyberpowerpc.com before just this past week, and haven't seen many reviews besides those on the site, and one on geekwithlaptop.com. So if anyone knows any way to better establish they're credibility, or if anyone has heard of them, I would like to learn more about this company before investing this much in it.

Check out Maximum PC magazine. You will find several pages of ads.

**Rootstonian** · September 19th, 2009, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by jettca

Well, I can see I'm not going to get a direct answer this way, though some of the advice was useful... So let me be more clear.

I need both portability and power in one computer. I plan on running more high-end graphics engines in class, as I will be a computer science major and will hopefully be taking some graphics/game design courses.

"Hopefully"? As a Comp Sci grad I know there were only a couple of courses in graphics; usually making calls to OpenGL or DirectX. Nothing fancy and nothing that would require more than on-board graphics chip.

Since you're not in college yet, perhaps you should wait till you are before you make this purchase. Or at least get a hold of your degree requirements. Everything I wrote in class could run on a 500 Mhz chip with 256k RAM

And, are you going to be living on or off campus?

**EXreaction** · September 19th, 2009, 09:40 AM

The 3 hours of battery life they suggest is probably far beyond what you'll actually get. If they suggest 3 hours I'd expect 2 if you do anything with it with the brightness more than 1/4. If you start gaming expect 1 1/2 hours or less.

Batteries do not last a long time either, most of the time they really start to be useless after 2 years. After that you can probably cut your battery life in half until it finally gets to the point where it lasts just a half hour or less.

**cksboy15** · September 19th, 2009, 10:59 AM

BTW, just adding my two cents ... just because someone else built it does not mean its a quality build. There was a Digital Picture frame that came pre-installed with a virus. There was the Sony USB Key that came with a wonderful rootkit as part of its pre-installed software. Lots of nasties out there make it to production and you wouldnt know until its too late. Same goes for faulty hardware.

To my knowledge cyberpower is one of the safer builders

**Rootstonian** · September 19th, 2009, 01:27 PM

And for me at least, I'm greedy. With a $1,500 budget, I would spend $400 or so on a laptop, $300 for a Xbox 360 and get a desktop with whatever was leftover. Get the VGA cable for the Xbox to plug into the desktop.

That's a great setup, especially if you're going to be in the dorms at college. And most colleges have a cable hook-up so you can get a desktop with a tuner card (or add one) so you watch TV on the desktop too.

Trust me, I've got 2 degrees and spent A LOT of time in college. The last thing you're going to want to do after classes all day and maybe some library time and definitely a lot of study time is to find a spot to setup your lappy for gaming. You'll want to be back in the dorm room or wherever. May as well have the desktop or Xbox or PS3 for games; and you can have friends in on the games too which you can't really do with a laptop

**cyote62** · August 12th, 2010, 09:51 AM

I am just a guest here but I can tell you this: Sager computers makes a custom built laptop gaming computer that will match 95 % of desktops for the same purpose. When gaming you need to plug it in because it sucks power like the wind but the performance is as good as the custom special build desktop I have. That cost me 4000 for parts to build. Sager tech and service is the best I've ever seen also. My sager laptop has four large fans for cooling no matter how long I run the hottest of games it does not fry. Dual Nvidia 8800gtx cards and three 7200 sata 500g HD. Pricey yes, but excellent quality. After three years on this one they still can't improve it. Its till the fastest thing out there. Check them out.