Yakoob on 2/11/2015 at 00:34
Hey folks, so I'm looking for a new laptop and one of my main functions would be gamedev (not power-gamer, think mid-level Unity 5 projects). I've built my desktop so know all about desktop parts but realize I'm clueless with laptop equivalents. I checked the other 2 threads but they were looking for high end gaming laptops which I don't need.
CPU: Looking at i5 family, that's what my desktop has and it works flawlessly. How do the laptop versions compare?
Graphics: I hear NVidia 9xx series is good. My desktop's NVidia Geforce GTX 670 TI runs great even 3 years later, but I have no clue about the mobile equivalents.
Manufacturer: I hear ASUS ROG and LEnovo Y are good but seem too high-end for my needs. From what I've seen quality really varies model to model. My old HP Compaq lasted me solid 10 years (!), shockingly good quality. I know alienware is overpriced to all hell.
Stores: I'm in the US and looking at Newegg + Amazon, waiting for a good deal (guess Thanksgiving sales would be best). Any other good ones I should check?
Refurbished vs. new: Whats the consensus on refurbished laptops ? I wasnt even gonna consider those tbh
PRice: ideally in $500-600 zone. If I can pull 20-30fps in most games on med settings that's fine, it's for work not gaming
I'm good with figuring out OSes, HDDs, RAM etc. since it's more or less the same stuff (my desktop actually uses a laptop HDD lol).
Thanks y'all.
Nameless Voice on 2/11/2015 at 18:29
One thing I'd suggest is to try to find a laptop which is really well-made, well-designed, and comfortable to use. For me, that means get one with a good keyboard with a good layout.
That, plus build quality, was one of the things that IBM and later Lenovo used to have going for them... though I can't recommend them any more after reading about that scandal.
Yakoob on 5/11/2015 at 03:56
Thanks for the response
@biker - yep I checked that thread but the suggestions there are mostly too high end and expensive for my needs
@Nameless - oh absolutely. My old one had an actual numpad and well laid out arrow keys. a temp Im using from a friend has those all crammed together and it's an utter pain to use, ugh!
bikerdude on 5/11/2015 at 12:18
Quote Posted by Yakoob
@biker - yep I checked that thread but the suggestions there are mostly too high end and expensive for my needs
Quote Posted by bikerdude
Is newegg your preferred online supplier..? if your in the states then amazon/tiger should also be considered.
see above.
Yakoob on 5/11/2015 at 18:42
I'm already checking Amazon too but should add Tiger to the list. I wouldn't mind any physical stores (i.e. Target / Best Buy) but most dont have the best selection for what I'm looking for.
bikerdude on 5/11/2015 at 19:56
Regarding the laptop search, try and find one with a non-glossy anti-glare screen. And regarding the gpu, as I said above I dont beleive the 940 aint gonna cut it, you'll need a GTX based unit.
bikerdude on 6/11/2015 at 01:09
My biggest issue with said laptop is that it only seems to come with Windows 10 (see below), I would check with Asus if it can be downgraded to windows 8/7 for free..
Quote:
Windows 8.1 is perfectly useable, once you get and install "Classic shell" - (
http://www.classicshell.net/)
Regarding windows 10, almost all of us are avoiding it like the plague. And the reasons for that are -
* Spyware - M$ sending unnecessary amounts of telemetry back to home base, that also contains worrying amounts of private user data.
* Stability - Despite being at retail version, its IMHO its still not stable enough to considered a daily OS. I tested on release and wasn't impressed.
* Gui - the white-washing of the interface just f**ks me/people off no end, they started it in 8 and office 2013 and refused to learn from user feedback.
* Misc - I found if I enabled (fairly modest) whitelist outbound blocking on my internet router, Win10's internet responsiveness would fall through the floor. All browsers would takes ages to resolve sites and the OS itself would actually become lumpy/laggy - see point 1.
* Windows update - not being able to control what gets installed on "MY PC", is a massive NO! NO! (or in cockney 'they can f**k right off!')
* Advertising - it wasn't in at launch but there are reports of 'recommended' apps appearing in the start menu, WTF...!! I would like to assume Classic Shell would prevent these ads
At this point in time the only version of Win10 I am willing to test/use is the enterprise version, that reportatly you can disable ALL telemetry and fully control Windows update.
