laptop recommendation please

[huboXX]

Hello everyone,

I need to get a new computer and like to buy a laptop. I 've read so much about problems with overheating GPUs, etc. that I would like to ask for your recommendation for a laptop with which the game will run without any problems.

It should have a 15,4" display and I would like to spend around € 1.200 or less, if possible.
Can you post the laptops you use and with which you don't have any problems?

Thanks + best regards,
Rainer

[kmedeiros]

I'm using a Lenovo L412 and it runs the game on max settings just fine. No overheating issues. Also an R400 seems to run fine as well, although I had to turn down a few settings. Both these laptops can be found for less than the price you stated.

[oodyboo]

I don't know about gaming specs, but in general I find Lenovo to be a good laptop brand.

IBM sold their laptop biz to them, so they are basically IBM Thinkpads.

Toshiba's aren't too bad either.

Although I haven't personally seen ASUS Laptops, their desktop motherboards are very good so they might be worth a look too.

The rest of the brands tend to load up ridiculous amounts of crapware and generally seem to be low quality.

For graphics / gaming, I suspect the main spec to look for is the integrated GPU, which these days are on the CPU. Compare the different CPU's with an eye on the integrated GPU and you should be good. Some gaming laptops have separate Nvidia GPU's also, but they are generally more expensive.

[earthyearth]

make sure to get one with a good video card because those are hard to upgrade on laptops

[huboXX]

Thank you for you posts!

What about overheating? I heard that overheating of the video chip is a common problem when playing games on laptops. It is rather easy for me to identifiy a a suitable laptop only from a hardware-specs point-of-view. But I have no idea how to find out if overheating is a problem with a certain model.

[oodyboo]

Very difficult to comment on heat since it's usually a model specific design issue.

That said, my friend's 3-4 year old Macbook Pro is hot enough to cook on, and had to undergo numerous repairs. I have seen old Toshiba's with broken fans that led to overheating. And buggy shaders in Sony laptops that fried GPUs. One would hope these various things have been addressed in newer models, but it seems that it is a ubiquitous problem.

As you cram electronics into small boxes, it's pretty much inevitable.

Newer chips that consume less power will also generate less heat, so that should help some. And hopefully after enough RMAs and broken laptops, the engineers are putting out better designs.

Personally, I do all my gaming on a desktop. Many people I meet think they have to buy laptops when desktops are much better and more reliable for the same price.

So, are you absolutely sure you need a laptop? 95% of the ones I see are put on top of a desk and almost never move (until they break and get replaced...) If you travel a lot with it, then a laptop is necessary, but most home users would be much better served by a desktop. Especially for games. They are cheaper, last longer, are easily upgradable, etc.

[earthyearth]

Thank you for you posts!

What about overheating? I heard that overheating of the video chip is a common problem when playing games on laptops. It is rather easy for me to identifiy a a suitable laptop only from a hardware-specs point-of-view. But I have no idea how to find out if overheating is a problem with a certain model.

get a cooling pad

[Denarius]

For a laptop to be a good viable gaming machine you should at least look at three major components.
- The CPU (or processor)
- Compare them with other brands. You want at least an intel i5. AMD is nice, but in laptops, they kinda suck a bit.
Although I'm pretty hardcore AMD. (Using AMD in all my computers)
- The Graphics Card
- This has to be pretty good in order to perform with other desktops. They generally never are as good as their desktop comparisons.
- There are two brands out there you should look for, NVidia and AMD/ATI.
- NVidia: Generally has the better cards of the two brands, but are generally more expensive as well.
- AMD/ATI: Cheaper but could just as good in my opinion. (I have owned several NVidia and AMD/ATI)
- Amount of memory
- At least 4 GB
- Preferably 8 GB

I hope this helps you out.
Remember to check online and compare the price/quality of all the products you come across.
There are a lot to choose from. Just keep your head cool and figure out what is important for your needs.

[eLPuSHeR]

Make sure the graphic card has got some DEDICATED MEMORY.