Which One For Gaming?

[codeword]

Hello. I am looking to get my second windows computer.

My first windows was a desktop, and it was great for a few years, until it died because of all the viruses it got (I should've gotten anti-virus..).

Anyways. I love my mac (Current computer) but it can't run games. I'm getting another computer, mainly for games, but I also will probably end up using it for photoshop/PDN and other photo and video editing programs, along with music.

I've narrowed it down to two computers, and I need someone to help me decide. My price limit is about 1,400, but the lower the better:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/notebooks/ideapad/y-series/y550p

The Lenova Y550P ideapad, the one with an I7 processor, though my second choice, is the one I'm starting to lean towards because of processor speed. Default specs.

And:

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/alienware-m11x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

The alienware M11X. Custom specs: 4GB of RAM, a 360GB Hard drive, core duo processor and everything else standard. The M11X is about the same price, but with a much smaller screen, and a processor that I worry about.

As I stated earlier, I will be using it for gaming as the primary use. I want something that can deliver great performance, but isn't going to break the bank.

ALSO: Keep price out of the consideration for these two. There may be a 100 dollar difference (Depending on specs) or so, but it's nothing I can't make up for.

 

[claykirk13]

Hands down the Lenovo. Alienware anything is typically overpriced and the m11x is no exception.
The lenovo has a larger screen (you really don't want to game on an 11" screen, unless you are planning on buying a larger screen and doing HDMI or VGA -not sure the m11x even has ports for that).
And you are correct about the processor. The i7 is super powerful. It's worth having.
The only thing I can see that the m11x has advantage on is it looks like it has a slightly newer video card. I'm not sure how much of an advantage the 335M has over the 240M. Oh and I suppose style points go to the alienware too

Personally I'd keep looking. There are possibly better deals out there. I was going to suggest the dell studio xps 16, but i couldn't find the version I wanted to find on dell's website. I'd read some reviews on different systems too. If it's gaming you want though, I'd concentrate on graphics card first, closely followed by CPU, memory, and screen size and resolution.

Good luck!

 

[codeword]

So what would be a good graphics card?

And is it worth getting a graphics card that isn't as good, in favor of a worse processor?

I'm not very smart with graphic cards.

 

[donovands]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-260M.14559.0.html

Check that webpage for a list of graphics cards in order of performance. For good gaming you want something with a Class 1 GPU.

Take this laptop for example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220700

 

[claykirk13]

Depending on the games you're trying to play, you want to find the most bang for your buck essentially. If you start looking at the very high end cards (especially mobile ones), you'll find yourself way out of your price range. I'd keep looking at laptops, find out what cards they have in them and see if you can find any benchmarks for those cards on Tom's or elsewhere. Once you find one that can play the games you want and fits your price range, check the processor and laptop screen and resolution (I wouldn't go for anything less than 15.4", 1920x1080). I'd read as many review as I could find on the actual laptop too before buying. Look for stuff like heat issues (overheating anything can lead to a lot of frustration when gaming). The laptop donovands pointed out looks pretty alright. Newegg rocks at finding affordable prices for gaming equipment, so I'd definitely give it a try. Other than that, good luck bud!

 

[spaz022765]

Check out the Asus g73JH-A1 laptop, hd5870, 1tb of HDD space standard, 8gb ram standard, core i7 720QM

its a little over your price range. but with all the extras it has over the ones you're looking at, if you had the money to spend, it'd be worth every penny

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g73jha1-order-p-2731.html

 

[leadtrombone]

IMO I would look at the Dell Studio you can get it with an core i3 with an ATI 5450 for sub $1000 with a 1080p screen.

Just my two cents.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndobc1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&m_6=DISGRPC&mo=6~DISGRPC&kc=laptop-studio-1555

 

[donovands]

Actually, it helps if your screen resolution is lower for games. Anything over 720p is fine. If you want to play the latest games on high settings, you want a class 1 GPU. At $1,400 the laptop I suggested will get the job done.

 

[codeword]

Best answer selected by codeword.