I’m thinking about getting a gaming laptop later on in the year, to replace my desktop gaming PC. I’ll be using it as my primary video/gaming/internet/coding device for a few years, while I go on my OE. I won’t have room to carry around consoles, or even CD/DVDs (any games will be installed and cracked to play without a disc).
Just thought I’d post this to see if anyone has any recommendations for gaming laptops. I’m considering getting a Dell Inspiron 1720 or Dell XPS M1730 (or something similar, if Dell change their product line by then).
Alternatively, I may get a Macbook Pro to find out what the Apple hype is all about, and just play older PC/Mac games on that, and skip new releases for a few years.
Call me biased (since I own a Macbook Pro) but really, I don’t think you can go wrong with by buying a MBP.
Top of the line computer AND you can play games just like with a normal PC (with the same specs of course) (MBP come with powerful graphic cards, not Alienware powerful but powerful nonetheless) if you install XP/Vista (dual boot).
Not to mention you would be using the best operative system I’ve come across - Leopard. Once you use Mac OS X for a couple of days you won’t want anything else;and don’t forget its a Unix OS with all it’s advantages. Even if you don’t like it you can still choose Windows or Linux or Solaris or whatever.
I know I sound like a marketing muppet but it’s really the best overall highend laptop I’ve come across.
I bought it for Maya and work as well as gaming and I have not been disappointed.
I don’t think you’re biased Gehn - you no doubt made a decision to go with the Macbook over a Windows-based laptop after weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each. I’m curious to know what kinds of games you’ve run on it, and what the performance is like. Do you have a 128 MB or 256 MB GPU?
Regarding the Macbook Pro - do you think Mac OS X is worth paying the extra for? Keep in mind that a Dell XPS (and possibly Alienware) laptop is going to be significantly cheaper for a laptop of the same specs. Now, from my (limited) experience with Macs, the main attraction to them is OS X, rather than the hardware itself (correct me if this assumption is false). Apple hardware is nearly always more expensive than from other manufacturers so looking at it from that perspective, do you think that the quality of the OS would make the extra worth paying?
Parn - do you use your iMac as a gaming PC? If so, how do you find performance in newer games? Also, you say that your iMac hosts all your media - do you use the default media applications (iTunes, Quicktime, etc) or third party applications? One gripe that I have with iTunes is that it doesn’t play my Vorbis or FLAC files, so I’d probably need something more advanced to fit my needs (something like foobar2000 for Windows would be ideal).
I don’t use the iMac as a gaming machine since I have my PC nearby that has superior hardware in it for such content. The iMac is my main machine because OSX is considerably more stable and reliable than Windows XP. It is not flawless, but it is far better an OS from my point of view. Windows Vista attempts to copy just about everything OSX started offering years ago, only OSX does it better with considerably less system resources/requirements and better security. Because most of us here are smart with our PCs and don’t go downloading and installing just about anything off the internet to ensure our copies of XP don’t go haywire due to spyware and viruses, applying even a modicum of that same suspicion toward internet content when you’re using OSX ensures you won’t have any issues. It’s nice not having to worry about spyware or viruses… and you can edit your hostnames file just like you do on your PC to block out certain ad sites that go beyond just advertising and try to collect personal info.
As far as software goes for multimedia, I use Quicktime and iTunes. However, much like on Windows, it is imperative that you download third party software so that you can enjoy different formats of media. OSX used to have limited options in the past, but that’s not the case these days. Just like I downloaded the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack on Windows XP, I downloaded Flip4Mac and Perian, which basically makes Quicktime play 99.9% of the stuff you see online. As much as Quicktime sucks on Windows and is a resource hog, it’s fantastic on OSX. For CD ripping, instead of Exact Audio Copy on Windows, I use Max which gives all the functionality that EAC does, and more. I can encode into FLAC, Musepack, Ogg Vorbis, LAME MP3, and so forth by default. There are options to give iTunes functionality with FLAC and Ogg Vorbis, since you mentioned those two.
In everyday use, I recommend a Mac with OSX over any version of Windows on a PC any day of the week. For gaming however, a PC is a must. You can dual boot on a Mac and run Windows XP on it, but it’s not what I would consider uh… optimal, especially at the price. Apple is behind the power curve when it comes to their videocard options.
Edit: Also, for the love of humanity, do NOT buy RAM upgrades direct from Apple if you do buy anything from them. Go with the default RAM they offer, and just buy RAM from a third party like MacMall. You will save yourself hundreds, even over a thousand in some cases. The prices Apple charges is flat out insulting. Installing RAM in my iMac was as easy as any laptop and took a whopping 5 minutes of time.
Edit2: Forgot to mention, Spaces is one of my favorite things that OSX Leopard features, which I know is not completely original, but is a feature I quickly became attached to. Every time I try to do any multitasking on a Windows box at work, I get aggravated now because it all feels cluttered.
[quote=“Solo Wing Dragon”]I don’t think you’re biased Gehn - you no doubt made a decision to go with the Macbook over a Windows-based laptop after weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each. I’m curious to know what kinds of games you’ve run on it, and what the performance is like. Do you have a 128 MB or 256 MB GPU?
Regarding the Macbook Pro - do you think Mac OS X is worth paying the extra for? Keep in mind that a Dell XPS (and possibly Alienware) laptop is going to be significantly cheaper for a laptop of the same specs. Now, from my (limited) experience with Macs, the main attraction to them is OS X, rather than the hardware itself (correct me if this assumption is false). Apple hardware is nearly always more expensive than from other manufacturers so looking at it from that perspective, do you think that the quality of the OS would make the extra worth paying?
[/quote]
My MBP is the baseline 15" from the previous revision (hardware update). It has a 128RAM ATI Radeon X1600. I’m afraid the most graphic intensive games I’ve played on it were Doom 3 and Half Life 2 but both of them ran smoothly with all the sweets . The one problem I could point out in mine was after a while, while running graphic-intensive applications on Windows (games mostly) the fans started to become noticeable (noise). However since then there has been another revision and like before the (baseline) low-end 15" model (there are always two 15" MBP models) has a 128 card and the higher-end one has a 256 card. From what I’ve heard the fan control in windows is no longer a problem.
Still, seeing as how you are thinking about buying one you should wait for late February. By then the new revision (that’s 2 generations above mine) will be on stores and the baseline model will no doubt receive a VRAM boost to 256 and the higher-end model to 512.
As for your OS question - I’ve never had a kernel panic, a virus, spyware or any of those computer hassles with MacOS. Apple constantly updates the OS with software and firmware updates. The OS is rock solid. It’s simple to use but an awesome platform for software developing (I speak from personal experience) and Apple provides alot of great applications out of the box not to mention the indie software dev Mac community which because of it’s segregation over the years as become quite proficient with OS integration and put out some crazy stuff that often subsequently gets to be part of a the new versions of MacOS (im talking about, CoverFlow or Virtual Desktops etc).
The only third party media application I found necessary to use in order to be able to have full access to my media library was VLC. which plays .wmv, FLAC etc…
Like Parn mentioned there are other alternatives, maybe even more sound, but I’ve grown accustomed to VLC.
There’s one thing you should also consider. You are not paying more money just for the OS but for stuff like trackpad gestures, thin and lighweight casing, backlit keyboard, motion sensor (stops your hard drive if your laptop falls preventing data loss) and all that sort of stuff that although insignificant by themselves as a whole make for a much better laptop.Oh and don’t forget battery life. MBPs have great battery life.
All things considered - even if you forget the fact the MBP is a great piece of hardware the OS in itself is worth it imo. It honestly pains me when I have to use Windows nowadays, even my fully costumized Ubuntu…
PS : I second Parn’s RAM recommendation. Apple RAM is very expensive.
If your looking for a gaming rig you should stick with a PC. It’s the best option for games because not only is it more powerful and can upgrade easier but it is also cheaper then the parts for the laptop.
Laptops really are geared more towards work/school/communication rather then gaming. There are plenty of gaming laptops available of course.
But if you are looking seriously at computer gaming, then you should get a PC. Because in a year it’s going to be more expensive and more of a pain to upgrade that laptop then it will a PC.
Of course if you are dead set on it then any brand name will do. Gaming puts all of it’s emphasis on RAM, Video Card and Processor. Just make sure your rig has those and your good.
[quote=“Parn”]I don’t use the iMac as a gaming machine since I have my PC nearby that has superior hardware in it for such content. The iMac is my main machine because OSX is considerably more stable and reliable than Windows XP. It is not flawless, but it is far better an OS from my point of view. Windows Vista attempts to copy just about everything OSX started offering years ago, only OSX does it better with considerably less system resources/requirements and better security.
(Thanks for the update).
It’s nice not having to worry about spyware or viruses… and you can edit your hostnames file just like you do on your PC to block out certain ad sites that go beyond just advertising and try to collect personal info.
YAWN
In everyday use, I recommend a Mac with OSX over any version of Windows on a PC any day of the week. For gaming however, a PC is a must. You can dual boot on a Mac and run Windows XP on it, but it’s not what I would consider uh… optimal, especially at the price. Apple is behind the power curve when it comes to their videocard options.
BLAH, BLAH ,BLAH
(IS IT OVER YET?).
Every time I try to do any multitasking on a Windows box at work, I get aggravated now because it all feels cluttered.[/quote]
DEAR GOD!
Does anyone else feel like they just listened to a infomercial for the Mac? Jesus.
Does anyone else feel like they just listened to a infomercial for the Mac? Jesus.[/quote]
No, seemed like a pretty fair assessment to me.
I’ll be thinking about getting a new laptop later this year, and since I don’t do much PC gaming to begin with it would be nice to get MBP and get the features and not have to worry about getting the greatest video card etc.
[quote=“Parn”]I don’t use the iMac as a gaming machine since I have my PC nearby that has superior hardware in it for such content. The iMac is my main machine because OSX is considerably more stable and reliable than Windows XP. It is not flawless, but it is far better an OS from my point of view. Windows Vista attempts to copy just about everything OSX started offering years ago, only OSX does it better with considerably less system resources/requirements and better security.
(Thanks for the update).
It’s nice not having to worry about spyware or viruses… and you can edit your hostnames file just like you do on your PC to block out certain ad sites that go beyond just advertising and try to collect personal info.
YAWN[/quote]
In everyday use, I recommend a Mac with OSX over any version of Windows on a PC any day of the week. For gaming however, a PC is a must. You can dual boot on a Mac and run Windows XP on it, but it’s not what I would consider uh… optimal, especially at the price. Apple is behind the power curve when it comes to their videocard options.
BLAH, BLAH ,BLAH
(IS IT OVER YET?).
Every time I try to do any multitasking on a Windows box at work, I get aggravated now because it all feels cluttered.
DEAR GOD!
Does anyone else feel like they just listened to a infomercial for the Mac? Jesus.[/quote]
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one here who’s never used a Mac before I’m sure.
Does anyone else feel like they just listened to a infomercial for the Mac? Jesus.[/quote]
No, seemed like a pretty fair assessment to me.
I’ll be thinking about getting a new laptop later this year, and since I don’t do much PC gaming to begin with it would be nice to get MBP and get the features and not have to worry about getting the greatest video card etc.[/quote]
If you are not considering heavy graphical applications I’d suggest to give the MB (non pro) a though, too.
[quote=“Gehpnaet”]My MBP is the baseline 15" from the previous revision (hardware update). It has a 128RAM ATI Radeon X1600. I’m afraid the most graphic intensive games I’ve played on it were Doom 3 and Half Life 2 but both of them ran smoothly with all the sweets . The one problem I could point out in mine was after a while, while running graphic-intensive applications on Windows (games mostly) the fans started to become noticeable (noise). However since then there has been another revision and like before the (baseline) low-end 15" model (there are always two 15" MBP models) has a 128 card and the higher-end one has a 256 card. From what I’ve heard the fan control in windows is no longer a problem.
Still, seeing as how you are thinking about buying one you should wait for late February. By then the new revision (that’s 2 generations above mine) will be on stores and the baseline model will no doubt receive a VRAM boost to 256 and the higher-end model to 512.[/quote]
Ideally I’d like to get a laptop that can handle games such as Oblivion. I don’t have to be able to be able to play those games on max settings, but the ability to play them with a reasonably smooth framerate on half decent settings would be a plus.
As I’m not planning to buy until the second half of 2008, I’ll wait and see how the new Macbook Pro’s turn out before making a decision. A 512MB video card would certainly make the Macbook Pro compare nicely to other laptops, such as the XPS M1730 which hosts dual 256MB 8700M GT’s.
I hadn’t heard of Max before, so thanks - if I end up getting a Mac, I’ll be giving it a try.
[quote=“lurker”]If your looking for a gaming rig you should stick with a PC. It’s the best option for games because not only is it more powerful and can upgrade easier but it is also cheaper then the parts for the laptop.
Laptops really are geared more towards work/school/communication rather then gaming. There are plenty of gaming laptops available of course.
But if you are looking seriously at computer gaming, then you should get a PC. Because in a year it’s going to be more expensive and more of a pain to upgrade that laptop then it will a PC.
Of course if you are dead set on it then any brand name will do. Gaming puts all of it’s emphasis on RAM, Video Card and Processor. Just make sure your rig has those and your good.[/quote]
I’ve put a reasonable amount of consideration into this, and I don’t think it will really be practical to own a PC if I’m not living in a permanent location. These days I use my computer for much more than just gaming and the portability of laptops is very advantageous. They also work reasonably well as a ‘next best thing’ after owning a console/gaming PC if you’re moving around a lot, and want most of the power of a console/gaming pc (much better specs than a handheld console) in a reasonably portable form. Normally I would agree that a gaming PC is a must if you want to play the latest games, but I’m not expecting to be able to run Crysis with max settings, or play the latest games in two years, I just want something that I can use to play reasonably new games on while also having a functional PC to work and play my media on.
I found Parn’s post to be both informative and fair. Perhaps you could write a similar post as to why you prefer Windows/PCs (if that is the case) explaining the other side of the story (if you don’t agree with what he’s posted)?
I have a Windows based laptop which runs Mac OS X - also refered to as a ‘hackintosh’. Ever since Apple dumped the IBM Power PC chip specifications and went with the Intel SSE2 and SSE3 instruction set, it’s been possible to run Mac OS X on a ‘regular’ laptop for over a year now. And it’s MUCH cheaper than buying a Macbook Pro.
Alot of people still do not know this fact. But that’s ok by me, because I can buy one of these cheap x86 laptops, put Mac OS X on it, and then turn around and sell it and make a $200-$300 profit on it - just from having a different OS on it. People who aren’t in the know are always amazed by the fact of having OS X on a regular laptop and they always flock in line to be the first to handle one.
I thought you might post something like that Kadamose. While that’s certainly an option if you want a cheaper laptop while still being able to try OSX, how realiable is this method in practice? I’ve heard all sorts of things, such as you’ve got to carefully choose your hardware, and then there can be issues with sound, drivers, etc. There’s no doubt that Apple hardware is typically more expensive than Windows based laptops, but if it doesn’t work without a lot of hassles, wouldn’t it be easier just pay a little bit more for the real thing. Thoughts?
It is true that there were installation issues with the Tiger versions of Mac OS X. However, since the release of Leopard, most of the bugs and installation issues have been fixed. The only problems users will experience in installing OS X is if they have an AMD CPU in their laptop - if this is case, then problems could be anywhere from sound issues or the OS not even booting properly.
If you have an Intel based CPU, however, you’re not going to experience any problems - and OS X looks fantastic on a WUXGA display.
As for paying for a hassle-free Macbook, why would you want to? Not only is it $1000 more, but it takes all the fun out of tinkering with stuff. So, to answer your question, the answer is definitely no - that is, of course, if you’re a person like me who likes to experiment with everything.
You do make some good points, which I’ll certainly consider. I’d be interesting in hearing if anyone has anything else to say about this unofficial approach to running Mac OS X.
The ultimate question for yourself is whether saving yourself a bit of money is worth the possibility that compatibility may be an issue now or possibly in the future. “You can run OSX on PC! But only if X, Y, and Z are used. Oh, and A, B, and C don’t work 100%… but D, E, and F do and you saved $500!” It is novel using OSX on a non-Apple-designed product for certain, but I’d argue that it defeats the point of using OSX over Windows in the first place… having a stable platform to do your daily non-gaming tasks.
Good point - one of the reasons Apple software tends ‘just work’ without problems (more than Windows and Linux) is that fact that it’s only designed for a limited number of configurations, so drivers etc aren’t as much of problem. I haven’t been able to install Ubuntu on my current machine because it doesn’t support the Geforce 8800 (they may have fixed this now, but it didn’t at the time).
I guess it’s a case of weighing up between having the most bleeding edge gaming laptop hardware (and possibly paying less) or running a more guaranteed version of OS X, but not having gaming hardware which is quite powerful. An interesting choice indeed, and one that does illustrate one of the differences between Mac and PC users.
If I’m being honest I think the whole Mac VS PC argument is absolutely retarded.
PC’s, when set up right, will just work, exactly the same as a Mac.
In fact you can take Mac OS and drag it kicking and screaming and force it to actually Run on a standard PC, or, take windows and make it run on a Mac (As new macs let you run windows).
There is an OS called BeOS, which’s technical capability blows everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, out of the water, however nobody uses it, so it lies defunct.
The thing that is really irritating about Macs, is the adverts.