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  • New Laptop

    So, it looks like I might have to get a new laptop... My current one works fine until I play ffxiv, then after like 5 mins the display goes dead. I was going to get it fixed, but the local computer fix it shop said he thought the repairs would be around $250, and it would only be guaranteed for 60 days, which is shit. My laptop was the top of the line gaming laptop when i bought it 6 years ago, and it's gotten A TON of use. After I explained the problem the tech thinks it the graphics chip, when the game heats up, it loses its contacts with the motherboard, and this is what causes the display to go out. The sound stays on, its just the display that goes. Or something similar to that, my "technical computer talk" is severly limited... He said they have a machine there that "reflows" or something flows the chip, heating it up and restoring all the connectors back to where they were and should restore the proper connections. But the fact that it would cost $250, the laptops 6 years old, and it's only guaranteed for 60 days is making me think to just buy a new one. He also mentioned that the video chip in my premium gaming laptop 6 years ago was shit. He said NVidea chips are shit and they always have issues. Did this guy know what he was talking about or do you guys have the same feelings about NVidea? Anyways, I just wanted to get some takes from you guys on this scenario. If I do get a laptop what graphics / performance would you recommend? I know I could goto BestBuy and I'd buy the overkill version. As far as gaming goes, I just play ffxiv on it.
    75: Sam, Nin, Blm, Thf, Pld, Cor, Rdm
    RANK 10 Bastok
    CoP: Done
    ZM: Done
    ToA: Done
    Assault rank: Captain
    Campaign Medal: Medals
    Wotg: Complete the quests already and I'll start

    Originally posted by Etra
    This thread brought to you by Malacite's lack of understanding.

  • #2
    Re: New Laptop

    I've had decent luck with nVidia, so I'd say it honestly depends on the individual model you're looking at, but then I'm not terribly familiar with their laptop cards. Actually I've not had overly much personal experience with gaming grade laptops in general, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I think Armando has one so he might have more insight.

    There's a few key components you'll want to scope out when shopping for a new machine:
    CPU
    Graphics Card
    RAM

    Those are the ones that are going to influence your performance the most.

    These days RAM is dirt cheap so I wouldn't settle for anything under 4GB but shoot for 8GB when possible.

    For graphics cards, I'd point you toward an nVidia Geforce 600m series model, but a 500m series would also be serviceable, though probably wouldn't last you as long as far as performance needs are concerned. I'm not familiar with Radeon cards.

    I'd recommend you try to get an Intel CPU as the current generation of AMD processors aren't as good from what I've read. You'll want an i5 as your baseline but try to snag an i7 if you can.

    One other thing to consider is the harddrive. Traditional harddrives are going to be cheaper and offer a lot of storage space. The other option is a solid state drive(SSD) which is wicked fast, but expensive, offers considerably less storage space and has some additional quirks for maintenance. If this is strictly a gaming machine and you don't mind doing a little research to make sure you don't shoot yourself in the foot I'd strongly recommend a SSD. If this machine is going to be more general purpose but just has to be beefy enough to handle gaming or you don't want to worry about simple mistakes like defragmenting your SSD burning it out early I'd say just grab a normal harddrive and be done with it.

    I don't really have a specific machine to point at and say "go buy that one", but hopefully what I've laid out will help you get your bearings and at least know what to look for as you search for a new machine.
    Server: Midgardsormr -> Quetzalcoatl -> Valefor
    Occupation: Reckless Red Mage
    Name: Drjones
    Blog: Mediocre Mage

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    • #3
      Re: New Laptop

      I would say get a normal hard drive. If you absolutely HAVE to get a SSD then I would use your SSD to boot the operating system and HDD for storing your games. Even then to be honest, it is really difficult justifying actually using an SSD at this moment of time over an HDD.

      Other than that, Cid posted some pretty nice baselines for a gaming laptop that will last for a few years.

      But do remember that for the same price as a gaming quality laptop you can pretty much get a better gaming tower and a desktop replacement laptop which is always something to consider and what I did and recommend. All my day to day stuff is done on my laptop and all my gaming on my desktop. That said I won't deny the sheer convenience of having a mobile gaming quality computer. When I play games on my laptop outdoors in the summer, I do curse sometimes at the lack of games I can really play.

      At the end of the day it's your choice and I won't deny how nice it is to have a gaming quality machine you can take anywhere. If you definitely want a laptop then what Cid said is very good advice.
      Rahal Gerrant - Balmung - 188 DRK
      Reiko Takahashi
      - Balmung - 182 AST, 191 BLM, 182 SCH, 188 SMN
      Haters Gonna Hate



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      • #4
        Re: New Laptop

        To be fair most embedded graphics/sound chips tend to be garbage for several reasons. But while both Nvidia and Intel gained a reputation for "stability" and "compatibility" it was more due to proprietary tricks rather than real performance advantage. So yeah, except for some specific cases nvidia (graphics) and Intel (processors) are just overpriced and over-hyped pieces of meh hardware.

        When it comes to raw power AMD (graphics and processors) are rarely behind and are usually cheaper than the equivalent models of the other brand. Although it's fair to say ATI graphics was far better before being purchased by AMD.

        Now, for a laptop your options are limited since they are more expensive and give you less performance than a gaming rig. So my suggestion for getting a good price would be looking for a rig with a graphics chip one generation behind, for instance if you are getting AMD look for HD6970-ish for good performance and lower price (current gen are HD7000s), same with the processor, also make sure it has a 64-bit OS with at least 8GB ram. And also make sure it has good air flow and that has good compatible cooling pads available, which will be required if you ever want to do any seriuous gaming on your laptop.

        I can't really suggest models or brands because my laptop experience is close to zero, I only repair family laptops (cause I'm the family's technician or something. orz )
        sigpic
        "In this world, the one who has the most fun is the winner!" C.B.
        Prishe's Knight 2004-Forever.

        その目だれの目。

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        • #5
          Re: New Laptop

          I just ran by Best Buy and saw this...

          - - - Updated - - -

          Click image for larger version

Name:	LAPTOP1.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	158.7 KB
ID:	1476548
          75: Sam, Nin, Blm, Thf, Pld, Cor, Rdm
          RANK 10 Bastok
          CoP: Done
          ZM: Done
          ToA: Done
          Assault rank: Captain
          Campaign Medal: Medals
          Wotg: Complete the quests already and I'll start

          Originally posted by Etra
          This thread brought to you by Malacite's lack of understanding.

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          • #6
            Re: New Laptop

            Aside from the fact that it comes with Windows 8 I'd say that looks like a decent choice.
            Server: Midgardsormr -> Quetzalcoatl -> Valefor
            Occupation: Reckless Red Mage
            Name: Drjones
            Blog: Mediocre Mage

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            • #7
              Re: New Laptop

              Nice choice . I have no experience with Windows 8 though so I have no idea what to say about that.
              Rahal Gerrant - Balmung - 188 DRK
              Reiko Takahashi
              - Balmung - 182 AST, 191 BLM, 182 SCH, 188 SMN
              Haters Gonna Hate



              Comment


              • #8
                Re: New Laptop

                Originally posted by Firewind View Post
                I would say get a normal hard drive. If you absolutely HAVE to get a SSD then I would use your SSD to boot the operating system and HDD for storing your games. Even then to be honest, it is really difficult justifying actually using an SSD at this moment of time over an HDD.
                Getting an SSD for a laptop makes more sense than for a PC (although I got one for mine and I'm very happy with it XD ) because SSD are pretty much drop-proof. With an SSD if your laptop is hit by anything there's no chance your disk will be damaged, but with a regular HDD if your laptop is hit, moved, or rocked at the wrong moment it can get damaged and make you lose a variable amount of data. So it depends on the use you are giving the laptop, in some cases depending how critical your info is, using SSDs is actually the cheaper option.

                - - - Updated - - -

                Originally posted by Mezlo View Post
                I just ran by Best Buy and saw this...
                If there's a Windows 7 version of it and it's really cheap it would be a decent option.
                sigpic
                "In this world, the one who has the most fun is the winner!" C.B.
                Prishe's Knight 2004-Forever.

                その目だれの目。

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: New Laptop

                  The nice thing about this one is I'd have the option to add the SSD if the need arises. I agree that since I'd onlt be using this for FFXIV and surfing the net, I dont think it warrants the need for an SSD, especially since I'm pretty much computer inept.

                  - - - Updated - - -

                  He showed me a quick demonstration of windows 8 and it looked pretty bad ass. Cid and Ray, is there something bad or some flaw to Windows 8?
                  75: Sam, Nin, Blm, Thf, Pld, Cor, Rdm
                  RANK 10 Bastok
                  CoP: Done
                  ZM: Done
                  ToA: Done
                  Assault rank: Captain
                  Campaign Medal: Medals
                  Wotg: Complete the quests already and I'll start

                  Originally posted by Etra
                  This thread brought to you by Malacite's lack of understanding.

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                  • #10
                    Re: New Laptop

                    Originally posted by Raydeus View Post
                    Getting an SSD for a laptop makes more sense than for a PC (although I got one for mine and I'm very happy with it XD ) because SSD are pretty much drop-proof. With an SSD if your laptop is hit by anything there's no chance your disk will be damaged, but with a regular HDD if your laptop is hit, moved, or rocked at the wrong moment it can get damaged and make you lose a variable amount of data. So it depends on the use you are giving the laptop, in some cases depending how critical your info is, using SSDs is actually the cheaper option.
                    You're actually far more likely to damage solders, the motherboard or the screen if you drop or knock a laptop. HDDs are surprisingly tough and only the really cheaply made ones will see damage from things like that.
                    Rahal Gerrant - Balmung - 188 DRK
                    Reiko Takahashi
                    - Balmung - 182 AST, 191 BLM, 182 SCH, 188 SMN
                    Haters Gonna Hate



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                    • #11
                      Re: New Laptop

                      It's Microsoft's off season, plus there have been rumblings in the blogosphere about its viability as a gaming platform long term. But from a more practical standpoint it just hasn't been on the market long enough to be considered reliable/stable. I mean really, they haven't even released a service pack for it yet.

                      It won't be the end of the world if you go with Windows 8, but you're less likely to run into weird compatibility issues with Windows 7 at this point. It's your call really.
                      Server: Midgardsormr -> Quetzalcoatl -> Valefor
                      Occupation: Reckless Red Mage
                      Name: Drjones
                      Blog: Mediocre Mage

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                      • #12
                        Re: New Laptop

                        Originally posted by Firewind View Post
                        You're actually far more likely to damage solders, the motherboard or the screen if you drop or knock a laptop. HDDs are surprisingly tough and only the really cheaply made ones will see damage from things like that.
                        In cases where you need an SSD to protect your info losing your disposable laptop rarely is of consequence though. <_<;

                        PS > Scratch that, data is way more valuable than a laptop unless you have good backup practices or only use it as an extra large PSP.

                        - - - Updated - - -

                        PPS > Windows 8 is pretty much Vista part 2. So if you can avoid it just ask for 7 and wait for Windows 9 if you really want to upgrade. <_<;
                        sigpic
                        "In this world, the one who has the most fun is the winner!" C.B.
                        Prishe's Knight 2004-Forever.

                        その目だれの目。

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: New Laptop

                          Yeah the main problem with Windows 8 is that it is a brand new OS so there are stability and backwards compatibility issues. Remember that Microsoft have to take into account every single hardware and software combination you can possibly imagine. And different bits of software might also cause problems when they interact with each other which Microsoft also need to find out about and try to fix.

                          Of course the average person doesn't think of that and whines like an entitled little bitch every time a new Windows OS runs into a compatibility issue that is 99% likely not even Microsoft's fault, and is caused by third party software acting in a way that Microsoft had never even considered. As a general rule with Windows, wait until the first Service Pack before upgrading, even if it is a good operating system that worked well with a lot of things out of the box like Windows 7.

                          The whining about Vista was justified though. Good god that was a bad OS. And the less said about Windows ME the better.

                          - - - Updated - - -

                          Originally posted by Raydeus View Post
                          In cases where you need an SSD to protect your info losing your disposable laptop rarely is of consequence though. <_<;

                          PS > Scratch that, data is way more valuable than a laptop unless you have good backup practices or only use it as an extra large PSP.

                          - - - Updated - - -

                          PPS > Windows 8 is pretty much Vista part 2. So if you can avoid it just ask for 7 and wait for Windows 9 if you really want to upgrade. <_<;
                          Oh definitely, I was not arguing against that. A lot of the time, what is on the computer is often more valuable than the computer itself.
                          Rahal Gerrant - Balmung - 188 DRK
                          Reiko Takahashi
                          - Balmung - 182 AST, 191 BLM, 182 SCH, 188 SMN
                          Haters Gonna Hate



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                          • #14
                            Re: New Laptop

                            To show you how PC inept I am, my current Laptop runs on Vista and I've had 0 problems. Now, they mightve existed, but I never noticed, LOL...
                            75: Sam, Nin, Blm, Thf, Pld, Cor, Rdm
                            RANK 10 Bastok
                            CoP: Done
                            ZM: Done
                            ToA: Done
                            Assault rank: Captain
                            Campaign Medal: Medals
                            Wotg: Complete the quests already and I'll start

                            Originally posted by Etra
                            This thread brought to you by Malacite's lack of understanding.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: New Laptop

                              Mezlo, you can "downgrade" to Windows 7 with a Windows 8 machine. It's free to do until late Jan/early Feb (not sure of the exact date that this deal expires) Check out Microsoft's site for more info...

                              But that laptop is pretty decent. Asus makes good products (at least they've made improvements in the past year or two) BTW I also ran Vista without too much issues (FFXI couldn't run though, but that's neither here nor there) but Windows 7 is rock solid so I'm not complaining about it either. Windows 8 has been hit or miss so it could either be dependent upon what you're looking for in an OS, what applications you're running and what machine you're running the OS on.

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