Hey guys, I'm a regular visitor/lurker, but just recently decided to actually make an account. I don't really know why I'm asking you guys this rather than some laptop experts, but... why not?
I'm getting a $1,000 laptop as a graduation gift, and I want one that can play games but also be good for lugging around college, etc. I don't necessarily want a gaming laptop, just a laptop that can game adequately.
Up first is the Alienware m11x. This thing looks pretty serious. It can apparently play Mass Effect 2 on high, and it has switchable graphics for when I want to save battery. Something that might be a deal-breaker for me is the 11 inch screen. That seems pretty small to me.
Then I stumbled upon the Sony CW series laptops. It doesn't seem to be marketed as a really great gaming machine, but from what I hear it does fairly well. It's got nice style, and a bigger (about 16 inches, I think?) screen. I'm actually leaning towards this one, but I'm still unsure if I'll be able to do some good gaming on it.
Any thoughts? Are there other ~$1000 laptops that can run stuff that doesn't look like garbage? I know I'll never get the power of a desktop, but I'd still rather get something that can perform well graphically.
Alienware m11x or Sony Vaio CW?
Go with the Vaio. It can play just as well, you just have to make sure you have the right graphics card.
A lot of people are gonna tell you Alienware is overpriced, i'm sure
Well, that's another reason I'm leaning toward the Sony CW.
$1000 for an 11-inch screen seems to be pretty bad. Then again, ME 2 on high settings.
Still, does anyone have any personal experience with the CW series?
" Well, that's another reason I'm leaning toward the Sony CW. $1000 for an 11-inch screen seems to be pretty bad. Then again, ME 2 on high settings. Still, does anyone have any personal experience with the CW series? "My 19" ASUS cost me $1,000. It's valued at about $900 now. My point is, you can do WAYYY better. There's nothing wrong with browsing at your local BestBuy.
If you're serious about PC gaming, it's probably best to go with a desktop, preferably building your own.
I currently have a Sony VAIO AW Series laptop that I bought last year and it does the job for what I need, but it's certainly not a serious gaming machine.
If you have the specs, maybe that'll help.
To make a good computer all you really need is a Good Processor, a Good Graphics Card and then as much Ram as you can buy.... So basically just look at the specs of those from the Alienware machine and find another brand with those specs and you should be able to save some money...... You know its not rocket science lol
A funny thing about the m11x is that the processor is pretty much rubbish. I'm crossing it off my list; it's not worth it to pay so much for glowing lights and all the other frills when I'm sure I can get something better at the same price.
I'll try to check out my Best Buy soon. If they have a CW, I'll check it out, and maybe find some other stuff that looks good.
Also, I was sure there was an option on the VAIO site to upgrade the card on the CW from an Nvidia 310M with 256 MB to a 330M with 512 MB, but I just looked it over and can't find it. Maybe I'm imagining things?
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