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[Shrennin]

Actually, Power Notebooks looks to have a much better deal. They'll upgrade you to a quad core for just $20.

I will also vouch for their customer service.

Wow, thanks for all this help. I really can't wait till I can get this new laptop. It seems the dual core is a sale they're having, I may try to get this sooner rather than later.

 

[keeblerdrow]

Actually, Power Notebooks looks to have a much better deal. They'll upgrade you to a quad core for just $20.

I will also vouch for their customer service.

Some of that savings is in them not shipping your notebook to you with an operating system.

 

[Kolgar]

I bought this today for $900 because of the shiny i7 processor. Can someone tell me that I'm not an idiot?

http://laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/satellite/A660/A665-S6067

I just got nearly the same exact machine. Different model number--ends in 6065--but I didn't immediately see any differences in specs.

It's a great piece of hardware, but I might concur with K.Jack who suggested an i5 plus a 57XX video card.

I downloaded the Mafia 2 demo yesterday and while I pulled off an average of about 30fps at 1280 x 720 in the benchmark, I can see where I'd benefit from a bit beefier GPU. It's all about balance, especially when dealing with laptops and heat, and were I to do it again (and were I any kind of a serious PC gamer), I'd probably go i5 with a higher-end GPU.

But then, if your other uses for the machine would benefit from the four-core i7, that there may be a great choice.

 

[Shrennin]

Some of that savings is in them not shipping your notebook to you with an operating system.

I noticed that, but I think the quad core costs a lot more than the OS so it's still a good deal. Although not as good a deal as it may seem.

 

[K.Jack]

Some of that savings is in them not shipping your notebook to you with an operating system.

Windows 7 OEM costs ~$100; an i7-720QM OEM costs ~$400.

$115 for OS + $19 for the quad is a huge deal, to say the least.

 

[Kyzer]

Hey GAF, what's the most cost-effective way to be able to play FFXIV when it comes out? Also, I hear October tends to be the best time of year to buy hardware. Is that true?

 

[K.Jack]

Hey GAF, what's the most cost-effective way to be able to play FFXIV when it comes out? Also, I hear October tends to be the best time of year to buy hardware. Is that true?

It's best to have a budget, then we can choose the best machine within that constraint.

As far as when to buy.....

From here on out, I'm suggesting that anyone who can wait until Q4, maybe even Q1 of 2011, do just that.

Reasons:

- Nvidia's new 400M GPUs will be substantial upgrades over what's currently available, especially in the mid-range (sub $1k); NDA on them is up September 1, notebook release dates soon after

- ATI's Mobility 6000 series is coming; no firm dates, other than "should be Q4

This is all I know, so far:

I well say, I've already seen some Blackcomb DX11 test results, released directly from ATI, so the line looks to have been moved up to Q4 of this year

- Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs are here in late Q4, Q1; I'm not really a CPU guy, so I don't care to wait for them, but they look pretty good:

Anyone who has to buy now should go ahead and do so, but one who has the ability to wait until maybe December definitely should.

 

[BigJonsson]

Lenovo Ideapad Y560 is pretty solid

 

[Game2Death]

Ok, so I have a crap HP laptop right now. And I am going to be a senior in high school. In the next few months I will be purchasing a new laptop for college. Now of course I was looking into one that could play a few games. Something that will last the next 5 years, laptop wise. And nothing terribly expensive.

Any thoughts?

Now I have been looking at what some people have said and the alien ware laptop doesn't have a disc drive. That would be a problem for me. I also saw a lot of Toshiba Satellites. Are those fairly good?
Toshiba Satellite A655-S6067
Toshiba Satellite L645D-S4036
Toshiba Satellite P505D-S8000
ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3
Sony VAIO VGN-NW330F/S

So I am looking for a good build quality, will run games at good FPS and resolution. And will work and last through my college years.

Thank you.

 

[vertopci]

Thinking of grabbing an MSI MX640. Plan on using it for programming and gaming in the downtime. Are they are other laptops that are a better value than it at the same pricepoint or lower with a screensize lower than 16 inches?

edit: Not meant to be a desktop replacement. Just plan on using it when I'm on campus and away from my desktop.

 

[keeblerdrow]

If you're talking about the MSI GX640, then yes, it's a great deal. The 660 just came out a couple weeks ago and I expect it to drive the price of the 640 down a little bit, at least. I can't buy my laptop til mid September, anyway, but I'll be keeping an eye on the 640. It's a great computer. I wonder if ASUS will be shipping anything new in the next 3 weeks.

 

[King of Custard]

Grrr I hate the fact that it seems I have to sacrifice something in every build I've found, screen size seems to be a weird variable (I've seen 13"-17" screens all priced similarly), even though from the specs they seem to have the same innards. Intel i5 check, Nvidia 330m check and 4gb of ram check. The M11x seems to have nothing going for it except the graphics card (the screen is smaller, hard drive has less space and there is no optical drive to boot). I'm a laptop noob and I'm just making my self more confused, my budget is £900 it seems my best option is the Sony Vaio f series but then that still has an Nvidia 330m and not the Nvidia 335m in the M11x. Is sacrificing everything for graphics worth it?

 

[K.Jack]

I wonder if ASUS will be shipping anything new in the next 3 weeks.

Yes, the new G53 and G73 will be coming within a month. They will be equipped with Core i7 processors and Nvidia's new GTX 460M.

Is sacrificing everything for graphics worth it?

If gaming is your #1 priority, then yes, you go with the fastest GPU first, unless that hinders your desired amount of portability.

For me the M11x's CULV CPUs are too much of a compromise. The 335M is nice, but those weak processors will have to catch up with you sometime.

 

[keeblerdrow]

Yes, the new G53 and G73 will be coming within a month. They will be equipped with Core i7 processors and Nvidia's new GTX 460M.

Is there any indication that they'll drop their tank-like chassis style for the new line? One thing about ASUS' gaming lines is their horrible aesthetic sensibility. Not that the new MSI 660 is much better. They just go gaudy instead of gamer-edge/tank.

 

[King of Custard]

If gaming is your #1 priority, then yes, you go with the fastest GPU first, unless that hinders your desired amount of portability.

For me the M11x's CULV CPUs are too much of a compromise. The 335M is nice, but those weak processors will have to catch up with you sometime.

Gaming used to be my only priority and I know the Vaio will be able to handle everything out at the moment but it still doesn't make the battle with my inner techie any easier.

 

[Kolgar]

Ok, so I have a crap HP laptop right now. And I am going to be a senior in high school. In the next few months I will be purchasing a new laptop for college. Now of course I was looking into one that could play a few games. Something that will last the next 5 years, laptop wise. And nothing terribly expensive.

Any thoughts?

Now I have been looking at what some people have said and the alien ware laptop doesn't have a disc drive. That would be a problem for me. I also saw a lot of Toshiba Satellites. Are those fairly good?
Toshiba Satellite A655-S6067
Toshiba Satellite L645D-S4036
Toshiba Satellite P505D-S8000
ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3
Sony VAIO VGN-NW330F/S
at good FPS and resolution. And will work and last through my college years.

Thank you.

Hm, five years is a tall order, man. I just bought a Toshiba Satellite A665-S6065, which seems equivalent to your Toshiba 6067 there. The i7 CPU is nice, but the 330M graphics card is fairly modest. If you can hold out a bit, you might want to wait for a model with one of the new nVidia cards.

Otherwise, I can vouch for the build quality and the comfort of the machine. I write for a living, and I *love* the keyboard. The Harmon/Kardon speakers sound very nice, and some of the Toshiba-loaded software is actually quite good. I especially like the Toshiba Eco mode, which dims the screen and conserves battery life, and the Toshiba Health Monitor, which tracks power consumption, battery health, CPU temperature and fan speed.

I got mine from Amazon for $900, just before the price went up. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MVZ8UG/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Protip: Steer clear of anything with integrated graphics. You want a dedicated graphics card, and if gaming is your #1 priority, get the best one you can. Of the laptops you listed, I think the Asus is best equipped there.

Also, there's a chart floating around in this thread or the "Buying a Laptop" thread in OT that shows Asus and Toshiba as #1 and #2 in reliability. Good to know.

Good luck!

 

[phinious]

It's best to have a budget, then we can choose the best machine within that constraint.

As far as when to buy.....

From here on out, I'm suggesting that anyone who can wait until Q4, maybe even Q1 of 2011, do just that.

Reasons:

- Nvidia's new 400M GPUs will be substantial upgrades over what's currently available, especially in the mid-range (sub $1k); NDA on them is up September 1, notebook release dates soon after

- ATI's Mobility 6000 series is coming; no firm dates, other than "should be Q4

This is all I know, so far:

I well say, I've already seen some Blackcomb DX11 test results, released directly from ATI, so the line looks to have been moved up to Q4 of this year

- Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs are here in late Q4, Q1; I'm not really a CPU guy, so I don't care to wait for them, but they look pretty good:


Anyone who has to buy now should go ahead and do so, but one who has the ability to wait until maybe December definitely should.

Great post! THanks for the advice. Im taking it

 

[brain_stew]

Its not quite gamer approved but the first round of Ontario Fusion chips are shaping up damn nicely. They're going to absolutely blow away Atom based netbooks in the general usability stakes (much better single threaded performance + dual core as standard + full 1080p/BD video decode) and should actually be fine for some half decent gaming in a pinch.

Its basically confirmed now that all first generation products will have dual core Bobcats + a DX11 Cedar GPU part (80 SPs.) That should deliver noticeably better gaming performance than ION based netbooks (a better GPU and getting rid of the CPU bottleneck should see to that) and most modern games should be just about playable @ 720p with low/medium settings which is lightyears ahead of standard Intel Atom netbooks.

 

[Firestorm]

Well that was weird. I switched back to this tab and that graphic was staring at me and I was wondering what topic I was in with Vancouver street / mountain names in a chart.

 

[K.Jack]

ATI and Intel go way overboard with the whole codename thing.

 

[FreezeSSC]

I posted in the PC thread but got linked here so im reposting my question!

I know this is mostly for pc builders but i had a laptop question,

What do you guys think about the HP envy 15?? i heard when it launched it had issues but they refreshed the lineup and fixed alot of the issues???

Im thinking of getting the core i5 processor version, i also get a 10% discount from my work.

So does anyone know of something that matches the envy in terms of specs and looks? i plan to buy by this weekend.

also to add i get a discount from my job at alot of the top laptop companies like dell, HP, and sony.

 

[brain_stew]

Oh and its interesting to see that ATI are finally reintroducing a 256 bit part, high end mobile GPUs really need a shot in the arm imo. The midrange has been pretty decent for a while but at the high end we've stagnated for far too long.

Its also nice to see GDDR5 being used at the low end as well. It must be super cheap now considering how widely used it is and it should prove finally make those super low end cards a worthwile step above integrated. I wonder if the introduction of Fusion chips have anything to do with this? Using GDDR5 memory is one way to segregate low end dedicated to what are likely to be very competent integrated solutions. Sticking with DDR2 on a 64 bit bus was only ever going to leave to them being outpaced by integrated solutions.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

So I'm going to be moving to Japan in a couple days and have been trying to figure out what laptop I'm going to get when I arrive there.

Anyone know anything about these guys:

http://www.dospara.co.jp/5goods_pc/pc_detail.php?h=g&f=g&m=g&mc=1412&map=8

The value seems incredible..

You can even take out the operating system and get it for ~80,000 yen.

Unfortunately the screen can't be upgraded as far as I can tell, but I'll probably plug into an external monitor for gaming anyway.

Anyone know anything about the reputation of this place?

This seems pretty good too: (again you can take out the OS to save ~100 bucks.)

http://www.faith-go.co.jp/pc/model/?id=140729

 

[keeblerdrow]

Yeah, that's in Japanese, bro. Just based on the numbers that are poking through, that's about average for the market. You'd probably be able to land something like that, maybe better for that price over here, too.

What kind of gaming do you want to do on this?

 

[teh_J0kerer]

Well, I don't play a lot of PC games, so it doesn't have to be anything insanely powerful.

I'd like to be able to play, say SC2 on better than medium settings, and similarly for diablo3 when it comes out.

I'd like decent portability, but again it doesn't have to be super portable.

I'd like decent battery life I guess.

I'm really picky about the keyboard and touchpad for some reason, even though I'll mostly be using it at home with a mouse plugged in. I much prefer the smooth macbook style touchpads (but with 2 buttons).

 

[K.Jack]

I posted in the PC thread but got linked here so im reposting my question!



also to add i get a discount from my job at alot of the top laptop companies like dell, HP, and sony.

The Envy 15 is a nice compromise, offering style and good performance. The Mobility 5830 is pretty nice.

Oh and its interesting to see that ATI are finally reintroducing a 256 bit part, high end mobile GPUs really need a shot in the arm imo. The midrange has been pretty decent for a while but at the high end we've stagnated for far too long.

Its also nice to see GDDR5 being used at the low end as well. It must be super cheap now considering how widely used it is and it should prove finally make those super low end cards a worthwile step above integrated. I wonder if the introduction of Fusion chips have anything to do with this? Using GDDR5 memory is one way to segregate low end dedicated to what are likely to be very competent integrated solutions. Sticking with DDR2 on a 64 bit bus was only ever going to leave to them being outpaced by integrated solutions.

Yeay, I expect ATI's first attempt at a 256-bit GDDR5 chip to be more successful than Nvidia's GTX 480M. The GF100 just has no business in the mobile scene. I mean, a downclocked GTX 465 sounds good on paper, but it just draws too much power, and the fact that NV is charging $900 for it is ridiculous.

Nvidia's GF104 entry will be quite interesting though.

So I'm going to be moving to Japan in a couple days and have been trying to figure out what laptop I'm going to get when I arrive there.

Anyone know anything about these guys:

http://www.dospara.co.jp/5goods_pc/pc_detail.php?h=g&f=g&m=g&mc=1412&map=8

The value seems incredible..

You can even take out the operating system and get it for ~80,000 yen.

Unfortunately the screen can't be upgraded as far as I can tell, but I'll probably plug into an external monitor for gaming anyway.

Anyone know anything about the reputation of this place?

This seems pretty good too: (again you can take out the OS to save ~100 bucks.)

http://www.faith-go.co.jp/pc/model/?id=140729

Choose the GTS 360M model.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

There's a couple things I don't like about the GTS360M model:

First, it seems kinda big and heavy at 3.3kg (over 7 pounds). Second, for some reason the HDD is only 5400rpm, with no 7200rpm option. Strangely they do have a SSD upgrade option, but as usual its really expensive for any decent space. Of course it's also about 250 bucks more expensive than the GT335M model to begin with.

What don't you like about the GT335M one?

 

[K.Jack]

There's a couple things I don't like about the GTS360M model:

First, it seems kinda big and heavy at 3.3kg (over 7 pounds). Second, for some reason the HDD is only 5400rpm, with no 7200rpm option. Strangely they do have a SSD upgrade option, but as usual its really expensive for any decent space. Of course it's also about 250 bucks more expensive than the GT335M model to begin with.

What don't you like about the GT335M one?

I guess it depends on your priority. The 360M will deliver nearly 2x the performance of the 335M. The gaming difference is mostly high vs all medium, with some low.

You can always buy a faster HDD, and install it yourself. There is no such option with GPUs.

The GT 335M isn't a bad option, I just wanted to make you aware of the gap in GPU speed. Now you can make an informed choice, based on your ideal of power vs portability.

 

[paskowitz]

Just because you can find a couple benchmarks that line up nicely with the 5730 doesn't change the fact that the majority of games out there see a 20-30% performance increase which yes, destroys, the 4670.

Hmm... I never mentioned benchmarks (which mean nothing). Also the SXPS16 comes with the 5730 so whats the point of arguing?

If you like your laptop that's fine, be happy. But don't come into these threads and try to lead other forum members into the same trap you fell into by buying it.

Yes, because I came hear with the intention of leading people astray:lol. I do believe I said:

And as for throttling. Yes it WAS a huge problem... and while it is not completely gone, FAR less systems suffer from it.

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make. I agree 100% that as a pure gaming laptop the SXPS16 is lagging way behind (and never said otherwise). Was it ever marketed as such, no. Was it designed as such, no.

So then why bother posting it (SXPS16) in a thread for gaming laptops? Well, IMO, it plays most modern games very well (enough for the average person). And on top of that it does normal laptop stuff very well. Thus I believe in my opinion and from personal experience that it is a great laptop for anyone who wants to play PC games but also needs a laptop to excel at other normal tasks.

So, let me get this straight, the SXPS16 as an everyday computer that also plays games is total crap. Really? I think just about every owner would tell you otherwise. By that logic the Evo is a terrible sports car because it has a trunk and four doors. Not to mention the fact since you do not own one you are not qualified to say its trash or its the bee's knees. This is a thread about laptops approved by gamers. Gaming laptop does not = laptop that plays every game at the highest setting. MSi, Sager, AW etc are not the only laptops that can play games. And not everyone wants a pure gaming laptop just like not everyone wants a Nisan Z (may not be the best model for this analogy but you get the point). Thus my logical recommendation.

Dell gaming laptops have gone to shit ever since they acquired the alienware moniker and as a result underperform, and are over priced. Buy an MSI or Asus laptop instead. If you live in the states you can also look at Sagers and the like.

Before Dell bought AW their "gaming" laptops were shyt, you are correct. But that is not what the SXPS16 is. Its an all purpose multimedia laptop, that happens to play games at acceptable levels for a large majority of people. If you can find me a laptop that plays games as well or better, has a 1080p screen, has a better CPU, better GPU, better wifi card, 3 years of American tech support, 4-5 hours of battery life, is under 7 pounds, is less that 1.5 inches thick and costs under $1300 be my guest (I paid $1230, but its not uncommon to go as low as $1000).

 

[K.Jack]

LOOK.

People can't game, on the XPS16, without the system throttling. This topic is skewed towards those who prioritize gaming. Until the at least throttling is fixed, the XPS16 is a piece of trash, completely unworthy of a recommendation in a topic about notebooks which are fit for gaming. Period.

Can you disagree?

P.S. - please don't challenge me to create a list of better alternatives.

 

[Shinjitsu]

LOOK.

People can't game, on the XPS16, without the system throttling. This topic is skewed towards those who prioritize gaming. Until the at least throttling is fixed, the XPS16 is a piece of trash, completely unworthy of a recommendation in a topic about notebooks which are fit for gaming. Period.

Can you disagree?

P.S. - please don't challenge me to create a list of better alternatives.

I have an XPS1640, I don't have the throttling issue. You can disable it in the bios.

 

[dominuece]

If you're talking about the MSI GX640, then yes, it's a great deal. The 660 just came out a couple weeks ago and I expect it to drive the price of the 640 down a little bit, at least. I can't buy my laptop til mid September, anyway, but I'll be keeping an eye on the 640. It's a great computer. I wonder if ASUS will be shipping anything new in the next 3 weeks.

I just grabbed the MSI GX640 from Amazon yesterday. The total price was $1024.00(US). I can't wait to get my hands on it.

 

[paskowitz]

LOOK.

People can't game, on the XPS16, without the system throttling. This topic is skewed towards those who prioritize gaming. Until the at least throttling is fixed, the XPS16 is a piece of trash, completely unworthy of a recommendation in a topic about notebooks which are fit for gaming. Period.

Can you disagree?

P.S. - please don't challenge me to create a list of better alternatives.

This was true about 6 months to a year ago. Since then dell have swapped out the GPU for the 5630 and thrown in a 130w power adapter with every unit. All this in addition to software/bios updates. The problem is FAR FAR less frequent if at all. Also many got the SXPS16 when it came out and have had no problem to date. This is not NEARLY as bad as when Nvidia sold Dell faulty GPUs for the M1530. Now that was horrendous.

 

[K.Jack]

I have an XPS1640, I don't have the throttling issue. You can disable it in the bios.

This was true about 6 months to a year ago. Since then dell have swapped out the GPU for the 5630 and thrown in a 130w power adapter with every unit. All this in addition to software/bios updates. The problem is FAR FAR less frequent if at all. Also many got the SXPS16 when it came out and have had no problem to date. This is not NEARLY as bad as when Nvidia sold Dell faulty GPUs for the M1530. Now that was horrendous.

There are still tons of people who do have it. Enough to where it comes off of the recommended list. I have to monitor a multitude of topics across several forums, and the BIOS which was supposed to fix it has not done so for everyone. I have daily contact with someone who has in their home, and had Dell Tech their motherboard replaced twice, with no resolution.

Even without the issue, it's still overpriced in comparison to what's available in the modern notebook market.

Overall it just doesn't paint a pretty picture.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

How important is it to be able to switch between discrete and integrated graphics?

I mean, how much of an improvement on non-gaming battery life does it provide?

 

[Rad Agast]

Nobody?

Depending on your luck you might find an older Asus G series for under $600 with Core2Duo and an nvidia 9800 GS (Asus G50 VT). They're not too shabby for gaming but they're hard to find now a days.

I don't know if I can recommend it if you're planning on using it for more than a year though.

 

[Jugendstil]

I got a chance to check out the 14'' Envy yesterday and was really impressed with the build quality. The previous versions seemed slightly off somehow, but it seems like HP sorted out some of the more noticeable issues from the previous versions. I'm trying to hold off on a new laptop till January, but the Envy is tempting. I never thought I'd actually consider buying an HP.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

The thing about the HP laptops that I can't stand is the touchpad. They feel great, but when I actually try them out they constantly screw up.

I don't know how other people use touchpads, but I like to keep one finger on the left mouse button while my other hand moves the cursor around. Since the buttons are part of the touchpad surface, this seems to often confuse the software, and the cursor skips around or stops moving or whatever.

I don't have this problem at all on mac laptops which also have the button as part of the touchpad, so it just seems like crappy software on the HP or something.

 

[brain_stew]

How important is it to be able to switch between discrete and integrated graphics?

I mean, how much of an improvement on non-gaming battery life does it provide?

It can have quite significant effect. Optimus is definitely a nice feature to have.

 

[vertopci]

Anyone have any impressions on the GX640's keyboard? I'm kinda leaning towards the ASUS G51JX-X3 due to the backlit chiclet keyboard and GX640 supposedly has flexing problems with the keyboard. Don't want to buy another laptop for 5 years, so I want to make sure the one I get won't annoy me

 

[Shrennin]

I may be buying the GX640 this weekend but I have heard of overheating issues (at least reaching 90+C when gaming, idle at 60C).

Would getting the IC Diamond Thermal Compound for the CPU and GPU help greatly with this?

I'm probably getting it from this website (with the i7 upgrade):

http://www.powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=815

Also, does upgrading it from a site that does upgrades void the MSI warranty?

However, if I could wait until the end of the year (early next year), could I get a better laptop for a lower price (or just as good)? I'm starting to see this talk about waiting, and while it would be hard, I may just make that sacrifice if it works out in the end.

I also hear this laptop is really good as well:

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8690...stom-gaming-laptop-p-2659.html?wconfigure=yes

And it comes with an apparently great cooling system, which should negate any cooling issues I may have.

Anyone have any impressions on the GX640's keyboard? I'm kinda leaning towards the ASUS G51JX-X3 due to the backlit chiclet keyboard and GX640 supposedly has flexing problems with the keyboard. Don't want to buy another laptop for 5 years, so I want to make sure the one I get won't annoy me

There is this site I was also looking at where they can upgrade the MSI with a chiclet keyboard for $45 if you're really worried about the keyboard and that is the only thing keeping you from the MSI.

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcnotebooks/index.php?l=product_detail&p=274

I have never purchased from this company before, so I can't give you any assurance of their quality but I've read reviews of them and they seem legitimate. Haven't heard any impressions of their chiclet keyboard either, but I thought I would just post that to give you the option.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

Anyone have any bright ideas for hiding that stupid alien head on the back of the m11x?

I need to use my laptop for giving seminars etc for work, and having a glowing alien head facing the audience would be fucking stupid.

The new version of the m11x seems totally sweet otherwise though...

 

[FreezeSSC]

Just posting this since i deemed it relevant

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/nvidia-gtx-470m-highlights-rollout-of-400m-mobile-gpu-series/

Wonder how they will fair with amd's offerings.

 

[K.Jack]

Anyone have any bright ideas for hiding that stupid alien head on the back of the m11x?

I need to use my laptop for giving seminars etc for work, and having a glowing alien head facing the audience would be fucking stupid.

The new version of the m11x seems totally sweet otherwise though...

Aaaand there is why I never recommend Alienware to professionals.

The best you can do is too either buy some of that black film, used as a lid protector, or cover the head with some duct tape.

Just posting this since i deemed it relevant

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/nvidia-gtx-470m-highlights-rollout-of-400m-mobile-gpu-series/

Wonder how they will fair with amd's offerings.

AMD will get its ass handled, in the mid-range. There's already a notebook on the way, with a 128-bit GDDR5 GT 445M.

edit, Anandtech's charts are more easy to read:

 

[keeblerdrow]

I won't have the money for this deal til next weekend, so I hope it sticks around until then, but I thought I'd share it with everyone. A Lenovo Y560 with 15.6" display (720p), Core i7-720QM quad-core processor, ATI Radeon HD 5730 1GB graphics card, 4GB RAM, and 500GB 7200RPM drive all configured with the coupon code USPY52A830 will come out to $879 with free shipping. It has a 5730 in it which is not monster but a fine card for "serious gaming on the side". I was seriously thinking about getting an MSI GX640, but if this deal is still around next weekend, I may just save myself ~$500 and get this instead and slap on a 2 year warranty for good measure.

 

[CloakBass]

I won't have the money for this deal til next weekend, so I hope it sticks around until then, but I thought I'd share it with everyone. A Lenovo Y560 with 15.6" display (720p), Core i7-720QM quad-core processor, ATI Radeon HD 5730 1GB graphics card, 4GB RAM, and 500GB 7200RPM drive all configured with the coupon code USPY52A830 will come out to $879 with free shipping. It has a 5730 in it which is not monster but a fine card for "serious gaming on the side". I was seriously thinking about getting an MSI GX640, but if this deal is still around next weekend, I may just save myself ~$500 and get this instead and slap on a 2 year warranty for good measure.

I'm considering getting this since I need a good laptop for multimedia editing. I know the screen resolution is 720p, but would the the laptop be able to output to 1080p through HDMI out?

 

[FreezeSSC]

Aaaand there is why I never recommend Alienware to professionals.

The best you can do is too either buy some of that black film, used as a lid protector, or cover the head with some duct tape.



AMD will get its ass handled, in the mid-range. There's already a notebook on the way, with a 128-bit GDDR5 GT 445M.

how long do you think until we start seeing something come out with it?? Im about to pull the trigger on either a sony F series or Envy this weekend but if something comes out better by the end of this month i'd be pissed!

 

[keeblerdrow]

Xotic already has some ASUS models with the 400M series for sale. Cheapest one is at ~$1150 right now. ($1400 for the "good ones")

 

[brain_stew]

Good riddance Atom:



9w, 80SPs (twice AMD's current high end IGP), DX11 support, full 1080p hardware decoding, natively dual core, out of order processing and barley any bigger than a single core Atom die. Netbooks will finally be useful.

AMD have hit this one out the park imo. You'd have to be out of your mind to buy any Atom based product from here on out.

 

[dLMN8R]

Loving my Core i5 m11x at PAX so convenient to carry around and pop out when waiting in lines and such.

The problem is the lack of wi-fi though. Had to set up an ad-hoc network with my friend just so we could play 2-player co-op Alien Swarm.