Need buying advice for a gaming laptop.

A friend of mine is looking for a laptop for gaming, I don't know much about gaming on laptops myself so I'm looking for some advice.
Do many people build their own, like with a desktop (by parts and assemble yourself), if so where is good to buy parts?

It doesn't need to be the highest spec, what do you suggest?

I was looking at Dell.ie and I found a laptop with the following specs:-

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
2.0 mega pixel Camera & Tuxedo Black for CCFL Display
15.4¿ UltraSharp™ WXGA (1280x800) CCFL Display (220nits) with TrueLife™
Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8600M GT with 256MB dedicated graphic memory
Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

if thats an xps, then i would rather get an asus for the money

I found this Asus system in the UK at scan.co.uk

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=653460

thats about the price range I'm looking for

grs said:

I found this Asus system in the UK at scan.co.uk

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=653460

thats about the price range I'm looking for

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That looks pretty decent to me....not sure how the price is for value, but the machine looks decent enough.

There's nothing wrong with Dell's IMO. In the states you can get an Inspiron with the same setup as shown in your first post (and similar to the asus you linked) for pretty good prices...you might check into that.

Thanks for the advice. I was looking in Europe, that way were closer to the dealer if theres a problem.

I would avoid the 8600M if at all possible, the Desktop version is just horrible and the laptop ios a step below that hehe.

I bought a Toshiba with the 8600M awhile back and found it to be marginally bettter then my system with onboard graphics LOL needless to say i returned it fast after finding it wouldnt play any newer games without lowering the settings way down. The GO 7900GS/GT is much more powerful though no DirectX-10.

I bought a Dell with the 2.2GHZ X2 Turion 64 and a 7900GS and am very very happy with it so far, it only cost $1500ish.

NettieZoom said:

I would avoid the 8600M if at all possible, the Desktop version is just horrible and the laptop ios a step below that hehe.

I bought a Toshiba with the 8600M awhile back and found it to be marginally bettter then my system with onboard graphics LOL needless to say i returned it fast after finding it wouldnt play any newer games without lowering the settings way down. The GO 7900GS/GT is much more powerful though no DirectX-10.

I bought a Dell with the 2.2GHZ X2 Turion 64 and a 7900GS and am very very happy with it so far, it only cost $1500ish.

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Oh come on now, it's nothing like onboard. It's just a little slower than the 7900GS.

NettieZoom said:

I would avoid the 8600M if at all possible, the Desktop version is just horrible and the laptop ios a step below that hehe.

I bought a Toshiba with the 8600M awhile back and found it to be marginally bettter then my system with onboard graphics LOL needless to say i returned it fast after finding it wouldnt play any newer games without lowering the settings way down. The GO 7900GS/GT is much more powerful though no DirectX-10.

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That's a bit of an overstatement. I can play Battlefield 2142 just fine on this Sager laptop with an 8600M GT with most settings on high. That's the only game I have on my laptop at the moment, but if you look around on sites like www.notebookreview.com, you'll see that many people are playing Crysis on 8600M GT laptops with low/medium settings. Not the greatest, but it definitely works, and a lot faster than integrated graphics...

I tried to play Crysis with all low settings and it was a slideshow...Even my 7900 doesnt play Crysis all that great though it is much improved.

I realize my expectations as to what is playable may be diferent from the next guy but I am a gamer pure and simple and I am not going to play a game at 15 FPS hehe.

They really mess these cards up in the process of making a mobile version, you just dont get the performance of the desktop model and the 8600GT desktop version is pretty sad, heck I own a 8600GTS and it is just pathetic for newer games.

NettieZoom said:

I tried to play Crysis with all low settings and it was a slideshow...Even my 7900 doesnt play Crysis all that great though it is much improved.

I realize my expectations as to what is playable may be diferent from the next guy but I am a gamer pure and simple and I am not going to play a game at 15 FPS hehe.

They really mess these cards up in the process of making a mobile version, you just dont get the performance of the desktop model and the 8600GT desktop version is pretty sad, heck I own a 8600GTS and it is just pathetic for newer games.

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Something is DEFINITELY wrong with your card or drivers or something. My 6600GT will play Crysis on low settings with acceptable frame rates (at 800x600) and the 8600M is faster than a 6600GT

Ok maybe I need to make what I meant more clear hehe

I normally play Crysis on my C2D system which has a 8800GT 512mb, compared to my 8800gt the 8600m or 7900 performance leaves something to be desired, maybe if I had never played Crysis on an nicer card the 8600m would not seem to bad LOL

NettieZoom said:

Ok maybe I need to make what I meant more clear hehe

I normally play Crysis on my C2D system which has a 8800GT 512mb, compared to my 8800gt the 8600m or 7900 performance leaves something to be desired, maybe if I had never played Crysis on an nicer card the 8600m would not seem to bad LOL

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That's like driving a ferarri and then a volkswagon and complaining that the VW isn't fast enough. That doesn't make the VW a bad car for what it gives you. Don't try and tell someone that a MOBILE 8600 chip isn't decent enough because it doesn't compare to your high end desktop card, it is misleading.

Now to be honest when you are talking about a gaming laptop and not just another laptop i think the 8600m would be more like a yugo not a VW so its not misleading LOL

The 8600m is fine for the average person just like the VW is fine for the average person but a gamer needs more then the average joe blow video card. They, like a automotive enthuisist want the ferrari period.

So yes the 8600m is a decent card for the average person but not for the average GAMER.

The OP asked about GAMING laptops and there is no way in hell you can call a 8600m that

Dont forget, the 8600m scores about half as good as a 7950m.....

Tell your friend to buy my i9400 listed in the classifieds