Laptop Gaming?

[SometingStupid]

So I've been wanting to get into PC gaming for a while, but due to me being more broke than the Pyro's flamethrower I've yet to get into it. However, after stumbling across around about £800 (I've had it for about two years but forgot all about it) I would like to get started.

Unfortunatley, it looks as if laptops are the only way to go for me, due to having to move around lots etc... so, can you guys help out?

I've had two friends helping me out who have sent me four nice looking computers within my price range, as well as some of my own research coupled with Chris Remo's suggestion lead me to the Alienware M11x.

Anyway, here's the four laptops, and I'm open to suggestions.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-dv3-4050ea-06487003-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-7741g-04979037-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/dell-inspiron-n5010-blue-04998043-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-7741g-04979037-pdt.html

Thanks in advance.

[juv3nal]

The graphics card in the M11X is better than the ones in these other machines you list, but the question you got to ask yourself is can you get used to an 11 inch screen (or do you have a spare monitor you can plug into it)?

[SometingStupid]

The graphics card in the M11X is better than the ones in these other machines you list, but the question you got to ask yourself is can you get used to an 11 inch screen (or do you have a spare monitor you can plug into it)?

I could probably get used to the screen, but it's the price tag that really puts me off the M11x

However, if this ( http://www.ndc.co.uk/Alienware_M11x_11_Gaming_Laptop__Netbook-11802.html#GBP ) is true to it's word, I'm set for it, can anybody see if there's something odd about it?

I would love this for video editing and games, however, in regards to the other laptops, I'm only going to dabble in lower settings. I'm not after a rig that an run Crysis on full.

[dpp]

I just bought a Sony Vaio Z and I have to say it's the pinnacle of modern engineering. I don't know how but they managed to put incredible components in 3lbs with excellent battery life. It has switchable nVidia GT330m, which is more than enough to run Civ5 at 1600x900 for example. It also has TWO SSDs in RAID 0, which makes everything you run ridiculously snappy. The screen is fucking gorgeous, processor is an i5, battery life is about 5h on the Intel graphics...

They're phasing out the Z12 for the new Z13 and the refresh isn't really noticeable, so I'd suggest you to hunt right now for a deal on the Z12. I paid US$1450 shipped with taxes.

[Garple]

after stumbling across around about £800 (I've had it for about two years but forgot all about it)

How the hell did this happen?

[SometingStupid]

How the hell did this happen?

Turned out be only about £600 actually, but still a miracle.

For what it's worth I've been looking at this http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=877390 which looks pretty awesome for the cost, just been wondering about how much I would love to get into PC gaming, and whether it's worth giving up some consoles or at least console time.

[Denial]

The only thing I'd say on the Mesh is that you might come to resent the 310M graphics card - although the i5 processor will cover a lot of non-graphical applications very comfortably. I guess it depends how important gaming is to you, and whether by gaming you mean the latest games or indie games...

For what it's worth, I just got an Alienware M11X and I like it a lot, but it's definitely a gamers' laptop - in the sense that it looks like it was designed in a wind tunnel by a serial killer. I mean, as if the serial killer was in the wind tunnel, shouting instructions to the design team over the noise. Once I toned down the LED lighting, though, the design started growing on me, and the backlit keyboard is pretty useful for typing in the dark. Which is lucky, because the screen is super reflective at anything but max brightness.

However, I'm using it as a portable secondary laptop which I also play games on - so the 7-hour battery life with discrete graphics off and the small form factor are important to me (I have huge hands, so this is about the smallest keyboard I can type on). Im not sure I'd want it as a primary computer, because the screen is small (and the native resolution is crazy). I'd certainly want it hooked up to an external optical drive, keyboard and monitor at my home base.

(The other thing is that the M11X R1s - with manual graphics switching and low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors - are dropping in price now the R2s are out. The Core 2 Duo SU7300 model, if you can get one which can be overclocked, doesn't seem to be giving away much in performance to the mobile i5s, so the premium is mainly on futureproofing, inasmuch as you can futureproof a laptop, and Optimus-driven automatic graphics switching)

If you can afford it, dpp's Sony Vaio Z is awesome, but out of your price range. A compromise might be the HP Envy 14, which a friend who wanted to get back into PC gaming got recently - it's a much more "normal" laptop than the M11X - bigger screen, scrabble-tile keyboard, built-in optical drive and so on...

I think a lot depends on what else you want it to do, though.