Decent gaming laptop ~ £800

A

aaaeron

Member
Hi guys, i've looked all over for laptops around the £800 price tag.

I would get a pc but i move around so much it's just not practical. I am well clued up on what i need in a pc, but as for laptops... the gpu's are very confusing. After looking at notebookcheck.com i have seen a few which look good, but i've noticed in some modern laptops the GT540m (2gb) has surfaced. which I thought wasn't great for gaming, but i've heard it can get frame rates of around 25fps on BF3 ultra.

Anyway, long story short. If you could link me to some laptops that i can get that will play current games on high or better (prefferably at above 30fps) then i would genuinely appreciate it.

I know you are all a really active/helpful forum so thanks a lot in advance,
Aaeron
 
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
No problem, I can help, or try to anyway! The gpu here is a 650m, it should run bf3 reasonably well, I can't tell you how well though I'm afraid as I'm not a gamer! Anyway, I specced this for a 17.3" laptop, if you want a 15.6" laptop, let me know and I'll re-spec. The price difference is very small though, I'd recommend the bigger screen. Here is the spec:

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M - 1.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD5000BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N130 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus/Voyager Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £802.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/optimusIII-17/6I3sAodQxK/
 
A

aaaeron

Member
Music Guy123 said:
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for such a quick reply, this seems like a pretty solid laptop.
Just a few extra questions if you don't mind me asking:

1. Do laptops still suffer a lot from the i7 overheating, or do you think it should be okay? And what is the advantage of the i7 when looking at it against the i5-3360M (2.80GHz) 3MB? (I'm not too informed about CPU's so all i see is the slower core frequency :) )
2. (this might be a stupid question) But I noticed it is only £3 to get a 750GB hard drive as apposed to the 500GB one, so is this worth upgrading too?
3. How much of a difference, realistically, does it make having a 1GB gpu compared with a 2GB gpu of the same kind.

Thanks again for the fast reply, i've added to your rep.
 
Last edited:
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
1. The laptops are built to be able to cool the cpu that is inside them so it should be fine. You may want to get a cooling stand for long gaming/intensive use sessions. Also, don't put it on carpets, duvets etc. where the vents are blocked. You may have to clean the vents as well after a couple of years but I am sure PCS can help guide you on how to do this if you give them a ring! I have found that squirtin compressed gas on the air output and having a hoover over the input seems to work. As for the choice of cpu, that is the lowest quad core that you can get. I'd strongly suggest a quad core over a dual core.

2. Well spotted, definately worth the £3!!!

3. None, unless you are using multiple screens at a high res.

I hope this helps and thank you very much for the rep, it is much appreciated!
 
A

aaaeron

Member
Music Guy123 said:
I'd strongly suggest a quad core over a dual core.
Click to expand...

Ah sorry, i didn't realize it was a quad core processor. So i'm guessing four cores running at 2.30GHz is better than two at 2.8GHz?

And no problem, you've been really helpful and deserve the rep! thanks a lot!
 
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
Thank you! Quad core is definately better than a dual-core. Even if the dual core is running a higher frequency. Quad cores are becoming more and more common so programs/games support them more and more. You can process more data with a quad core @2.3 than you can with a dual core @2.8. Also, don't forget that you do get turbo boost!
 
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
Haha, don't worry! Basically, it is when the cpu increases its frequency. It can only happen if the temps are adequate and it is required. If you want more details, I suggest paying Dr. Google a visit!!!
 
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