Great Laptop for a ?500 budget - Now Alienware!

[abigsmurf]

Looking at the benchmarks, that'll cope just about with source games but it stands no chance of unreal engine 3 games.

Laptops I've found:

http://www.ebuyer.com/271917-acer-aspire-5750g-laptop-lx-rmx02-042

Better CPU, Better GPU but you've got Acer's build notorious build quality.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/HP_dv6-6102sa_Entertainment_Laptop_LS333EA/version.asp

More ram, more HDD space.

Neither of these laptops will last long away from a plug

Always consult http://www.notebookcheck.net/ when looking for a gaming laptop. to see how GPUs stack up.

[davek22]

Looks like my laptops taken another nose dive (Asus G1-S) had it repaired 3 months locally but same black screen issue (GPU fault) again today.

I had a look at the MX11 and they have discontinued the cheaper model, So I am joining the thread now for advice.

I have been told the Asus Eee 1215N is a pretty good netbook, and plays Left 4 Dead & Battlefield BC at an average FPS. Not that I would bother playing that much on it anyway but I need to be able to use UDK/Unity. So what do you guys think?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Netbook.../dp/B003V4AS4A

Felix, that is a nice netbook. Probably one of the most powerfull netbooks but I wouldnt slap down ?430 on it in a million years for gaming. I wouldnt even vouch the ION2 in it can handle L4D and Bad Company 2. If you want a thin and light machine for older games then this is a tons better value buy:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-one-522-netbook-olive-10671504-pdt.html

Its dual core AMD fusion with ATI 6250 and 720p screen. Just about the best netbook spec out there. The AMD fusion platform just about matched ION1 and wouldnt be too far behind ION2. Admitadly the dual core Atom in the Asus smokes the 1ghz dual core Fusion processor but I wouldnt say its ?250 better.

[FelixofMars]

Thanks guys, thing is I am not really bothered so much for gaming but I do need some grunt for doing some UDK work in and it sort of needs a semi capable gfx card/cpu in so it kind of has to work for games as well. The previous G1S did well as it was a gaming laptop, I realise this is a lot cheaper but I just wanted something that I can do stuff on if I am away from my main machine.

I will look at your recommendations more closely but thanks for your thoughts.

p.s. I would stick some more RAM in myself as its cheap and helps with Windows 7.

[davek22]

Thanks guys, thing is I am not really bothered so much for gaming but I do need some grunt for doing some UDK work in and it sort of needs a semi capable gfx card/cpu in so it kind of has to work for games as well. The previous G1S did well as it was a gaming laptop, I realise this is a lot cheaper but I just wanted something that I can do stuff on if I am away from my main machine.

I will look at your recommendations more closely but thanks for your thoughts.

p.s. I would stick some more RAM in myself as its cheap and helps with Windows 7.

Felix, this one is worth a look:

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_ProBook_4320s_1066236.html

It falls in the ultra mobile category with 13.3" screen, has an I3 processor and dedicated ATI 5470.

It would be much better than the netbook you linked to earlier. In fact if I didnt have so many damn laptops I would consider picked one of these up at this price :-). Its 99 quid cashback till end september and free HP laptop case with it.

[Baseley09]

That looks good, we use similar models at work and the finish on these HPs is very nice, for 300 quids looks a steal.

[davek22]

Yeah the more I look at it the better value it seems. I did a quick google and other places seem to be charging well over ?400 for it.
Only bummer is 512 mb memory on the graphics rather than a gig but this vid seems to suggest it is pretty capable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7v5fm5EDd8

[Wools]

I?ve put a bit of money aside for the laptop I was buying (The Dell 15R was looking good) but after a little promotion and bonus from work, I?m considering an Alienware laptop? Good or bad say NTSC-UK?

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/alienware-m11x-r3/pd

[abigsmurf]

Only really hear good things about Alienwares. Usually their CPUs are a slight bit weedy so they can bump up the CPU a bit but with sandy bridge ones, even the low clock i3's should be fine with all current games (although Witcher 2, and Battlefield 3 may require some settings turned down to medium). In terms of the systems themselves, I've heard nothing but good reviews.

The only things which come close to their specs for gaming for the money of MX11s are Acer systems and those come with the burden of Acer's notorious build quality.

Incidentally, topcashback are offering 10% cashback for alienware systems, saves you ?70 odd quid.

EDIT: Link removed. - Do not use your own affiliate links.
(search for dell)

[Bort]

Incidentally, topcashback are offering 10% cashback for alienware systems, saves you ?70 odd quid.

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/

(search for dell)

Really? Without explicitly saying it's your referral link?

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/Dell/

[Wools]

Thanks for the advice Smurf, it?s good to hear they are meant to be well respected, rather than only known for being ridiculous powerhouses in chunky cases!

I?ve wanted to stay away from Acers or other laptops that could be a little bit flaky. This will be the first laptop I?ve brought where I?ve been able to pick and choose one I want, rather than be limited by budgetary or time restrictions.

Also thanks for the cash back recommendation, I?m considering what to buy over the next week and will pick one by next weekend. So if there?s any other recommendations then please let me know!

My desirables:

• Around ?500 ? Can stretch to ?700 but that is the complete upper limit (The Alienware is ?699 but appears to be worth it)
• Incredibly well made and solid
• At least 500 Gigabyte Hard Drive
• Can play Counter Strike Source & Age of Empires 3 perfectly

[abigsmurf]

Really? Without explicitly saying it's your referral link?

The link kinda makes it pretty obvious...

[Bort]

The link kinda makes it pretty obvious...

The forum rules are fairly obvious as well.

[Escape-To-88]

Not sure if you've found one, but picked this up off a fella who works for Dell for just over ?500 - I thought it was a pretty good buy.

Dell Vostro 3450
Processor : One Intel Core i7-2620M (2.70GHz, 4MB cache, Dual Core - Turbo Boost to 3.4ghz)
8 DVD+/-RW DRIVE
Wireless: Dell Wireless 1702 (802.11b/g/n) + Bluetooth v3.0
LCD Back Cover : Silver WLAN
English Windows 7 Professional (32 BIT/64 BIT) COA
6 Cell Primary Battery, 48W
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6630M 1 GB Graphics
8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHZ (2 DIMMs)
Display: 14.0in High Definition LED Display (1366X768) with anti-glare
500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)

Might be possible to sort you out with something similar, or something closer to ?400?
Annoyingly I missed out on a slightly higher-specced one for the same price with an 525 GPU, but from what I hear. and the becnhmarks, the Radeon is pretty similar.