In the market for a gaming laptop? Here are 5 Top Gaming Laptops you might want to put on your short list. Quick round-up of the latest gaming rigs…
Copyright (c) 2008 Titus Hoskins
For a great gaming laptop you need high performance processors,Guest Posting dedicated graphics cards and a lot of system memory. These days top gaming laptops are using dual or even quad processors and hooking up two or more graphics GPUs thru SLI configurations to get the ultimate gaming performance.
Most gamers look for Nvidia and ATI as their choice of Graphics Cards which uses dedicated memory (RAM) and pulls additional system RAM when needed thru HyperMemory (ATI) or Turbocache (Nvidia). You need at least 2 Gigs of RAM, although most high end laptops now come with 4 or more Gigs of RAM. Note: 32-bit Operating Systems ONLY recognizes up to 3GB of RAM, while you need 64-bit systems to take full advantage of 4GB of RAM.
Sound and visuals are very important to gamers so you have to check for superior display qualities and top sound systems. So look for display technologies like CrystalBrite (Acer) or X-Black (Sony) for better viewing. Also look for high resolution (native 1,920 x 1,200) screens, 64 bit systems, DirectX 10 Graphics, Blu-ray or HD playback…
With all these considerations in mind, here’s a short list of a few top gaming laptops you should consider if you’re in the market. Keep in mind, although prices are coming down, be prepared to pay top dollar for all that high-end gaming hardware, especially if you’re looking at the more popular well-known brands. Also please note stated prices are rough estimates at the time of writing; so check each manufacturer’s online site for exact prices and configurations.
1. Alienware Area-51 m17x ($4,749)
Alienware has always been the established leader for superior gaming machines. Unfortunately, while they make some of the best gaming rigs, you will have to pay for all that performance and for all that style. Many believe Alienware is too overpriced for what you get. However, if money is no object, Alienware should be your first consideration for a gaming laptop.
Currently, one of their fastest machines is the Area-51 m17x which sports some impressive specs:
CPU: Intel® Core® 2 Extreme X9000 2.8GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 4GB† Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 2048MB
Hard Drive: 250GB (250GB x 2) 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Graphics: 512MB NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 3600M
OS: Microsoft® Windows® Vista® Ultimate betflik with Service Pack 1 Display: 17″ WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology Weight: 10.5 lbs
But don’t expect long battery life as gaming laptops are usually power-hungry creatures that burn up your power source very quickly. While still mobile, this laptop serves more as a desktop replacement than a portable laptop, same said for most of the gaming laptops here. However, you won’t look any cooler than when you’re lugging this rig around, not that looks should count but they often do. Shallow world.
2. Rock Xtreme 780 X9100 (£2300 British Pounds or $4,210 USD)
Offering some serious competition to the Area-51 m15x is the Rock Xtreme 780 X9100. This is the follow-up to the very high ranked Xtreme 770 which you may also consider. The 780 sports the new Intel® Core2 Extreme processor and the latest gaming technologies.
CPU: Up to Intel® Core® 2 Extreme processor X9100 (2 x 3.06GHz) 6MB Level 2 Cache