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Forums - PC Discussion - Is my new laptop good enough for moderate to high level gaming?

Tom3k on 27 March 2013
Euphoria14 said:
Tom3k said:
Euphoria14 said:
Tom3k said:
Euphoria14 said:


I'll be honest with you. I was (And still somewhat am) on the fence about returning it and swapping it for the MSI GX60. That laptop retails for $100 more than the M14X R2 and has a much beefier GPU. However, the CPU seems to be a big time bottleneck on it so i'm still undecided. Not to mention due to Windows 8 it is no longer compatible with the MSI Afterburner... (I sure have learned a lot in the last 2 days, lol)

Make no mistake about it though. The M14X R2 has a much better build quality and the keyboard is incredible. Not because it is lit, but because it feels phenomenal.

I am leaning towards sticking with the M14X R2 and upping to 8GB RAM. The duo of a strong CPU and top tier GPU (for a laptop) make it very well rounded, even if a bit pricey. I got it on sale, but the retail price for it is ~$1,100.


Check out the Lenovo Y500. There should be an i5 model for a bit above 800$. It should come with 1080P screen and two 650M in SLI. (And it's pretty sleek looking notebook).

From what I just checked out, it does indeed look good. It looks sleek. However, most that I have seen come with (1) 650M, just like I have.

 

Trust me, I still have -3-5 days with this laptop. If a trade-in is worth it (@ Bestbuy), I will do it. I want the most for my money.

 

This M14X is nice though. Just wish the GFX card was a bit beefier. I don't think the GPU in this thing can take full advantage of the CPU.

This GPU + the GX60's 7970 would be ideal, but @ my price range I don't think it's happening.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/7900057.p?id=1218862009712&skuId=7900057&st=lenovo%20y500&cp=1&lp=11#tab=overview

That is an i5 with a 650M. I currently have a i7 with a 650M. Just like this one, my GFX card is also a GT 650M 2GB GDDR5. Only perk on this one is the higher res screen, but the higher the res the better the chance I get headaches. For some reason they higher the res and the higher the brightness the worse my headaches get. Yeah, it sucks...

The HDD might be larger too, but I will never fill 500GB.  I am actually thinking about changing the 500GB HD to a 256GD SSD.

This one has two GT650M cards. Two in SLI. 



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Euphoria14 on 27 March 2013
Tom3k said:
Euphoria14 said:
Tom3k said:
Euphoria14 said:
Tom3k said:
Euphoria14 said:


I'll be honest with you. I was (And still somewhat am) on the fence about returning it and swapping it for the MSI GX60. That laptop retails for $100 more than the M14X R2 and has a much beefier GPU. However, the CPU seems to be a big time bottleneck on it so i'm still undecided. Not to mention due to Windows 8 it is no longer compatible with the MSI Afterburner... (I sure have learned a lot in the last 2 days, lol)

Make no mistake about it though. The M14X R2 has a much better build quality and the keyboard is incredible. Not because it is lit, but because it feels phenomenal.

I am leaning towards sticking with the M14X R2 and upping to 8GB RAM. The duo of a strong CPU and top tier GPU (for a laptop) make it very well rounded, even if a bit pricey. I got it on sale, but the retail price for it is ~$1,100.


Check out the Lenovo Y500. There should be an i5 model for a bit above 800$. It should come with 1080P screen and two 650M in SLI. (And it's pretty sleek looking notebook).

From what I just checked out, it does indeed look good. It looks sleek. However, most that I have seen come with (1) 650M, just like I have.

 

Trust me, I still have -3-5 days with this laptop. If a trade-in is worth it (@ Bestbuy), I will do it. I want the most for my money.

 

This M14X is nice though. Just wish the GFX card was a bit beefier. I don't think the GPU in this thing can take full advantage of the CPU.

This GPU + the GX60's 7970 would be ideal, but @ my price range I don't think it's happening.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/7900057.p?id=1218862009712&skuId=7900057&st=lenovo%20y500&cp=1&lp=11#tab=overview

That is an i5 with a 650M. I currently have a i7 with a 650M. Just like this one, my GFX card is also a GT 650M 2GB GDDR5. Only perk on this one is the higher res screen, but the higher the res the better the chance I get headaches. For some reason they higher the res and the higher the brightness the worse my headaches get. Yeah, it sucks...

The HDD might be larger too, but I will never fill 500GB.  I am actually thinking about changing the 500GB HD to a 256GD SSD.

This one has two GT650M cards. Two in SLI. 


Oh my, I didn't realize it said "dual".

Could it handle both of them with the i5 in there?



iPhone = Great gaming device. Don't agree? Who cares, because you're wrong.

Currently playing:

Final Fantasy VI (iOS), Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (iOS) & Dragon Quest V (iOS)     

    

Got a retro room? Post it here!

Tom3k on 27 March 2013
Euphoria14 said:
Tom3k said:

This one has two GT650M cards. Two in SLI. 


Oh my, I didn't realize it said "dual".

Could it handle both of them with the i5 in there?

I don't see reason why not. It's a fast dual core CPU. I don't think you'll actually notice difference between this one and i7 you have now. Personally I would rather go for stronger graphic system than a faster CPU. I think that most of modern CPU's are adequate for modern games. That's why MSI GX60 is such a tempting offer. Too bad it's so ugly lol.

If you want to add a SSD you can always use something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-9-5mm-2nd-SSD-HDD-Hard-Drive-Optical-Bay-Caddy-Adapter-For-Lenovo-Y400-Y500-/281069196038?pt=US_Drive_Bay_Caddies&hash=item4171079306 and keep the bigger drive for storage.



the2real4mafol on 28 March 2013
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Yeah it should be good enough, otherwise Dell are misleading. But, do you recommend this? I'm not sure if i want one or not. What's the battery life like on it? Do the fans get loud while gaming? Does it feel bulky?

Unfortunatetly yes, the fan can get quite loud. 

The battery lasts ~4-5 hours most of the time too. Not sure if that is good or not.

 

As for bulky, yeah, the thing weighs in at around 6-6.5 lbs. However, it does feel quality and has a nice rubber textured finish to it.

 

I like it, but of course a desktop at equal price would blow it away.

4 to 5 hours is good for a laptop unfortunately, but this sounds good. I already have a decent desktop (i bought it last year) but i'm going to university in 6 months so i want a powerful laptop for when i'm away to play minecraft and maybe some other games on and to also do work on. It was either the Alienware M14x or the Macbook Pro for me, but i feel the M14X is somewhat better in value for money.


I'll be honest with you. I was (And still somewhat am) on the fence about returning it and swapping it for the MSI GX60. That laptop retails for $100 more than the M14X R2 and has a much beefier GPU. However, the CPU seems to be a big time bottleneck on it so i'm still undecided. Not to mention due to Windows 8 it is no longer compatible with the MSI Afterburner... (I sure have learned a lot in the last 2 days, lol)

Make no mistake about it though. The M14X R2 has a much better build quality and the keyboard is incredible. Not because it is lit, but because it feels phenomenal.

I am leaning towards sticking with the M14X R2 and upping to 8GB RAM. The duo of a strong CPU and top tier GPU (for a laptop) make it very well rounded, even if a bit pricey. I got it on sale, but the retail price for it is ~$1,100.

I'll consider it then, it does sound good



Xbox One, PS4 and Switch (+ Many Retro Consoles)

'When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the people's stick'- Mikhail Bakunin

Prediction: Switch will sell better than Wii U Lifetime Sales by Jan 1st 2018

Euphoria14 on 28 March 2013
the2real4mafol said:
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Yeah it should be good enough, otherwise Dell are misleading. But, do you recommend this? I'm not sure if i want one or not. What's the battery life like on it? Do the fans get loud while gaming? Does it feel bulky?

Unfortunatetly yes, the fan can get quite loud. 

The battery lasts ~4-5 hours most of the time too. Not sure if that is good or not.

 

As for bulky, yeah, the thing weighs in at around 6-6.5 lbs. However, it does feel quality and has a nice rubber textured finish to it.

 

I like it, but of course a desktop at equal price would blow it away.

4 to 5 hours is good for a laptop unfortunately, but this sounds good. I already have a decent desktop (i bought it last year) but i'm going to university in 6 months so i want a powerful laptop for when i'm away to play minecraft and maybe some other games on and to also do work on. It was either the Alienware M14x or the Macbook Pro for me, but i feel the M14X is somewhat better in value for money.


I'll be honest with you. I was (And still somewhat am) on the fence about returning it and swapping it for the MSI GX60. That laptop retails for $100 more than the M14X R2 and has a much beefier GPU. However, the CPU seems to be a big time bottleneck on it so i'm still undecided. Not to mention due to Windows 8 it is no longer compatible with the MSI Afterburner... (I sure have learned a lot in the last 2 days, lol)

Make no mistake about it though. The M14X R2 has a much better build quality and the keyboard is incredible. Not because it is lit, but because it feels phenomenal.

I am leaning towards sticking with the M14X R2 and upping to 8GB RAM. The duo of a strong CPU and top tier GPU (for a laptop) make it very well rounded, even if a bit pricey. I got it on sale, but the retail price for it is ~$1,100.

I'll consider it then, it does sound good

If it means anything, let me tell you this.

I was just playing Farcry 3 on my M14XR2 and with all setting on High, PostFX  on Low (Not needed to be honest. Don't see much difference, even when on high.) and MSAA off (I whitelisted the game in NVIDIA Control Panel to run at 8x FXAA), the game looks fantastic and runs anywhere between 45-60fps. I am sure, if you want ~30fps on average, you could no doubt run this game on Ultra or Very High settings with PostFX and MSAA off. Both of which aren't REALLY needed.

The game looks phenominal on this machine. Also worth mentioning, the keyboard is great.



iPhone = Great gaming device. Don't agree? Who cares, because you're wrong.

Currently playing:

Final Fantasy VI (iOS), Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (iOS) & Dragon Quest V (iOS)     

    

Got a retro room? Post it here!

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SwansVanTerif on 28 March 2013

You bought an alienware laptop, and are asking people if it's an ok gaming PC? How about you turn on your new gaming laptop and try it out? That's the very best way to tell!



mysticwolf on 29 March 2013

that sounds way better than mine, and mine can run all games perfectly on medium, and many games on high.



 Been away for a bit, but sneaking back in.

Gaming on: PS4, PC, 3DS. Got a Switch! Mainly to play Smash

Farsala on 29 March 2013

Should be good, I got more RAM and HDD on my laptop. But you got better processor and Graphics card. I can play any game on moderate settings really. So you should be able to as well.



the2real4mafol on 29 March 2013
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Euphoria14 said:
the2real4mafol said:
Yeah it should be good enough, otherwise Dell are misleading. But, do you recommend this? I'm not sure if i want one or not. What's the battery life like on it? Do the fans get loud while gaming? Does it feel bulky?

Unfortunatetly yes, the fan can get quite loud. 

The battery lasts ~4-5 hours most of the time too. Not sure if that is good or not.

 

As for bulky, yeah, the thing weighs in at around 6-6.5 lbs. However, it does feel quality and has a nice rubber textured finish to it.

 

I like it, but of course a desktop at equal price would blow it away.

4 to 5 hours is good for a laptop unfortunately, but this sounds good. I already have a decent desktop (i bought it last year) but i'm going to university in 6 months so i want a powerful laptop for when i'm away to play minecraft and maybe some other games on and to also do work on. It was either the Alienware M14x or the Macbook Pro for me, but i feel the M14X is somewhat better in value for money.


I'll be honest with you. I was (And still somewhat am) on the fence about returning it and swapping it for the MSI GX60. That laptop retails for $100 more than the M14X R2 and has a much beefier GPU. However, the CPU seems to be a big time bottleneck on it so i'm still undecided. Not to mention due to Windows 8 it is no longer compatible with the MSI Afterburner... (I sure have learned a lot in the last 2 days, lol)

Make no mistake about it though. The M14X R2 has a much better build quality and the keyboard is incredible. Not because it is lit, but because it feels phenomenal.

I am leaning towards sticking with the M14X R2 and upping to 8GB RAM. The duo of a strong CPU and top tier GPU (for a laptop) make it very well rounded, even if a bit pricey. I got it on sale, but the retail price for it is ~$1,100.

I'll consider it then, it does sound good

If it means anything, let me tell you this.

I was just playing Farcry 3 on my M14XR2 and with all setting on High, PostFX  on Low (Not needed to be honest. Don't see much difference, even when on high.) and MSAA off (I whitelisted the game in NVIDIA Control Panel to run at 8x FXAA), the game looks fantastic and runs anywhere between 45-60fps. I am sure, if you want ~30fps on average, you could no doubt run this game on Ultra or Very High settings with PostFX and MSAA off. Both of which aren't REALLY needed.

The game looks phenominal on this machine. Also worth mentioning, the keyboard is great.

Thanks for everything, i think i'll start saving up for one. The newer version of the laptop might be out by then.



Xbox One, PS4 and Switch (+ Many Retro Consoles)

'When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the people's stick'- Mikhail Bakunin

Prediction: Switch will sell better than Wii U Lifetime Sales by Jan 1st 2018