Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
GPU/CPU/RAM/storage space/air flow/native resolution/screen size/battery are probably the biggest things you want to look for in a gaming laptop.
Everything else is gravy.
OT: The All-Purpose Video Game Thread
- Thread starter ReggieDunlop68
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GPU/CPU/RAM/storage space/air flow/native resolution/screen size/battery are probably the biggest things you want to look for in a gaming laptop.
Everything else is gravy.
If anyone still has a NHL 17 beta code for Xbox that they aren't using, please PM me thanks. If not, np
BlueshirtBlitz
Foolish Samurai
Does anyone game on the PC use an XBox 360 controller for certain games? I've only had time to play Rocket League recently, but my controller randomly dies and is only fixed by unplugging and replugging. I've looked around the internet, but so far nothing i've found has worked.
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I grabbed "Rimworld" on Steam recently, because i've heard it described as a streamlined Dwarf Fortress. Has anybody played it?
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I grabbed "Rimworld" on Steam recently, because i've heard it described as a streamlined Dwarf Fortress. Has anybody played it?
Nanaki
Registered User
I only use a controller on racing games and the like for the most part. I can't say that has ever happened to me. The only random issue I've ever had was with a Metal Gear port that didn't allow me to turn the left for some reason. I still beat that game with just turning right constantly. Kinda like a Zoolander challenge I suppose.
emodwarf
Registered User
It depends on what you'll use it for and how you'll use it. For me, thin profile and lightweight were important because I work remotely and travel a fair bit. I also wanted good battery life (9 hours at least) and enough RAM to handle basic use (browsing, streaming, MS Office, etc.).
Also consider what ports you need (though there are adapters and dongles to help with that).
failure
Registered User
Boruto
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- Jun 27, 2011
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thanks for the replies. I think good CPU and ram are pretty easy to get. Almost i5 something in laptops that have a graphics card that isn't a utility grade shared graphics card like intel HD graphics as Best buy keeps showing me. So I'm not looking to play a ton of super demanding games. In fact, as I understand it, most games have the option to lower the graphics to an minimal level if your machine can't handle it at higher or highest quality. So my question is, would any Nvidia geforce or I should say a low end Nvidia geforce graphics card do the trick for the most part? It's not meant to be a gaming laptop but if I wanted to play a particular game to kill time or something, would a low end geforce get it done? I've tried to play a few games before where it's straight up unplayable laggy and can't get to the main menu because the laptop is just a cheapest, good for basic browsing/school type laptop.
I use a wired 360 controller and arcade stick with Fightcade and that has never happened to me. Maybe a game specific issue?
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
Is it just with Rocket League? If not, could be a driver issue, which just means uninstalling/reinstalling. I have a wired 360 controller and haven't had any issues (though I do not play RL).
As for Rimworld, calling it a streamlined Dwarf Fortress is funny. Even streamlined, I don't think DF would have an equal. That being said, I've watched Twitch streamers play it and it looks like a lot of fun.
ReggieDunlop68
hey hanrahan!
On topic, but about gear.
I want to get a new gaming PC/laptop, but I can't narrow down the best choices.
I know a lot of people say building the PC is the best, but I disagree because warranty and heating issues can be a *****, so I think I'm going to a plebe and just buy one.
That being said, most of the companies offer PCS with nearly identical specs on paper, so that hasn't been helpful for narrowing down choices.
Furthermore, a lot of the price of the pre built PCs seemed to be due to aesthetic parts of the build like lighting , Peek through windows, and case design, but I don't giv e a hoot about that. I just want the gear.
I mainly play LoL, Rocket League, and might play WoW for a bit when expansion hits.
Anyway, thank you in advance for the feedback.
I want to get a new gaming PC/laptop, but I can't narrow down the best choices.
I know a lot of people say building the PC is the best, but I disagree because warranty and heating issues can be a *****, so I think I'm going to a plebe and just buy one.
That being said, most of the companies offer PCS with nearly identical specs on paper, so that hasn't been helpful for narrowing down choices.
Furthermore, a lot of the price of the pre built PCs seemed to be due to aesthetic parts of the build like lighting , Peek through windows, and case design, but I don't giv e a hoot about that. I just want the gear.
I mainly play LoL, Rocket League, and might play WoW for a bit when expansion hits.
Anyway, thank you in advance for the feedback.
failure
Registered User
SA16
Sixstring
ReggieDunlop68
hey hanrahan!
Aside from heating issues, what is/are the major downside(s) in regard to the high end AMD CPUs vs. the Intel CPUs?
The AMD cost significantly less, and many games are optimized for a GPU instead of the CPU, so wouldn't investing in a really strong GPU be more beneficial for gaming?
The AMD cost significantly less, and many games are optimized for a GPU instead of the CPU, so wouldn't investing in a really strong GPU be more beneficial for gaming?
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
A lot of the differences in the CPUs of AMD vs Intel really come down to a few things, mostly involving the actually architecture design and the build of the processor.
With Intel, you're going to get a more expensive CPU, but it has a better performance per dollar. Comparing single core performance...Intel will win 9 times out of 10. They do a lot of things better than AMD, which of course means the price will go up. But generally speaking...the mid-range i5 CPUs should be able to outperform any high-range AMD CPUs. Oh, that's another thing...if you're going Intel...pick an i5. i7 processors are really only meant for PCs that will be doing media work all day (video processing/graphic design/audio/etc). If you're just doing gaming/web browsing/normal stuff...and i7 is overkill.
That being said, AMD does some things better. They are better for overclocking (also more frequently found than Intel CPUs), and generally the on-board graphics options on an AMD processor is better. And they are the budget choice. On the lower end of things, they will be the better choice.
Conventional wisdom will say: If you're on a budget, go AMD; if you have the money to spend, go Intel.
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Investing in a GPU vs a CPU entirely depends on what kind of gaming you're going to be doing. I'd just suggest a GPU, as it will make your life easier if you want to play more than Rocket League/WoW/LoL. Now, what GPU you get is a different animal...
The conventional wisdom above becomes more tricky when you're in the market for GPUs, as the AMD vs NVIDIA war is monstrous and always changing tides.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I highly urge building your PC. It's not difficult, and the mixed warranties are a non-issue, assuming you don't blow your PC up. For the price of a pre-built, you can build a better PC, because pre-builts are going to be marked up. Building one will also help you learn more about how your computer actually works, which is handy.
It also gives you something to be proud of
There are a toooooonnnnnnnnnnn of YouTube tutorials and whatnot to help you, and the internet has plenty of resources for troubleshooting/maintenance/etc.
Now, to add onto the building PC thing: Deciding between AMD and Intel is very important, since it basically determines your entire PC. CPUs come in varying sockets, with AMD/Intel being entirely different. Motherboards only take certain socket types, so you really need to double-check compatibility.
I'm totally willing to share my experience and whatnot with you, though I would hazard to say most of what I say could be found online.
ReggieDunlop68
hey hanrahan!
A lot of the differences in the CPUs of AMD vs Intel really come down to a few things, mostly involving the actually architecture design and the build of the processor.
With Intel, you're going to get a more expensive CPU, but it has a better performance per dollar. Comparing single core performance...Intel will win 9 times out of 10. They do a lot of things better than AMD, which of course means the price will go up. But generally speaking...the mid-range i5 CPUs should be able to outperform any high-range AMD CPUs. Oh, that's another thing...if you're going Intel...pick an i5. i7 processors are really only meant for PCs that will be doing media work all day (video processing/graphic design/audio/etc). If you're just doing gaming/web browsing/normal stuff...and i7 is overkill.
That being said, AMD does some things better. They are better for overclocking (also more frequently found than Intel CPUs), and generally the on-board graphics options on an AMD processor is better. And they are the budget choice. On the lower end of things, they will be the better choice.
Conventional wisdom will say: If you're on a budget, go AMD; if you have the money to spend, go Intel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Investing in a GPU vs a CPU entirely depends on what kind of gaming you're going to be doing. I'd just suggest a GPU, as it will make your life easier if you want to play more than Rocket League/WoW/LoL. Now, what GPU you get is a different animal...
The conventional wisdom above becomes more tricky when you're in the market for GPUs, as the AMD vs NVIDIA war is monstrous and always changing tides.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I highly urge building your PC. It's not difficult, and the mixed warranties are a non-issue, assuming you don't blow your PC up. For the price of a pre-built, you can build a better PC, because pre-builts are going to be marked up. Building one will also help you learn more about how your computer actually works, which is handy.
It also gives you something to be proud of
There are a toooooonnnnnnnnnnn of YouTube tutorials and whatnot to help you, and the internet has plenty of resources for troubleshooting/maintenance/etc.
Now, to add onto the building PC thing: Deciding between AMD and Intel is very important, since it basically determines your entire PC. CPUs come in varying sockets, with AMD/Intel being entirely different. Motherboards only take certain socket types, so you really need to double-check compatibility.
I'm totally willing to share my experience and whatnot with you, though I would hazard to say most of what I say could be found online.
Any suggestions in regard to GPU choice?
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
What is your budget? Are you building or are you trying to go for a pre-built?
Without knowing your budget, I could recommend anywhere from a single 750Ti up to a GTX 1080 SLI
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ReggieDunlop68
hey hanrahan!
What is your budget? Are you building or are you trying to go for a pre-built?
Without knowing your budget, I could recommend anywhere from a single 750Ti up to a GTX 1080 SLI
I don't plan to do any VR on this rig, and I don't need to have bleeding edge components to make use of the limited post ultra graphics enhancements, but I still want to have decent power particularly for the games I mentioned.
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
So I'm guessing somewhere around $200 USD for the video card? Maybe a bit higher?
I'd start looking around at a R9 380/GTX 960, even in your pre-builts. Those would be your starting points. Maybe even see about splurging for a GTX 1060, though for your needs, that might be overkill. I'm not 100% familiar with the graphical needs for Rocket League (I don't play it).
Again...depends on your budget.
I highly suggest visiting /r/buildapc and all of its sister subreddits
ReggieDunlop68
hey hanrahan!
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
If you're set on buying a pre-built, then really only do your research on the GPU/CPU you're getting in it. Everything else is gravy.
If you want to explore building your own, check out www.pcpartpicker.com, www.logicalincrements.com, and www.choosemypc.net, on top of the other sites I mentioned.
PCP will help you go through the many many many parts available to you, help you with approximate pricing, and can tell you about compatibility. The other two are guidelines to help you get started in your decision making, but are ultimately not be-all-end-all guides.
Though I guess it now occurs to me to double-check if you're in the US or not. Buying pre-builts/building your own PC is cheaper to do in the US than most places around the world, because parts are cheaper.
Glad I could help. Godspeed with the pre-built, and if you do your own building...welcome to the hobby you'll get sucked into. Not so much because you want to actually build a billion PCs, but because you can appreciate building crazy computers that are expensive and powerful beyond belief. Or you can do silly things like this:
One of the issues with laptops is that you may want a configuraton not offered by the retailer. There are sites that will buy the laptops from the retailer and then customize it for you. For example I wanted a particular MSI model but MSI didn't offer it without an HD (I only wanted SSDs - I don't need 1TB of storage).
One thing these sites let you do is search for laptops with specific specs (processor, gpu screen size, weight, etc.). Ibuypower is one of the better known but I went with powernotebooks.
One thing these sites let you do is search for laptops with specific specs (processor, gpu screen size, weight, etc.). Ibuypower is one of the better known but I went with powernotebooks.
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
One day, we'll be able to build our own laptops, just like we can build our own desktop PCs.
Unfortunately...that won't be for a while now :/
Unfortunately...that won't be for a while now :/
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
That's what I meant. Whoops.
It just isn't as comparable as the flexibility of building your own desktop. Desktop parts are much much much more modular than laptop parts due to companies having different design standards and whatnot.
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I doubt it ever will be. Creating a standard form factor for laptops is damn near impossible given that most are tailored for different use cases. I think the best hope would be something like Google's Project Ara but on a larger form factor. Otherwise there's always going to be direct soldering required to assemble components for a laptop and that's going to kill the idea of a "plug and play" build like we have with desktop rigs.
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