Gaming PCs

[Ragnarok]

Not a console I know but i'm looking to buy a gaming PC/Laptop, Been looking at alienware there amazing but dunno if im ready to spend that much money on one since I break everything lol. Any suggestions?

[Amiethest]

I got a high spec Dell for a grand or so a year ago, still working fine, running all the latest games.

[1halfsingh]

Just go to http://overclockers.co.uk and build your own system if you know how. Failing that, their pre-built systems pack a punch and are considerably cheaper than most other online retailers

[barcelonic]

Ive been looking at PCs lately despite my current laptop being only about 8 months old. Its really annoying because although my laptop is fine I'd love to have more RAM (ive got 4Gb but you can never have enough imo) and a better graphics card (mine's integrated so cant play a lot of games).

Its annoying that you can't really upgrade laptops, because i refuse to have a desktop simply because I like to sit on the sofa and surf the net - sitting at a desk gets uncomfortable really quickly and as I spend so much time on the net I flat out refuse to get a desktop.

Next time i get a laptop i'm going to invest more, as I usually spend about £450 but if i spent £750 i could get a much better machine which hopefully wouldn't leave me wanting to upgrade a few months later.

Only problem is I dont know too much about PC maintenance. I have a massive external HDD but i don't want to reinstall my OS every few months like some PC users do because i have so much software and i don't want to have to go redownloading and reinstalling it all afterwards. Any tips?

[Shuuri]

I second building your own. Not only do you get exactly what you want and need, but your get a much better PC for your money.

[-null-]

I solve that problem by having a netbook as well as a PC. Although the netbook's screen is quite small (especially compared to dual 1280 x 1024 displays) it is big enough for general browsing.

[barcelonic]

Originally Posted by -null-

I solve that problem by having a netbook as well as a PC. Although the netbook's screen is quite small (especially compared to dual 1280 x 1024 displays) it is big enough for general browsing.

ye but im not just talking about general browsing, im talking about exceeming, downloads, watching media, playing games etc... All the stuff i use my PC for. I wouldnt be happy even if I only had to sit at a desk 1% of the time, its still too much. Thats why i use laptops.

And my dad's got a netbook they are godawful things which run so slowly its unbearable, even for general browsing. It has a 6Gb HDD - 65% of which is used up by \Windows
I can't use it without wanting to throw it against the nearest wall as hard as I can

[-null-]

Isn't the 6GB one an SSD drive which are apparently really slow.

I have the 120GB HDD version (which is bigger than my old full size laptop) of the Acer Aspire One which I recently upgraded to 1.5GB memory. It wont run the latest and greatest games but it does run the apps I use including Photoshop CS4 no problem.

[1halfsingh]

If you're looking for a laptop for under £750 that'll be a good performer, I'd suggest the same one as mine. I ordered this one after a LOT of research for the best bang for buck, and it's also a really nice looking laptop too.It's an Acer 6935G, with more features than I care to list. Take a look:

Acer Aspire 6930G Laptop LX.ATQ0X.004 - Buy It Direct

[barcelonic]

Originally Posted by 1halfsingh

If you're looking for a laptop for under £750 that'll be a good performer, I'd suggest the same one as mine. I ordered this one after a LOT of research for the best bang for buck, and it's also a really nice looking laptop too.It's an Acer 6935G, with more features than I care to list. Take a look:

Acer Aspire 6930G Laptop LX.ATQ0X.004 - Buy It Direct

Wow thats amazing!! If only it were 17" it would be perfect. My current one is 17" so i wouldnt want to take a step down.

How often do you buy a new laptop?

[Ragnarok]

Originally Posted by 1halfsingh

If you're looking for a laptop for under £750 that'll be a good performer, I'd suggest the same one as mine. I ordered this one after a LOT of research for the best bang for buck, and it's also a really nice looking laptop too.It's an Acer 6935G, with more features than I care to list. Take a look:

Acer Aspire 6930G Laptop LX.ATQ0X.004 - Buy It Direct

That looks really nice actually good specs for its price too. Might get it with some of my greens

[1halfsingh]

Originally Posted by barcelonic

Wow thats amazing!! If only it were 17" it would be perfect. My current one is 17" so i wouldnt want to take a step down.

How often do you buy a new laptop?

I bought my last one when I started uni (Oct 2006) and I ordered this one like a month ago, so that often tbh.

[barcelonic]

Originally Posted by 1halfsingh

I bought my last one when I started uni (Oct 2006) and I ordered this one like a month ago, so that often tbh.

what do u do to keep it running well? cus mine dont last much longer than a year - my last laptop was working fine one day then i left it open when i went to work cus i was downloading, then when i came back the motherboard was fried!! no explanation! went from working fine to being completely worthless!!

[1halfsingh]

Originally Posted by barcelonic

what do u do to keep it running well? cus mine dont last much longer than a year - my last laptop was working fine one day then i left it open when i went to work cus i was downloading, then when i came back the motherboard was fried!! no explanation! went from working fine to being completely worthless!!

I have no idea. My last one was an ADVENT (crap), and surprisingly it lasted for ages. It was a pretty shoddy laptop though. The fan was so stupidly loud, that you could still hear it through over the music, even on full volume. I've now given it to my mum, let her deal with the burden

[Ragnarok]

I might buy this one out of some of my greens what do you think?
http://www.buyitdirect.co.uk/Acer%5F...n.asp?PID=1003

[Garyl2k]

Some advise on gaming laptops, they get very hot and don't last has long as normal laptops.

I have an Dell XPS, I love it but it's a pain to carry about as it weighs a bit, I have also had the graphics card changed due to it burning out through the heat. Problems with laptops is that they are not designed to play games, a PC case will always beat a thin cramped up case.

If your going to buy a gaming rig then make it a PC and not a laptop, you will get 10 times more power and a better gaming experience.

The only good thing about gaming laptops is that you can play games such as Word of warcraft on the move.

If you do go the laptop route, purchase a laptop cool'er!

[Ragnarok]

What do you think of the one that I posted mate?

[barcelonic]

Originally Posted by Garyl2k

Some advise on gaming laptops, they get very hot and don't last has long as normal laptops.

I have an Dell XPS, I love it but it's a pain to carry about as it weighs a bit, I have also had the graphics card changed due to it burning out through the heat. Problems with laptops is that they are not designed to play games, a PC case will always beat a thin cramped up case.

If your going to buy a gaming rig then make it a PC and not a laptop, you will get 10 times more power and a better gaming experience.

The only good thing about gaming laptops is that you can play games such as Word of warcraft on the move.

If you do go the laptop route, purchase a laptop cool'er!

Cheers gary thats helpful.

Where do u go to get graphics card changed? I have an integrated one but would like a dedicated one, is it possible to upgrade it and where would i go?

Also how do you get a laptop cooler? And do you have to buy one with it preinstalled or can you get one added, and where?

Thanks

[Sachmo_51_6]

Most laptop coolers are essentially a laptop stand with a fan attached. I got mine from amazon:
Akasa AK-NBC-02B Notebook cooler Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

If you've got a 17" like me ( ), you'll be a lot more limited for choice of cooler, and it's debatable whether or not they have much effect anyway (my laptop still produces a lot of heat when running certain programs.

[Garyl2k]

Depends on the laptop cool'er and I would agree Sachmo it is very debatable on how much the cool'ers actually work.

Though having a graphics card burn out on my XPS I would advise on having one to make the life that little bit more longer on your GPU.

Laptop GPUs are totally different then PC CPUs, they are less powerful and are not as simple to change. In most cases if you want to change your GPU with a new one (Not different one but simply a new GPU of the same model) then you simply have to contact your customer support of the manufature.

I got mine from DELL and my experience with them was very good, my warranty had expired so I had to renew it, which is a lot cheaper then buying a brand new GPU that I found at the price of £600 on eBay... The warranty was only £120 for the year so it was loads cheaper.

PC GPU cards can be purchased from all over the web, Amazon, Dabs, Ebuyer etc.

Just make sure you purchase the right card for your PC, don't buy a really expensive card if you have a slow to mid range PC as your card will bottle neck and not perfurm very well.

Sorry for the late response, just been really busy!

Hope this helps!