Gaming Machines

Serious gamers will always lean more toward desktop computers for their flexibility when it comes to upgrading and the sheer power of their components. If being mobile is a priority, withal, there are some solid choices in this category. Intel's Core i7 processors are recommended for gaming, every bit well every bit a superlative-of-the-line discrete graphics carte from ATI or Nvidia, 4GB to 8GB of RAM, and up to a terabyte worth of storage capacity.

Similar to desktop replacements, almost gaming laptops are large, heavy and aren't usually too hot on bombardment life. At that place are a number of specialized brands and boutique shops that will let you customize their products with all the latest components and even tailor their looks to your taste -- but they'll too charge a overnice premium for it.


Sager NP8120 (Built on Clevo X8100)

If you don't mind stretching your budget to well over $2,000 for a few extra perks and top quality personalized service, there are a number of boutique PC shops waiting to take your social club. Over at XoticPC, the Sager NP8120 starts at $2,409 and comes with everything but the kitchen sink. This loftier-end gaming system utilizes SLI technology to take advantage of not one, simply ii of the fastest GPUs bachelor from Nvidia -- the GeForce GTX 285M. It uses a gorgeous 18.4-inch display with full Hard disk drive 1920x1080 resolution, Cadre i7 720QM processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and dual 500GB 7,200RPM drives.

Throw in an extra ~$400 and you lot tin swap one 500GB bulldoze for a fast Intel X25-One thousand SSD and upgrade the processor to a Core i7 840QM. Also its powerful hardware, the NP8120 also features a futuristic (though bulky) blueprint with a customizable luminous lighting array, button-less luminescent touch sensor control panel, and eight programmable gaming keys. The keyboard and numeric keypad accept been beginning to the right to brand fashion for these gaming controls, so that may take a fiddling getting used to. In terms of connectivity yous go HDMI and DVI ports, three USB ii.0 ports plus a USB/eSATA combo, Firewire, built-in Bluetooth, a 7-in-1 card reader and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Although you're no doubt paying a premium, this will include a 3 year labor - 1 year parts warranty and lifetime 24/7 phone back up.

Additional views:

Quick specs | Total specs Starting toll: $2,409
Processor: Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz Graphics: 2x Nvidia GeForce GTX 285M 1GB
Memory: 8GB DDR3-1333 (2 DIMMs) Storage: 2x 500GB 7,200RPM HDD
Brandish size: 18.iv" (1920x1080) Optical: DVD burner
Weight: 12.5 lbs (12-jail cell) Bombardment: 12-prison cell (~2.5 hours)


Asus G73Jh

Asus has packed a lot of muscle into this stealth fighter-inspired gaming notebook without going too crazy on the bill. For around $1,600 yous get i of the nearly powerful mobile video cards bachelor right now, the Mobility Radeon HD 5870, plus an Intel Core i7 720QM processor, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a beautiful 17.3-inch display with full Hard disk drive 1920x1080 resolution, and a whopping terabyte of storage. Digital content addicts may be disappointed well-nigh the lack of a Blu-ray drive (though you can add 1 for well-nigh $100) and certain connectivity options -- there's no eSATA, ExpressCard, FireWire or USB three.0. But if you're just later a powerful mobile gaming solution these missing features won't matter much.

The Asus G73Jh can handle almost any game on the market fifty-fifty at loftier visual quality settings -- since its GPU is based off the ATI "Juniper" cadre with 800 Stream Processors, yous can pretty much wait similar performance to a desktop Radeon HD 5770. This means very playable frame rates in games like Far Weep two, Left iv Dead 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect 2, and more than. On the aesthetics front opinions will vary. Similar most gaming laptops, the G73Jh is large and heavy, but it compensates with a solid built chassis that does a bully task at performing cool and quiet. So long as y'all're not expecting long battery life, it doesn't get much improve than the G73Jh when it comes to mobile gaming.

Additional views:

Quick specs | Full specs Starting price: $one,600
Processor: Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (quad-cadre) Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon Hd 5870 1GB
Memory: 8GB DDR3-1333 (three DIMMs) Storage: 2x 500GB 7,200RPM HDD
Display size: 17.three" (1920×1080) Optical: DVD-RW
Weight: 8.v lbs (8-cell) Battery: 8-cell (~2 hours)


Alienware M11x R2

Usually when you think of gaming laptops, an 11-inch screen is not the beginning thing that comes to mind. Merely there's certainly value in having a gaming-capable machine that yous can easily have on the go, especially for frequent travelers or LAN party goers. The Alienware M11x R2 combines the aforementioned 'Stealth Black' looks of its bigger brothers, the 15-inch M15x and 17-inch M17x, with a soft rubbery matte finish. Almost chiefly, it offers an overclockable Cadre i5 or i7 low-voltage processor, and Nvidia GeForce GT 335M graphics with Optimus technology.

Obviously because of its size constraints and somewhat modest price tag (for its intended marketplace, anyway) you can't expect the M11x R2 to outperform a full-fledged gaming car like the Asus G73Jh or Sager NP8120. But y'all tin can still attain playable frame rates in most current games using medium and in some cases loftier graphics settings. The 1366x768 resolution of the panel is disappointing, merely gaming at 1600x900 would tax the GT 335M even further. Connectivity-wise, the M11x R2 lacks a VGA-out port, USB 3.0 and eSATA, only gets HDMI and DisplayPort, as well as iii USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, a 3-in-1 media card slot and Ethernet. As you can meet this Alienware gaming laptop isn't without its limitations, simply if you're looking for something small to game while on the route, it'southward ane of the most compelling options available.

Additional views:

Quick specs | Total specs Starting toll: $949 ($1,224 with specs listed below)
Processor: Intel Cadre i7 640UM 1.2GHz Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GT 335M 1GB
Memory: 4GB DDR3-800 (2 DIMMs) Storage: 320GB 7,200RPM HDD
Display size: eleven.6" (1366×768) Optical: none
Weight: 4.4 lbs (8-cell) Battery: 8-jail cell (~6 hours)