Which Laptop? Need opinions.

[Rilla]

Hey, im looking to buy a laptop for mainly gaming. I've looked across the market and have come down to a choice of 2 in my price range. Im just looking for other opinions on which to buy!

CORE 2 DUO T9300 2.50GHz (800mhz fsb)
DUAL SLI 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX card
4gig DDR 2 800mhz
2 x 200gb HDD @ 7,200rpm
No HDMI

Or

Core 2 DUO P9500 2.53GHz (1066mhz fsb)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB
4gig DDR 3
1 x 320gb HDD @ 7,200
1 x HDMI

Any opinions?

Like i say, im looking for gaming performance. But i would like to move away from a plus socket once in awhile. even if its not for long!

Also i dont intend on upgrading to soon after this one, so a shelf life for as long as possible would be nice!

 

[Mike1983]

The second one with the P9500 is superior to the first one with the T9300.

Based on the spec quoted and not knowing the actual models the 1st system will be based on the Centrino platform whereas the second model will be based on the newer (current) Centrino 2 platform.

That means higher RAM / FSB speed, DDR3 instead of DDR2 RAM etc.

Assuming you made a slight typo and meant you would like to move away from a PLUG socket once in a while?? Then note the second system has a P series CPU which indicates power efficiency (a 10 Watt reduction from memory) which would help you out.

And with regards to your shelf life comment.... The first system is superseded technology already whereas the 2nd system is current so give yourself a fighting chance

What screen sizes are these systems just out of interest / size you are looking for? I'm wary that you've mentioned that these two are within your price range, in my opinion the 1st system should be a lot cheaper than the 2nd system.

The 2nd system you mention is the same spec as mine (an Overclockers.co.uk Ultima 15.4"). Have you seen that one yet? Very pleased with the performance and you do actually get some battery life out of it too!

 

[Rilla]

Sorry, yes i did mean a plug socket

The second system is indeed the overclockers 15.4 inch custom. Looks very nice. How are you finding yours? and how upgradeable does the system look?

Could you install a Blue ray drive yourself easily at a later date, or add a digital TV tuner?

The first is a 17inch 1980x1480 screen.
And is actually more expensive than the overclockers system.

I thought the T9300 processer was also centrino 2 technology?

As for what size screen im looking for, im not 100% sure yet. If you can carry a 15.4inch laptop around.. surely a 17inch isnt much different once its in a backpack?

 

[Mike1983]

I guessed you meant that but you never know, I always ask no matter how obvious / dumb I may sound lol

I'm realy liking mine, kind of thought it would be a drag to use compared to my desktop spec but it really is good. I've demo'd some 17" laptops before and this really is a great item with respect to performance/ portability trade-off.

Now your other questions, everything below is my opinion / thoughts so should be confirmed by OcUK if you're basing a purchase on this

Upgradeability, I'm not the best person to ask as I'm a bit cautious to mess around with the insides of laptops but I've seen the inside of this model and it appears easy to upgrade yourself. This is further confirmed by another post somewhere on these forums by an actual OcUK employee. The DVD drive would be very easy to swap out and that's what I intend to do when blu-ray is more affordable.
With respect to a TV tuner, I don't think it would be possible to install an internal TV tuner as there appears to be no output at the back for an aerial connection. I'm not clued up on TV tuners though so this is just an opinion. Obviously either way this will not hinder you getting a USB tuner. My past experiences of TV tuners have not been good ones lol.

And the T series CPU's have been around since Centrino 1 from memory, the give-away is the 800MHz FSB.

If you're already looking at the OcUK Ultima and it is within your budet then I'd go for it. I'd been searching the market for a long while (over a year) and did a lot of research before I bought it. I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it.

 

[Rilla]

Thanks Mike1983

Helped a lot, still looking across the market. Seems the 17inch gaming laptops are all very large, heavy and power hungry.

 

[Davey D]

you will get higher FPS in most games with the Dual 8800GTX.

the 9800GT is just a rebadged 8800GTX, and the 9800GT performs a few FPS faster on average than the 9800GTS

The processor wont make a lot of difference with your games compared to the Gfx card.

DDR3 system ram makes little difference performance wise over DDR2.

The first system will have less battery time with 2x graphics cards, and 2x hard drives.

Centrino / Centrino 2 is a Platform, and not a CPU type.. ie the system must have certain features to be classed as Centrino