Top 5 Gaming Laptops: Quick Roundup

For a great gaming laptop you need high
performance processors, dedicated graphics
cards and a lot of system memory. These days
top gaming laptops are using dual or even
quad processors and hooking up two or more
graphics GPUs thru SLI configurations to get
the ultimate gaming performance.

Most gamers look for Nvidia and ATI as their
choice of Graphics Cards which uses dedicated
memory (RAM) and pulls additional system RAM
when needed thru HyperMemory (ATI) or Turbocache
(Nvidia). You need at least 2 Gigs of RAM,
although most high end laptops now come with
4 or more Gigs of RAM. Note: 32-bit Operating
Systems ONLY recognizes up to 3GB of RAM,
while you need 64-bit systems to take full
advantage of 4GB of RAM.

Sound and visuals are very important to gamers
so you have to check for superior display qualities
and top sound systems. So look for display technologies
like CrystalBrite (Acer) or X-Black (Sony) for better
viewing. Also look for high resolution (native 1,920 x
1,200) screens, 64 bit systems, DirectX 10 Graphics,
Blu-ray or HD playback...

With all these considerations in mind, here's
a short list of a few top gaming laptops you should
consider if you're in the market. Keep in mind, although
prices are coming down, be prepared to pay top dollar
for all that high-end gaming hardware, especially if
you're looking at the more popular well-known brands.
Also please note stated prices are rough estimates at
the time of writing; so check each manufacturer's online
site for exact prices and configurations.




1. Alienware Area-51 m17x ($4,749)


Alienware has always been the established leader
for superior gaming machines. Unfortunately, while
they make some of the best gaming rigs, you will
have to pay for all that performance and for all
that style. Many believe Alienware is too overpriced
for what you get. However, if money is no object,
Alienware should be your first consideration for a
gaming laptop.

Currently, one of their fastest machines is the
Area-51 m17x which sports some impressive specs:


CPU: Intel® Core® 2 Extreme X9000 2.8GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)

Memory: 4GB† Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 2048MB

Hard Drive: 250GB (250GB x 2) 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free
Fall Protection

Graphics: 512MB NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 3600M

OS: Microsoft® Windows® Vista® Ultimate with Service Pack 1

Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with
Clearview Technology

Weight: 10.5 lbs

But don't expect long battery life as gaming laptops
are usually power-hungry creatures that burn up your
power source very quickly. While still mobile, this
laptop serves more as a desktop replacement than a
portable laptop, same said for most of the gaming
laptops here. However, you won't look any cooler than
when you're lugging this rig around, not that looks should
count but they often do. Shallow world.


2. Rock Xtreme 780 X9100 (£2300 British Pounds or $4,210 USD)


Offering some serious competition to the Area-51 m15x is
the Rock Xtreme 780 X9100. This is the follow-up to the
very high ranked Xtreme 770 which you may also consider.
The 780 sports the new Intel® Core2 Extreme processor
and the latest gaming technologies.

CPU: Up to Intel® Core® 2 Extreme processor X9100 (2 x 3.06GHz)
6MB Level 2 Cache

Memory: Up to 4GB DDR3 1066Mhz RAM

Hard Drive: Up to 320Gb 7200rpm SATA

Graphics: NVIDIA 9800M GTX 1GB GDR3

OS: Microsoft® Windows® Vista® Home Premium

Display: 17" WUXGA+ X-Glass TFT Screen (1920 x 1200)

Weight: 8.4 lbs


You should know Rock (Rockdirect) is a leading UK laptop
manufacturer and was recently acquired by the Stone Group.
It should be business as usual since the Stone Group is also
a leading hardware specialist and laptop manufacturer.
Rock has a solid reputation for bringing the latest innovative
notebook technology to customers. Perhaps better suited for
European buyers with its "3 Year pan-European Collect & Return
Warranty" - although gamers this side of the pond shouldn't
necessarily rule out getting a rock.


3. Gateway P-7811FX ($1,449)

The Gateway P-7811FX is an inexpensive alternative
to all the pricey gaming laptops you might be considering.
If you're looking for a good gaming machine, yet want to
stay within a limited budget, this laptop may have your
name on it.

CPU: 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400

Memory: 4GB, 667MHz DDR3

Hard Drive: 200GB 7200rpm

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS

OS: Microsoft® Windows® Vista® Premium (64-bit)

Display: 17.1 inches HD-friendly 1920x1200.

Weight: 9.0 lbs


This gaming laptop offers great value for your
money and well worth your consideration, especially
if you're on a tight budget.


4. Sager NP9262 ($5879)


In case you want to go in the other direction and
break the bank, the Sager NP9262 maybe calling
your name. Built on the Clevo D900C / D901C
(Worlds 1st Quad Core Laptop) the NP9262 sports
some very impressive gaming specs.

CPU: Intel® Core® 2 Quad Processor Q9650 / 12MB L2 Cache,
3.0GHz, 1333MHz FSB

Memory: 8GB memory available on NP9262 with 64bit edition
of Windows VISTA

Hard Drive: 320GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive + other HD choices

Graphics: Dual Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTX Graphics with 1GB DDR3
Video Memory in SLI mode

OS: Windows® Vista® ULTIMATE 32/64-Bit Edition

Display: 17" Wide Viewing Angles WUXGA LCD with Super Glossy
Surface (1920 x 1200)

Weight: 11.55 lb


5. Dell XPS M1730 ($4,000)

Some gamers wouldn't be caught dead mentioning Dell
and gaming laptops in the same breath. There's no
accounting for gaming snobbery or brand name bias.
However, Dell which now owns Alienware and some of that
style must be rubbing off since the XPS M1730 is one
of the most striking gaming laptops you can buy;
looks do count and this one leaves all takers in the
dust. If you can get over the idea of having a Dell
in the first place, the XPS M1730 also sports some
very impressive gaming specs.

CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900

Memory: 2GB of 667MHz

Hard Drive: 400GB (2x200) at 7,200rpm

Graphics: Dual 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8700M GT in SLI
(scalable link interface)

OS: Windows Vista® Home Premium

Display: 17 inches 1,920x1,200 resolution

Weight: 11.1 lbs


These are just some of the top gaming laptops
on the market. Any one of these rigs will give
you half decent gaming. There are probably a lot
more cheaper gaming laptops out there and it does
pay to shop around. And as you probably already
noticed these gaming rigs are geared around
Intel and Nvidia, but you shouldn't rule out
AMD and/or ATI based systems. For Mac lovers,
you should look at the Apple MacBook Pro - and
remember you can also run Windows to play games!

Furthermore, one of the major drawbacks of going with
any gaming laptop (rather than a PC) is that there is
very little room for expansion... you need a system that
can be easily upgraded mainly because by the time you
buy it, your system will probably be out of date. That's
a bit exaggerated, but it is always a good idea to go
with a gaming system that you can easily upgrade when
the need arises or as you can afford it.

Also some gamers dislike Vista as an Operating System
for gaming and quickly switch back to Windows XP.
This is simply done, however some current laptops/PCs
won't accept XP so check this out BEFORE you buy your
machine.

In addition, if some of these gaming rigs look very
similar, you should know that Clevo is the ODM
(Original Design Manufacturer) based in Taiwan that
sells barebones and computer components to all these
boutique brand OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
like Falcon, Sager, M-TECH, Rock... Clevo is considered
by many gamers to produce the top laptops in regards
to superior quality and build. A prudent gaming laptop
buyer would always cross-reference these Clevo products
in order to find the best deal.


....

The author runs a handy online Laptop Guide featuring
the latest top gaming notebooks: Gaming Laptops
To learn how to do your own computer or laptop memory
upgrade try here: Computer Memory Upgrade
Copyright © 2008 Titus Hoskins. This article may be
freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.