Gaming Netbook?

• Justified wrote on 2010-08-12 15:38
  [UB]Since a virus pretty much ravaged this computer beyond redemption, I'm looking in to finding a replacement. After two years of lugging this ~7lb brick of a 15.4inch laptop up and down 10 flights of stairs each day at college, I've been drawn in to netbooks. The monster battery life is also a plus.
  
  So I need help finding a good deal from you tech-savvy / window-shoppy people. I made the mistake of buying this laptop with an integrated graphics card, drawn in by the 3GB RAM (my <10 fps in shadow missions mocks me), so it's pretty obvious I don't know much as far as computer chips goes.
  
  I've looked at Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and MSI so far...
  Dell doesn't allow customization of their Mini series, and doesn't offer much in graphics cards to begin with.
  Lenovo doesn't like to provide more than 1GB of RAM, and is on the expensive side.
  The Asus N10 series looks ideal, but I couldn't find any sellers online. Odds are they'll be too expensive anyways.
  
  The MSI L2100 looks like something I could live with at $480.
  [SIZE="1"]AMD Athlonâ„¢ Neo (1.60GHz / FSB 1600 MHz / Cache 512K)
  ATI Radeon X1250 (Graphics Card - memory shared w/ 2GB RAM)[/SIZE]
  
  Is this sufficient for gaming needs, or are there better deals out there? I don't mean like Aion status, but it should be able to handle most things...[/UB]
• Chihaya wrote on 2010-08-12 15:56
  Netbooks are not good for gaming, period.
  Ideal-ly, Desktops are best for gaming needs, but there are epically expensive gaming laptops (~$1000+) available.
  However, I never saw any netbook that could play high-graphic games such as mabinogi.
  
  (My irl friend has a netbook, and he can't even play Touhou on it =.=)
  
  
  EDIT: Sorry, didn't know that your standards were Mabinogi-based.
  Mabinogi actually has some of the lower graphic requirements, so it might not be a problem.
  
  I mean... I personally use an ancient (over 8 year old) IBM laptop with 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, and 1.2 GHz, and I still run Mabinogi fine most of the time.
• Virtue wrote on 2010-08-12 15:59
  >gaming
  >netbook
  
  Pick one.
• Creampuff wrote on 2010-08-12 16:56
  Yeah netbook =/= gaming, sadly. =(
  
  I keep a Dell with dedicated graphics for light gaming and a smaller ASUS notebook (integrated graphics and better battery life) for everyday travel and use. I can use the ASUS for playing Mabi but on very low graphics settings. Maybe try for a notebook in the 12-13" range?
• hengsheng120 wrote on 2010-08-12 17:15
  i don't think you mean netbook, those kind of notebooks are called subnotebooks or ultraportables. you can get a very small notebook with a lot of power but it's going to cost ya.
• Infamy wrote on 2010-08-12 17:22
  Like others have said, netbook and associated battery life do not mix with gaming. There's the Alienware M11x, if you're looking for the form factor, but that's rather expensive.
  
  This might fit what you're looking for.
  Newegg.com - Acer Aspire AS7741G-5877 NoteBook Intel Core i3 350M(2.26GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
  Acer Aspire AS7741G-5877 NoteBook
  Intel Core i3 350M(2.26GHz)
  ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
  17.3"
  4GB Memory DDR3 1066
  320GB HDD 5400rpm
  $719.99
  
  Main points being Core i3 and dedicated video.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2010-08-12 17:52
  Netbooks are for browsing the interwebs and doing homework :<
• Halfslashed wrote on 2010-08-12 21:13
  I laughed at the idea of a netbook.
  
  Also, if you're having difficulty carrying a 7lb laptop... I don't know what to tell you.
  
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101230
  
  $30 more than Infamy's suggestion with a better processor and more space. If you don't need those, go with infamy's suggestion, by all means.
• Justified wrote on 2010-08-12 23:35
  I go by the classification that the manufacturers use. Some "netbooks" have pretty high specifications and cost as much as (or more) than some lower end notebooks. I actually started looking into this because I stumbled across this year-old article saying that WoW, L4D, CS:Source, and such were able to run smoothly on an Asus netbook.
  
  Would the MSI be that bad of a choice? The Acers you guys listed seem like overkill and cost is really an issue.
  
  
  Edit:
  
  Kind of a lateral move but this MSI model (U230) only costs $400 (on other websites), which is almost half of the Acers.
  
  AMD Athlonâ„¢ Neo MV-40 (1.60GHz / 512K Cache)
  ATI Radeon HD3200 (shared memory - 2GB RAM)
  
  
  And a different Acer model (Aspire 721) kicking in at $430.
  
  AMD Athlonâ„¢ II Neo K125 (1.70 GHz / 1MB L2 cache)
  Integrated ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 4225 (384MB memory)
  2GB RAM (+1 DDR3 slot)
• Halfslashed wrote on 2010-08-13 01:43
  You wanted to game on a portable computer. Once again, your picks suck. If you want to game, you should always have a dedicated video card, rather than integrated crap.
  
  So, either pay an extra $300 or kiss your gaming dreams goodbye.
• Justified wrote on 2010-08-13 02:11

  Quote from Halfslashed;122863:

  You wanted to game on a portable computer. Once again, your picks suck. If you want to game, you should always have a dedicated video card, rather than integrated crap.
  
  So, either pay an extra $300 or kiss your gaming dreams goodbye.

  
  
  Well I'm running integrated graphics right now and it seems fine for the most part. I'm able to participate in Red/Desert Dragon raids without any severe lag - which is more than many people can say.
  Sure the preferable setups with actual graphics cards sound nice, but I can live with occasional frameskips and screen freezes if it saves me an extra $300 which I don't even have. I'll only go for those if they're the absolute minimum for Mabinogi and other games to run decently well.
  
  PS - The Acer you suggested uses ATI Radeon graphics, how is that different from the ones I chose? The Aspire 721 has 384MB of video memory, will that still churn because it's integrated? And what about the MSI models?
• Syrphid wrote on 2010-08-13 02:24
  I just bought this one, Newegg.com - ASUS K50ID-X3 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T4500(2.30GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M
  
  $680 + tax, w/4 gb ram and 1 gb dedicated graphics
  
  I was looking for the cheapest laptop I could find with dedicated. It's fairly light, the handrest is always cool to the touch, and it comes with 1 year oh **** warranty.
  
  Shared graphics = integrated graphics, do you want dedicated graphics?
  ~~~
  This one is $600 + tax (4gb + 512 dedicated), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114924
  
  You could also look into refurbished models, at places like dell outlet.
• Justified wrote on 2010-08-13 02:50

  Quote from Syrphid;122884:

  I just bought this one, Newegg.com - ASUS K50ID-X3 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T4500(2.30GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M
  
  Shared graphics = integrated graphics, do you want dedicated graphics?

  
  
  This confuses me then. -- Integrated ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 4225 (384MB memory) -- It has its own memory but is still integrated..?
  
  The Asus N10 from the Gamespot review was able to preform well.
  Intel Atom N270 (1.60GHz) / GeForce 9300M (256MB) / 2GB RAM
  
  Wouldn't the Acer AO721 outperform the Asus, since it has bigger numbers across the board?
  AMD Athlon II Neo K125 (1.70GHz) / above listed graphics card / 2GB RAM (upg. to 4GB)
  
  The models you suggested still look like overkill to me, I'd like to cut as many corners as possible. Unless the ones I picked really don't look like they can cut it (meaning I can live with shared graphics if it's playable).
• Syrphid wrote on 2010-08-13 03:11

  Quote from Justified;122918:

  This confuses me then. -- Integrated ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 4225 (384MB memory) -- It has its own memory but is still integrated..?
  
  The Asus N10 from the Gamespot review was able to preform well.
  Intel Atom N270 (1.60GHz) and GeForce 9300M (256MB)
  
  Wouldn't the Acer AO721 outperform the Asus, since it has bigger numbers across the board?
  AMD Athlon II Neo K125 (1.70GHz) and above listed graphics card
  
  The models you suggested still look like overkill to me, I'd like to cut as many corners as possible. Unless the ones I picked really don't look like they can cut it.

  
  
  This one (sorry if link is bad, idk what the real url is), Gateway - Laptop / AMD Athlon&#153; II X2 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Velvet Blue - NV53A24u
  
  4gb ram and 256 dedicated for $500 + shipping & tax. Reviews are resoundingly positive, although most of the users seem newbie, so take w/grain of salt.
  
  As I understand it, integrated graphics come with no ram, so they "share" or hijack system ram. The number they cite is just how much ram the card is physically able to hijack. I'm unsure why investing in a dedicated card is better than just getting even more system ram, I /think/ shared ram is slower. I'm also not even sure how integrated graphics stand compared to dedicated. I've had integrated graphics before, but that was some years ago, so everything else was weaker too. Everyone says integrated graphics are terrible for games, but you've survived so far. A $500 laptop w/integrated graphics probably has better hidden stats, like durability and heat creation/dissipation.
  
  The n10 is interesting, newegg review said it was $600, 2gb ram and 256 dedicated. Make sure you can stand the small screen and lower resolution though. I find netbooks awkward to use as a main computer.
• Justified wrote on 2010-08-13 03:27

  Quote from Syrphid;122941:

  This one (sorry if link is bad, idk what the real url is), Gateway - Laptop / AMD Athlonâ„¢ II X2 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Velvet Blue - NV53A24u
  
  4gb ram and 256 dedicated for $500 + shipping & tax. Reviews are resoundingly positive, although most of the users seem newbie, so take w/grain of salt.
  
  As I understand it, integrated graphics come with no ram, so they "share" or hijack system ram. The number they cite is just how much ram the card is physically able to hijack. I'm unsure why investing in a dedicated card is better than just getting even more system ram, I /think/ shared ram is slower.
  
  The n10 is interesting, newegg review said it was $600, 2gb ram and 256 dedicated. Make sure you can stand the small screen and lower resolution though. I find netbooks awkward to use as a main computer.

  
  
  That looks much more feasible for me.
  
  And with your explanation of hijacked ram limitations, I googled my graphics chip and found out I'm actually running 128MB integrated. So basically all of these are upgrades for me, integrated or not, as long as the processor is Core2Duo 2GHz status or better.
  
  While I haven't tried using a small screen yet, I don't think it would bother me. 15.4" is rather wide for my tastes.
  
  
  
  Re-edit:
  
  Last bit of researching done. Narrowed down to these few models left. According to a bunch of online reviews, all of them are capable of soft-core gaming (WoW and SC2 were common test subjects) while keeping in my preferred price range.
  
  

  [Image: http://i37.tinypic.com/34edamt.jpg]

  
  
  It's basically still between the MSI U230 and the Acer AO721 that I mentioned before, but with the Asus 1201N in the mix. I'm not sure how nVidia ION compares to Radeon chips though.
  
  Asus = Stronger CPU + ION GPU // highest cost
  Acer = Well rounded + expandable RAM // no drawbacks
  MSI = Lowest cost // Shared GPU, Weakest CPU
  
  The Gateway excels in all areas, but it cheats by not being a netbook.