So I'm trying to find a laptop to buy for university. I've never had a laptop before, so I don't know what the do's and don't's are. I need something that will pretty much run the latest games for the next 3/4 years or so. My current computer (which is a PC) has the following specs:
And it lagged when I played WoW on ultra settings (not that this matters any more), and on sc2 when playing protoss on default graphics settings (only when you try to build a new pylon and the circles appear everywhere telling you where you can build other buildings).
Anyway the reason I mentioned my current computer is because I want something better than this, but everyone I know who has bought a laptop has had it overheat when playing games for too long, and has had to send them off for repairs etc. I don't know if this is because their specific laptops are crap or because laptops in general are crap for playing games on. If they are I might have to rethink (as in get a cheap laptop for work and then buy a more powerful desktop pc as well).
I bought my last computer from PC specialist and plan to buy my laptop from there again unless anyone can recommend something substantially cheaper. I'll be using the laptop for uni work (using LaTeX etc.), playing games (MW3,BF3, GW2, SC2 etc.), photoshop, skype, watching movies.
The "Optimus II" looks like what I want to get, because once you've customised it, it turns out to come to around £900 to £1000. Anyway I have some questions about what parts I should get it built with, and if they work together:
(when I'm mention specific parts I'm referring to the options on the site I linked earlier)
Processor:
I know next to nothing about what I need, but I've been reading some other threads and people say you'll be fine with an i5 processor unless you're doing video editing and other processor-heavy tasks. I get this, but since I have the money, and I want my laptop to last a while, I'm thinking it might be a better idea to get the i7? I don't know if this changes with the mobile versions;<. So for example, is the "intel core i7 quad core mobile processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) GMB cache" better than the current processor on my PC? Does it make much difference if I get the 2.2/2.3ghz one?
Memory: I want 8GB cause I can imagine that just having 4gb will cause problems in the future. Is it worth getting the Kingston 8gb over the Samsung 8gb, for an extra £40?
Other:
I want the 2gb version of the graphics card they have there, because 2 is a bigger number than 1. Not sure if I'll need it though. Same issue with the hard drive; I don't know what I'll need other than that I need 500gb of hard disk space.
I have a feeling that PC specialist doesn't consider problems such as overheating when putting the laptop together; that they just put together what you tell them to. For example when I was looking into building a pc, people told me I'll need a better cooling system than the one I had chosen. There seems no way to customize cooling systems with a laptop. How do I know that what I've chosen won't overheat? And does having a more compact laptop (like getting the 15 inch over the 17inch) make a difference to this?
I'm also completely open to suggestions that aren't from pcspecialist.co.uk, I just want a good laptop for as cheap as possible! Also, just to clarify, I live in the UK.
Anyway as you can see I'm pretty much clueless I'm just looking for advice/recommendations from people with more experience. Thanks!
And it lagged when I played WoW on ultra settings (not that this matters any more), and on sc2 when playing protoss on default graphics settings (only when you try to build a new pylon and the circles appear everywhere telling you where you can build other buildings).
Anyway the reason I mentioned my current computer is because I want something better than this, but everyone I know who has bought a laptop has had it overheat when playing games for too long, and has had to send them off for repairs etc. I don't know if this is because their specific laptops are crap or because laptops in general are crap for playing games on. If they are I might have to rethink (as in get a cheap laptop for work and then buy a more powerful desktop pc as well).
I bought my last computer from PC specialist and plan to buy my laptop from there again unless anyone can recommend something substantially cheaper. I'll be using the laptop for uni work (using LaTeX etc.), playing games (MW3,BF3, GW2, SC2 etc.), photoshop, skype, watching movies.
The "Optimus II" looks like what I want to get, because once you've customised it, it turns out to come to around £900 to £1000. Anyway I have some questions about what parts I should get it built with, and if they work together:
(when I'm mention specific parts I'm referring to the options on the site I linked earlier)
Processor:
I know next to nothing about what I need, but I've been reading some other threads and people say you'll be fine with an i5 processor unless you're doing video editing and other processor-heavy tasks. I get this, but since I have the money, and I want my laptop to last a while, I'm thinking it might be a better idea to get the i7? I don't know if this changes with the mobile versions;<. So for example, is the "intel core i7 quad core mobile processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) GMB cache" better than the current processor on my PC? Does it make much difference if I get the 2.2/2.3ghz one?
Memory: I want 8GB cause I can imagine that just having 4gb will cause problems in the future. Is it worth getting the Kingston 8gb over the Samsung 8gb, for an extra £40?
Other:
I want the 2gb version of the graphics card they have there, because 2 is a bigger number than 1. Not sure if I'll need it though. Same issue with the hard drive; I don't know what I'll need other than that I need 500gb of hard disk space.
I have a feeling that PC specialist doesn't consider problems such as overheating when putting the laptop together; that they just put together what you tell them to. For example when I was looking into building a pc, people told me I'll need a better cooling system than the one I had chosen. There seems no way to customize cooling systems with a laptop. How do I know that what I've chosen won't overheat? And does having a more compact laptop (like getting the 15 inch over the 17inch) make a difference to this?
I'm also completely open to suggestions that aren't from pcspecialist.co.uk, I just want a good laptop for as cheap as possible! Also, just to clarify, I live in the UK.
Anyway as you can see I'm pretty much clueless I'm just looking for advice/recommendations from people with more experience. Thanks!
My sentiments exactly! 
