looking at an Asus laptop

[vonhammer_87]

Hey all,

I'm currently in the market for a new laptop my current one is a Toshiba satellite about 2 yrs old. Anyway I ivbeen looking at the Asus R500VM-MS-71. Microcenter has it for 800. Here's the link - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388092

Specs looks decent quad core i7 2.3 ghz turboost 3.3 8 gb ram. Geforce GT630m with 2gb ram.

I really need this to handle the 3d cad software I use Revit Architecture, and the only gamesi really play are Ts12 and World of Tanks.


Would appreciate comments and opinions

 

[Euphod]

I don't own one, but I like it's specs. I think you could do much worse for the price.

 

[cascaderailroad]

Although it may be up to Trainz spec's (or not, IDK)... Almost ALL Laptops are not for intended for gaming AT ALL ... unless you go a bit higher into the $1000+ USD price range.

A desktop will always out perform a laptop, in every case (unless you buy a DELL, MAC, or a low end PC, which are pure junk)... and Trainz is very demanding !

 

[kamran]

laptop is good in but its graphic card is not good.there are dell laptops that have gt560m and gt550m graphics card in them which are way better then gt630 though their prices are i think in 900$+

 

[idomi4s]

Goddamit youre quite good with that price, I got Asus K52JT Win 7 Home Premium SP1 x64 Processor Intel Core i7 Q740 @1.73 GHz 4 core, with turbo boost up to 2.80 Ghz RAM 4GB Graphic AMD RADEON HD 6370 M Intel 5 /3400 series chipset family, res 1366x768 x60 hertz pixel 32 .. Im not living in the USA at the moment but the price was about 1300 USD.. I bought this only to run Trainz.. (foolish huh) I had no other choice.. But TS2012 run reasonably well, HDD is 500 GB and 15.6" col PnP monitor. I've installed almost all assets , the Harbor Master scenery is smooth run without any lag. Although in the Mojave there is still lag. I use Open GL instead of Directx, I have direct x 11 (and installed 9c also ) because of Shane great forum advice.. All graphical setting is on low. Yes, agree, laptops are not for gaming, but sometimes we have NO other choice only the laptop/notebook.. (I know a lot of games not support laptops i.e Rworks 3 for example, it said maybe the chipsets are work but not supported.. see? why not? why the hell are not? ) of course Im completely satisfied with the trainz series, imo there will be never better train simulator than Trainz.

 

[KenGreen]

One problem with laptops is the screen size and definition unless it's 1920x1080.
I had to pay over £1,600 for my laptop but it has an 18.6" screen, i7 2760QM. and GTX560M card, weighs a ton and I'm not convinced it was a good idea. Are you sure you need a laptop rather than a desktop PC.

Ken

 

[malikrthr]

I would not say that a desktop will always out perform a laptop. I was curious one day and went to the Alienware website. I think the m18x customized to the max will be atleast 3 times as good as a desktop. Almost $10,000. I wonder how this would run trainz on very high settings.

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Software & Services[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]PROCESSOR[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3920XM (8MB Cache, up to 4.1GHz Overclocked*)[/TD]
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[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]OPERATING SYSTEM[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]MEMORY[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz[/TD]
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[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]HARD DRIVE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]1.5TB SSD RAID 0 (3x 512GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD)[/TD]
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[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]VIDEO CARD[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Dual 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680M - SLI® Enabled[/TD]
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[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)[/TD]
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My Software & Accessories[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]COLOR[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Space Black Anodized Aluminum[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]ALIENFX COLOR[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Terra Green[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]WALLPAPER[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware Logo[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Skype VOIP Software Application[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]GEAR STORE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]HD3 Gaming Chill Mat - Black[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]GEAR STORE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware Orion M18x Backpack - TSA Friendly[/TD]
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[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]GAMING MICE & CONTROLLERS[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Razer Orochi Bluetooth/Wired Gaming Mouse[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]AUDIO OPTIONS[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware TactX Headset[/TD]
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My Accessories[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]POWER PROTECTION & STORAGE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]240-Watt 3-Prong Additional AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord for Dell Alienware M17x/ M17x R3/ M18X L[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]POWER PROTECTION & STORAGE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Western Digital 2 TB USB 3.0 My Book External Hard Drive[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]WARRANTY AND SERVICE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]4 Year Advanced Plan[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]SECURITY SOFTWARE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]McAfee SecurityCenter, 36-Months[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]OFFICE SOFTWARE[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]MONITORS & KEYBOARDS[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch Monitor[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtdcc1"]LIMITED WARRANTY[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtdcc2"]3Yr Ltd. Warranty- Advance Exchange[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]WIRELESS DEVICES[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Netgear Wireless Router - Dual Band - 4 Gigabit Ports - WNDR4500[/TD]
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ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]SOUND OPTIONS[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]LCD PANEL[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED WideFHD (1080p) display (1920 X 1080)[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd3"][/TD]
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[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]Primary Battery[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]96WHr 12-Cell Primary Battery[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]SYSTEM COLOR[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware M18X R2 with Soft Touch[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]AUTOMATIC UPDATES[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]Keyboard[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]English Keyboard[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd3"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]Adobe Reader Acrobat SW[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Adobe Acrobat X Reader[/TD]
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[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]
[TD="class: scrtd1"]Documentation[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Alienware Documentation[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]Shipping Material[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Shipping Material[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]Additional Software[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Additional Software[/TD]
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[TD="class: scrtd1"]Standard Nameplate Trigger[/TD]
[TD="class: scrtd2"]Standard Nameplate[/TD]
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[TramDU1214]

The Asus one sounds like a fair deal.
The GPU is not too great.
What is your budget? http://www.sagernotebook.com/ does have nice stuff aswell

 

[cascaderailroad]

Out of those that you pointed out there are 2 that have 17" screens ... $999-$1449 http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=category_browse&selected_cat=2

Anyone who spends more than $1500 on a laptop to run a video game, to run Trains ... Well has too much spare change burning a hole in their pocket.

I saw an ready to run, Big Box store, gaming desktop for @ $850 and it's framerates were as smooth as glass !

 

[Euphod]

Yeah, but what if you don't own a desk?

 

[cascaderailroad]

I saw an (Desktop Tower Only) HP - H8 1234 - 10GB DDR Ram (Trainz only needs 2GB), 1TB HD, AMD 6 Core FX Vision, Radeon HD 7450 Discrete Graphics, 3.5Ghz CPU, for $699 USD at Best Buy ... Any good ? ? ?:mop::udrool::mop:

$869 including HP 23" monitor, KB & Mouse (no printer).

Reviews:
What's great about it: The speed
What's not so great: I think it could have come with a better graphics card.
Crash's ... 5 BSOD

It would seem that ALL, Big Box stores, desktops come with cheepo 300 Watt power supplies, and 3rd Rate video cards, and have a CPU speed that is below 2.2Ghz.

Almost all instock Big Box store laptops are inferior and the Integrated Graphics, and or Video Card is inadequate, and CPU speed is 2.2Ghz or less.

 

[Red_Rattler]

This is not strictly related to said company in title, but is Intel i3 (2nd Generation I think) still okay? All other specs are above minimum specs for what is needed

 

[RRSignal]

To answer Cascade:

Unfortunately, what you say is pretty much true: The machines sold in big box stores are largely junk, even the so-called "gaming" machines. Worse still, they're pretty limited in upgradability. That HP machine would be pretty good if the GPU wasn't junk. And, of course, OEMs never miss a corner to cut - it's got a cheapo 300W power supply.

I know I always say this, but, honestly, if you want the job done right and to save some dough, you're best off either building your own or have a shop build one for you from a list of parts. The alternative is to plan to upgrade that HP immediately after purchase.

@Red_Rattler

By itself, the i3 is perfectly fine, as long as you get one with a good, fast clock speed - the faster, the better.