How to Make a Laptop a Gaming Laptop?

Discussion in 'Laptop Hardware' started by TheForetold1, Aug 4, 2014.

  1. TheForetold1

    TheForetold1

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    Hey, I live in th UK and bought a Refurbished Acer Aspire V3-571 Core i3 6GB 500GB Windows 8 Laptop with 2.4 GHz. I have managed to play games such as Planetside 2, Warframe and War Thunder at 24 max fps (high graphics) with the Intel HD 4000 but it is not good enough for me at all [​IMG]

    Because it is shared not even integrated graphics i wish to buy a graphics card, a RAM upgrade (told it was very cheap) and a ROM upgrade.

    I have up to 50 pounds to spend but will save up more more if no other option. So can you please link me up to the products which will work with this laptop (can't find the maximum for upgrades or if it will fit) so my gaming experience will be improved. If it will cost too much (no idea of actual prices) you can ignore the ROM upgrade and I will have to find a USB to store the game launchers/Steam.

    PS. How do i move between Windows 7 and 8 as i heard it was easy to do with one click and how do i upgrade to Windows 8.1? (If there is no point without the touch screen please ignore).
     
    TheForetold1, Aug 4, 2014
    #1
  2. TheForetold1

    Brian8gbSSDLinux

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    Location:
    Romford, Essex UK
    Laptop... built in battery, therefore PORTABLE, like - can use on Train on journeys... but battery life DEPENDS on how little power you are using... like running COD on a train journey... you MIGHT get 15 minutes... or it can be used during Power failure (Brown outs). Same limitations on Power...
    Also...
    LIMITED chance of Graphics upgrades... so - NOT REALLY suitable for gaming,despite Manufacturers advertisements...

    IF YOU ARE REALLY IN TO GAMING... You NEED a DESKTOP Unit...
    Alternative Graphics cards just Click in, CPU can be Replaced with a more POWERFUL Chip... You could have a 54 inch 4k Monitor, not a fiddly 15 inch screen...
    OR
    A Console (like XBOX One, PS4)... linked to a 21 inch Plus Monitor...

    Are you seeing a pattern here ?

    A lifetime Laptop User... with TWO teenage Sons using DESKTOPS (they say there is better resolution with a PC than with a Console - which is now sitting gathering dust).
     
    Brian8gbSSDLinux, Aug 6, 2014
    #2
  3. TheForetold1

    rz3300

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    I think that if I was in the market for a gaming laptop, I think that I might just have to go with one of the companies that seems to make these already. They are pretty expensive, though, so I am always curious to learn about other ways to go about doing it, but in the end it just seems like the easiest option.
     
    rz3300, Sep 21, 2016
    #3
  4. TheForetold1

    Aree Wongwanlee

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    With a laptop, the options for upgrade aren't that many. It's more or less live with what you start with. However, to play games on a laptop, you don't really need a dedicated gaming laptop. I play World of Warcraft and I play it on my laptop which has an i3 processor, 4Gb of RAM and an nVidia graphics processor as well on top of the Intel graphics chip. Costs me only about $400.
     
    Aree Wongwanlee, Sep 23, 2016
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  5. TheForetold1

    AntonioCalcano

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    I guess that gaming laptops are not good, they're just too expensive for what they offer, you're better off building your own pc for gaming, and if you can't afford to do that then you probably can't afford the laptop in the first place. There are many options out there you just need to look for alternatives.
     
    AntonioCalcano, Sep 24, 2016
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  6. TheForetold1

    Aree Wongwanlee

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    On the contrary, a gaming laptop is not really more expensive than a gaming desktop. Take for example, the Alienware laptop. The top model with an i7 processor, 16Gb of RAM and 8gb of graphics memory is a bit less than $2500. To build your own desktop PC with the same specs is not going to be much less. It used to be that laptops are, spec for spec, more expensive than desktops. This is no longer true because the laptop has enjoyed the economies of scale by becoming a regular consumer product.
     
    Aree Wongwanlee, Sep 24, 2016
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  7. TheForetold1

    rz3300

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    Seems like the better option is buy one geared for and build for gaming. Am I right in thinking that Alienware is a good company for this? I am not sure if this is me making an assumption that I should not, or if that is what they are going for. They have always interested me though.
     
    rz3300, Oct 9, 2016
    #7
  8. TheForetold1

    Aree Wongwanlee

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    Alienware has made a name for itself as a gaming laptop brand. There are other brands which are also focussed on gaming. One is the Razerblade. Asus is also a big player in gaming laptops with their Republic of Gamers series. The latest Asus ROG model has a water-cooled system. It sits at the back of the laptop. Here's a picture of it:
    [​IMG]
     
    Aree Wongwanlee, Oct 10, 2016
    #8
  9. TheForetold1

    Vash

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    Laptops are hard to upgrade. Their motherboards are often specifically made. You have limited upgrade options. In most cases, the best you can do is to increase the amount of system RAM, and to replace the HDD with a SSD which is what I did with my old Dell Vostro 1500. To upgrade CPU and graphics card, it wasn't worth it and I already had the higher option of the only two available graphics cards for my model. And the best CPU I could find would only upgrade the 2.2GB to 2.8GB which wouldn't really offer that much difference in real world performance.

    Desktops are much easier to upgrade, but then again it is up to the motherboard. Some motherboards offer better upgrade options since it can accept a wider range of hardware.
     
    Vash, Oct 10, 2016
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  10. TheForetold1

    Fuzyon

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    I don't know if you can upgrade your laptop, most of them only give you the option to add an extra RAM plaque but that's about it. You could potentially use an external cable to connect a GPU to it but that is probably the best option.
     
    Fuzyon, Oct 10, 2016
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  11. TheForetold1

    Aree Wongwanlee

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    I think the best way to go about buying a laptop is not to think about upgrading it. Buy what you need to get your work done. The reason is that technology advances very fast. By the time you want to upgrade your laptop, compatible parts may already be in short supply and therefore expensive.
     
    Aree Wongwanlee, Oct 14, 2016
    #11
  12. TheForetold1

    Elektron

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    You will have to invest some money on a new one because you'll spend too much trying to make yours a gaming laptop, just saying.
     
    Elektron, Oct 14, 2016
    #12
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