Edited by: Akita T on 29/08/2011 19:14:59
Originally by: Daniel Otsolen
I just want whatever I get to be capable of running the games I play (with Eve probably being the most consuming). I know I could get by with a cheaper laptop
How about you save the money for something else and get something that's just "good enough" not "best I can get for as much cash as I can spare", eh ? Especially since in 2, maybe 3 years tops, your 1500$ machine will be eclipsed in performance by sub-700$ laptops easily.
610 USD should be enough for decent "in space" single client performance in EVE - very likely somewhere close to 50 FPS at the 1600x900 built-in 17+" native display resolution and at max graphic detail in a moderately crowded area (and probably only around 15 FPS in CQ at max graphic detail, but, eh, who bothers to load the station environment these days anyway).
If you ramp down the graphic detail, things should work quite smoothly even with two instances, maybe even three instances could be "playable".
Power consumption at peak usage should not go noticeably above 50W, and at near idle it's probably not even 15W, so the battery (when brand new) should last a bit over one hour at peak gaming power or almost 4 hours on light-duty work.
This also means heat will not be THAT much of a problem (like it is for "classic" gaming laptops).It also means you could probably play EVE for well over 2 hours at rather minimalistic graphic details on just the battery charge, which is not bad at all.
I'd say that's pretty damn decent for a relatively cheap laptop... well, if you ask me, anyway.
Sure, it's not that much of a "gaming" machine, but if EVE is one of the most graphically demanding things you play, that should be more than fine.
And go buy something much more useful with the remaining almost 900$.