Finally, the answer is YES.
For the longest time, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Sager, etc. have been the best gaming laptops available. The problem is there is a premium price for these awesome gaming beasts. For a high-end gaming experience expect to pay around $3000+.
iBUYPOWER --- $1939
» CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile T8100 Dual-Core Processor (2x 2.1GHz/3MB Cache/800FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 5400rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)
ALIENWARE --- $1924
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB(2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)
SAGER --- $1934
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8100 / 3MB L2 Cache, 2.10GHz, 800MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)
Falcon NW --- $4,121
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6750 2.66GHz
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) 800MHz
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
» HDD: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)
note: prices do not include shipping
The Falcon Northwest is by far the most expensive, but it also has the highest end components as its lowest available configuration. The other laptops are not too far off from each other in price. So, with that said, here is the Gateway configuration and why it is such a great price/performance advantage over the others...
Gateway P-6831 FX ---
» CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T5450 / 1.67GHz, 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Okay, first let's get the negatives out:
1) CPU is the lower end Intel Core 2 Duo available
2) The hard drive is only 5400rpm
3) Removing the "bloatware" that Gateway pre-installs requires a little more setup time
4) RAM is slower than other configs
5, 6 & 7) Unfortunately, the Gateway P-6831 FX and P-6860 FX are the only P Series available at retail and BB has exclusivity to it for now and I'm not a huge fan of the BB.
Now for the positives:
1) The CPU is easily upgradeable, a feature not too often found on laptops. Gateway uses the Intel Socket P.
I checked prices on Newegg and a high end 2.5GHz Socket P CPU can be purchased for around $300. If you factor in the low initial cost of the Gateway laptop this makes the final price in the $1600 range. This nullifies the negative statement.
2) Dual Hard Drives can be easily configured.
I've have been running a few different applications to test out real world performance. Here is what I've done so far.
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Case 1) Gears of War
Exhibit A - All settings on high, no DX10 effects/ no AA (there isn't much difference when DX10 is enabled anyway) 1440x900
Exhibit B - Game ran fairly smooth right off the bat. I had a few vertical tears and tried to figure out the problem. I reduced the resolution to 1280x720 and the problem was solved with barely a noticeable chance in quality.
Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.
Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
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Case 2) Assassin's Creed
Exhibit A - All settings on high, DX10, 1440x900
Exhibit B - I was really amazed that this ran so smoothly. It actually ran better on the laptop than my desktop for the sole reason that my home monitor only does 4:3 1280x1024. The laptop running in 16:9 eliminates the bars on the top and bottom, so I give it extra credit for that. The glossy screen also gives the colors a richer hue. The 512MB of RAM on the GPU (8800m GTS) gave it an advantage over my desktop which only has 320 (8800 GTS).
Verdict: Awesome. I was worried that this wouldn't run at the high resolution, but I was floored when I was smoothly running across rooftops in search of my next target. Beautiful.
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Case 3) Crysis
Exhibit A - All settings on very high, DX10, no AA 1280x720
Exhibit B - It actually ran on VERY HIGH settings.
Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.
Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
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Case 3) Photoshop
Exhibit A - After looking at all of the gaming cases above, why would I need any evidence of the Photoshop power?
Verdict: This laptop can handle anything and I haven't even upgraded past the base config.
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Aside from the performance power of these laptops, they also have a visual appeal to them, with FX branding on the hood and a nice copper accent around the keyboard, they don't say "Take me to work with you."
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