13.07.2012, 14:35
Hi, marmusman
Laptops are wonderful for gaming with only a few easy things to do. I have run simulations on two laptops for a total of about 7 years with no problems and they weren't even made for gaming. May I offer some suggestions?
Relatively simple cooling solutions are available. Having a cooling pad under the laptop is crucial, I feel. Mine has a power cord to one of the USB ports and runs two little fans to help with cooling. The cooling pad was inexpensive and has lasted for years. A bunch of cooling pad models are available, even extra powerful for gaming laptops. Somewhere I saw a kit for an extra fan that can be clipped to one of the air vents in the side of the laptop and switched directions if needed to follow the flow of air from the fan inside the laptop. One time I rigged my own little computer fan from a desktop computer to the laptop using a little container box that I made for it. Cooling can always be improved in any stock computer over factory made cooling - true for laptops or desktops.
The only way to be sure that overheating was or was not the cause of a malfunction is to use one of the free utilities to monitor the core temperatures of the CPU and GPU. Some better ones are cheap to buy. These work in a laptop if you get the right ones. There are tools to watch the temperature of other components in a computer, but they cost a little money.
The dust issue is actually easy, too. For handling the dust in a laptop, the best thing is to remove the bottom panel, ground the laptop and wear rubber gloves to prevent static electrical discharge for protecting the electronics - simple to do actually, and only use air stream blast to clear the dust. It only takes a few minutes to do all this. If the laptop is still under waranty then a good alternative is to buy a cheap can of compressed air. You can get them at computer stores or online. They come with a little straw looking pipe to get through the vent grating on a laptop and reach the inner parts. You can move it in different angles to blow the dust crap out the computer. After doing this, the user can run the computer to get the integrated fan inside the laptop to run which clears more dust, then turn it off and repeat the process one more time. If a person waits to see a lot of dust in the computer, then that is too long between cleanings. Very little dust should ever be seen inside a computer. Both statical electrical dustruction of components and over heating are too high of a risk to not clean the computer, as you know. Clearing dust is cheap and easy with laptops.
As for performance, some laptops today are better than the best single GPU desktop gaming computer of a year or two ago. The gap is closing in performance between single GPU laptops and single GPU desktop computers because there are ways to mechanically ensure cooling and it is improving with time for several reasons. Cooling systems are becoming smaller but better. The same is true for graphics cards. Other components inside laptops are also utilizing space better. These will keeping improving. Somewhere recently I saw an ad for a laptop with two GPUs! :OO
I would not trade the all-in-one convenience and portability of a laptop for a desktop computer, such a sitting in a cafe shop or library. I am a huge WiFi user! Free Internet while I get my coffee, too! Yeah! It is also very nice to move the laptop around the house easily and still play games and simulations almost anywhere that I want. Portability is the best of all scenarios. Sitting close to the screen at arms length from me, I see it quite well and in some ways better than a large HD living room television screen. Added to this, good performing laptops are now quite affordable.
Just my little humble opinions I put here. :mrgreen:
I really want to help.
Hey Ted,
Let us know what you get and how you like it, okay?
Fireskull
Laptops are wonderful for gaming with only a few easy things to do. I have run simulations on two laptops for a total of about 7 years with no problems and they weren't even made for gaming. May I offer some suggestions?
Relatively simple cooling solutions are available. Having a cooling pad under the laptop is crucial, I feel. Mine has a power cord to one of the USB ports and runs two little fans to help with cooling. The cooling pad was inexpensive and has lasted for years. A bunch of cooling pad models are available, even extra powerful for gaming laptops. Somewhere I saw a kit for an extra fan that can be clipped to one of the air vents in the side of the laptop and switched directions if needed to follow the flow of air from the fan inside the laptop. One time I rigged my own little computer fan from a desktop computer to the laptop using a little container box that I made for it. Cooling can always be improved in any stock computer over factory made cooling - true for laptops or desktops.
The only way to be sure that overheating was or was not the cause of a malfunction is to use one of the free utilities to monitor the core temperatures of the CPU and GPU. Some better ones are cheap to buy. These work in a laptop if you get the right ones. There are tools to watch the temperature of other components in a computer, but they cost a little money.
The dust issue is actually easy, too. For handling the dust in a laptop, the best thing is to remove the bottom panel, ground the laptop and wear rubber gloves to prevent static electrical discharge for protecting the electronics - simple to do actually, and only use air stream blast to clear the dust. It only takes a few minutes to do all this. If the laptop is still under waranty then a good alternative is to buy a cheap can of compressed air. You can get them at computer stores or online. They come with a little straw looking pipe to get through the vent grating on a laptop and reach the inner parts. You can move it in different angles to blow the dust crap out the computer. After doing this, the user can run the computer to get the integrated fan inside the laptop to run which clears more dust, then turn it off and repeat the process one more time. If a person waits to see a lot of dust in the computer, then that is too long between cleanings. Very little dust should ever be seen inside a computer. Both statical electrical dustruction of components and over heating are too high of a risk to not clean the computer, as you know. Clearing dust is cheap and easy with laptops.
As for performance, some laptops today are better than the best single GPU desktop gaming computer of a year or two ago. The gap is closing in performance between single GPU laptops and single GPU desktop computers because there are ways to mechanically ensure cooling and it is improving with time for several reasons. Cooling systems are becoming smaller but better. The same is true for graphics cards. Other components inside laptops are also utilizing space better. These will keeping improving. Somewhere recently I saw an ad for a laptop with two GPUs! :OO
I would not trade the all-in-one convenience and portability of a laptop for a desktop computer, such a sitting in a cafe shop or library. I am a huge WiFi user! Free Internet while I get my coffee, too! Yeah! It is also very nice to move the laptop around the house easily and still play games and simulations almost anywhere that I want. Portability is the best of all scenarios. Sitting close to the screen at arms length from me, I see it quite well and in some ways better than a large HD living room television screen. Added to this, good performing laptops are now quite affordable.
Just my little humble opinions I put here. :mrgreen:
I really want to help.
Hey Ted,
Let us know what you get and how you like it, okay?
Fireskull