Laptop for University and some gaming.

[Dunk_13]

I am going to university this year to study computer science and I would like a laptop to save the hassle of taking a desktop with me.

As well as use for my course I will be playing some games on it. (L4D2, team fortress 2, portal 2 then potentially Star Wars: the old republic and battlefield 3)
My main concern with the spec below is the graphics card and was wondering if anyone on here knows how well it will cope with the above games and are there any upgrades you would recommend?
Ideally I would not like to spend much more than £800, but if necessary would consider moving up to a vortex2

Chassis & Display
Optimus II: 15.6" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M - 2GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS XT HYBRID, SATA 3 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & INTEL® CENTRINO® ADVANCED-N 6230 inc BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery - 48.85WH
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W Adaptor (GT 540M) / 120W Adaptor (GT 555M)
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £786.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Dealmaster13]

Almost exactly the same build I chose (I went with the Ultimate-N 6300 instead)! Computer Scientists thinking alike!

L4D2 is most probably the most demanding game currently out in the list you've stated. L4D1 plays like a breeze, so L4D2 will likely be no problem at all. The 555M also manages to put up with Crysis 2 on high settings, so anticipating that BF3 will have similar requirements, BF3 should be playable at the second highest setting at 1080p if not the highest.

All in all, you should find that the Optimus II fits your needs very well, and you'll certainly crave the extra battery life that Optimus offers, even if you do miss out on that little bit of gaming performance by not shelling out a good few more hundred squids for a 560M.

 

[Wozza63]

computer science is what i hope to do in a few years, do i need anything special in my spec?

 

[nareik SB pots]

Hmmm, i thought you finished college and you are going to uni soon wozza, care to explain?

 

[Dealmaster13]

Nah, but I've been coding a lot recently and have realised that you really can't do without the extra pixels of 1080p; but PCS has that covered already.

Also, every Computer Scientist should be equipped with a powerful graphics card that will prove handy during long lectures.

Finally, I can't comment on this accurately as I haven't started my uni life yet, but being able to lengthen that typical 3 hour battery life may be vital in certain circumstances. I can imagine myself using it in a cafe bring the battery down to 60% prior to a long lecture, and then a good 40 mins into the lecture the battery dies on me, whilst playing BF3, when I need it most.