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OCZ Barbone Gaming Notebook in-stock at Buy.com for $669.99 after mail-in rebate.

In mid-May, DailyTech broke the news that OCZ would be entering the DIY notebook market with its Barebone Gaming Notebook. Less than a month later, the notebook is finally hit e-tailer store shelves.

"For years consumers have wanted to build their own mobile computing platforms, but the product offerings and market simply did not serve them as they did in the desktop do it yourself segment," said OCZ Systems Solutions Product Manager Eugene Chang back in May. "With the OCZ Do-It-Yourself Notebook initiative, OCZ empowers with the resources like validated component guides, documentation, tech support, and a warranty to allow consumers to configure and build a true gaming notebook with the exact specification that matches their unique requirements."

Buy.com now has the OCZ Barebone Gaming Notebook (OCZNBIAS15DIYA) in stock for $719.99 with free shipping. Buyers can send off for a manufacturer's mail-in rebate to drop that price to $669.99.

That price will get you the actual 15.4" notebook, requisite Intel PM965 chipset, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT mobile GPU, 8x DVD burner, and 9-cell battery. The processor, memory, HDD, WiFi/Bluetooth adapters, and operating system must be provided by the buyers which would easily push the price close to, or over the $1,000 mark.

It's nice to see that OCZ is giving buyers a choice with a system that they can configure and put together themselves, but many may wonder what if any cost savings can be realized by going this route considering the steady drop in pricing for notebook computers.

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What a rip off
By Spenny2112 on 6/6/2008 3:22:36 PM , Rating: 4
what they really need to do is sell the damn cases with the LCD and let us choose our own components, rather than rip us off for the 8600GT.




RE: What a rip off
By treehugger87 on 6/6/2008 4:11:50 PM , Rating: 1
there seems to be a common misconception here, mobile graphic cards are not really cards, they are usually integrated into the motherboard, OCZ obviously is using the 8600GT to save space and not end up with a ridiculously bulky laptop. By the By, if they gave u the choice of using ur own video card, good luck fitting it in a DIY laptop, good luck getting proper cooling, and interestingly enough not all cards are the same size :O, so there isn't some magically industry standard size that they can build to.


RE: What a rip off
By Yawgm0th on 6/6/2008 4:41:01 PM , Rating: 2
But mobile GPUs can very easily be made modular. The connections for the LCD and external monitor ports might be built into the motherboard, but a standard socket for GPUs is quite possible. As I mention in my post below, Dell has done this on several models (particularly every generation of 19'' Inspiron and XPS) simply to save motherboard costs when offering differing GPUs (making multiple motherboard models more expensive than making one modular model). There's no reason they can't make a motherboard that lets me put my own laptop GPU in it. The problem is that there is no standard (e.g.) AGP, PCI-E x16, etc.) like with desktop computers.

If a significant portion of the industry would get involved, there could be a standard for internal laptop video cards, meaning any laptop motherboard with the right port could potentially be upgraded. Of course, a variety of engineering concerns would prevent the level of variety we have on the desktop, but things could certainly be better in the DIY laptop market.


RE: What a rip off
By murphyslabrat on 6/8/2008 11:50:34 PM , Rating: 2
There is a standard: MXM. The problem is that no one seems to like it, and anyone who does implement a modular GPU interace, only rips off the MXM standard, as opposed to using it. The only company (as far as I know) that uses a non-MXM-based GPU interface is Dell.

When you start getting larger laptops, it stops being such an issue; but one of the biggest reasons that MXM has received so little direct attention is the exact opposite of what you are saying: the connector and mobo traces takes up valuable real-estate. This drives up motherboard complexity without offering significant added value (considering that people like us are only 1-5% of the consumer aggregate) while driving up costs.

Though, honestly, what I think would rock is an ATX-ish standard for motherboards and batteries. Additionally, I would like to see a PC-Card-like standard for a graphics module. If this last item would need to be external, ala ATI's new XGP, so be it...as long as it appears.

I think I may very well build a laptop on this OCZ barebons. I priced out a complete system build (minus OS ^_*) on Asus's C90s, and it came out to about $1080. I would have to use a laptop CPU with this one (I think, at least. I haven't really done any research yet).


RE: What a rip off
By ttnuagadam on 6/6/2008 8:02:53 PM , Rating: 3
you're not familiar with MXM are you?


RE: What a rip off
By Locutus465 on 6/6/2008 5:37:06 PM , Rating: 2
My main problem is that it's a smidge pricy for my tastes.. Grant it it's not a gaming notebook but I got a full HP laptop with 2GB memory (I upgraded it) for that much.


RE: What a rip off
By murphyslabrat on 6/9/2008 12:16:35 AM , Rating: 2
So, then, you would be paying an extra $300 for a grahics card you could get in a desktop for $100. Though, honestly, it's a better deal than HP, compaq, or other companies have been giving.

Up until recently, Dell had the best deal: you could get a Vostro 1500 laptop for ~$700, including a Geforce 8600 w/ 256MB of GDDR3.


Hardly DIY
By Yawgm0th on 6/6/2008 4:23:37 PM , Rating: 5
The problem with this notebook is that there are too many mandatory components. You get more choices (and usually a better prices) configuring a Dell online.

What we need is a laptop version of ATX, essentially. We need a standard case size and layout with the expectation that certain components (processor, RAM, HDD, and mini PCI/PCI-E) must be at certain location. Motherboards with different components could be designed to fit this standard case design, so you have the choice of motherboard.

Additionally, having the video card should be changeable on the motherboard. Being forced to use an 8600GT is a big deal. I might need less power, I might need more. The connection to the LCD and the external ports on the case can still be standardized, so that any video card you put it is essentially just a GPU and RAM on a PCB, along with a heatsink (which of course must fit the standardized case design.

It's important to note that Dell has been doing all this for years to save costs and make repairs easier. There are basically three standardized case designs (for 14.1'', 15.1'', and 17'') that will fit motherboards, LCDs, and keyboards from future or past versions of the same model. The 17'' and occasionally 15'' models can use different video cards as well, sometimes requiring a simple BIOS flash. Of course, this is not for done customization, and purchasing different components from Dell is prohibitively expensive. The example is just a proof of concept; if Dell can, accidentally give high levels of customization, OCZ or another company could certainly come up with similar standards intentionally.

Given a solid set of standards and sufficient consumer interest, DIY notebooks could certainly be price-competitive with OEM notebooks and even have the potential for unique or superior builds compared to what's out there now.




RE: Hardly DIY
By Lazarus Dark on 6/6/2008 5:53:52 PM , Rating: 1
There is a flaw in this thinking. How often do you expect to upgrade your laptop? I upgrade my laptop every 5 or 6 years when it just won't do any more. (obviously, I upgrade my desktop much more often.) Even if say, you allow two years between laptop upgrades, do you know where we will be in two years? Intel, for example will have switched to integrated memory controllers. You can't upgrade that, you have to get a new mobo. Are you saying you want a standard laptop mobo size, a la ATX? The thing is, laptops are all about portability and size. In two years, you could make a laptop board half the size, but with your suggested standard, you would be stuck with a bulky laptop case trying to stick in a laptop board that is half the size. Size is of utmost concern, which is why you can't have a laptop standard (at least not exactly like the desktop), because as processes shrink and components are continually made smaller, you will want to make the laptop smaller to take advantage of it. In five years I expect to get something like the Macbook Air that's actually capable of playing games. Or a umpc that has enough power and storage for anything I want on a daily basis. By the time Moore's law slows down and we may have a final size, we'll have system-on-a-chip and there will be nothing to upgrade anyway.


RE: Hardly DIY
By Yawgm0th on 6/6/2008 7:13:05 PM , Rating: 2
It's not necessarily about upgrading. Granted, I usually end up upgrading GPU, CPU, and/or RAM (two of the three) before a desktop gets replaced entirely. That would be an added benefit, but with all DIY computers, the main advantage (IMO) is supposed to be price and customization. I have virtually limitless possible combinations of components, and I can select them based on what I need and want. Why can't I do the same for laptops?

I would actually want multiple standards, like ATX, mATX, mini-ITX, etc. Whether or not a standards works requires that consumers be behind it. Many people will want big 17'' DTR notebooks because of the screen size. I do not think hardcore gamers will prefer smaller laptops since there are serious advantages to bigger screens. Those who can stand smaller screens would simply get a 15.1'' or 14.1''. Non-gamers might get a 12''.

But the laptop screen size is an entirely different issue. I think you're missing a fundamental issue with screens. There are advantages to bigger screens. The ultraportables, Eee PC, Mac Air, etc. are not going to take over the market. Larger laptops will always the potential for faster hardware, and bigger screens are a big deal for gaming, productivity, and multimedia. The progression of technology will not change this.

The fact that there are such drastically different markets for laptops (17'' DTR vs a 12'' ultraportable, for example) does present a major challenge, but if there is sufficient demand for it, there could be standard case/motherboard designs for all of them. We do have nano-ITX, mini-ITX, mATX, ATX, and BTX, so it is not unreasonable to have similar standard form factors for varying laptop sizes.

Also, by the same logic we can't have a desktop standard. Miniaturization of laptop and desktop hardware goes at the same rate. And unlike laptops, which are always limited in at least one dimension by the screen size, desktops don't need to stay a certain size. I'd love to have smaller components and smaller cases in my desktop computers. By your logic, desktop cases should become obsolete every two years or so. But no, ATX has been around forever, and BTX doesn't seem to be catching on.

No, I think a standard form factor for a laptop case would be quite future-proof, not that upgrading is anything more than icing on the cake.


RE: Hardly DIY
By Alexstarfire on 6/6/2008 7:18:30 PM , Rating: 2
Except that your logic is actually what is flawed. Even IF they could make a motherboard half the size of what we have today they wouldn't. The motherboard inside a laptop completely fills up the case. And the case wouldn't shrink since you still have to house the LCD screen. You wouldn't have a smaller motherboard in there because then the outside connections wouldn't be in the right places and such. If they had standard motherboard layouts for all the typical laptop sizes you could, in theory at least, make laptops as customizable as desktops. True, in 2 years you may not be able to upgrade the CPU, but I'm sure you could still upgrade the RAM, HDD, Video Card, Sound Card, Optical Drive, and just about everything else. You may even be able to still upgrade the CPU. If you waited 6 years, the only two things that you likely wouldn't be able to change are the CPU, and perhaps the sound card or video card if they decided to change platforms again. The sound card may change since it's the last major component not to go PCIE.

Anyways, it's something that needs to be done. I don't like the idea of being forced to have a certain video card or such just because they don't give me any options.


RE: Hardly DIY
By heeros1 on 6/10/2008 1:25:37 PM , Rating: 2
I agree that it would be nice to have a standard size for DIY laptops, I'm saying this as the owner of an ASUS C90S. but the major problem I see is the external connections. On Desktops you have the Standard size little metal plate on the back of the computer that fits right onto the connections the motherboard comes with. On laptops the connectors are all over, up to 4 sides of the case. So you can't really standardize that. unless you have individual classes within the screen size category, or you can get replaceable side panels for the case from the case manufacturer.


Its a Sager/Compal?
By MIDIman on 6/6/2008 3:32:07 PM , Rating: 2
If the image is true to what the notebook actually looks like, this is nothing more than a Sager 2090/Compal IFL90




RE: Its a Sager/Compal?
By RjBass on 6/8/2008 11:36:10 PM , Rating: 1
I was just going to say the exact same thing.


lol
By ttnuagadam on 6/6/2008 5:13:57 PM , Rating: 2
those of you who think the 8600 gt is decent, have obviously never used one. i happen to own one which is why i made the original post. while it might be an OK card as something baseline for gaming, it should NOT be put in ANYTHING called a "gaming" computer. if that were the case my inspiron is a gaming computer. and i dont think that anyone on this site, regardless of what you've said on this page would consider an inspiron a gaming laptop.




RE: lol
By awer26 on 6/8/2008 2:14:33 AM , Rating: 1
I don't know why everyone hates the 8600GT so much. I have one in my XPS m1530 and I was able to finish Crysis on Medium settings (albeit at 1024x768) without a problem (~30fs). It you want anything better, you have to move to a 17" "gaming" latop, which starts at over $2000 (and easily becomes $3000 if you want SLI) and weighs twice as much.

For a laptop, the 8600GT is great, hands down. If you want to do serious gaming (my favorite oxymoron), stick to a desktop.


good start
By FXi on 6/6/2008 8:26:04 PM , Rating: 2
It's a nice start, but it's going to need a lot more gpu power before I'm going to get interested.

Nice first round though.




Wrong idea...
By jonmcc33 on 6/6/2008 9:07:22 PM , Rating: 2
So it's a laptop lacking a CPU, RAM and hard drive...which means it's rather worthless at the price they charge. OCZ, you should know better that there isn't any market for this sort of thing.




Too Little, Too late
By tjr508 on 6/7/2008 5:30:46 PM , Rating: 2
This is crap indeed.
What we really need is just standard port for external graphics adapters. This would allow gaming on buisness laptops or more portable ones.
I think what is really hurting gaming is the millions and millions of us that have great company laptops and cant see putting down the cash for another computer strictly for gaming. A standard external port would solve this problem once and for all at little cost to the manufacturers as most common chipsets allow for some graphics adapter to begin with.




wtf?
By ttnuagadam on 6/6/08, Rating: -1
RE: wtf?
By OrSin on 6/6/2008 3:03:01 PM , Rating: 2
Hopefully thye will drop the video card and the price?
People only want a BYO laptop so they can iether build a cheap one now and upgrade later, or a very highend with things of your choose. Right not this one is not it.

Drop video card, memory and CPU, and let choose what we want.


RE: wtf?
By just4U on 6/6/2008 3:05:40 PM , Rating: 3
WRONG,

The 8600GT, was a joke for many of us enthusiasts for one reason alone. It did not meet up to past expectations of performing on par (or better) then last gen higher end parts. It did however still perform like a 7600GT and brought new features to the table.

This card would be perfectly adequate for gaming in most instances, mmorgs, some fps style shooters and what have you. Paired up on a 15'4 inch screen at mid resolutions it's not bad at all.

Many Desktop gamers are still playing games on 7600's, 6800', X1600, ect. So a 8600 on a laptop is pretty ok, plus it won't have the crippling heat and power draw that some of the higher end mobile gpu's bring to the table.


RE: wtf?
By Alexstarfire on 6/6/2008 3:26:07 PM , Rating: 4
Well, if I wanted a crappy card like that I'd just go buy a Dell, or any other notebook for that matter. It's not like you can't get that card in a notebook from anybody else. Calling it a gaming notebook with a 8600 GT MOBILE, is like calling a desktop with a single core CPU, 8600 GT, and a 17" monitor a gaming machine. It's simply not going to be the same as having a decent graphics card like the 8800 GT. Hell, even the 9600 GT would have been good.


RE: wtf?
By Omega215D on 6/7/2008 8:42:22 PM , Rating: 2
What you are looking for is a Gateway machine that costs $1300 which is quite good for the GPU and RAM. THe processor isn't top of the line but it's still good. Battery life is OK but the thing is 7+ pounds.

Alienware also has a good gaming laptop but I'm going to have to find my latest copy of MaximumPC.


RE: wtf?
By FingerMeElmo87 on 6/6/2008 3:37:29 PM , Rating: 3
you're dumb.

i'd like to see where you get your information from saying that most gamers still use 7600's, 6800', X1600 because i sure as hell dont. an 8600GT sucks for gaming, plain and simple.

most games that are out now would have to be ran in very low quality settings to get decent frame rates out of an 8600gt. sure its fine for the sims and wow, but beyond that, what good does this card have going for it? it shouldnt be in a computer label enthusiast because it doesnt fit the role.


RE: wtf?
By mmntech on 6/6/2008 4:05:09 PM , Rating: 5
According to Steam's hardware survey, the most popular cards are the 8800 series (9%), 7600 series (5%), 8600 (5%), 6600 (4%), and FX 5200 (3%). 19% own "other" whatever that means. For SM3.0 cards, the Geforce 8800, 7600, 8600, 6600, and 7300 are the top five most popular cards in that order. Steam's list is compiled from 1.7 million samples.
http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html

So you're the one who's being dumb by claiming that most people are using high end cards, because that's simply not true. Only hard core gamers buy high end cards, and that's a really small market segment comparatively. The vast majority of gamers either don't need or can't afford high end hardware.

Personally I would prefer a choice of video cards for this laptop. The problem is that most chips are soldered to the mobo and can't easily be upgraded by the user. Mobile graphics cards simply aren't available. I'd like to see that change before DIY laptops become practical. Using a lower powered card does make sense though because you want it to be mobile to some degree. It might not perform as well as a faster card but you're not going to be chained to an AC adapter all the time, since laptops with higher end cards have dismal battery life.


RE: wtf?
By FaceMaster on 6/6/08, Rating: -1
RE: wtf?
By SoCalBoomer on 6/6/2008 5:36:12 PM , Rating: 1
mmm - clever like you.

Please don't lower the rest of us to your level!


RE: wtf?
By FaceMaster on 6/6/08, Rating: 0
RE: wtf?
By just4U on 6/6/2008 5:54:32 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
LOL Steam consists mostly of idiots who don't know


Oh wow, Those people are not idiots. They represent the majority who have a different view of what acceptable gaming performance is. There's nothing wrong with that at all.


RE: wtf?
By FaceMaster on 6/6/2008 6:24:19 PM , Rating: 1
I guess that you've never had the pleasure of talking to them. I'd say that about 5% are knowledgable about computers, the other 95% are constantly asking how to open the console, how to change the RESOLUTION (some don't even know what that is lol) and how to get laid.

You might not believe that it's possible, but the majority of the people on there don't KNOW about computer specs. 'Different opinions'? LOL that's like saying that a 7 year old child has an opinion on quantum physics. They believe that it's acceptable because they don't know what it's like to play CSS or TF2 at anything above 5 fps. They think it's normal. I just let them live in their fantasy world of slide show violence, but I'm not going to stand by and say that they have an opinion on which graphics card is best. It's just not possible... and that's in the European area. I dread to think what it's like in America! HO HO HO.


RE: wtf?
By Reclaimer77 on 6/6/2008 8:32:48 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I guess that you've never had the pleasure of talking to them. I'd say that about 5% are knowledgable about computers, the other 95% are constantly asking how to open the console, how to change the RESOLUTION (some don't even know what that is lol) and how to get laid.


Uhhh welcome to the world of computers ? By your " numbers " one could say 95% of all PC users are idiots too.

Plus a lot of people on Steam are playing games that allow cross platform play, like TF2 allowing console and PC users to play together. So why should they need to be experts ?


RE: wtf?
By Alexstarfire on 6/6/2008 7:31:35 PM , Rating: 2
I have no problem with them having their own opinions, but they shouldn't be the ones to determine what the word "gaming" means. That'd be like having the average Joe define what classifies as physics or math. It's the people that have knowledge of the field that define it. A 8600 GT is simply not a gaming card, period. I'm sure it'll run most everything just fine, at low to medium settings, but that doesn't make it a gaming card. Hell, even if it ran fine at max settings I still don't think it would qualify just because there is no way the resolution on that monitor is greater than 1280x1024.

I guess I'd say that any card that is classified in the "high end" segment would be accepted as a "gaming" card. Right now that pretty much means the 8800 series and above. The 9600GT would probably slip into that category despite it being a mid-range card, but only because the entire 9 series hasn't been released/defined yet.


RE: wtf?
By just4U on 6/6/2008 7:51:23 PM , Rating: 2
They are the ones that game designers (for the most part) base everything on as they make most games playable on video cards that the mass majority might be using.


RE: wtf?
By FaceMaster on 6/6/08, Rating: 0
RE: wtf?
By Icelight on 6/9/2008 12:23:42 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
LOL Steam consists mostly of idiots who don't know the difference between a graphics card and a USB stick.


I hope that whenever you, say, see a doctor or perhaps a car mechanic you prostrate yourself in front of them and proclaim that you are an idiot because you have no idea what an <insert medical/automotive term here> is.


RE: wtf?
By SilthDraeth on 6/6/2008 6:14:39 PM , Rating: 2
Other mean's ATI cards. :P


RE: wtf?
By Nik00117 on 6/7/2008 2:19:07 PM , Rating: 2
I agree, some of us have budgets that we have to follow. I just bought a laptop with a 8600GT I suspect that it will do just fine on the 15 inch screen it has to power.


RE: wtf?
By jonmcc33 on 6/9/2008 1:14:22 AM , Rating: 2
Um, not everyone has hundreds of dollars to sink into a video card. Not everyone needs to run with all details maxed. Most people out there are indeed running on budget video cards and it suits them well. I'm still using a X1900XT which came out 2.5 years ago! It still works so I'll still use it.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2679


RE: wtf?
By ttnuagadam on 6/6/2008 5:06:12 PM , Rating: 2
i actually have an 8600gt in my dell laptop. playing age of conan is like pulling teeth with shader model 3 turned on. unless you're at like 800x600


RE: wtf?
By FITCamaro on 6/6/2008 3:43:36 PM , Rating: 2
The 8600GT isn't a horrible card.

The main question is, how good is this deal for the price. If it beats out the other notebooks of the same class for a lower price, its a good deal.

They never said it'd be the ultra high end DIY notebook. But yes lets hope they come out with an 8800M variant as well.


RE: wtf?
By ImSpartacus on 6/6/2008 4:02:20 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, it is a terrible card. You are instantly limited by what CPU you put in there because if it would b bottlenecked by the pitiful 8600GT.

It is acceptable for the price but it is most certainly not a gaming notebook.


RE: wtf?
By Maximilian on 6/6/2008 4:29:33 PM , Rating: 1
You guys are full of horse shit about the 8600GT it was terrible because it didnt live up to expectations, its actually a fine gaming card. Valve hardware survey confirms what most people are using to game and the 7600GT and 8600GT's are quite popular, i have an 8600GT with DDR2 (the shit slowest version of the 8600) and its pretty good, runs company of heros at 1440x900 on medium/high settings DX9 mode, plays every game i own except crysis *at reasobale settings!* and no that dosent mean 320x320 with 16 bit color and no aa/af, typical settings like those i stated for company of heros.

Bottom line is its a fine gaming card, and if your laptop has this in it your a LOT better off than those with built in graphics.


RE: wtf?
By ImSpartacus on 6/6/2008 7:40:49 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, an 8600GT is a fine alternative to integrated graphics, but honestly, if you can compare a graphics card to integrated graphics, is it really suitable for gaming?

If I am building a computer, laptop or not, and I have a barebones systems with a few pre-installed parts, I do not want to be bottlenecked by those pre-installed parts.

The 8600GT would bottleneck most CPU's worth using.


RE: wtf?
By just4U on 6/6/2008 7:59:22 PM , Rating: 2
Look at the benchmark reviews for the 8600GT from last year... while not bringing anything new to the table over the 7600GT performance wise, it was more then acceptable in the fps department with alot of the popular games out there.. It was suitable for gaming and still is in many of the games out.


RE: wtf?
By MightyAA on 6/9/2008 10:55:36 AM , Rating: 2
You're kidding right? You know the 8600M 3dMark06 is around 3600.. It's marginal for modern gaming. My two year old notebook with a 7950 GTX would run circles around it. Yes it's capable of gaming at ok framerates, but the lifespan is going to be short lived. This is at best a entry level gaming notebook.

A gaming notebook should be able to replace your gaming desktop. This would just leave you yearning to build a decent gaming rig.


RE: wtf?
By Yawgm0th on 6/6/2008 4:34:25 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
It is acceptable for the price but it is most certainly not a gaming notebook.


You seem to adhere to a strange definition of gaming computers. A gaming computer, in my opinion and apparently that of most reviewers based on the use of the word, means a computer that is capably of playing most or all modern games at reasonable settings. A computer using a mid-range or low-end processor with at 1GB of RAM and an 8600GT can certainly fit that description. Even Crysis will run on an 8600GT. The resolution of the small 15'' LCD also makes something much faster than an 8600GT wasted in many games.

It's also worth noting that the hardware-accelerated HD decoding of the 8600GT is a big deal, especially in a laptop. Most 1080p content is unplayable (IMO) on anything lower than an 8600GT.

The problem here is the lack of customization. If I want a high-end gaming notebook or a larger monitor, this is all rather useless. The 8600GT is okay for a mid-range casual gaming laptop with a good focus on portability, but I like DTR laptops. I want a big, beefy laptop that won't make me cry for my desktop due to lack of power. If I'm constantly taking a laptop somewhere for other uses, I want something cheap, light, and portable. This OCZ laptop is somewhere in between, which is okay, but I don't think it will have wide enough appeal to make many sales.


RE: wtf?
By Alexstarfire on 6/6/2008 7:33:16 PM , Rating: 2
That depends on what you call reasonable though, and that's going to vary person to person. You may think that 1024x768 and medium settings is acceptable, but I don't.


RE: wtf?
By FITCamaro on 6/6/2008 10:21:32 PM , Rating: 1
So what does it have to push 1920x1200 at all high settings with 60 fps to qualify as a gaming notebook to you?

Guess what? Other people don't give a shit what you think. If they see it as a good deal for a decent system, they'll buy it.

$1000 for a notebook with its components is not a bad deal. Will it play the latest games on the highest settings? No. But it will play nearly all the latest games at that LCDs max resolution on medium settings. Which is plenty for the majority of the people on the go. It is a good balance between gaming performance and portability. A laptop with an 8800M is not going to run for very long on the battery. That one will.

And this is just their first product. They can improve upon it in the future with new models. Quit your bitching. If you don't like it, don't buy it.


RE: wtf?
By ImSpartacus on 6/6/2008 7:49:51 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The problem here is the lack of customization. If I want a high-end gaming notebook or a larger monitor, this is all rather useless. The 8600GT is okay for a mid-range casual gaming laptop with a good focus on portability, but I like DTR laptops. I want a big, beefy laptop that won't make me cry for my desktop due to lack of power. If I'm constantly taking a laptop somewhere for other uses, I want something cheap, light, and portable. This OCZ laptop is somewhere in between, which is okay, but I don't think it will have wide enough appeal to make many sales.


If you have the knowledge and experience to build your own laptop, then you will most likely get your money's worth and build a higher end machine which is usually where OEM's overprice and go over the top. That is where your DIY market is, not in the normal sized laptops.

If you actually want a normal laptop for normal use, get something like a Dell M1530. It's basically identical to this OCZ model, but it is thinner, and sleeker. You can't do that with a DIY. But I would say, the m1530 isn't meant for gaming. Yes, it is capable, but I would not suggest something like that.


RE: wtf?
By teohhanhui on 6/8/2008 8:05:03 PM , Rating: 2
A gaming computer should be built for gaming. Apparently a card that provides only "reasonable" performance does not qualify for that.

IMO a 8600GT is nowhere near good. The 8600M GT is worse.


"Well, there may be a reason why they call them 'Mac' trucks! Windows machines will not be trucks." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer











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