I will start of by saying that I live in a small town in Canada, so I don't have all of the boutique laptop building companies to choose from when buying a new laptop, so my choices are limited.

I am trying to decide if I should purchase a dell m1710 with the geforce 7950gtx or wait and purchase an Asus G1 with the new geforce 8600 that is coming out this summer.

Top end dx9 card or brand new dx10 card is the dilemma as I will need the laptop for 3 years at least, but I have heard directx 10 specific games won't be around for probably that long and that directx 9 cards should be good for this time period.

What do people think?

If you know of a Canadian company that offers something better to look at great! But I bought my last laptop from the States and warranty across the border is too much of a hassle.

Thanks

well i cant comment on cross border warrenty etc since i live in the UK but id say that the dx10 is more favourable since it plans for the future... some games will be released i hear...not sure which ones thou... halo 3 is one i believe...

Of course there is also the cost which if it isnt prohibitive... id go for the more advanced one the newer dx10 card is supposidly far better in power etc anyway...esp if you have windows vista.

i doubt that was of any help but hey...

I work in PC World, 40 a week. Definately invest in getting the most for your money, if your in it for 3 years. Go for the Dx10. DX10 is much much more awesomely uber than Dx9.

And try getting Vista Ultimate, to save yourself hassles later on.

It all comes down to what kind of games you want to play. If you are not a very fan of pc games and rather stay with a few you already have, instead of constantly trying new ones, stay with the 7950. If you really like games and want to be able to get a good result on upcoming ones go for 8600.

Also keep in mind that a 7950 requires more power than a 8600, so it`s likely the Dell laptop will last less, when it comes around battery, unless it`s battery is far superior than Asus.

I advice going for 8600gts although it’s result is worse than 7950 in old games, it does not justify getting an old 7xxx series, which is a lot hotter, requires more energy, not much overclock potential and has no DX10 support.

Beside top cards such as 7950 or 8800gtx only shows its true potential (justifying its price) if you have a big monitor, and I mean big (22+). So, if you plan to play using your laptop, it probably won’t make much of a difference.

About Windows Vista, unless you are a programmer I don’t see a reason why you should get the Ultimate version. Most of Ultimate's exclusive features are for developers, administrative tools, more security programs and some support tools, which you can easily find similar programs (beside the IIS and COM+ stuff).

So, go for Vista Home Premium and if you feel the need, you can update for Ultimate for a small price, unless you have enough budget.

It’s also good to keep in mind that most laptop companies forbids changing the OS of your laptop, otherwise you lose the warrant, so, stay as it is.

Microsoft will keep your warrenty if you use official Upgrades to Vista. (At least, in the UK)

From the PC/Laptops I have sold, I have had none, nor heard of any issues yet regarding Ultimate Vista, whereas sadly I cant say the same for Home (Basic/Premium).

And Dell? :shock: I wouldnt give my pets a Dell to pee on :)

Tanyaca Nen'Shoru Microsoft will keep your warrenty if you use official Upgrades to Vista. (At least, in the UK)

From the PC/Laptops I have sold, I have had none, nor heard of any issues yet regarding Ultimate Vista, whereas sadly I cant say the same for Home (Basic/Premium).

And Dell? :shock: I wouldnt give my pets a Dell to pee on :)

hey..i use a dell....*mutters under breath about its crapness*

In the first place, laptops are not designed for games. Think on that before buying one specifically for that. No matter what video card is in there, the whole thing is not built to play games, but to enhance carriability.

So it won't be the video card that will matter in the long run, but all the other hardware of the laptop. Be it a noisy hard drive, a fan that break because you play too much games with the laptop, annoyance about the screen resolutions that are always widescreen and are not really compatible with older games, etc.

On the other hand, if the primary function of your laptop will not be playing games, what difference does it make if you choose either of the two video cards?

/Hope it helps you in making your choice

Not sure where you have been Angel but there is a whole niche market for gaming laptops, and this is one of the fastest growing sales of laptops in the market, still a small part of all laptop sales, but it is growing.

I currently game exclusively on a laptop, for the last three years and played many of the big games that have come out in that time.

So, yes, the laptop will be used mostly for gaming, and yes, I do still want a laptop.

Keep the comments coming!