Netbook Gaming - Is It Possible?

How did I get into netbook gaming? It's a good question - a netbook is far from being anyone's gaming platform of choice. I bought my netbook about 18 months ago to use as a work computer, and it has performed its duties admirably. However, being a lifelong gamer, I found myself unable to resist the temptation of installing a few games to while away the hours spent on trains, in conference hotel rooms, and so on.

Unfortunately, the somewhat limited hardware capabilities of the machine meant that most of my early gaming experiences were slow and frustrating, and changes needed to be made. The first of these changes was a RAM upgrade. Most netbooks nowadays are sold with a 1GB RAM chip, but this can normally be easily replaced with a 2GB chip. On upgrading the RAM, a massive performance improvement was immediately obvious. I should add that it was great for work too - the newfound ability to open more than two programs together with a web browser was something I'd sorely missed.

Armed with 2GB RAM, an external DVD drive and my collection of old games, I set out to test the capabilities of my netbook. To my delight, many of my old favourites worked perfectly, including such classics as Neverwinter Nights, Age of Empires 2 and Black and White. This was particularly satisfying as Black and White utterly refused to run on my gaming rig, due to issues with the 64-bit processor. The 32-bit netbook handled it superbly.

An old favourite, namely Starcraft: Brood War, runs brilliantly on a netbook, albeit with the Windows 'graphics options' or 'screen resolution' menu left open in the background. This seemingly bizarre work-around fixes the common 'psychedelic graphics' glitches familiar to anyone who tries to run old games on modern hardware. This allowed me to play Starcraft while sitting in the middle of a street in Stockholm, waiting patiently with hundreds of fellow gamers for the Starcraft 2 Midnight Launch Party last summer.

The big question is: can you play World of Warcraft on a netbook? Amazingly, the answer to this is yes - I have successfully played WoW on my HP Mini 210 (post-cataclysm with all expansion packs installed). It certainly isn't the smoothest gaming experience you'll ever have, but with all graphics set to minimum, no addons, and avoiding populated areas, I could achieve a staggering 10-15 fps. Granted, it's not perfect, but better than expected. I should probably mention that this was after I upgraded to 2GB RAM - I think trying it with 1GB is asking for trouble.

So there you have it - netbook games of all sorts, from MMOs to RTS. If that doesn't ruin your productivity, nothing will.

Gwen Wyn is a pc gaming enthusiast and all-around nerd. She enjoys gaming on both her netbook and a more conventional gaming rig. You can find out more about games that run on netbooks here:

[http://netbookgames.net/]

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Gaming Laptops Goes Mini-Me (Dell Intros Alienware M11x - The World's First Gaming Netbook)

While Dell's introduction of the first gaming netbook at the recent CES or Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas wasn't necessarily the ultimate show stopper, the Alienware M11x did turn a lot of heads, especially among the gaming crowd. Having a small compact four pound gaming netbook with an 11 inch display goes against everything associated with gaming laptops, since most gaming notebooks are heavy, large and try to pack everything under the hood that a decent Gaming Desktop PC would possess. Big emphasis on try.

But a gaming netbook goes completely in the other direction, what's up with that?

Well, actually there's a lot to notice about this sleek powerful little device mainly because it comes from Alienware, the premier maker of gaming machines on the planet. While many serious gamers swear anything but a PC for gaming is a foolish idea; most would agree if you have to lower yourself to using a gaming laptop - it might as well be one made by Alienware. In other words, Alienware and computer gaming have become synonymous in the hearts and minds of most gamers.

In our ever increasing demand for everything mobile, perhaps a gaming netbook is only the next illogical step! Make it small, make it powerful and they will come. Right?

Not so fast.

The jury is still out on this gaming netbook which will hit the marketplace in February and sell for under $1000. Which is still expensive, considering many quality netbooks are in the $200 to $400 range. Will gamers snap up this portable gamer in order to have their games with them, no matter where they go? Judging by the popularity of such devices as the Nintendo DS, the answer could be a solid yes.

Improving those odds are the rather impressive specs featured on the Alienware M11x which sports a High Definition 11 inch display and a GT335M GPU from NVIDIA. It is capable of playing such popular games as Call of Duty (Modern Warfare 2) at 30 frames-per-second with a 1336 x 768 max resolution. Alienware is claiming even higher frames rates with benchmarks of well over 60 fps, even capable of reaching 90 fps. Battery life (as claimed by Alienware) stands at 3 or 4 hours for gaming, and up to 6 or 7 hours for general use.

The M11x also sports some other impressive specs for such a small machine: built-in Wi-Fi and webcam, multiple USB ports, HDMI-output, SD card reader and a built-in SIM card reader which will allow users to utilize their cellphone SIM card and have access to Internet services. Also, the M11x has both the NVIDIA GPU and an integrated chipset - you can switch to the less demanding graphics when not gaming to save battery life.

Of course, the M11x has all the styling and features you would expect from an Alienware gaming laptop, like those seen on the powerful M17x and M15x. With jet-black looks and multi-zone LED illumination on the keyboard, alien logo, speakers and so on... the M11x will definitely stand out when comparing netbooks. In our self-absorbed world, looks do count but what's under the hood will be of most interest to gamers who want a small portable device for their gaming.

Alienware, as of yet, is not giving gamers the full-monty of what's in this system but full details will come when this gaming netbook is unleashed to the public. But dedicated gamers who must have their gaming available at all times, no matter where they are, probably won't be disappointed with the Alienware M11x, the world's first gaming netbook.

The author has a keen interest in all things laptop and runs an online Laptop Guide featuring the latest top gaming notebooks: Gaming Laptops
For more information on Buying Netbooks at Bargain Prices Click Here:
best netbooks
Copyright 2010 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.