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Originally Posted by Kostya
Most of the Toshibas look pretty sweet that I've seen, but I get so frustrated when I think I've found the absolute perfect laptop only to discover some gigantic unforgivable drawback.
Killers so far laptops which have everything but:
-Good cache, it's hard to find accurate info on the cache capabilities at the best of times, and I've found seemingly unbeatable machines with under a 512kb of cache storage.
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I may be reading more into your words than you intended, but storage (HD) cache and processor cache are different animals. Are you comfortable with the concepts of HD cache vs processor L1 and L2 cache? L1 is ideal but expensive, and you won't find choice within a processor architecture. L2 is what you'll normally be comparing. You won't find mainstream performance processors with less than 512KB L2 cache. (KB = KiloByte vs. Kb = Kilobit.) AMD 64's have 512KB or 1MB L2, depending on model. P4's have 1 or 2MB L2. (Intel's interim competitive boost until the multi-core CPU's arrive.)
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-RAM. 256 is not enough damn you allllllllllll.
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Don't be concerned about the amount of RAM included. You can call Crucial and order whatever additional you need for less than the computer company will charge. What you should be concerned about is the maximum RAM and the number of RAM slots. If you buy a system with 512MB RAM consisting of 2 256MB DIMMs, and it's taking the two available slots, you'll be pitching memory when you upgrade. Those crazy Clevo's above have 4 slots. If the memory controller allows dual-channel access, you'll also want to be careful about ending up with matched pairs of memory, at least matched sizes to have any chance of dual channel working.
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- Dedicated Video RAM, I'm beginning to dread the words integrated, shared etc.
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Yep. It's a compromise among cost/performance/size/heat/power. They save resources by sharing but it doesn't make for a good game system.
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- battery life. 1 hour? How can I watch Apocalypse Now on the train?
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Don't trains have outlets yet?
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Can you compensate for shared video RAM with just pantloads of RAM?
Like, if it has 128 shared, and you get 728 or so, will it be the same as having 512 and 128 dedicated?
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No. The shared problem isn't so much that it takes RAM away from other processes, but that the "pipe" serving video memory is shared by the rest of the system. The video processor has to interleave access to the same RAM that's being accessed by the usual CPU/northbridge access. This is especially bad for gaming which tends to be memory, cpu, and video intensive.
There aren't many laptops designed for gamers. Laptop compromises are at odds with peak performance. If you want a fairly good laptop with lots of battery life you can assume it won't be great for games. If you want a desktop replacement then don't expect perfect laptop features like battery life, light weight, or cool running.
Keep in mind, you could buy a $600-$1K laptop for real work and save the rest for a game box. A sub-$1000 home box will be better for games than a $2500 laptop, and it'll be incrementally upgradable as technology progresses.