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[Jude]

It looks like moving forward I will be using a laptop for most of my developing work. I've never owned a higher end laptop before, so besides the obvious being strong enough to do what I need, what am I not thinking of that might be an issue?

[TheLastBanana]

You probably want a reasonably large resolution. My laptop's monitor is 15.6", but at 1366x768. It can get pretty cramped for development, especially vertically.

[Jude]

Resolution is definitely something I will consider, though hadn't before so thank you for mentioning it.

Does cooling ever become an issue? I would assume most laptops with strong processors and dedicated video cards are adequately cooled, but it would be good to hear from someone who has one if it ever causes problems and how to avoid it.

[s_l_m]

Make sure it doesn't have a logo on it that says Hewlett-Packard.
Also look it up to see what people are saying about the thermals. Any excessive heat that may not be noticed by most people becomes a real problem when you are using it for long dev sessions.

[Kolba]

Don't get one that's too good, otherwise you won't be able to judge how your game will perform on more average builds 

[MiNTO]

Depends on how much money you have really. I would recommend getting a laptop with a dedicated graphics card and as TheLastBanana says, get one with a decent resolution. Always check reviews before you buy and shop around a wee bit. I don't have a specific one but Toshiba laptops have always been pretty reliable for me.

Don't get one that's too good, otherwise you won't be able to judge how your game will perform on more average builds 

I don't agree with this at all. You want to get the best laptop your money can buy, especially if this is going to play a big part in the dev process. Using your main computer or laptop as a bench mark for how well your game is running is a big NO NO. If its a PC game your making, get your friends to test the game on their computers and judge performance from their results. Also, when designing your game always check what your target audience is playing on and use your research to help create a specification list.

[erebusman]

Generally speaking the half dozen times I thought I wanted a laptop for development purposes I went out and priced out the best desktop I could get for what I wanted to spend and the best laptop I could get for what I wanted to spend and in every case the desktop was so overwhelming more powerfull for the same or less money that I've always gone with a desktop.

So my reply would be -- make sure you are getting a laptop for the darn right reasons and you are really happy with the computing power you are getting for the money.  Make sure your not doing it because its sexy to be a geek in starbucks with a laptop.

[s0]

don't just look at hardware specs when you're buying a laptop. you're going to be stuck with the same screen and keyboard forever so make sure those are good/comfortable to use. don't order online if you can help it at all but actually go to a store and try out a couple laptops until you find one that suits you. a good trackpad is a huge bonus too.

also make sure your laptop is both sturdy and light enough to actually carry around with you. get a laptop w/ a dedicated graphics card but don't get one of those huge "desktop replacement" things (speaking from experience here). ive also heard a lot of bad things about "gaming" laptops so probably better to steer to clear of those as well.

[airman4]

what is more powerful than an core I7  please ?

I plan to buy an new laptop as well , mine start to do some weirdo stuff here and here

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

don't develop on a laptop if you can avoid doing so; the keyboard is often cramped, the monitor much smaller than a desktop, often leading to eyestrain, etc. -- very few professional programmers use a laptop to program, unless it's absolutely necessary. even the weakest desktop made within the last 10 years will be preferable as a programming environment compared to the best laptop. it can also lead to poor posture, because sitting cramped over a laptop for 8 hours a day or more, when your eyes aren't eye-level with the monitor (which is often impossible due to how close the monitor and keyboard are) can cause health problems

[One-bit Punch]

I'll just chime in to recommend a laptop & large external monitor + keyboard setup, that way you'll have the best of both worlds (better ergonomics/posture and portability).

[s0]

what is more powerful than an core I7  please ?

I plan to buy an new laptop as well , mine start to do some weirdo stuff here and here

core i7 is just the name of a cpu model, there have been a couple of generations of it. so if you buy a new laptop with a core i7 cpu it's probably going to be faster than your old one.

[s_l_m]

what is more powerful than an core I7  please ?

I plan to buy an new laptop as well , mine start to do some weirdo stuff here and here

core i7 is just the name of a cpu model, there have been a couple of generations of it. so if you buy a new laptop with a core i7 cpu it's probably going to be faster than your old one.

Pretty much sums it up, i7 is just what Intel calls their higher end chips every gen.
This is a good tool for comparing the speed of the specific chips
http://cpuboss.com/compare-cpus

[Sik]

Just got a laptop (because I couldn't get anything else) and one big warning you should be aware of: make sure the display is actually good. Maybe it's just because I moved from using a CRT monitor to the LCD screen of the laptop, but seriously the colors look completely wrong, there isn't any single angle where the entire screen has the same colors in fact. Watch out for this because it'll completely screw you over with anything to do with graphics. May want to get a second screen even, but then make sure you don't end up in an awkward position.

Also: forget the trackpad, just get a mouse (should be USB, laptops don't come with PS/2 ports). Not only it's easier to aim (and pretty much a must if your game uses the mouse for any non-UI purposes), a real scroll wheel is a lot faster to use than the emulated scroll wheel from a trackpad (assuming the trackpad even emulates it, I've seen laptops that won't even do that).

For the record, getting a numpad may seem tempting, but I noticed I use numbers a lot less than I thought, making it a non-issue... Consider that to be low priority.

[Nillo]

don't develop on a laptop if you can avoid doing so; the keyboard is often cramped, the monitor much smaller than a desktop, often leading to eyestrain, etc. -- very few professional programmers use a laptop to program, unless it's absolutely necessary. even the weakest desktop made within the last 10 years will be preferable as a programming environment compared to the best laptop. it can also lead to poor posture, because sitting cramped over a laptop for 8 hours a day or more, when your eyes aren't eye-level with the monitor (which is often impossible due to how close the monitor and keyboard are) can cause health problems

The key advantage of a laptop in my eyes is that it allows you to leave your home and code in a different environment. When I take my laptop to another location, I find that my creativity increases significantly; the new atmosphere provides a good amount of inspiration.

It also helps that most of my video games and other distractions are on my desktop computer. By bringing the code to my laptop, I distance myself from the things that waste my time.

[s0]

i switched to laptops completely several years ago because i move around a lot. i don't have a desktop at the moment, just a monitor and keyboard i can hook up to my laptop if need be.

[eyeliner]

17 inch screen is a must, I'd say. Laptops with those screens tend to have full keyboards. With at least 1440x900 as a minimum. There's decent machines out there with these standards. And I assume everyone has a decent monitor/tv at home to plug in if they need extra screen real estate.

I'll definitely get a laptop when my current one dies. My faithful companion is already showing signs of old age.

[s0]

nah, 15 inch works ok

[airman4]

what is more powerful than an core I7  please ?

I plan to buy an new laptop as well , mine start to do some weirdo stuff here and here

core i7 is just the name of a cpu model, there have been a couple of generations of it. so if you buy a new laptop with a core i7 cpu it's probably going to be faster than your old one.

Nice
thanks for the explanation  !

I saw I7 for a long time , now i get it , i thought laptop was stagning since 2010...

[Sik]

nah, 15 inch works ok

I think he meant to get one with a 17" screen for the likelihood of the keyboard to have all the keys, not so much for the screen itself.

Then again I wonder how big such a laptop is. I mean, my old CRT monitor is 17" (though 4:3, mind you). This laptop's width seems to be about the same as that monitor. The keyboard is still cramped as hell (wasn't that hard to get accustomed admittedly, especially with the Spanish layout, but warning stands). How wide is 17" for widescreen?