Gaming

A heavenly delight. BioShock is definitely a top-class shooter. No matter if the topic is the game world, handling, sound or story: This action hit leaves most of its competitors behind. We examine among other things the hardware requirements of this exceptional title. Find out if a weaker graphics card may suffice.

Elite versus low-cost. 4K workstation, 1.3K gamer and 375 Euros (~$5195, $1688 and $487 respectively) typewriter. With Dreamcolor display, HP set a high standard. Samsung favor AMD and use a Radeon HD 8870M in their new Chronos. Lenovo aim to sell masses and cut the price with a cheap AMD APU. These were the best laptops in February.

An add-on for the queen. Fans have had to wait a whole three years for the expansion of the real-time strategy hit StarCraft 2. Heart of the Swarm tells the sci-fi story from the point of view of the Zerg aliens. Find out here whether the game meets the towering expectations and how high its (mobile) hardware requirements are.

17.3-inch all-rounder. Samsung wakes curiosity for its new 17.3-incher by combining a Radeon dual-graphics solution with a matte screen. This is accompanied by an 8 GB working memory and a capacious hard drive. Our review reveals whether the laptop is overall convincing.

The return of a classic. Look out virtual city planners: With SimCity, EA and Maxis bring one of the most successful economic simulation games in PC history back to life. Even newcomers will be drawn to the cute animations and well-designed gameplay. As usual, our benchmark article will focus on game quality and system requirements.

Reboot. Crystal Dynamics breathes new life into the time-honored action-adventure series. With their renovated new piece, Tomb Raider, the developers hope to attract not only veterans of the series, but also newbies from the Uncharted Generation. This article mainly examines the single-player mode and the game's hardware hunger.

Avant-garde After gamers had a somewhat disappointing experience with Crysis 2, Crytek pulled out all the stops for their new FPS. The third title in the series is supposed to present a perfect mix of the first two parts, offering a full Crysis experience. Find out here if Crysis 3 is more than just a graphical showpiece and how much the game will demand from a notebook's hardware.

Affordable DTR laptop with gaming power. Toshiba now offers a 17.3-inch device based on AMD's Trinity platform dubbed Satellite L875D-10E. Featuring a dual graphics solution, capacious hard drive and 8 GB of working memory, the device is well-equipped. The laptop becomes particularly interesting in view of the three year warranty. Our review reveals whether the Satellite L875D features any other highlights besides the warranty.

Head-to-head. Being more expensive is not always better, and successors are sometimes worse. HP and Asus confirm this truism with the EliteBook Folio 9470m and the Touch-Zenbook UX31A. Who offers the best laptop for the lowest price? This question arose in the Office and Multimedia category.

Horror cubed? Almost two years after the last installment, EA releases the third game of the Dead Space series to horror fans. The nightmarish third-person title will attract players with a well thought out co-op mode and a diverse crafting system. We tested the single-player mode for several hours and have determined the hardware requirements.

Rematch. More than half a year ago, Nvidia and AMD introduced their mobile 28 nm GPUs. The battle of the two top models was especially interesting. We recheck the performance with up-to-date drivers. Is the GeForce GTX 680M still marginally faster? Or does the HD 7970M perform better this time?

Light and cheap, but gaming capable? Acer combine a frugal ULV processor and a GeForce GPU in a slim case. This could result in a mobile, light, gaming capable notebook. Our review reveals to what extent this is true.

Surprise candidate. Lenovo again ventures into the highly competitive gaming sector with the IdeaPad Y500. The UltraBay technology enables the 15-incher to be equipped with an optical drive, a second GPU, an auxiliary fan or another hard disk. A thrilling concept that lets the laptop stand out from the competition. We exhaustively tested the SLI alternative.

Finale. Smart convertibles, surprising ultrabooks, business classics, slim gaming laptops and a crippled Power-Radeon. We complete the year 2012 with 31 assorted reviews.

DTR with gaming ambition. Combine a powerful Core i7 CPU with a GeForce GPU and a 17-inch display and you'll get a general-purpose DTR for everyone. Although this sounds perfect in theory, the computer system first has to stand up to our exhaustive tests.

Hardware update. In line with the recent product releases, Asus bestows its 17-inch machine new high-end components. Owing to the modern Kepler architecture, the GeForce GTX 670MX promises more power and a longer battery runtime. We put the G75VX through its paces in this in-depth review.

A bold hardware mix. How much power does the Radeon HD 7970M still have when the high-end graphics is combined with a weak processor? MSI installs AMD's low-cost A10-4600M quad-core in its GX60 to achieve the lowest price possible. Our benchmarks reveal the sobering results.

Off to the jungle. Ubisoft ends the 2012 gaming year with a big bang. Although it's built with open-world architecture, Far Cry 3 wants to be an intense ego-shooter with a gripping story. But notebook users have more to fear than all kinds of opponents: the Dunia 2 engine can be a menace too.

Double. After we had scrutinized the GeForce GTX 680M SLI a few weeks ago, an SLI configuration of two GTX-670MX-GPUs had to face up to our benchmarks. Deviltech was the first manufacturer to deliver such a 17-inch notebook. The curtain rises on the hell machine.

Stealth reincarnation. The time-honored Hitman series boldly leaps into the year 2012. The developer IO Interactive stays true to its principles, presenting with Absolution a classic clandestine adventure that holds to its roots. We fought through the first level and investigated how hardware-hungry the game is.

Long live the laptop. A smart tablet instead of a heavy laptop? Do men and women only buy tablets these days? We don't think so, since the spectrum of offers available for laptops leading up to Christmas is bigger than ever: Windows 8 touchscreens, low-cost typewriters, Ultrabooks, mid-range gamers, SLI gamers and workstation juggernauts. A diversity of devices such as this has seldom been available.

Behemoth. Schenker's XMG U702 is definitely not an ordinary laptop. Featuring a desktop processor, two high-end graphics cards and three hard drives, the 17-inch giant outperforms most gaming PCs. We took a closer look at the whopper. Can the U702 also score in other things than pure performance?

A new era. In November, Ubisoft releases two candidates for the game of the year at once. Alongside the open-world shooter Far Cry 3, the action-adventure game Assassin's Creed III seeks to lure the affection of the PC community. This article is primarily devoted to the technology involved and the hardware requirements for the Assassin fable.

Stagnation. It is hard to believe, but Black Ops 2 is the ninth installment of the successful Call of Duty series. The current spin-off wants to score points with its contemporary setting, immersing story, and freedom of play. Read here why the shooter series has not moved forward despite the innovations.

What a rush. About seven years after the original, the publisher EA is now taking the plunge by releasing a new version of the popular Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The game was no longer produced by the initial developers, but instead by the Burnout creators Criterion. Is the new iteration able to live up to the lofty expectations?

An insubstantial spectacle. EA and Danger Close have created a serious opponent to Call of Duty with the new Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Thanks to the high class Frostbite 2 engine the action-beast is especially good in terms of visuals. Next to the hardware requirements we also take a look at the gaming qualities in this review. Can the title reach the level of a shooter-elite?

Artistic freedom. The publisher Bethesda has released one of the most unusual games of the year with Dishonored. The ambitious stealth-action role game mix fuses various genres into a captivating total bundle. The key question of our review: Just how high are the hardware requirements of this steampunk world?

Tanks a lot. Over 40 million registered users and a bigger E3 stand compared to many (former) top publishers: Wargaming.net shakes up the Free2Play sector with World of Tanks. In order to investigate the ongoing trend we tested version 8.0 with a variety of notebook GPUs.

Another round. Speed junkies will get their full fix when it comes to F1 2012. The modern racing game shines with the usual pretty appearance and high speeds, in addition to the official license package. Find out which notebook hardware has enough power to master the game in this review.

Guaranteed fun. What do you get when you mix role-playing and action components and garnish it with cel-shaded looks and a loose sense of humor? Right: Borderlands 2. We looked closer at the colorful, exotic blend and checked Unreal Engine 3's hardware hunger.

Hell 3.0 - A year back, the reasonably priced Deviltech Fragbook performed really well in our review. Now the device is available with Ivy Bridge processor technology and the GeForce GTX 675M. It has some really powerful rivals to overcome. We will evaluate if this laptop will prevail over the competition.

Time for King Football. Every year Electronic Arts knits a fresh layer of the immensely popular FIFA series. The current 13th installment is largely based on the strengths of its predecessors. In this article we will specifically highlight the technology and hardware requirements.

A Core Question. Do modern gaming graphics cards require a quad-core CPU to show their full potential? Many gamers will be faced with this choice when it's time to buy a new notebook. To finally put the question to rest, we have tested Intel's current Ivy Bridge generation with various games. Keep reading to find out if high-end GPUs also play well with a dual-core CPU.

Asian GTA. With Sleeping Dogs, the publisher Square Enix releases a serious rival of Grand Theft Auto. The open world game is set in Chinese Hong Kong and features a never-before used scenario as well as an exciting story about the Triad. In this review, you will read how current notebook GPUs perform in the game.

A breath of fresh air. ArenaNet believes it can dethrone World of Warcraft with new - and sometimes unconventional - changes to the MMO genre. Can a company made of ex-Blizzard employees strike gold with a subscription-free MMO? We test the game with a range of notebooks and GPUs to determine what system a player will need to experience ArenaNet's unique title.

The ideal multimedia laptop? An Ivy Bridge quad-core CPU and a GeForce GT640M ensure the Aspire V3-571G has a good performance. Our comprehensive review provides detailed information about its advantages and disadvantages.

For enthusiasts. The Schenker XMG P722 PRO is definitely a notebook in a class of its own. The massive 17-inch chassis comes, for a surcharge, with two GeForce GTX 680M cards. Demanding gamers will be happy about the three hard drive slots and a backlit keyboard. Does the high-end notebook come close to the Alienware M18x R2?

CS reloaded. Over 10 years after the original, Global Offensive is a reboot of the successful multiplayer tactical shooter. Despite its age, the basic game idea is still very popular. The dusty Source Engine is both a curse and a blessing.

Playing with Horseman Death. You can now experience what it's like to stir up a colorful fantasy world as a scythe-swinging avenger in Darksiders II. The ambitioned adventure-role game is doubtlessly one of this year's highlights. Our benchmark check illustrates the performance of various laptop graphics cards.

Kepler power. The 15-inch Schenker XMG A522 is specifically designed for price-conscious gamers. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M GPU, based on the latest 28 nm Kepler architecture, offers the perfect balance between performance and energy efficiency. Thanks to Optimus technology, the battery life should also be significant. In this review, we consider whether this notebook is a good, well-rounded package.

Technical explosion. The 15.6-inch Devil 6700 has the last word in gaming power based on its matte Full HD display and Nvidia’s latest premium gaming card, the GeForce GTX 680M. While it goes without saying that this combination brings unlimited gaming fun to the table, does the bulky gaming notebook excel in other categories?