Help me pick out a laptop?

[Chaatra]

Hey guys, i'm shopping around for a laptop and i'm kind of bummed with what i've been able to find.

i'm on a tight budget and really only need a pretty basic computer... if it weren't for darkfall i wouldn't care about the graphics card but i do want to be able to play DF on it when it comes out, so whats the best place to get a cheaper laptop that doesn't have a lame integrated graphics card? I know all pcs with AMD processors have brand-name gpus but now they are basically doing the same boosh that intel does with pathetic integrated gpus, they are just manufactured by ATI :bang: ... at least on bestbuy.com anyways.

the only other thing i will use it for is music production but i use an external sound card/interface so as long as it has at least 2GB of ram (which seems pretty standard these days) it should be ok for this.

in a perfect world i would be able to get a laptop with 2ghz processor, 3GB RAM, and a 7600GT gpu for about $500 but this is not a perfect world. :'(


any suggestions? thanks

[Ankh]

Pick that one.

[alfaroverall]

If your budget is limited to about $500, you're probably not going to find a gaming laptop that will reasonably play Darkfall. Getting one that will run it at all will probably cost you about $600, and getting one that will run it fairly well will probably cost you over $1000. You're better off getting a cheap laptop if you need one for some reason and then saving your money to eventually buy a desktop. You can actually get a rather nice desktop for $400 if you build it yourself and search for good bargains on parts on sites like newegg.com.

[Viluin]

Pick that one.

No, I think the other one is better.

[Hyster]

perfect world sucks unless your on the lost city server

[Ankh]

No, I think the other one is better.

Prove it.

[alfaroverall]

perfect world sucks unless your on the lost city server
Is it sad that I see what you did there?

[Viluin]

Prove it.

Fine.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Fujitsu-Siemens-LifeBook-4-Life,news-3060.html (http://objection.mrdictionary.net/go.php?n=2853521)

[Hyster]

Is it sad that I see what you did there?

only if you kill my level 7x

[Chaatra]

If your budget is limited to about $500, you're probably not going to find a gaming laptop that will reasonably play Darkfall. Getting one that will run it at all will probably cost you about $600, and getting one that will run it fairly well will probably cost you over $1000. You're better off getting a cheap laptop if you need one for some reason and then saving your money to eventually buy a desktop. You can actually get a rather nice desktop for $400 if you build it yourself and search for good bargains on parts on sites like newegg.com.

desktops are out of the question, i travel too much. i spose your right as far as price goes though.

i wonder if darkfall will actually be amazing enough to make me spend 300 extra dollars on a laptop :( thats a lot of money for a poor hippy like myself.

[Ankh]

Fine.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Fujitsu-Siemens-LifeBook-4-Life,news-3060.html (http://objection.mrdictionary.net/go.php?n=2853521)

You didn't have to rub it in so hard :(

[Masumatek]

I didn't want to spend a lot on a laptop either after my old one fried but I still wanted something that could play games.

I got the HP Dv5t.

Quickly selecting some options on their website, I came up with this for $830.

Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T5800 (2.0GHz)
Display: 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Memory: FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Graphics card 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Hard drive: FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

You can get a high capacity battery for 29 bucks more. I'm not good with computers, so ask someone if that processor is okay or if you'll need to upgrade to a better one. The Dv5t is cheaper and includes more and better freebies than when I got mine, so don't count on it getting much cheaper than this. You can shop around on the net and try to find HP coupon codes that may make it a little cheaper. If you're a student, HP has some discount program that might make it a bit cheaper for you.

Now, from what I've read, the 512mb 9600 GT is nothing outstanding for gaming, but is more than sufficient. Things might have changed, but when I shopped around a few months ago this was the best gaming capable laptop I could find for the price and the deal has only gotten better...As I said, just double check with someone on the processor option I selected in this post. It's a nice computer overall. It works fine for what I play. Only higher-end game I play sometimes is Call of Duty 4 and it works well with that too. Only thing: It runs hot. Sooner or later you'll probably want to get a decent laptop cooler.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=compute r_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Versatile+performance&series_name=dv5t_series


Good luck!


*edit*
For idiotic spelling mistakes. Wtf...most mistakes in a post I've ever made probably.

*edit 2*
Oh might want to shell out a few more on a better wireless card too. Ask someone else about that as well.

[alfaroverall]

That's a decent laptop at a reasonable price, I'd say. Do note, just as a warning, that the 9600M GT is far weaker than the 9600 GT. This is a general trend among laptop graphics cards that should always be recognized.

[Masumatek]

That's a decent laptop at a reasonable price, I'd say. Do note, just as a warning, that the 9600M GT is far weaker than the 9600 GT. This is a general trend among laptop graphics cards that should always be recognized.

Yah, I guess they went the cheaper route on some components. But hey, you get the cheaper price too. As I said, it does run Call of Duty 4 fine.

The sager np2096 is also another option (same gfx card though), but it will run you more. I've never had a sager so I can't comment personally but from what I've read, they're superior gaming machines. Still, I have no significant problem with my Dv5t other than it runs hot (oh and sometimes the volume buttons don't like me).

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2096-custom-laptop-built-compal-jhl90-p-2409.html?wconfigure=yes

[Fudgy_Neeples]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115524&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-34-115-524-_-Homepage

Did a quick check-up on newegg and found a pretty decent one for $550.
-Dual Core 1.9 ghz
-4 gb DDR2 ram
-ATI Radeon HD 3200 (http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-3200.9591.0.html)has 500 mhz clock and 512 ram. Directx10 capable. Reviews says it's just an OK card though.

[alfaroverall]

Yah, I guess they went the cheaper route on some components. But hey, you get the cheaper price too. As I said, it does run Call of Duty 4 fine.

The sager np2096 is also another option (same gfx card though), but it will run you more. I've never had a sager so I can't comment personally but from what I've read, they're superior gaming machines. Still, I have no significant problem with my Dv5t other than it runs hot (oh and sometimes the volume buttons don't like me).

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2096-custom-laptop-built-compal-jhl90-p-2409.html?wconfigure=yes
No no, you don't understand. The mobile equivalent of a given graphics card is weaker than the desktop equivalent. That's just a natural fact of computers.

[Chaatra]

heres a question that i'm surprised i have to ask...

the newer dual core processors that say for example 2.0 GHZ... is that 2 each for a total of 4GHZ? probably not but i thought i'd make sure since i'm on a decrepit desktop now that is a single core with 3.0 GHZ and its quite old, but i guess laptops are just slower than desktops. I haven't bought a computer in over 4 years and haven't really kept up with these things.

[omnigol]

Get that thin mac one.

[heroshade]

Acer Aspire 4520.