Curse

Rose · Nov 16, 2006, 08:15 AM // 08:15

Hi everyone,
I am currently looking for a laptop that meets my requirements but I am not computer savvy; therefor, no technical help from me. I know people say desktops are better all around but I am on the road way too much to use a desktop. I would like to be able to play GW, WoW, Everquest, Battlefields 2, to name a few. I did try to search this forum a bit and look at some websites for reviews for laptops but all I came up with were articles from earlier this year (Sticky seriously needs to be updated). I would like to get a more current view of what's good to buy in the laptop market. I like ati video cards but will go with nvidia if necessary.

I will probably be plugged in while I'm on it so as long as the battery life is about 2 hours I should be fine.

Price range would be $500 to $1500. No I do not want to build it myself or have friends build it for me tried that before and look at me now, searching for another computer system xD I know there may be other things to consider but it is 1:10 am and I'm sleepy.

So in sum I am looking for a laptop that is able to run my games for $500-$1500.
Thanks for all your help,
Rose

Bibblenorn · Nov 16, 2006, 09:54 AM // 09:54

I just got a Dell Inspirion E1705, and it is beautiful.

2.0Ghz processor
256MB NVIDA Geforce Go 7900GS (It is better than any ATI that was available)
2GB of RAM
and other goodies. (I used the customize tab on the dell website.)

It would have come out to almost $2000, but I had a really nice 30% off coupon, putting it to $14042 after taxes (got free shipping too.)

I can highly recommend this computer. It runs well, and the games I have put on it so far are lovely. It is well worth getting this computer if you can find the coupon. According to Notebookreview.com, this videocard is a really good one.

Notebookreview.com is a really good site. There is a post, that tells all the basics about buying a laptop, and explains what the different classifications of videocards, harddrives, LCD screens, etc. are.

I am sure you could get one cheaper than what I got, and have it work just fine, but I was looking for something that would run things fairly well for the next 3 years.

Mushroom · Nov 16, 2006, 04:14 PM // 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rose

Hi everyone,
So in sum I am looking for a laptop that is able to run my games for $500-$1500.
Thanks for all your help,
Rose

You had better forget about the $500 price, and start in the $1,500-2,500 range.

The main reason for this is the fact that "budget laptops" have horrible graphics. Most come with either SIS or Intel video, and you can just browse through here and find horror stories about people trying to play with Intel graphics.

So you really need to go with something with NVidia or ATI graphics.

If you want budget, Acer makes some decent laptops with decent graphics. Most of them sell new for around $1,000.

Or you can go the used route. Because the Core 2 is in high demand, a lot of people are selling off their older Pentim 4 and Pentium M laptops. And there are constantly laptops comming off-lease from Government and Corporate lease providers.

We sell Dell Latitude C610 corporate models with a P4 2.4 and GeForce 4 on-board for around $850 (Dell still sells them for $1,600). These are off of a 1 year Government lease. But no, we only sell in the local area and have no interest in selling to people outside of our store. But it gives an idea what is floating around out there, and what prices they are selling for. If you have a large corporation or military base near you, there is probably somebody in your area refurbishing and selling the off-lease computers.

Lilith St Cyr · Nov 16, 2006, 04:38 PM // 16:38

MacBook Pro with Windows installed is perfect for me.
Mac OS X for general tasks, Windows for gaming.

Rose · Nov 16, 2006, 05:45 PM // 17:45

Thanks for the suggestions and yeah I know the price for a laptop would be high since I'm looking for a gaming one with a good graphics card. I get a Dell discount thru work so I'll look into that. I live in Phoenix so yeah there are lots of options to choose from and I was getting overwhelmed by all of them.
If there is anything else I should consider please let me know

~Rose

MegaMouse · Nov 17, 2006, 12:45 AM // 00:45

I currently have a HP DV8315 wqhich I bought from Best Buy. The price is right in your range ($1198), and I have had no prolems with it yet. I have had it for going opn 6 months now and it is holding up quite well. On a wired lan it gets great frame rates and such. Plays Guild wars with no hbiccups at all. While on a wireless lan it will do as a tower will some slowdown with a bit of dconn issues. Look at what Best Buy has within your budget and you may find something usefull.

Mega Mouse

l)l2UNl( · Nov 17, 2006, 04:02 AM // 04:02

well firstly a laptop thgat can play anything decently will cost you more than 500 i would say a 1500 laptop should play pretty well

try:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1158318674532

or:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1158317339179

Riva · Nov 20, 2006, 01:19 AM // 01:19

My suggestion is to look for a laptop with it's own video RAM, not integrated RAM. I have a three year old hp nc6000 (with 32 MB video RAM) and GW and GW plays if you dumb down all graphics. I don't mind it only because I get to play when I'm on the road.

If the technical specifications of the laptop does not mention a separate video card with RAM, then it most likely is an integrated video card.