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I pwnd U · Apr 26, 2011, 10:28 PM // 22:28

Hello Guru Techies! I am looking to buy a new computer, this one is currently on its last leg. I use this computer mainly for surfing the internet, watching videos, video editing (a bit), playing games, music and some work.

I would like a computer with at least 6GB of RAM and a nice size hard drive (500GB at least). I also want a pretty good graphics card that can run most games (such as GW2 when it comes out). I do multi-task a lot, usually I have Microsoft Word or PowerPoint running with music or a movie and the internet in the background. So a dual or quad core is pretty much a must for the processor.

If you have any suggestions on Brands to look at, besides the normal Dell and HP, please let me know. I want to be able to customize the laptop and I am trying to keep it around the $1000 mark ($1200 is the highest I would go). Any advice is welcome and very much appreciated!

Elder III · Apr 27, 2011, 02:20 AM // 02:20

Do you need a laptop, or is a desktop an option? As you may already know, you can get a much more powerful desktop for less than the cost of a half way decent laptop, esp. when it comes to gaming. Unless you need a laptop for school or work, a desktop is the hands down best option for the pc gamer. On the other hand, if you do need a laptop, I would suggest looking at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220921

Powerful enough to play GW2 at high settings, as well as multi-task to your heart's content. The only issue with this laptop, is that the 1080p screen will make it difficult to read text at the native resolution on such a small screen. I would either look for a larger laptop (17 or 18") or a lower resolution (1600 x 900 or less). This does offer some nice bang for the buck though, and you won't find a much more powerful laptop for under $1200.

I pwnd U · Apr 27, 2011, 11:57 AM // 11:57

I want a laptop, I'm not huge on gaming, I only really have GW, Halo 1 and Flight Simulator for my computer. I will be traveling between my gf's place and mine during weekends and such so I need a portable computer so I can still get work done. And thanks for the post, pretty nice computer but I'm going to keep looking.

majoho · Apr 27, 2011, 12:16 PM // 12:16

Any reason it has to be exactly 6GB that's a pretty odd number!

If it's your only PC I guess you are looking for something in the desktop-replacement category which usually means a big laptop (not ultra portable).

Something like this
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/vo...id=vostro-3750 / http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...id=vostro-3750

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-l702x/pd.aspx / http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...l_id=xps-l702x

tijo · Apr 27, 2011, 05:46 PM // 17:46

Read this if you want a good idea of laptops and what you'll need for decent performance with GW2: http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/...ng-t15972.html

Anyways, i'll go with the asus G73/53 series like elder suggested or the MSI G series (If you can still find a GX660 somewhere). Oh and you can save some cash by getting the Best Buy version of the G73 too, the warranty is the usual BB crap though.

EDIT: If you plan on playing the latest Flight Simulator, you should know that it's a real resource hog. It will literally raise your CPU usage through the roof on top of your GPU usage.

I pwnd U · Apr 27, 2011, 10:07 PM // 22:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by majoho

Any reason it has to be exactly 6GB that's a pretty odd number!

If it's your only PC I guess you are looking for something in the desktop-replacement category which usually means a big laptop (not ultra portable).

Something like this
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/vo...id=vostro-3750 / http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...id=vostro-3750

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-l702x/pd.aspx / http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...l_id=xps-l702x

Yes 6GB was an odd number but it was right between 4GB and 8GB on most of the customizable charts. So I went with it. And I don't really tax my system with games that much. The one I have now is an old 15.4 inch Dell Inspiron E1505 that has worked great for what I needed it for for the past 5 years. Thanks for the links.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tijo

EDIT: If you plan on playing the latest Flight Simulator, you should know that it's a real resource hog. It will literally raise your CPU usage through the roof on top of your GPU usage.

Trust me, I know that. I installed it on this computer before I found out it was too much for it.

sc2071 · May 06, 2011, 02:10 PM // 14:10

You basically are going to want a (Dell) Alienware, Asus, or MSI laptop with decent graphics card. Notebook Check is a great site to compare mobile graphic cards. I would think anything that can run StarCraft 2 well, should be able to handle GW2 fairly well with moderate settings or better.

As far as CPU goes, you'll want something with a Core i5 processor or better. I believe the Core i5s for notebooks are dual-core, not sure if that's the same for the Core i7s... but when matching the number of cores there's not much difference in performance between a Core i5 and Core i7 in current games.

Personally, I'm thinking about getting a very light and portable notebook, and for me that would be the Alienware M11x. A friend of my has an MSI 17" notebook, and it's really great. He does all of his gaming on it, and it runs everything very well.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-...ist.844.0.html

Anyway, good luck!

Snograt · May 06, 2011, 06:16 PM // 18:16

He got a Dell.