Laptop

[Kelburn]

I am saving up for a laptop.

These will most likely be the specs.

ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 HyperMemory™ (integrated)

120GB*(5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core mobile technology TK-53 1.7 GHz 256kb Cache

2GB 533 MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM

How good is this for a laptop?

(would it run FS9 alright?)

[Alex]

It would probably run FS acceptably with AA turned off. I would try for a better (non-integrated - if possible) graphics card, otherwise the stats are decent for a laptop. Keep in mind that a gaming laptop will be more expensive than a similarly specced PC.

Alex

[Mattnz]

That's better than my laptop, and mine runs FS no problem, with everything turned up full I still get around 20FPS in most places

[benwynn]

Yes, Like Mattnz, you can turn the settings all up, but with no Anti Alising what so ever, so there will be heaps of Gaggie lines. RAM Sounds Good and processor is pretty good, but Id be looking at the Intel, as they outclass AMD a little bit. And try not to get intergrated graphics, get a Nice ATI Card- 128mb atleast would be good. Make Sure its DDR3.

But Like Alex said, if you have to get a laptop get a laptop, but you can get a custom built PC really cheap! C2D E6600, 2-4GB Ram, 500GB Hard Drive and a powerful graphics card for under $2000 if you build it yourself. Similar price to a Laptop of half the caliber!

BTW- My freind just bought one of the New Dell Laptops for Around $1500- About the same specs, with 2GB Ram, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 250GB HD, and a ATI Graphics Card. He runs FS9 Maxed out with about 8x AA, and he can run FSX Decently with the New Service Pack!

Ben

EDIT- Also thought Id add, powerful laptops need alot of cooling as they get very very hot. A Fan sitting underneath the Laptop is ideal

[brownbox]

3 important things to remember when buying a laptop
1. Make sure it has a beefy video card- remeber, you cant upgrade.
2. Dont buy a Dell. Aim for the bigger brands like Asus, Acer, Toshiba Hp or Sony. Dells just dont last
3. Read reviews. If it has major problems, dont buy it. Its not like you can easily fix problems on laptops like you can on PC's.

[Kelburn]

I have a limited budget and sorry brownbox but it will be a dell cause they are the only ones I know of that you can build with XP and that you can customise.
Tell me if there are any other brands that allow both of those.

[creator2003]

Does it have to be a laptop ? like others have said a pc desktop build with laptop money ,youd have a nice system after that build ,
im not a fan of vista at the moment ,but dont get a dell ,6 weeks part replacment "under warrenty " i heard as the company was offshore ,there are only so many techs around that service them .
id be asus dude ,or any of the others that BB said ,if it was me i would nt even go laptop ,you mite see me walking along one day with my full size simmer game machine in and super size suitcase "with wheels "but im so much happier than the laptop user with the abilites to open it up and change things at home etc ...
my old man in oz only had his dvd drive broken,the company in the uk said instead of replacing just the dvd drive they would refund him the 1000 pounds for the whole laptop ,if it was in my desktop a quick wonder down the shop and sweet fixed ...new dvd drive

1.take into account what everyone is telling you
2. dont buy dell
3.see if the laptop is really going to be the right chiose for your needs
4.buy a desktop

[Alex]

QUOTE(brownbox @ Sep 12 2007, 09:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

3 important things to remember when buying a laptop
1. Make sure it has a beefy video card- remeber, you cant upgrade.
2. Dont buy a Dell. Aim for the bigger brands like Asus, Acer, Toshiba Hp or Sony. Dells just dont last
3. Read reviews. If it has major problems, dont buy it. Its not like you can easily fix problems on laptops like you can on PC's.

Good guide - I've got a dell though, had it for about 5 years now - still going strong. Inspiron 1150.

Alex

[brownbox]

well, im not saying all Dells are bad. Just some of their higher end models. Its almost as if they never test the cooling, just stick in all this pretty stuff and ship it off.

QUOTE(creator2003 @ Sep 18 2007, 07:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

4.buy a desktop

Easiler said than done for some people. For example, I wasnt able to get a desktop for some time as there was physically not enough room in my house.

[HardCorePawn]

The age old Laptop vs. Desktop debate still alive and well I see

A lot of people seem to be wanting laptops these days... I'm not sure if its an 'image' thing, like IPod's etc. or because everyone in the movies has one or something... but as I see it, it essentially comes down to a couple of factors:

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Size:

Laptops (although most should be called desktop replacements these days) are smaller than a standard desktop machine + monitor... If space is at an absolute premium, then the 'desktop replacement' is most probably the preferred choice. Otherwise, because of most of the reasons below, you should get a desktop

Portability:

Fairly obvious really, if you require portability, Laptops really are the preferred choice. Having said that, I used to regularly move my machine around (nowhere nearly as often as Mike) to go to LAN's etc. and you will develop a 'system' that enables you to do it fairly painlessly.

Upgradeability:

Laptops, usually, cannot be upgraded any further than putting some extra RAM in it, or swapping out the optical drive for a new one (if the laptop has removable bays)... so if you are certain, that your performance requirements are not going to change too drastically over the next 12-24 months, then by all means get a laptop. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for a painful (read: costly) upgrade when the laptop no longer suits and you need a new one.

Cost:

on a price/performance scale, desktops usually beat laptops fairly convincingly... so for the same dollars, a desktop will have superior spec's. Also, do not forget that most, if not all, laptop manufacturer's consider batteries to be a 'consumable'. When the battery craps out, it will usually not be covered by the warranty (or 12 months max) and they are usually not that cheap, if you can still find one, to buy.

--------

I would advise you to seriously consider each of these points, and figure out what is most important to you. Everyone is different and has different priorities and needs. Once you are sure which way you need to go, then you can start looking for a machine that fits your requirements.

cheers,
HCP

[Kelburn]

Well I will get a two year warranty for the Dell just to reassure (maybe even a three year) but I won't get a desktop as there isn't enough room. And my wanted performance specs aren't going to increase for a while either. I will also get a fan for the laptop as I won't want it to melt on my lap

[HardCorePawn]

QUOTE(Kelburn @ Sep 14 2007, 04:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I will get a two year warranty for the Dell just to reassure (maybe even a three year)

just realise, as I mentioned, that this warranty will most likely not cover the battery... and the average 'life' (ie. the battery still holds a good 2 to 3 hour charge) is somewhere in the 12 to 18month range with normal-ish usage... ie. 4 or 5 hours day.

[brownbox]

speaking of dell batteries...
http://techepics.com/files/dell_notebook_explodes_2.jpg

And who can foget this one
http://blog.scifi.com/tech/pics/dell-explosion_w.jpg


Ahh yes, the good old dell battery recall.

[Kelburn]

a good thing I'll be using the power plug most of the time.

[benwynn]

I use a powerplug with mine almost perminently Kelburn, and I still have had a drop in battery life!

[Kelburn]

Oh well.
I'll just purchase a new battery.
Also can you run the laptop if you take out the battery and leave the power plug on?

[brownbox]

if you will never use the battery, you can always just leave the battery in there, but turn off the battery switch. This will completely shut off the battery from the rest of the laptop. Im not sure if all laptops have them, but two Asus laptops i have seen have got them.

Also, if you want to make the battery last longer, I found you should use the battery every now and then. Say you have a little bit of light office type work or internet surfing to do. Just unplug the power and run it off the battery. Run the battery down to nearly flat and then charge it up again. I found this seems to keep the batteries in shape for longer.