Laptop!?!

[bestbitter]

<p>Hi everybody,</p><p>

A few months back I asked the forum whether I should get a new desktop or laptop and the consensus was a laptop. Now the missus has finally given me the green light to get a new Laptop I have decided to get one from Dell (unless anybody knows another good supplier/or reason not to get one from Dell) because that is where I got my desktop from and I never had any problems with it. So to get to the point (finally!) what sort of specs should I be looking for processor/memory/graphics card wise considering that I mainly play TEW/WMMA, sometimes Football Manager, download music/tv shows and surf the internet. Don't want it to be too expensive, but don't want it too slow either. Cheers guys. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[Slagaholic]

You really don't have to spend more than a grand. Just quickly looking at Dell's website one that I figure would be in your price range is the Studio 15.

 

Considering what you use your computer for, you can go cheaper if you wanted to. Too many people overspend on computers.

[1234]

You dont have to spend much at all...i havent looked at what Dell offer and there prices but i would say you could get a good one for what you want for between £400-£500.

 

Having a quick look on PC World, one with the same specs as my current laptop, which plays TEW/WMMA perfectly...And can handle FM well, but cant handle the 3d match engine well (it stops and starts and just cant run smoothly), goes for about the £400 mark. But of course mine is quite old and hopefully should be replaced soon.

 

Im not an expert on graphics cards so wont suggest what you should be looking for there...but personally what i am looking for in my next laptop is (These are what i want, but wouldnt complain if they went higher) :-

2Ghz Processor - I dont know much about brands or makes of the processors but thats what i always look for. Mine is 1.5Ghz, but 2Ghz seems standard now.

2-3GB Ram - That should make sure you can run multiple programs without problem, 3GB would be best if you were trying to do other stuff while playing on FM.

And of course the size of the hard-drive depends on the stuff you want to store...if you want to store lots of music you should probably go for 200GB or more, depending what you can afford without breaking the bank.

 

I personally dont look much at other specifications, screen size's dont really seem to vary that much and most other things are basic.

 

Hope this has helped.

[Bippodrop]

Be wary of the Dell Studio, as in my experience I've had some issues with mine.

 

- webcam screws up occasionally when Windows updates occur. Not sure with Windows 7, but Vista gave it fits. Shy away from Vista at all costs.

 

- Power adapter ports are fairly weak on the Dell laptops. This is the second Dell laptop and already having a problem with the power adapter staying connected. They are just a weakness apparently.

 

 

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[darthsiddus2]

DO NOT BUY A DELL!!... Dell's are horrible.

[James Casey]

I use a Sony Vaio FW31J which cost me about £750 a year ago. Considering it has a built in Blu-Ray player, it wasn't a hard choice

 

It's otherwise a great laptop, and I strongly recommend it to anyone else - it's been totally reliable, has a lengthy battery life, a great screen, a ton of memory, 4GB RAM, glitch-free DVD/BR playback... Everything I want from it, really (and I play FM/TEW pretty much exclusively on it too).

 

The current version would be the F series, which starts at £700, although the FW does still seem to be around. Worth a look, I'd say.

[Remianen]

Now the missus has finally given me the green light

 

Ouch!

 

I have decided to get one from Dell (unless anybody knows another good supplier/or reason not to get one from Dell)

 

How about you just burn $200 and call it even? Dell's computers are ridiculously overpriced for the spec both at the high and low end. They also offer complete crap support (much of which is outsourced to two companies in Bangalore) but hey, it's convenient, right?

 

Seriously, avoid Dell. If you look on their site and look at the highest end computers they offer (I believe it's the XPS for Dell and the Area-51 for Alienware), I can illustrate that very easily. Their $9,000 rig, I can build for $5,800, buying the parts from places like Newegg and Tiger Direct of all places. The $15,400 ultra high end, bleeding edge Alienware, I've built for $9,200 (and it would've been $8,650 if I had waited two to three weeks but I didn't want to).

 

Try ibuypower and see what you get. BUT, this is for gaming rigs. It also depends on whether you're willing to pay more now to prevent having to pay more later (aka "staving off obsolescence"). For your uses, you don't need a gaming rig because you're not doing any gaming that would stress a run of the mill computer. Load up on RAM and a thicker hard drive and you'd be set. You don't need much of a video card or 7.1 sound or anything like that. The thing to consider is whether you'd want to do anything more intensive during the expected lifespan of the computer (which is where 'staving off obsolescence' comes in). Also consider whether the wife will allow you to spend more now for a long term gain (adding to the effective life of the computer).

[Guest Instant Classic]

My dad has a stack of dead Dells. If you want a good paperweight about a year down the line go for it!