Noob Help

[Underdog]

merge

Thanks a ton guys. And I'll definitely remember the no Best Buy policy. I haven't had a chance to check out any of your specific laptop suggestions yet (thanks to Homework), but I plan on doing so later tonight. Thanks for your opinion Isabella, definitely helpful. Also, i was wondering either what is a good processor speed, or what range of speeds should I be looking for?

Hey, what your opinions on HP laptops? The dv6 series seems pretty good. Its base model has a minimum processor speed of 2.13ghz, 4 gig DDR3 Memory (whatever that means), 320 gig harddrive, and I also like how I can buy a larger battery and upgrade to a blu-ray drive. When i added the Blu-Ray Optical Drive and a slightly extended battery to the base model, it came out to about $800. What do you guys think? Worth it, not worth it, avoid?

 

[Harper]

Hey Guys and Gals of Tech-Forums,

As you can tell by my post count, I'm a noobie in this forum. As well, I'm a complete computer noob. So I just wanted to say hi and to apologize of my complete lack of knowledge. So bear with me. Well, here it goes...

Welcome to TF.

Basically, my old compaq laptop P.O.S. is horrible. After 2 years old its slowly breaking down. Finally, after many hours trying to convince my parents, they have agreed to get me a new laptop. Basically, whatever I save up, they agreed to match, so I'm probably going to be looking into something in the $800 dollar range in the end. Basically, after that point, I've got nothing. I have no idea what to look for in a computer. So that's where you guys come in.

When it comes to gaming laptops, you are going to be limited with your budget. What I might recommend you looking at is some of the Mid Ranged MSI Laptop. Maybe ASUS.
Check the video card on the machine first before making your choice.

Here's a list of what I'm looking for:
1) Webcam
2) Can play some games (specifically Age of Empires/ possibly starcraft 2)
3) Good battery life
4) Beyond that, who knows (I sure don't )

So, I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give me some guidance on what I should look for. (Brand, processor speed, I7 Processor???, Windows vs MAC, screen size etc.)

1. Just about standard with laptops
2. Make sure you have good video card for that.
3. Not really on a gaming laptop. Most you are going to get with 2 hours. But some of these laptop do come with power management. I remember my old MSI GX620 i had last year had a power management button so i could choose what type of power usage i need.

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Re: merge

Hi there,

I'm glad you found my suggestion helpful. As for processor speed, the 2.13 GHz Intel® Core™ i3-330M processor in the Toshiba should be plenty for what you will be using it for. Essentially, the speed of your laptop will be a reflection of the RAM and the processor. Think of the processor like the engine of a car. There are three factors to a processor: the type, the number of cores, and the speed. The type is usually either 32-bit or 64-bit (64-bit is more powerful). The more cores you have, the fast the processor. More GHz reflects the speed at which your processor runs. Since you will be doing some basic gaming, 2.13 GHz is definitely fast enough. For more powerful gaming, you should check out a laptop with more than 2.8 GHz. Also, the laptop I suggested has 4 GB of RAM, which also adds to the speed of your laptop.

I know that this is a lot of information to take it. I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[Underdog]

Hey, anybody know a website or store where I could find laptops like those you guys have suggested? None of the manufacturer's sites give prices.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Newegg is the top dog in USA/Canada

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Hey, anybody know a website or store where I could find laptops like those you guys have suggested? None of the manufacturer's sites give prices.

Hi there,

You can use the PC Scout tool to compare different laptops and their prices. There are also links for purchasing on the site. Check it out here: Windows 7 on PC, Notebook, Netbook and Laptop Scout: Interactive PC and Laptop Criteria Tool.

Let me know what you decide on!

Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[MindoverMaster]

I think that is slightly incorrect, but it is a good start.

 

[Underdog]

Thanks a ton guys. Now that the weekend's finally rolling around, I'll actually be able to browse laptops. I'll post if I find any questions. Also, just a quick thought, but what would I need to connect a laptop to an HDTV? Just an HDMI cable right? I was thinking of getting some cheap USB speakers, a wireless mouse and keyboard, and combining all this together into an epic computer setup where I can browse the web and keep up with my Youtube subscriptions all from the comfort of my bed.

 

[MindoverMaster]

What about your family?

To connect to a HDTV, there are many options. From best to OK, HDMI, S-Video, and VGA/DVI (there are others, but those are the main 3)

Look what your TV has to choose the best option.

You can easily do so. I had my old laptop connected to my HDTV. I would watch movies on it, streaming wirelessly from my Home Server.

 

[Underdog]

Can someone explain harddrives to me? Basically what range of capacity and rpm would be good for what I'm looking to use my laptop for (Basic Gaming, School and movies, music etc). And also, can someone give me the basics on graphics cards? Thanks a ton.