Laptop request

[fmwyso]

Hey, i have a friend who wants to get a laptop. Requirements:

-- Price Lower then $1000.
-- RAM higher then 1gb.
-- HD 120gb or higher.
-- Screen hopefully 15 inch or more.
-- Video card HOPEFULLY 512MB or higher.
-- Bought in store.

So, if anyone has any recommendations that would be great and thanks for your time. Laptop will be for gaming needs, MMORPG'S.

-- Best i have so far...
Specifications for HP Pavilion 15.4" Widescreen Laptop PC at circuitcity.com

 

[saltynay]

an 8600gt is the best mobile graphics chip
C2D is a much better mobile processor
dedicated memory would give much higher performance
is battery time an issue???

 

[Kubel]

Getting a laptop with good dedicated graphics for under $1000 is a difficult task. Your options are extremely limited, and I highly doubt you will find one with 512MB within your budget. A DV6500T or DV9500T as you suggested would be candidates, but they have low end 8400M GS and 8600M GS graphics.

Another option is the Dell Vostro (either Vostro 1500 or Vostro 1700), but it's obviously not available in store. You can get a Vostro with an 8600M GT which is far superior to an 8600M GS that HP's come with. What you will be sacrificing is style, since the Vostro is a business notebook and is plain black (which in my opinion looks nice and refined, but not as wowing as HP). But they are very good deals considering you can have one with 8600M GT graphics, a C2D, and 2GB RAM for under $1000.

So I would suggest your best bet is the Dell Vostro 1500 or 1700. I would opt for minimal RAM (choose 1GB and buy an upgrade aftermarket and install it yourself), and take your savings (probably about $50) and put that toward the best processor you can afford. If you want to stay under $1000, that will probably mean a T5470, which is a budget dual core processor, but a solid performer for its price.

I built the following system and managed to stay under-budget:

Dell Vostro 1500
-Core 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
-Windows Vista Home Basic
-15.4" WXGA with TrueLife
-1GB DDR2 RAM
-80GB 5400RPM HDD
-8x DL DVD+/-RW
-256MB GeForce 8600M GT
-802.11g WLAN

Total: $888 (I would then take my savings and buy 2GB RAM at NewEgg), bringing the final cost to roughly $1000. Since Dell doesn't offer 7200RPM drives, I would stick with the basic 80GB 5400RPM SATA HDD for now, and when you get enough money, invest in a good sized 7200RPM SATA drive later. You can opt to build one with a large drive through Dell, but it will be expensive (blowing your budget), and it will be slow (5400RPM).

Hope this helps.

 

[Kubel]

I should also point out that the laptop (HP) that you linked to is not acceptable for gaming. A common misconception amongst users is that the higher the video memory, the better it will perform.

The HP there has integrated GeForce 7150M graphics, and the memory size they list is entirely shared memory (system RAM, not dedicated). Thus, it will perform horribly in any mid to high end game.

This is probably the best you can get in store, and under budget... but it is somewhat obsolete (non-Santa Rosa, GeForce Go 7600)...

Buy the Refurbished HP Pavilion rdv9023 17" Widescreen Entertainment Laptop Computer and other Laptop Computers at circuitcity.com

 

[fmwyso]

Thanks for the responses and the knowledge about lap tops . The only game he actually runs is FlyFF which is a low-end 3d model game. Requirements(Recommended for optimal settings) of FlyFF are 1ghz processor, 256mbram, and Geforce Ti 300 or better.

The only real "WANT" is for something that will help with buffer capabilities and speed. Because they have times where there are 120-150 people all using skills which causes his current computer, 256mbram, to lag like nothing else. He has cable internet but his computer doesn't perform well enough.

-- Thanks alot Kubel, you really helped me ALOT . They can't buy from online and they can't install anything to any part of their computer. I don't live anywhere near them so i can't help them out with up'ing the ram or anything.

--- Looked at refurbished link and saw it can't be bought in stores and they are not willing to buy it online... so... i looked for a laptop with dedicated memory etc... how does this one look? Also,i was looking at the Dell Vostro 1500 and it says it has shared memory, so why would i want that?

Specifications for Toshiba Satellite P205DS7438 17" Widescreen Laptop Computer at circuitcity.com

Read the thing about battery size and that is NOT a problem. They don't actually need a big battery size at all, they would get a desktop computer but the problem is that they have no real stable place for a computer. All they have is a couple counter tops in their kitchen.

 

[Kubel]

That's OK, but it is a bit on the expensive side, but I suppose all in-store deals will be. Lower end Toshiba's have very poor build quality and lack sufficient protection behind their screen for portable use, but you said it will be mostly stationary, so it might do nicely for them.

If possible, I'd suggest holding off until Circuit City and Office Depot release their next weekly ad, and try looking there. I almost always find unbeatable deals in them.

Also, try dropping by their stores and seeing what local specials they run. Just last week Circuit City was selling 15.4" Compaq Presarios, very well equipped with a Turion X2, 2GB RAM, DL DVD+/-RW, etc..., for under $400, and that deal was unadvertised. I was tempted to get one to resell, but I decided not to.

If I spot any good deals, I'll be sure to post them here.

 

[fmwyso]

Thanks man, and that would be great.