|
So I'm looking around to buy a laptop for college this fall, and I'm gonna be doing all the basic stuff on it, plus gaming too (SC2 of course). I found what I think is a pretty good deal -
Dell Inspiron 15
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1 64 Bit
Glossy, widescreen 15.6 inch display (1366x768)
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD
9-cell battery
It ends up being $650 before shipping/handling and tax. The thing is, the graphics card is pretty crap. The one they let you upgrade to for $100 isn't very good either (256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330).
So would it be a good idea to just buy the laptop with the video card that it comes with, and then buy another card separately and use that instead of the original card? If so, what graphics card? I was worried about compatibility issues, so that's why I'm asking here. Any other options?
|
infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
You can't upgrade graphics cards in laptops unless it's a high-end laptop and it specifically says so
|
u probably want a dedicated graphics card or u ll probably be forced to play sc2 in low res no AA etc.
i don't think u can upgrade the graphics card in a laptop without proper training
should spend some extra money buying the graphics card or buy a laptop from sites that specialize in gaming laptops
|
I recommend getting a cheap basic laptop for class and investing your money into a PC. I bought a gaming laptop for college and completely regret it as the battery lasts barely 50 minutes.
|
usually the MXM slot it will be easy to replace
|
T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
On June 25 2009 07:24 AoN.DimSum wrote:
usually the MXM slot it will be easy to replace
Nope, even if you have a MXM slot it won't be easy to replace. Besides, the op is looking at a integrated graphics laptop, there won't be a MXM slot.
|
oops 
|
damn, and i thought i could save myself a couple hundred with this deal. thanks for the info guys.
so lets say i spend a hundred and upgrade to the 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330. what can i do with it? notebookcheck gives me a ton of technical jargon that i dont understand. some more google searching gives me some benchmarks table that says that crysis will run alright on low settings.
or is that even worth it? is it time to throw this out and find another deal?
|
infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
just get a low performance but high battery life laptop and get a gaming desktop unless you're a university student who moves a lot and don't have enough space for a desktop.
|
I'd also recommend the cheap laptop or netbook with gaming desktop route. Its almost always a better route than having a gaming laptop, since mostly have awful battery life.
Furthermore, build the desktop, it's quite simple for even a beginner and TL people can help you choose parts, direct to you good guides, whatever.
|
infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
Like, you CAN have a decent laptop with an acceptable battery life and mediocre gaming performance but I think it's better to do the split.
I personally have a 15.4 inch laptop with 9600m gt and 4 hours of battery life. it satisfies most of my gaming needs especially since i don't really need uber graphics and have a xbox360 anyway.
|
I was basically in your situation looking at the inspiron and other preconfigured laptops and getting pissed at their lack of configureability.
Then I found this MSI laptop (ex625)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152108
I'm pretty sure its the only way to get a nice higher end card like the 4670 without paying more than $800. You take a hit on the processor but I haven't run into any trouble.
|
i didnt know you could get msi that cheap
|
On June 25 2009 16:47 duckett wrote:I was basically in your situation looking at the inspiron and other preconfigured laptops and getting pissed at their lack of configureability. Then I found this MSI laptop (ex625) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152108I'm pretty sure its the only way to get a nice higher end card like the 4670 without paying more than $800. You take a hit on the processor but I haven't run into any trouble.
yea this computer looks like it suits ur needs
|
graphics card matters, i have a laptop with a intel card and it sucks balls, all other specs are good, but the laptop prevents me from running any video game. E.g. L4D, Call of Duty. I highly suggest prioritizing the graphics card, and processor.
edit: I use my laptop a lot, since I move around all the time, although getting 2 computers probably is more beneficial for specs, being able to game anywhere is also great. You CAN play games on a laptop, I don't understand why people don't understand that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
