Best Notebook desktop for 500-700 bucks?
- Thread starter DarthPuma
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I was planning to sell my Dell laptop soon + a case and laptop cooler for ~$300 . It's an Inspiron 8600 with a 1.8 GHz Intel Centrino processor, 640 MB RAM, 64MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 AGP 4X Graphics Card, and an 80 GB HDD. If you think that's good enough for what you need, PM me and I can give you some pics and more info.
If you don't need it right now wait until Diablo 3 and StarCraft II actually are close to release. New stuff is out all the time, making older stuff cheaper. Something for $700 today may be $300 by they time those games are released. If you want it soon, check out the back to school sales.
EDIT;
Forgot to say that a desktop will also give you better performance per dollar. Thing is you need a monitor though. I'd prefer desktop because it is upgradeable, to an extent at least.
EDIT;
Forgot to say that a desktop will also give you better performance per dollar. Thing is you need a monitor though. I'd prefer desktop because it is upgradeable, to an extent at least.
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[quote name='Jest']If you don't need it right now wait until Diablo 3 and StarCraft II actually are close to release. New stuff is out all the time, making older stuff cheaper. Something for $700 today may be $300 by they time those games are released. If you want it soon, check out the back to school sales.
EDIT;
Forgot to say that a desktop will also give you better performance per dollar. Thing is you need a monitor though. I'd prefer desktop because it is upgradeable, to an extent at least.[/quote]
I do need it right now. My computer is not working and I don't want to pay to get it fixed. I'm selling it and using the money to buy a new one with a warranty and tech support (I built mine). I'm keeping my monitor that I have if I go with a desktop though.
EDIT;
Forgot to say that a desktop will also give you better performance per dollar. Thing is you need a monitor though. I'd prefer desktop because it is upgradeable, to an extent at least.[/quote]
I do need it right now. My computer is not working and I don't want to pay to get it fixed. I'm selling it and using the money to buy a new one with a warranty and tech support (I built mine). I'm keeping my monitor that I have if I go with a desktop though.
schwartzvald
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For your price point, it's difficult. True gaming laptops are out of the question.
You're only going to find mid-range DX9 and DX10 cards in a laptop in your price range. Even the mid-range DX10 cards are going to struggle with those two games. The videocard is the most important component in any gaming laptop. Always keep this in mind--you can add ram, and sometimes even swap out a processor, but a video card upgrade in a notebook is near-impossible.
The current heirarchy in mid-range DX10 laptop videocards goes: 8400M GS, HD3450, 8600M GT, HD3650. The 8600M and HD3650 usually only show up in 17" laptops (they need the extra chassis space). I'd avoid the 8400M GS unless you pair it with a high-end Core 2 processor--it's a weak performer.
HP kicks everyone else's ass in new laptop pricing, so the HP dv5z might work... you can get it for $699 atm, free shipping, with a Radeon HD3450... not a stellar card, but it would probably be able to run the games on low settings. But the AMD processor is a minus--from experience, modern games run far better on Core 2 (or higher) notebook systems. And I don't like the design and build of HP notebooks--be sure to check out their product in a retail store before you commit.
Personally, I'm a fan of Dell's Outlet, but it's a little bit trickier to get that great deal, for a lot of reasons. But I've purchased three scratch-and-dent systems from them, and it's worked out great, especially because their refurbs are all re-certified, and you get whatever junk the original buyer added for next-to-peanuts. Nothing like a system that's been tested twice with an extra power adapter.
Best time to check their site is between 2AM and 5AM. Sometimes they do a massive update then, and you get first crack at a ton of stock. Look out for Inspiron 1720s... sort by that system and check the videocard column, looking for ones with the 8600M GT. And if it matters to you, the 1720 can also come with a matte-finish screen, though it's rare. I prefer these over the glossy, as I work in quite a few high-glare environments. The 1720 should run you around $750-800.
If you really want a 15-inch laptop, the XPS M1530 supports a 8600M GT. Unfortunately, since it's a premium system, the cheapest you can get these is usually $950 WITH a coupon. But they're the strongest performer out of everything I've mentioned.
"Scratch and dent" will be the best bargain, usually near-equivalent in cost to "Refurbished" with a 15% off coupon (not a coupon out right now, unfortunately). The Dells will cost a bit more than the HP, but you're getting more videocard in either case. Just be prepared for a fight when going into Dell's ordering process--image verification, slow servers...
Last, if you really want your notebook to perform well as a game machine, buy an official copy of Windows Vista or XP, wipe the hard disk entirely, and load the OS from scratch. These OEM installs that come with laptops stink, so reloading is a big help... well, unless you're willing to do elaborate key and hive transfer procedures to a fresh install to preserve your OEM key. But that's a major pain in the ass, thanks to Microsoft.
You're only going to find mid-range DX9 and DX10 cards in a laptop in your price range. Even the mid-range DX10 cards are going to struggle with those two games. The videocard is the most important component in any gaming laptop. Always keep this in mind--you can add ram, and sometimes even swap out a processor, but a video card upgrade in a notebook is near-impossible.
The current heirarchy in mid-range DX10 laptop videocards goes: 8400M GS, HD3450, 8600M GT, HD3650. The 8600M and HD3650 usually only show up in 17" laptops (they need the extra chassis space). I'd avoid the 8400M GS unless you pair it with a high-end Core 2 processor--it's a weak performer.
HP kicks everyone else's ass in new laptop pricing, so the HP dv5z might work... you can get it for $699 atm, free shipping, with a Radeon HD3450... not a stellar card, but it would probably be able to run the games on low settings. But the AMD processor is a minus--from experience, modern games run far better on Core 2 (or higher) notebook systems. And I don't like the design and build of HP notebooks--be sure to check out their product in a retail store before you commit.
Personally, I'm a fan of Dell's Outlet, but it's a little bit trickier to get that great deal, for a lot of reasons. But I've purchased three scratch-and-dent systems from them, and it's worked out great, especially because their refurbs are all re-certified, and you get whatever junk the original buyer added for next-to-peanuts. Nothing like a system that's been tested twice with an extra power adapter.
Best time to check their site is between 2AM and 5AM. Sometimes they do a massive update then, and you get first crack at a ton of stock. Look out for Inspiron 1720s... sort by that system and check the videocard column, looking for ones with the 8600M GT. And if it matters to you, the 1720 can also come with a matte-finish screen, though it's rare. I prefer these over the glossy, as I work in quite a few high-glare environments. The 1720 should run you around $750-800.
If you really want a 15-inch laptop, the XPS M1530 supports a 8600M GT. Unfortunately, since it's a premium system, the cheapest you can get these is usually $950 WITH a coupon. But they're the strongest performer out of everything I've mentioned.
"Scratch and dent" will be the best bargain, usually near-equivalent in cost to "Refurbished" with a 15% off coupon (not a coupon out right now, unfortunately). The Dells will cost a bit more than the HP, but you're getting more videocard in either case. Just be prepared for a fight when going into Dell's ordering process--image verification, slow servers...
Last, if you really want your notebook to perform well as a game machine, buy an official copy of Windows Vista or XP, wipe the hard disk entirely, and load the OS from scratch. These OEM installs that come with laptops stink, so reloading is a big help... well, unless you're willing to do elaborate key and hive transfer procedures to a fresh install to preserve your OEM key. But that's a major pain in the ass, thanks to Microsoft.
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