What should I look for in a new laptop?

[Mezlo]

So my 6 year old Dell desktop crashed for the 2nd time in the last 6 years and instead of refortmating the hard drive and re-installing all the programs, I'm going to get a new laptop. I'm not a "computer guy" though so I don't really know which direction to go. I know the basics of the processor, RAM, and scrren size, but I don't know what the specifics of what's out there now. I play FFXI on PS2 and I'm probably not going to be swiching platforms from PS2 to PC. It's just so nice playing it sitting in a recliner with a controller on a big screen tv, laptop doesn't seem as comfortable. The primary use of the laptop would just be entertainment / internet. I'd like the quality to be good enough though to handle gaming applications just in case I feel like trying some other games that are PC only... Any suggestions?

---------- Post added at 08:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 AM ----------

Here are the laptops Best Buy have for "gaming."

Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology - Brown/Yellow/Black
Model: G50Vt-X5 | SKU: 9173262
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P7450; 4GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; LightScribe technology; 15.6" widescreen; 320GB hard drive; built-in webcam; facial recognition security; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

4.8 of 5 (55 reviews)
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Gateway - FX Edition Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology
Model: P-7805u | SKU: 9172511
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor P8400; 4GB DDR3 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 17" widescreen; 320GB hard drive; built-in webcam; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

4.7 of 5 (147 reviews)
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Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology - Black
Model: G50Vt-X1 | SKU: 9050279
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P8400; 4GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; LightScribe technology; 15.6" widescreen; 320GB hard drive; built-in webcam; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

1049.99

4.8 of 5 (107 reviews)
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---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:06 AM ----------

And here's a laptop I found that looked nice and had good reviews, but I don't know if it has what it takes for "gaming" since it didn't pop up under that category.

$1,049.99
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Acer - Aspire Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology
Model: AS8730-6951 | SKU: 9182966
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor P8600; 4GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 18.4" widescreen; 320GB hard drive; fingerprint reader; built-in webcam; Bluetooth; Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

5 of 5 (6 reviews)
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[DakAttack]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

None of those articles listed what graphics card was included with the laptop, which is one of the more important parts when looking for a gaming laptop. Processing power, RAM, graphics card, and sometimes the speed of the hard drive make the biggest difference in games. The more or the better will always cost you the most money, but when when it comes to graphics cards you want to make sure it's as recent as possible.

[Mezlo]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

Here's the graphics chip that comes with the Acer:
Enjoy amazing 3D graphics and superb multimedia performance with this laptop's NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics and 2 built-in speakers with Dolby Home Theater audio enhancement. Use the webcam to have face-to-face conversations with friends and family.

Is this one any good?

[DakAttack]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

I find it odd that my laptop came with a Go series GeForce card, one specifically for laptops, and you have the option to get one that doesn't. Also, I might be a little jealous.

Anyways, I can run most of the games I play (BF2142, FFXI, WoW) with a Go 7 series, so you should be just fine with a 9 series. GTX 2 series is the latest, just incase you come across any offering it. Everything else looks great.

[Mezlo]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

Cool, I'll probably go with the Acer then. I like the 18.4" widescreen, and since you say the graphics card it comes with is good, it should be just what I'm looking for!

[Mezlo]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

So this is what I ended up buying...

Gateway Official Site: Computers - Notebooks - P Series Laptops

Whatcha think?

---------- Post added at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 PM ----------

the FX one

---------- Post added at 02:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------

Also, I'm thinking about buying FFXI so i can play it on the laptop as well. How would you go about doing that? Just buy the pc version, install it, and then enter the playonline account and that way i can have access to playing my guys on ps2 or PC? Is there a controller you can use for the PC that's similar to a PS2?

[TheGrandMom]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

Yes, just buy the PC version and then install it on your PC. Get out your PS2 book with your account info and input that. Then you'll have access to your established account. As far as controllers go, you can use a PS2 controller on your PC. All you need to do is get is something like this:

Nintendo 64 / PS2 Controller to PC Adapter (Black)

I went to our local Radio Shack store about 5 years ago and bought 6 of them. They were like $10 there at the time.

[Mezlo]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

/em hugs the shit out of TGM!

I just ordered it and should have it in 5-7 days. Nice! PC graphics with the ease of using a PS2 controller! Sweets!

[TheGrandMom]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

See we DO need a hugs button! LOL Yep its what everyone in my house does and we love it. Good luck with your new laptop, I hope you enjoy it!

[Mezlo]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

So as I said, I'm not a computer guy, here's my laptops stats:


Gateway® P-7805u FX Edition
Available at Best Buy

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor1 P8400 (2.26GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)
Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit) with SP14
FX Premium Design with brushed metal keyboard surround and high-impact composite finish
4096MB 1066MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory (2-2048MB modules)
320GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive3
Chassis with NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GTS Graphics with 1GB of GDDR3 Discrete Video Memory and Intel® PM45 Chipset


How does this compare with other laptops out there?

[TheGrandMom]

Re: What should I look for in a new laptop?

WAY more than enough power for FFXI. Remember though that you will be playing for long periods of time and laptops can get very hot. You might want to invest in a cooler for underneath the laptop. It sucks to be in game and in the middle of doing something when your laptop overheats and shuts down. I use a ThermalTake Tai-Chi M+ notebook cooler and I love it. You might want to surf around and check some reviews on whatever you choose to buy before you do buy it. There are some real stinkers out there.