laptop for FFXI

[kobey]

I am looking to buy a laptop to play ffxi on, among other things. I am willing to spend between $600 and $900 depending on performance. The laptop also has to be able to handle Itunes and Limewire. I was previously playing ffxi on 360 until about 18 months ago but the 360 could no longer handle the game. ( It bite the dust not to long after that) I would like to be able to also run windower. However im not sure if ffxi and/or windower are compatible with windows 7. That in turn could drastically affect what im looking for. Having said that would installing xp or another OS make the laptop run any differently spec wise?

Thank You for your comments all are appreciated


kobey

[TheGrandMom]

Re: laptop for FFXI

You can check this link for the recommended specs for FFXI:

FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site

And yes, both programs are compatible with Win7.

[Lunaryn]

Re: laptop for FFXI

Probably the biggest thing is that you've got a much better shot of making it work if the video chipset is known to be well supported. I got a Dell Inspiron some years back with an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 which has worked just fine, most Radeon and GeForce GPUs will work fine (avoid GeForce 8XXX if you can, this series has had a history of difficulties with FFXI as compared to both older and newer versions). Any recent machine is likely to exceed FFXI specs on most other measures.

[Zoltar]

Re: laptop for FFXI

I used to play on a Dell Latitude D800...1GB RAM, 64MB VRAM, 1.86GHz Pentium M. Played perfect. I'd reccommend something at least this speed (this laptop can be had for $200 on ebay, so chances are you're going to exceed the expectations of this game.

Happy laptop-ing

[kobey]

Re: laptop for FFXI

thank you all for your help. i have decided to go with this :
Product Features

• Intel® Coreâ„¢2 Duo mobile processor P8700
  Features 2 processing cores, 1066MHz system bus, 3MB L2 cache and 2.53GHz processor speed per core.
• 2 high-performance processing cores
  To run multiple demanding applications simultaneously without hesitation.
• 6GB DDR2 memory
  For multitasking power.
• Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
  Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL media.
• 17.3" LED-backlit LCD high-definition plus widescreen display
  With 1600 x 900 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
• 500GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
  Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times. 1 E-SATA connection for added convenience.
• Built-in facial recognition
  Protects sensitive information.
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics
  Features 1GB GDDR3 video memory for lush images. HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV. 2 built-in speakers with DSP and Dolby Home Theater support.

it would not let me post a link... but its an asus g72gx-rbbx05

i know its a little overkill for ffxi but i might try to sneak in a little crysis if it will let me.


thanks kobey

[Jei]

Re: laptop for FFXI

Over killing FFXI is good. You're be more ready for XIV

I used ASUS laptop something G6 with geforce GO. It's a 4 year-old model. I could go around FFXI doing my own things like fishing and crafting. But too laggy for party play.

[DakAttack]

Re: laptop for FFXI

That looks pretty good, if not completely overboard in some respects, but is it a laptop? Unless you move often, I'd recommend simply going with a computer. I bought a laptop in 2007 for school, and I'm still using it now, but it sucks something huge that I can't upgrade parts and pieces.

Once I can scrounge up the change, I plan on buying a cheap base computer for around 300 bucks and buying the graphics card and memory separately. Those pre-built powerhouses are expensive, but I'm not sure I can put a computer together from scratch. The cheap "home" computers can be pretty decent to add on to and will save me a lot of money.

[Solymir]

Re: laptop for FFXI

What make and model is it? Do you have the option to get a faster hard drive?

[Mhurron]

Re: laptop for FFXI

That looks pretty good, if not completely overboard in some respects, but is it a laptop? Unless you move often, I'd recommend simply going with a computer

And if you do move, get a really, really long extension cord. That thing looks like it will have a grand total of 5 minutes of battery life.

That is not a mobile computer, it is an unupgradable all-in-one with integrated keyboard and mouse.

[Lunaryn]

Re: laptop for FFXI

Honestly, if you plan on taking advantage of upgradability then building your own really is the best bet; OEM computers tend to be weird in a lot of ways and can create unanticipated problems. It can be a bit intimidating (I have lots of experience and putting on the heat sink / fan and mounting the motherboard in the case is still tricky for me), but it's not extremely difficult. Barring that the ideal option is to find a computer parts store that sells computers they build out of the parts they sell rather than brand-name computers.

Also, don't forget that if you want the cheaper OEM-license copies of Windows, you need to buy it at the same time as the processor and motherboard (MS restricts the sellers to this, or at least used to). Of course, I understand FFXI works much better under WINE now than it used to. On the point of OSs, I recommend thinking about whether you want to set aside room for multiple OSs before you do anything with your drive; drives are big enough that honestly you should be able to divvy up space for multiple OSs without much difficulty, but it's a lot easier to go in with a plan than to try to adjust things later. Also, Windows will allocate the entire drive to itself if you run the installer with a blank drive; use tools on another OS installer to partition the drive first and then Windows will allow you to choose to use or create a partition for it.