Computer Help...urgent!

[XemnasXD]

Ok im getting a new laptop. This is basically going to be my computer for the next 2-4 years maybe more depending on how long it last. Desktops are out of the question. Now my financial situation is pretty good on this one so price range from about 400->1100 will do.

Basically i need to know what i need to make this a worthwhile investment. I don't need the greatest graphic/sound card but i want it to be good stuff. I'd like to know how much RAM i should get because i want to be able to do more then run MS word and god forbid if im stuck with Vista i'll need all the RAM i can get from what i've heard...Any other other important specs i should know about, companies, sites, CPUs that sort of thing, put it down.

Only rule is nothing Dell, i hate hose people and everything they create...thxs

[cpinney]

i suggest 2-4 gigs of ram if u want it to last a while.

processor i suggest dual core with a 2.8ghz or so. maybe a bit less.

graphics card, idk if u plan on playing games on this or not so its up to u really, if u plan on to play games just pick thats just a bit over the average recommended for a video card atm maybe a bit higher then that.

a good company were i got my computer from was cyberpower.com

it was cheap came fast and everything was working and has worked sense.

[mosiac]

lol @ the change of sig.

[XemnasXD]

so whats the difference between 256mb graphics card and 516mb....


also i don't feel like throwing out more money to pay for shitty MS word two-thousand stupid so is it still easy to download illegal crap even when using vista like cracked versions photoshop MS office whatever?

[dom]

They don't really have graphics cards, they have integrated graphics card without or with very little dedicated memory. Basically, make sure you check how much "dedicated" and "shared" memory the "graphics card" has, the less dedicated means that it will share memory with your ram - so your 2gb worth of ram is much less than that because most of it is being used up by your graphics card. Make sure the graphics card is either an ATI or nvidia. Don't get it if it has a different brand graphics card.

You'll notice performance scales with price, just settle for anything dual core that is in your price range, you won't notice a huge difference in speed unless you're comparing a $400 laptop to a $1100 laptop. However, do make sure you get either intel or amd, not celeron.

Brands I dislike: Dell, Compaq, Acer, e-machine

Brands I like: Sony, Toshiba, HP

If environmental responsibility matters to you, HP is by far the cleanest tech company.

And don't throw out money for extras. Software (microsoft office, a better edition of windows, antivirus) is not worth it - I can give you links to "freeware/shareware". I've never bought a warantee for anything: my sony psp, my two laptops, my PC's components, etc. I've found it to be a waste of money because unscrewing a power supply and putting a new one in myself is cheaper and easy - but I guess that would depend on how comfortable you are with DYI.

Now, back to your big boy's playground.

[XemnasXD]

mkay so heres what im looking at right now....

OS: Genuine Vista home Premium 64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.10GHz)
Display: 15.4 HD wide screen (1280x800)
Memory: 3GB DDR2
Graphics Card: 256mb NVIDIA GeForce 8400M

everything else is pretty standard you know a mic, double layer burner, networking stuff, etc

Only i also got a 1 year warranty because its been awhile since i've had a laptop and im not very sure footed, i tend to trip over myself when im just standing still so a little coverage for a year might be best....

does that sound good to you guys...

[Shynygamie]

hmm....that's pretty decent.

[Sovereign]

Sounds Good. Is it a HP by any chance? Cause my laptop is simmilar to that setup.

I have the 8400M in my laptop. And its good. But its not great. It can run sro no problem but if you want to run harcore games such as assasins creed or crysis, then you will need something a bit more powerful.

Good choice though

[XemnasXD]

yeah its an HP, they didn't offer a more powerful graphics card which is a shame because i really wanted an 8600 so that i could run games like assassins creed, not at its best performance but at least on medium...

from what i understand the 8400 won't be able to do even that without problems...or am i mistaken?

[Barotix]

yeah its an HP, they didn't offer a more powerful graphics card which is a shame because i really wanted an 8600 so that i could run games like assassins creed, not at its best performance but at least on medium...

from what i understand the 8400 won't be able to do even that without problems...or am i mistaken?

Is it possible to purchase a separate graphics card? All I ever update is ram, so I wouldn't know.

[Sovereign]

yeah its an HP, they didn't offer a more powerful graphics card which is a shame because i really wanted an 8600 so that i could run games like assassins creed, not at its best performance but at least on medium...

from what i understand the 8400 won't be able to do even that without problems...or am i mistaken?

Is it possible to purchase a separate graphics card? All I ever update is ram, so I wouldn't know.

Its hard to replace stuff in a laptop since everything is specifically made, especially graphics cards.

And i tried assasins creed on my 8400. And it didnt run it 2 well unforunately.

[XemnasXD]

okay i reworked it, found a better laptop with a wider screen and 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600

without the warrenty its about 1200 adding a 1 year warrenty will put it over 1300...sound better

[dom]

okay i reworked it, found a better laptop with a wider screen and 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600

without the warrenty its about 1200 adding a 1 year warrenty will put it over 1300...sound better

That sounds like a really really good laptop. When I got mine regular price was like 1599,99 and the performance is no where near that one. 8600, although a big number, don't really compare well to 8800s - you won't be gaming on very high/max resolution settings, especially if that memory is shared and it's an integrated graphics card (most probable). Either way, you'll notice a huge difference with what you have now and that laptop - I think it's a good choice.

[XemnasXD]

i feel secure in my decision now thanks for all the help you guys. Im still not sure if im going for the warranty yet but if i don't im going to get a super plush carrying case for my new baby so i can drop it all i want....