Buying a new laptop

[bobsalot]

how about this, http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/sto...fm=1&sm=0&tm=4&sku=533721&category_oid=-27411

its reconed but origional selling price is £650.

thanks, bobsalot

 

[LeeJend]

That one has all the basics for minimal gaming. X2 CPU, 2 gig RAM, Nvidia graphics. It's most likely the best you will get at your price range.

Check the warantee on the refurb and if it looks ok I'd go for it.

And if it is a little slow you have the option of installing XP onto it either stand alone or dual boot. You will have to provide your own copy of XP but compaq does support your doing it unlike my toshiba.

 

[synical33]

Ooooooooooh new laptop purchase. I am going to hold off on my new laptop purchase due to the new addition that was luckily added to my arsenal. Read below.

You should have seen what I have done to a laptop that belonged to my ex-gf's mom. Long story short, her mom suffered from manic depression so I had this laptop that belonged to her, the thing would turn off randomly, & I found out there was spillage right on the CPU fan/heatsink assembly. Opened it up, cleaned the mess, spillage messed up the CD-ROM drive somehow which did not allow me to install XP so I used BartPE to do the job and badabing badaboom got a new laptop for my use!!!

Eh! it will hold me down for a good year before I purchase a newer one with better tech on it =D.

 

[Ezergeezer]

Bobsalot, forget gaming on any laptop under £500 mate! You need to spend serious money if you want to play Halo or anything like it.

Geezer

 

[bobsalot]

thanks ezergeezer, that helps a bundle. its not like i've mentioned that i dont need it for high spec gaming i was just wondering whether it would play some OLD games.
And anyway, halo is a low spec game for example :

• Microsoft® Windows® 98SE/Me/XP/2000
• PC with 733 MHz equivalent or higher processor
• 128 MB of system RAM
• 1.2 GB available hard disk space
• 8x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
• 32 MB T&L capable video card required

I'm sure the laptops i have optioned myself to, meet and surpass these requirements for halo.
I'm just gonna go for the toshiba as everyone keeps saying i need to spend more money to play games, even if i run them at low spec.

 

[sean.ferguson]

Microsoft® Windows® 98SE/Me/XP/2000

• PC with 733 MHz equivalent or higher processor
• 128 MB of system RAM
• 1.2 GB available hard disk space
• 8x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
• 32 MB T&L capable video card required

Have you ever tried playing Halo on those specs? It wont be good, believe me. But good luck with the Toshiba anyhow, they are supposed to be an okay laptop.

 

[Sazar]

[/LIST]Have you ever tried playing Halo on those specs? It wont be good, believe me. But good luck with the Toshiba anyhow, they are supposed to be an okay laptop.

Completely agree.

Think of it this way. Halo was not very well ported. It made DX9 cards like the venerable 9700pro chug with 128mb or 256mb of dedicated ram.

Something with just simple T&L capabilities is pants by comparison.

Other games, you can probably get by, but Halo will not play nicely.

 

[bobsalot]

okay then. thanks for the help to all. if anyone thinks i can do better than the toshiba for 500 or less, please say. thanks

 

[bobsalot]

Got the laptop today. Very impressed.

Got a vista performance score of 3.6, but this was due to the graphics being 3.6.
everything else was high 4s.
but i heard the vista score was a load of rubbish anyway.

once again, thanks.

 

[LeeJend]

If the laptop seems too sluggish in vista let me know. I set my Toshiba up for dual boot and use XP for items that are not Vista compatible. Toshiba does not support setting up dual boot but it can be done.

 

[bobsalot]

thanks lee but i am very happy with the speed, it seems lightning fast compared to my main.