Help a laptop Noob

[Lucious]

There are sites that do barebones laptop construction too. One last word. If you cant afford a laptop that comes with a stand-alone grapics processor (they add lots of money), I suggest going for an AMD A-series machine with 8 gig memory. The graphics is built into the processor so there's no bus to slow things down. the A-8 apu is a pretty solid chip. I found an a8 for 525 bucks.

[Zargs]

Zargs,
I spec'd one out and topped $4500... OMG I need a new laptop to replace my aging Orange Dell M6400 Covet

Yeah My end'd up there too.
My old boss got one of the M18x. Its SWEEEEET!

[kgotter]

will this help you?

SWTOR on Acer Aspire 5560-SB613 Notebook - YouTube

600 dollars American 490.00 Eros. According to Video SWTOR is very playable. 60 FPS in buildings around 30 running around the the Real world. Probably hit 10 on the fleet

• 15.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit Display1366 x 768) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio
• AMD Dual-Core A8-3500M Accelerated Processor 1.5GHz with TurboCORE Technology up to 2.4GHz
• Windows® 7 Home Premium
• Microsoft® Office Starter 2010
• 500GB Hard Drive
• 4GB DDR3 Memory
• AMD Radeon™ HD 6620G Graphicswith 512MB of dedicated system memory
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™
• 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet LAN
• Built-in 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
• 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
• Dolby® Advanced Audio® v2 audio enhancement
• High-Definition Audio Support
• 3- USB 2.0 Ports
• 1- HDMI™ Port with HDCP suport
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad
• Dedicated Numeric Keypad
• Media Control Function Keys
• 6-cell Li-ion Battery
• 5.74 lbs.| 2.6 kg(system unit only)

Oooooorrrrrrr.

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Qu...adeon+HD+7670M

This will probably run it better thanks to Quad core processor. Better Graphics chipset on board


391.18 Euros or 490 American.


Whatever it is don't expect it to blow away current games. If you want something that runs SWTOR though these look good to me.

Hope this helps.

[Lucious]

They both have quad-core processors. as a matter of fact, they are identical in all respects except date of release.

the second, however has a better graphics card (in the top 100 on PassMark) and has dedicated memory (albeit really tiny. could be very troublesome).

The key is to upgrade the memory to 8 Gig (max it can hold). SWTOR will use all 4 cores and will use a bit over 4 gigs, it seems.

The second is cheaper (who the hell knows why?) . I found it for less than 400 US bucks.

[bradqwer]

Ok guys cheers for the help so far im going to list 4 laptops and will buy the one you suggest best for the task hopefully one will do the job decently the 1st 2 are listed as gaming rigs but you know ur stuff you tell me!

[bradqwer]

Oh I forgot to mention that there all from Ebay sellers not a high St chain the ones listed as running the game in you tube were USA based and im in UK

[bradqwer]

1 Acer Aspire 5755G - Intel Core i3 Dual Core, 4GB RAM, Dedicated Nvidia GT630M 4712196046378 | eBay

2 Acer Quad Core Mega Gaming Laptop Was £599.97 | eBay

3 Acer Aspire 5535 / 2GHz Dual Core / 4Gb Ram / 500Gb Hard Drive | eBay

4 Acer Aspire 5560 Quad Core Windows 7 Laptop in Black NX.RNTEK.001 0886541522351 | eBay

[knightinshadows]

Well u could try a monthly payment plan if u have steady cash flow I got me an alienware gaming laptop for 65 dollars a month and to buy out was Alittle over 2 grand I did it since I suck at saving money just a thought

[Lucious]

I don't understand why people keep telling you to go buy a 2500 dollar laptop that will be obsolete in 2 years. That is insane. You clearly stated your budget, up front. It's like You had stated you had the money to buy a MINI Cooper but they keep pushing your to give up that idea and buy an Aston Martin. I still hold my position that laptos suck for gamin, though, and a far superior desktop that is, essentially, obsolescence-proof is better for a budget gamer. I know and realize you are set on a laptop but mind you, it will soon be incapable of playing newer release games. Such is the way of laptops. Anyway:

go with this one, i say: Acer Aspire 5560 Quad Core Windows 7 Laptop in Black NX.RNTEK.001 0886541522351 | eBay

It is 25 pounds cheaper than the other, identical A6 quad core. The i3 is underpowered, dual core with less capable video. The last is a USED by seller laptop. Not that you cant trust it, but i think there was a "no return" policy there. Buying a factory refurbished is a better deal than used and new in my opinion. i wouldn't buy used from someone i didnt know personally. The key is, also, YOU really need to max out onboard memory. system memory is extremely important - especially in laptops. Even though the video had dedicated memory, it will pull from system memory when it needs it or if you dont allow that it will grind to a snails pace. If you dont have adequate system memory, when it does this it will grind the system to a snails pace too.

[bradqwer]

TY Lucious GF is taking a look also under 'gaming' laptop on ebay if i find a system am i ok to pm u just to run things by you?

You mention maxing out the onboard memory is this just as simple as open up the laptop and switching it to say 8GB?

ALSO why not option number 2?

My need for a laptop is two fold Star wars and Im a poker player so need a laptop I can use in multiple locations.

[Lucious]

Oh man, I'm so so sorry. i got switched about i had like 14 windows open. I meant to say go with the Acer Quad Core Mega Gaming Laptop Was £599.97 | eBay

It is the one with the separated radeon graphics and it is only 25 pounds MORE expensive. so so sorry. The cheaper version has integrated graphics.

As far as memory, it is as simple as finding the kind it can take, taking off the back cover and installing it. barring the want to do that, I found the same laptop with 8 gigs preinstalled for 407 pounds, (says something about 339 pounds ex VAT (no idea what this means LOL). Acer NX.RUREK.001 Aspire 5560G this is the one i found (another acer inspire 5560g)

Finally, feel free to send me anything privately. I'm glad to help, but Laptops isnt quite my forte. I have been building computers from the ground up since 1987 so i have extensive knowledge on doing them, but I am good with equipment and it is really nothing more than a portable desktop in my eyes. Important things like system shared memory and battery drain are not much of a puzzle to me, though (i have a decade of micro/mini/mainframe computer repair for the US Navy under my belt). so, not much is a difficult thing to figure out.

[sethdanielpaul]

There are sites that do barebones laptop construction too. One last word. If you cant afford a laptop that comes with a stand-alone grapics processor (they add lots of money), I suggest going for an AMD A-series machine with 8 gig memory. The graphics is built into the processor so there's no bus to slow things down. the A-8 apu is a pretty solid chip. I found an a8 for 525 bucks.

This is essentially the setup I currently run, and it functions perfectly well. You will have to turn down your graphics settings, but SWTOR runs smoothly for me even in full 1600x1200 widescreen resolution.

Is it optimal? No. But if you are looking for a budget friendly work machine that you can also game with, the AMD A-series is a decent choice. Saved myself about $200 doing it that way, and honestly the graphics from a dedicated machine at that price point are not substantially better anyway.

[bradqwer]

yeh I think im going to go for the option we spoke about seems able to play SWTOR or Medium settings, doesnt cost too much, fingers crossed time i think roll on friday so i can place the order!

[bradqwer]

Dell xps m1710 red 3d gaming laptop | eBay

Alienware M9700 Gaming Laptop | eBay

HP G6-1241SA, AMD E2-3000M, GAMING GRAPHICS, 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, WINDOWS 7 | eBay

Sony Vaio 17" Gaming Laptop, T7200 2.0Ghz, BLU-RAY, 500GB, 3GB RAM NVidia 8400GT | eBay

Clevo Gaming Laptop 4GB Glossy HD screen 1680x1050 Nvidia | eBay

Sorry to bother u again lucious tried to pm u but there was no option could u have a look at these esp the sony n the last one and give me ur opinions or should I just stick with the one u suggested

[Bigdogx]

To me imo those all seem pretty dated and washed up which is why they have a apealing price attached to them. My desktop struggled with this game when using my older 7950gt video card and that 7950 gtx is not much better then what i was using in a desktop form with only being able to slide show the game on it's lowest settings. No sense in spending hundreds of dollars for already out of date equipment.

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire V3-571G-6602 Notebook Intel Core i5 2450M(2.50GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M

Just my opinion but i like this model is better as it has a better i5 intel chip and a nvidia card that has 2gb of dedicated memory which is nice if you plan on using a external monitor or tv as a display. Also has 1 stick of 4gb ddr3 memory and not 4gb seperated into 2 sticks like many vendors do, just my opinion by i would look and add another stick of 4gb ddr3 and max it out to 8gb which would cost you like 20-30 bucks extra.