I Surrender Myself Unto the Notebook Gods...

[Scorpiоn]

After going back to Fry's today, I'm back where I started.  I'm always very wary and distrusting of salesmen, but they proved especially worthless today.  They all seemed determined to sell off their HP/Compaq notebooks.  I know where they can put those notebooks...

Anywho, I'm having to rethink my budget here; I think I'm still thinking in desktop terms.  Perhaps I need more than one grand?  All I want my notebook to do is play music and run games at low/medium settings.  Is a dedicated graphics card neccessary even if you're talking about a game like F.E.A.R. (granted, the setting seem very scalable)?  How about a gig of RAM, is that really neccessary?  And what's a good brand to shoot for?  I feel so helpless since everything I know is blown out of the water; all the notebook components have "mobile" tacked onto them somewhere.  The one thing I did pick off one of the scumbags was Fujitsu used high quality (AKA not refurbished crap) parts.

Oh poo.

[Dan]

Hey mate! All I can do on this one is suggest you look at the ASUS notbook range. I know that down on Overclockers they have a huge following for adequate performance and stunning reliability. Can't comment though, because I have never used one!

[MWISimmer]

I've heard good things about Dell Inspiron XPS gaming laptop...very expensive mind.
Oh and sorry for saying the "D" word...wash my mouth out...
Rob.

[Saitek]

[Hagar]

[quote]

[Fozzer]

...My trusty notebook...>>>



...costs me about thruppence...including the pencil... ... ...!

Paul.... ...!

It's where all my passwords, log-in details, etc, are stored in case of the dreaded 'puter crash... ...!

[Saitek]

They used to be called laptops.... I don't know why they changed.  ::) I didn't know what a notebook was at first when I bumped into it. I saw the pics and thought, what on earth! Hey that's a laptop!

[Fozzer]

All you ever wanted to know, (or not), about laptops...>>>

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/laptop.htm

I prefer the ones containing black stockings and suspender belts myself... ...!

LOL...!

Paul... ...!

[Scorpiоn]

I've been mulling over Toshiba and Fujitsu quite a bit, but I'll give Asus a go as well.

I don't know why we put up with it.

That's a question I oft ask myself over many a topic. Civilized society (if we still are that) seems to be very subservient.

So Saitek, would it be an incredibly bad idea to find a pretty one within my budget and make sure it's not a lemon?  I thought the same thing about the word though.  As far as I knew they were always laptops.  Perhaps laptops is too... suggestive? Now that's my kind of computer!

[Saitek]

I'm not sure of some of the makes - but generally the ones are was referring too are cheaper models. In the Uk

[the_autopilot]

Like mentioned above, Dell XPS gaming laptops are very good. One of the best, if not the best gaming laptop out there.

For a shader intensive game like FEAR, a dedicated gfx card is absolutely required. A gig of ram is definitely recommened for FEAR or any modern game. In fact games like battlefield 1942  perform with 2 gigs, so sprulge a little on the RAM.

I have only 2 notebooks which i would consider gaming notebooks. One is from dell, its an XPS. The other is from gigabyte. Gigabyte notebook's are solid workhorses, but performence is below the dell one. Both were top of the line when purchased about 2 months ago.

[Scorpiоn]

Laptops can be very sensitive and have a higher rate of problems and a shorter life than ordinary computers, as I understand.

Which is why I don't want to waste money on an XPS.  Laptops aren't quite "normalized" technology yet, so I imagine they'd be obsolete faster as well.  Unless that's what you meant by life span.

Like I've said, all I want to do is play music, and maybe some games on all their lowest settings.  I have more important things to save my money on than a gaming laptop.

[congo]

There are some important issues to consider in the light of recent notebook technologies.

If it's a desktop replacement and battery power is only used briefly, then your options are open a bit.

If you need a power conservative laptop, then you need to

[the_autopilot]

Great point congo and great post to read.

BTW, Microsoft is begining to see the points in your post. Thats kind of what they are trying to do with the MCE (Media Center) and the tablet PC...and also with Windows Vista.

As for Dell laptops, the higher-end ones come with the Geforce 6800 Go, which is pretty powerful. However, its inclusion makes the XPS laptop more transportable than portable because of the insane power requirements. Thats one of the reasons why Dell and other OEM's have decided to  generally put less powerful graphics options in notebooks.

[congo]

Yes, the power requirements are hefty, hence my reference to "desktop replacements". Weight and size are also major factors to consider, especially when the screen size gets up to 17".

This doesn't seem to be a barrier, however, and I suspect it is because the mobility factor relates more to portability......... ie. the pc may be used at home OR office, with less importance placed on battery operation in the field, where plenty of alternatives currently exist.

I would have prefered to have a nice big notebook PC on my desk for example, had a suitable and affordable solution been available, instead of the cumbersome equipment I just purchased.

I just lost a client for Dell because they couldn't provide the graphics solution the client required. He was quite willing to upgrade ram, cpu, HDD, battery packs etc. ...... but Dell simply didn't offer the graphics he required in the product range he was originally attracted to.