Author Topic: I've been eying this laptop for quite a while... (Read 7720 times)

Delnar_Ersike · « **on:** September 25, 2007, 01:52:00 pm »

As some of you might have guess from a couple of my posts, my somewhat decreased activity, and/or my posts on UTI, my old laptop's (which was an Dell Inspiron B130) fan fried more than a week ago an I really need a new computer for that reason. For some strange reason, it broke during the time I was wishing myself a new upgrade, as the 30 GB HDD, Intel GMA 945, and Intel Pentinum 4 (1.73 Ghz single-core) were not living up to my expectations (as well as the fact that the laptop's drivers were outdated and it had no DVD burner). I had been eying one laptop for quite a while (we are talking 6 months here, waaay before my laptop or its drivers started acting up), and it is the Dell Vostro 1500. At first glance, it seems very expensive, but due to a couple of secret shortcuts and marketing tricks I uncovered in the Dell website, I can get it with lots of features, yet a price under $800. Check out the specs:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 (1.6 Ghz, dual-core, 2MB cache, 800 Mhz FSB)
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (side note: I decided I wanted the upgrade from Vista)
LCD Panel: 15.4" Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife (1280x800 resolution)
RAM Memory: 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667 Mhz, 2 DIMM
Hard Drive: 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 8x CD/DVD Burner w/ Double-Layer DVD+R write capability
Video Card: 128MB NVidia GeForce 8400M GS (side note: and this is in the business laptops category...)
Internet: Built-in 802.11g WiFi and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet/Modem
Price: $748

Here are my dilemmas:

My parents are not interested in buying any computer that is not budget-priced, and they definitely don't know an average laptop costs about $1000 or that a desktop of the same quality costs $100 more without the screen. This means that I cannot get a laptop unless it is pretty aggressively priced. Though this might be easier to comply to this time of the year, (with the holiday season looming forward) my parents are very cost-aware and it'll be difficult to explain to them why buying a $750 laptop is worth it.
For reasons that my Mac Developer dad can explain, I cannot get a laptop with an AMD processor.
I do not know if I should stay with my initial choice of the NVidia GeForce 8400M GS or spend another $100 for the NVidia GeForce 8600M GT. I am somewhat of a hardcore gamer, playing about 11 hours a week, and most of the games I play or want to play are pretty graphics-hungry (Assassin's Creed, Crysis, Bioshock, SW: BF2, C&C3: Tiberium Wars, ES4: Oblivion, etc.). Remember dilemma #1 in your opinion about my choice.

lordofthegeeks · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2007, 01:58:00 pm »

sounds pretty close to the pc im buying only in laptop form

go for it

rivereye · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2007, 02:27:00 pm »

has it ups and downs. It would be a great machine (better graphics compared to my 7900 GS, but I have a 2ghz Core 2 Duo).

And, right now, you don't want to have AMD, Intel has the better chip right now. But, what is his issue with them anyways?

spengo · « **Reply #3 on:** September 25, 2007, 02:35:00 pm »

QUOTE

My parents are not interested in buying any computer that is not budget-priced, and they definitely don't know an average laptop costs about $1000 or that a desktop of the same quality costs $100 more without the screen.

wait what, a desktop is more expensive than a laptop? In my experience desktops cost about half what a laptop of similar specs would cost. As for 8400 vs. 8600, I'd say definitely get the 8600. http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=531&card2=534 is a good site for helping to choose a graphics card.

Netham45 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2007, 02:32:00 am »

yea, a desktop of the similar specs would be like 500$(well, I may be exagerating, but I have a C2D, 7900GS, 1GB ram, 160GB HD for $500)

Delnar_Ersike · « **Reply #5 on:** September 26, 2007, 04:06:00 am »

QuoteBegin-spengo+25 Sep, 2007, 18:35-->

QUOTE (spengo @ 25 Sep, 2007, 18:35)

QUOTE

My parents are not interested in buying any computer that is not budget-priced, and they definitely don't know an average laptop costs about $1000 or that a desktop of the same quality costs $100 more without the screen.

wait what, a desktop is more expensive than a laptop? In my experience desktops cost about half what a laptop of similar specs would cost. As for 8400 vs. 8600, I'd say definitely get the 8600. http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=531&card2=534 is a good site for helping to choose a graphics card.

Hey, you are forgetting this: this laptop would normally cost $300 more if it weren't for the loopholes. We are also talking pre-built here. Neither my dad nor I have any experience whatsoever with DIY Windows/Linux desktops (If it were a Mac, my dad could probably help).

And I know there is a HUGE difference between the 8400M GS and the 8600M GT, but unless the laptop's price with my initial config slips down by $100 or more, I'll have to spend quite some time arguing with my parents.

spengo · « **Reply #6 on:** September 26, 2007, 10:16:00 am »

Tell them you'll need it for graphic/structural design classes.

Fallen Ghost · « **Reply #7 on:** September 26, 2007, 12:22:00 pm »

Well, I was looking to buy the same laptop model (but with a bit better specs, like 2.2 Ghz and 8600M GT), and I surely wouldn't recommend you to go hardcore gamer on a laptop (with the games you play) of the power you chose.

And I guess upgrading the graphic card from a 8400 (128mb) to the 8600 is much better for your gamer needs.

But yeah, your parents are probably like mine and they want that I only use my laptop to work on, so they make you buy just under your needs.

And in ANY occasions, please don't run Oblivion on a medium laptop. You'll damage your eyes with the framerate/ugliness.

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #8 on:** September 26, 2007, 12:55:00 pm »

i dont recommend a laptop for an hardcore gamer at all. If you need full of power you'll end up paying in the $2000s

spengo · « **Reply #9 on:** September 26, 2007, 01:48:00 pm »

That should be good enough for a moderate gamer though. Oblivion will run decently on an 8600 I believe, though maybe not at max resolution. I wouldn't want anything more powerful than an 8600 in a laptop anyways. Screw a hardcore "gaming" laptop, those are bulls***. 10lbs of 1hr battery and so hot you can't use it on your lap even when idle.

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #10 on:** September 26, 2007, 02:02:00 pm »

still not enough to keep 30 fps on this playstation 3 emu at max settings

j/k I dont think a ps3 emu would run on any existing PC yet since it's more powerful than any of them lol

Delnar_Ersike · « **Reply #11 on:** September 26, 2007, 02:50:00 pm »

Yeah, well I do not plan on settings to max at all. I usually care about gameplay aspects and AI more than I care about graphics in any game. After all, I was satisfied by SW: BF2 running on my old laptop's 945 GMA at all low settings and an 800x600 resolution...

As for "graphics design classes", it will not work as my parents are usually very aware of my school schedule, there are no graphics design classes in my school (yet), and my parents aren't that stupid to think that a kid who wants to play high-quality/new games an hour daily will want a laptop with a good graphics card specifically for "graphics design classes". However, since my dad's company's product is especially for video-editors (one thing a Mac is good at with FinalCut Pro, and also a thing which requires a good GPU), and since I've already made my parents confident in my glitch-finding skills, I might be able to convince them that it might help in my dad's business... %)

If I were to describe myself as a gamer on a scale from 1-20 (1 being non-gamer and 20 being super-harcore aka WoW addict), I'd rate myself as 14 (a person who plays games daily, though isn't hardcore and is satisfied with low settings).

spengo · « **Reply #12 on:** September 26, 2007, 03:08:00 pm »

QuoteBegin-DJ Omnimaga+27 Sep, 2007, 1:02-->

QUOTE (DJ Omnimaga @ 27 Sep, 2007, 1:02)

still not enough to keep 30 fps on this playstation 3 emu at max settings

j/k I dont think a ps3 emu would run on any existing PC yet since it's more powerful than any of them lol

PS3 is more powerful than what PC... not mine I can tell you that rofl. Did you know it only has 256MB ram?
:evil:

EDIT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_hardware here's some more detailed specs if you want.

rivereye · « **Reply #13 on:** September 26, 2007, 03:31:00 pm »

QuoteBegin-spengo+26 Sep, 2007, 20:48-->

QUOTE (spengo @ 26 Sep, 2007, 20:48)

That should be good enough for a moderate gamer though. Oblivion will run decently on an 8600 I believe, though maybe not at max resolution. I wouldn't want anything more powerful than an 8600 in a laptop anyways. Screw a hardcore "gaming" laptop, those are bulls***. 10lbs of 1hr battery and so hot you can't use it on your lap even when idle.

10lbs is accurate about
I get a 3hr battery life (though I do have the 12 cell vs the 8 cell battery)
it can get hot, but if you know how to use it, it really isn't all that bad really.

spengo · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2007, 03:33:00 pm »

Ah, a 12 cell would help. They be expensive though.

Hope you're careful not to roast your nuts though!

Author Topic: I've been eying this laptop for quite a while... (Read 7720 times)

Delnar_Ersike

spengo

Delnar_Ersike

spengo

Fallen Ghost

spengo

Delnar_Ersike

spengo

spengo