New Computer - good?

i am thinking of buying a new, gaming laptop, here are the configurations (processor/RAM/graphics card), do you think that it is:

A - good enough to run GW and its sequals

B - a good worthwhile gaming aptop generally

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7400 (2.16 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB)
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)
512MB DDR3 nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics card

Thank you for your opinion

-Neph

it's more than good enough to run guildwars, and should be pretty good at running other games as well.

however, i shudder to think about how much it's gonna cost you.

thanx for your swift response, it wieghs in at around £1,700, but considering that it is going to act as my main computer as well as my gaming one i think that it is a fair price.

-Neph

What is the name brand/model? Those are much more important when it comes to laptops then desktops. Otherwise, it is like comparing 2 cars only by looking at the engine size, horsepower, and who made the sound system.

And is this going to be used as an on-the-road unit, or simply a portable gamer? One disadvantage of running a higher ended CPU is that they drastically reduce battery life.

Myself, I never reccomend laptops for gaming, unless you are going to be on the road a lot.

uhh imo i would not use laptops for gaming... too expensive and not as good as desktops most of the time.

but this will run guild wars effectively though im not sure about the newer games...

Perfect for running guild wars and i agree that desktops are definately better. But a laptop is good and i have found that you run a laptop on power generally.

The make shouldnt be too important because most of the main computer companies have the same set of creating, e.g. dell and alienwares (although i prefer alienwares they are more expensive)

<-- Death Omen

Yes that sounds like a good machine... Don't know about other extras like hard drive space, USB ports, etc... I'm cheap when it comes to spending my own money on computers... I bought a 3Ghz Emachine package... monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse... etc... for $300 and put in memory and a graphics card for another $125... $425 total cost and it does pretty damn good for what I need... Desktop... Not a laptop though...

The name can matter, sometimes a little but also sometimes a lot.

Mostly, the name starts to matter after 2 years or so, when components start to wear out and fail. Some companies have a reputation of keeping large supplies of replacement parts. Or being easy to find other units to salvage for replacements.

Some companies are known for the fact that they make large changes every year, making replacement parts almost impossible to obtain. Nothing sucks much more then realizing that the battery in your laptop is only available from the manufacturer, and a replacement will cost $200.

And some companies/models are also known for quirks that can cause problems. One company is known to use poor quality plugs where the power cord runs into the laptop. They are good units, but you have to be very careful to unplug them before you go. It does not take much pressure to break the connector, requiring an expensive repair.

Some models even go the other way, tending to use the same replacement parts among a wide range of models. The same drive caddy, floppy drives, optical drives, batteries, power supplies, even keyboards and screens.

I am not saying any names, but there can be big differences. And those should not nessicarily keep somebody from buying a computer. However, they should be aware of them before they buy them. After all, a salesman will not tell you the down side, they only want to make a sale.

Your kidding right..... that laptop will play any current game at its maximum capability, which will be on par if not better than most desktop pc's, yes it will be pricey but afterall it is a very high spec's gaming laptop.

Overkill for guildwars but play any current game out there

Laptop CPU and GPU units are never as powerful as their Desktop cousins. A Radeon or GeForce "To Go" model is damned near anemic when compared to the PCIe version (closer to a high-ended desktop card from 3 years ago). And while we go on in here about 3.5+ GHz CPUs, most laptops are stuck with models closer to 1.5-1.8 GHz.

In addition, most laptops stull use "shared RAM" for the video, something serious desktop users refuse to deal with.

My laptop is pretty powerful for a 2 year old unit. A P-4 mobile 1.8, 512 MB RAM with Radeon to go video. But it is really a slug when compared to GW on a desktop P-4 1.8 with a Radeon 9250. And while I can upgrade the video and CPU on the desktop with ease, I am pretty much stuck with what is built into the laptop. I can make a minor improvement to the CPU, but I am stuck with the graphics unless I get a new laptop.

i'm quite sure that laptop does come with dedicated graphics memory. in fact, i can pick up a $1200 system here in ottawa that features dedicated graphics memory also.

i think major manufacturers are beginning to get a clue now. most probably realized that integrated graphics are hurting their sales.

or maybe they're finally sold all the crappier systems, and can get on using new stuff. who knows?

its a dell XPS M1710

ive read many reviews but not being someone who compeltly understands computers most of the reviews dont shead any light on it anyway

-Neph

That is a nice laptop. I may be a wee bit jealous.

I just ordered a Dell Inspirion E1705, with the 256MB NVIDA Geforce Go 7900GS, and am quite excited. Especially since I got stuck trying to get into vabbi with my current laptop. I would have looked at the XPS series, but I couldn't find a coupon to make the price reasonable enough.

I paid $1400 for my soon to arrive Inspirion:
2GHz Core 2 Duo Proc
256MB NVIDA Geforce Go 7900GS
and 2GB Ram at 667MHz (or whatever that number is).
Other assorted cool/yummy features.
All made possible with one of those spiffy "30% off selected Inspirion" coupons.

And I know, I know, desktops are better/more expandable/upgradable/cheaper/etc. I have VERY limited space. Dorm room.

i just recieved my xps just over a week ago. It has the exact same stats as the one mentioned and i can tell u this thing can run pretty much any game on max setting, silky smooth. I like not having to sit in my room all the time to play, i can pretty much go anywhere in the house or at work.

cool, thanx for all the replies, well i think the general concensus is that its good so ill go ahead and order it now

thanx again for your help

-Neph

try assassin's creed or crysis on ur laptop and see how it runs. oh and don't put it on any cloth or such as it will likely burn through it. same with putting it on your lap, unless you dont care about being able to make babies in the future

looks like it should run gw no problem, but i wouldn't bet on getting even the recommended 60 fps on games running new-gen physics engines, especially at high settings. dunno if you're into first person shooters or not, but fps is significantly more important in that gameplay than rpg, imo.

on the flip side, i would like to hear if it does perform well at games such as day of defeat:source, call of duty 4, assassin's creed, crysis, etc because then i may have to look into getting one myself currently, i don't run any games on my laptop other than old-gen emulators (sega genesis, nintendo) and save the hardware intensive gaming for the desktop with 4 120mm fans, 1 80mm fan, and 2 60mm fans (attached to gpu and cpu) cuz i don't like burning up expensive high performance parts

edit: bah, oldish thread >_< well, still curious about performance of your machine on these games