laptop advice

Headshot

hey lads im thinking of getting a laptop
it will be used for college and gaming

im thinking of going with a dell XPS range

but i dont know much about laptops such as Processor and graphic card

what laptop specs should i go for to play todays games
and what price am i looking at

DirkVoodoo

Hmmm, id be wary of the "laptop for college and gaming" route, i myself tried it and its not easy. The obvious choice would be an XPS, like u said, the xps m1210 can play games well enough, but if u want a true gaming machine then it would have to be the 1710.

However, lugging a 17" laptop around college is both tiresome and awkward. Unless you are going to be doing a lot of LAN games with pals, i say get a nice portable machine for college and save the heavy gaming for home (assuming you have a capable desktop).

I just found, from personal experience, that a gaming/college laptop (not to be confused with a college/gaming laptop, ala zoolander) seems like a great idea at the time, but you soon realise that you dont have time for gaming and have blown a lot of money on something that gets pretty hot/loud and your on first name terms with your chiropractor.

Ok, so what kinda games u wanna play (FEAR or lemmings)? do u value battery life or will it always be plugged in? how do u travel to college? what college work will it be used for (e.g. rendering or just word processing)? budget? aesthetics? weight?

Headshot

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Ok, so what kinda games u wanna play (FEAR or lemmings)? do u value battery life or will it always be plugged in? how do u travel to college? what college work will it be used for (e.g. rendering or just word processing)? budget? aesthetics? weight?

i like my battery life

ill be using it with my college course IT support

i was thinking of these but the graphic card doesnt look that good
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/xpsnb_m1210?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=dhs

TerrorFirmer

Headshot that is a joke - the GMA 950 is absolutely useless for games and it costs - wait for it - THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY - to upgrade to the still fairly crap 7400 card! :eek:

That must be a typo - surely for that price its meant to a 7900?

DirkVoodoo

€350 for a Go 7400 is scandalous, turbocache no less.

A quick trip to dell.com reveals that, *feigns surprise*, the xps m1210 can be fitted with a 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7400 TurboCache™ for $129!!!

Maybe im missing a crucial detail or something, but they seem like the same card, but for (quick $ to € conversion, = €101) 3 times the price!

Ok, so im not factoring in dells gold plated delivery trucks in ireland, but i cant for the life of me understand how they can jerk us around like this?

EDIT: Maybe a dell employee could help get to the root of this issue, it just seems a bit unfair to the consumer, i dont mean to bash dell or anything

TerrorFirmer

The 7400 turbocache is ok for light gaming, I use mine for gaming all the time and its alright, but at that ball dropper of a price, I still think it has to be a typo - otherwise dell have really outdone themselves this time!

Headshot

lads iv decided not to get a gaming laptop, just one for course work

is it possible that the college could offer you one or somthing
i heard about it from a teacher

dcarroll

what college are you in?
i've been looking at some offers and there doesnt seem to be any great savings, try the dell outlet

nl

There was a great dell on inspiron 640M. Free shipping, free double memory (1024 to 2049MB). I got myself one. Its a nice machine.

Headshot

dcarroll wrote:

what college are you in?
i've been looking at some offers and there doesnt seem to be any great savings, try the dell outlet

im in tipperary institute



also do the dell outlet laptops have bluetooth and infrared support and card readers ??are they optional

also nl that laptop you got, was it off dell outlet and do you mind me asking what price

nl

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote:

also nl that laptop you got, was it off dell outlet and do you mind me asking what price

I got it for 970 euro (ex vat). I got it through a company. I realy wanted to get a Samsung Q35 but the 640M was just too much of a good deal to resist. The components are all top of the range and for under a 1000 euro.