Laptop for Poker...

Russh

Gonna change my Laptop...Just looking for some advice on what to get as replacement....Have an oldish Toshiba Equium..(sh1te..)...

It'll be used mostly for Poker...

Maybe there's a thread already knocking around....

Lads in PC World reckon I need a decent graphics card...(min. 512mb..)..

Help..!!

meathman 007

graphics card wont make much difference. Main things to look for in a poker laptop is a high resolution screen and to a lesser extend ram:

Go for one with a 1920x1200 resolution screen which will be great for multi-tabling and go for at least 3/4 gb of ram which will help if you are running multiple tables, holdem manager etc at the same time.

This laptop from Dell is decent, but you cant go wrong with most of the major brands.

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=ie&cs=iedhs1&kc=NRS15303&l=en&m_30=129878&oc=N12X5304&rbc=N12X5304&s=dhs

OilBeefHooked2

Russh wrote: »

Gonna change my Laptop...Just looking for some advice on what to get as replacement....Have an oldish Toshiba Equium..(sh1te..)...

It'll be used mostly for Poker...

Maybe there's a thread already knocking around....

Lads in PC World reckon I need a decent graphics card...(min. 512mb..)..

Help..!!

Not required... anything bogstandard will do the trick.

ocallagh

Not sure, but you might need a decent graphics card if u plan to have more than one external monitor. Also, screen resolution is important if you plan to multi. Try to get 1920X1200.

Dearg81

graphics card wont make much difference. Main things to look for in a poker laptop is a high resolution screen and to a lesser extend ram:

Go for one with a 1920x1200 resolution screen which will be great for multi-tabling and go for at least 3/4 gb of ram which will help if you are running multiple tables, holdem manager etc at the same time.

This laptop from Dell is decent, but you cant go wrong with most of the major brands.

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...N12X5304&s=dhs

Yep, go for a dell studio 15" or 17" with the 1920x1200 resolution screen and extra RAM. I'm upgrading too and buying the same.

Edit: You can get one of these for ~€850

Samba

Just get a laptop with any half decent card that supports decent resolutions.

Leave aside a budget for a good monitor and just use the monitor as your main screen, even if your laptop screen does not support a high res the seperate monitor will display what ever it and the gfx card are capable of.

Just make sure the laptop has a DVI or HDMI connections for ease of use and quality.

If you will be traveling often and playing, then obv. a laptop that displays a high res will be a huge advantage for multi-tabling. But if it's mainly going to sit at home on a desk, then I wouldn't bother going out and spending a fortune on laptop with a big screen that displays high resolutions.

Laptop dynamics are important here such as, how and where you will use it.

I've got a Dell XPS M1130 with a 13.5" screen that supports a max res of 1280 x 800, I just clone my desktop on to my 22" that does 1900 x 1200...... via HDMI.

Chucky the tree

I've 2gigs of RAM on my laptop and I can 24 table + run HEM with no lag, 3 to 4 is probaly a bit too excessive.

Samba

Just to add....

If you do go Dell, first priority should be to rid the laptop of its dirty Vista OS.

You'll need to slip stream a SATA driver for XP otherwise when you get to the installation screen your drives won't be listed for installation.

http://www.digitgeek.com/how-to-slipstream-sata-drivers-into-xp-cd/

This can be tricky, i had problems with Dell's listed XP drivers, the solution was to use a driver from another model (i.e Vostro) that had the same hardware.

You don't need more than 2 gig's of RAM really for XP too....

And for the love of god, STAY AWAY FROM PC WORLD

tipp86

Sorry to hijack the thread but can anyone explain what my laptop needs to be able to add an external monitor?

[nicK]

tipp86 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but can anyone explain what my laptop needs to be able to add an external monitor?

dvi is mostly standard atm, svideo is an older technology but still works fine for the pokers..

x in the city

512Mb to play poker, lol

do poker games need HW-T&L And DX10...? :rolleyes:

but I think a big screen would be a good choice....

Tar.Aldarion

Russh wrote: »

Gonna change my Laptop...Just looking for some advice on what to get as replacement....Have an oldish Toshiba Equium..(sh1te..)...

It'll be used mostly for Poker...

Maybe there's a thread already knocking around....

Lads in PC World reckon I need a decent graphics card...(min. 512mb..)..

Help..!!

ROFL. Lads in PC World reckon they see easy commission.

dannydiamond

Samba wrote: »

Just to add....

If you do go Dell, first priority should be to rid the laptop of its dirty Vista OS.

You'll need to slip stream a SATA driver for XP otherwise when you get to the installation screen your drives won't be listed for installation.

http://www.digitgeek.com/how-to-slipstream-sata-drivers-into-xp-cd/

This can be tricky, i had problems with Dell's listed XP drivers, the solution was to use a driver from another model (i.e Vostro) that had the same hardware.

You don't need more than 2 gig's of RAM really for XP too....

And for the love of god, STAY AWAY FROM PC WORLD

Hi samba,what's this about vista and xp?
Would this also apply to desktops?
My new pc(a dell xps red) will be arriving from dell after christmas and I know sweet fa about such matters.
Thanks in advance.

Tar.Aldarion

Nothing wrong with vista, I've used it since it was being tested. A lot of people prefer xp though, and it will utilize less ram. Vista will use a lot like linux.

WECpoker

x in the city wrote: »

512Mb to play poker, lol

do poker games need HW-T&L And DX10...? :rolleyes:

but I think a big screen would be a good choice....

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Nothing wrong with vista, I've used it since it was being tested. A lot of people prefer xp though, and it will utilize less ram. Vista will use a lot like linux.

I don't think you can even buy a new computer with 512 of RAM now... if you can DONT

I have just ordered a new Dell with the 17 inch screen which should be a great improvement over the 13.5 inch I currently have. New one has 3 gig...I will take it

Dell has several (but limited) models where you can order with the XP Installed and you can upgrade at any time to Vista. Although you can add about 10-15% extra for the computer with XP.

If you have older versions of word processing programs, spreadsheet, accounting, etc and you will not be buying the newer version of these programs, BE VERY CAREFUL of VISTA. The major problem with the program is many vendors did not patch their older versions to work with Vista, And make you buy their newer upgrades for the program to work. It is important to look into the major programs you use before you switch from XP to Vista, or be prepared to encounter a larger bill then you expected.

Samba

WECpoker wrote: »

I don't think you can even buy a new computer with 512 of RAM now... if you can DONT

Hehe, pretty standard for todays GFX cards, that's what they were referring to

Danny -

Hi samba,what's this about vista and xp?
Would this also apply to desktops?
My new pc(a dell xps red) will be arriving from dell after christmas and I know sweet fa about such matters.
Thanks in advance.

Yes, due to the type of disk drives that are now more or less standard, which is SATA as opposed to IDE Drives.

Windows XP was developed before SATA Drives were widely used and so does not have a built in SATA Driver on the OS, this is why you need to pre-load (slip stream) the driver for the SATA disk by creating a new copy of XP using that tutorial.

It's a fairly simple process, problems can arise using XP drivers on dell machines designed for Vista though.

Fire up vista and give it a whirl, as Tar says, there is nothing actually wrong with Vista, it's a personal thing, I just can't stand it

If you decide to install XP, you should find all drivers (reliable ones) just by googling your model and install/installing XP.

Plenty of step by step tutorials widely available.

Tar.Aldarion

WECpoker wrote: »

I don't think you can even buy a new computer with 512 of RAM now... if you can DONT

This RAM is seperate from system ram, it is on a card for a specific use, graphics. They suggested 512mb for a laptop(expensive) for poker, when gaming laptops don't even need that! PC world also happen to sell a very expensive 512mb card in a laptop I believe.

cuterob

just build a computer.. here's one i built earlier




just read the title.. laptop

ianmc38

i just bought a hp hdx18 and its super awesome, although im currently on a break from poker for a few months.

dannydiamond

Samba wrote: »

Danny -


Yes, due to the type of disk drives that are now more or less standard, which is SATA as opposed to IDE Drives.

Windows XP was developed before SATA Drives were widely used and so does not have a built in SATA Driver on the OS, this is why you need to pre-load (slip stream) the driver for the SATA disk by creating a new copy of XP using that tutorial.

It's a fairly simple process, problems can arise using XP drivers on dell machines designed for Vista though.

Fire up vista and give it a whirl, as Tar says, there is nothing actually wrong with Vista, it's a personal thing, I just can't stand it

If you decide to install XP, you should find all drivers (reliable ones) just by googling your model and install/installing XP.

Plenty of step by step tutorials widely available.

Thanks very much sir.

Amalgam

Sorry, this might sound obvious.. If you're buying in a store and have physical access to your potential purchase.

Make sure you're happy with the 'screen finish' on the laptop. Everyone has preferences.

Glossy screen. The screen might reflect light from the room back into your face, also, your face will most probably be looking back at you. The effect might be worse if you're sitting with your back to room lighting or a window. This could drive you to distraction if you don't like gloss.

Matt Screen. Again, personal choices, the laptop screen is matt. Light reflection is minimised, possibly at the expense of some sharpness. The screen will possibly have a 'granular' (grainy) look about it.

Keyboard. Do the keys have much 'travel' to them. Do the keys have any shape to them, are they just flat, is it hard to tell where your fingers are resting on the keyboard. Are you happy where the keys are, the size of them, the size of the Spacebar and Shift etc.

Russh

Thanks for the Advice...

Looks like it's a toss up between an Acer8930g and a HP Dv71000....

Theres a hell of a lot of Laptops to chooses from out there...

mocata

Speaking from bitter experience. HP support/turnaround time >>>>>> Acers.
I actually fell out with one of my mates cos i sold him a Acer and it took them so long to fix it. (3 months) Hp stuff we have sent back has been picked up and returned fixed within 3 days.

luckylucky

I was thinking of getting a high end laptop - I'll be using it at home and when I travel - I want a big resolution i.e. 1,920 x 1,200 and I want it to be able to support two 30" 2560x1600 external monitors,I'm trying to avoid Dell, the main reason being that I can only order it from the Portuguese Dell site and it's a nitemare site to navigate. I'm finding it difficult enough to find a monitor that has 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, never mind one that can support two external 30" monitors. Anyone know of such a model.

jimbling

luckylucky wrote: »

I was thinking of getting a high end laptop - I'll be using it at home and when I travel - I want a big resolution i.e. 1,920 x 1,200 and I want it to be able to support two 30" 2560x1600 external monitors,I'm trying to avoid Dell, the main reason being that I can only order it from the Portuguese Dell site and it's a nitemare site to navigate. I'm finding it difficult enough to find a monitor that has 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, never mind one that can support two external 30" monitors. Anyone know of such a model.

As SAMBA mentioned, the laptop itself having 1920x1200 is different to supporting it for external monitors.
In saying that, I'm also considering this option and wondering what is best to go for, so will be interested in responses.

fatguy

Looking around, it seems that 1920x1200 is rare and expensive. Cheapest I could find was £1k+. 1440x900 seems to be the sweet spot for price at the moment. Here's one for £523.97:

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=5F0F&CategorySelectedId=11105&NavigationKey=11105,4294953475,22,378910000&InMerch=1

For Dell, the basic Studio 17 looks decent at ~€750. Can't seem to link it here though. Do a search on their site.

If you're looking for something high-end without ripping yourself off, this is a great deal:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=5F9H&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,51220000,379050000

luckylucky

jimbling wrote: »

As SAMBA mentioned, the laptop itself having 1920x1200 is different to supporting it for external monitors.

Yeah I know. I read somewhere that HDMI can support a big monitor. So maybe a DVI-D connector plus a HDMI connector would do.

fatguy wrote: »

Looking around, it seems that 1920x1200 is rare and expensive. Cheapest I could find was £1k+. 1440x900 seems to be the sweet spot for price at the moment.

True but the whole point of the 1920x1200 is the ability to multi-table more smoothly. Specifically you can 4 table 4 full-sized tables with either little or no obverlap depending on whch site. For me the difference in cost is worth it, not to everyone I realise.

fatguy

True but the whole point of the 1920x1200 is the ability to multi-table more smoothly. Specifically you can 4 table 4 full-sized tables with either little or no obverlap depending on whch site. For me the difference in cost is worth it, not to everyone I realise.

Seems reasonable to me. That 2nd one I linked is about perfect so. A PC World salesman will try to talk you into spending €3k on one, but if you don't plan on playing Crysis or doing some heavy duty multi-tasking (by which I mean playing 12 tables while watching a movie, playing Civ and reading boards), that one will do fine.

luckylucky

fatguy wrote: »

Seems reasonable to me. That 2nd one I linked is about perfect so.

I just checked on that now. Thanks. That 2nd one has the resolution alright. It looks like it'd do the job alright. Though does it have a DVi port I can't see it in the spec - that'd be a deal breaker if it didn't I think. Of course the other issue for me too is getting things shipped to Portugal, only a few companies do that.

green123

i am half thinking about selling my 1900 x 1200, you interested in buying 2nd hand ?

luckylucky

green123 wrote: »

i am half thinking about selling my 1900 x 1200, you interested in buying 2nd hand ?

wouldn't rule it out - would need to know the spec and how old it is obviously. Prob best to pm me. The other problem is though I don't know when I'm coming back to Ireland next, so probably not practical for me I'd say.