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Need futureproofing help

post #1 of 6
11/9/06 at 5:14am
Thread Starter 
I need some advice on a laptop purchase. I've been poking around different laptops for ages now, but I've simply been using the same one for so long (A Dell C640) that I haven't kept up with the latest news. Basically I'm torn between two choices.

Choice A) I did recently purchase a Gateway NX550XL notebook for 610 bucks shipped. It has a DVDRW, 80 Gig HDD, 1 Gig DDR2 RAM, a Radeon X600 with 64MB dedicated RAM, and a Pentium M 740. I could however, sell it back for what I paid for it and start over basically, to get:

Choice B) An Inspiron 1505, or something similar. Something with Dual Core (Probably going to only get to ~ a 2250 or so level on my budget) and an X1400 or so. All the ones I'm looking also have the 1 Gig of DDR2 RAM and approximately the same HDD.

I want this laptop to last ~3 years. I'd LIKE to be able to play whatever the modern games of 2009ish are, even if it is just BARELY. (To whit: I still play WoW on my C640 with its Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB card. I can stomach turning options down and keeping details low as long as it'll even barely run). I don't do photo or video editing or anytihng like that, I watch DVDs, play games, and surf the web on my computers. That's it.

So naturally, it seems like Choice B is the better choice, the only thing is that I'm a fairly poor 25 year old, so the ~200 bucks or so I'd save keeping the NX550XL is nothing to sneeze at. I sincerely doubt Choice A is going to get me through the next 3 years, but will Choice B either? I have no idea what games or programs are doing these days, thus far Dual Core is still not exactly mainstream from what I can tell.

So if someone could help me out here, I'd really appreciate it. Will the Inspiron 1505 be an obsolete hunk of junk in a few years? Am I completely clueless and the XN550XL will be as well? You guys are clearly smarter than me.

Also, if there's a choice C I'm glad to hear it. My HARD ceiling for a new computer is 850 bucks, maybe there's a third option out there that'll keep me gaming for a few years, something with an X700 or an NVidia card that I'm not thinking of. Look into your crytal balls and help me out please, smart computer people.
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post #2 of 6
11/9/06 at 6:17am
Ok well dual and quad core cpu's are only just starting to be harnassed within games, but they'll definately be commonplace by late next year so that's the way to go.
All those cards you've mentioned are only DirectX9 compatible and DirectX10 cards have just surfaced with games again starting to make use of those features by late next year. Obviously there will be support for dx9 for some time yet, but it would make sense to hold off a little while for a dx10 supporting card.
You're budget might make things abit tight if you were to pursue a dx10 card however. A 2.0GHz conroe with a notebook 8800GTS would likely see you through a fair while. Hope that gives you some food for thought
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post #3 of 6
11/9/06 at 6:17am
Since you're on a budget, you might consider waiting for the holiday season and checking out prices then. Dell's coming out with an AMD line so you might want to consider a Turion X2 with a powerful GPU (as powerful as you can get) if it's price is better than the C2D. So, just wait for the holiday season and then have a look.
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post #4 of 6
11/9/06 at 7:01am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm not sure "8800 GTS" and "850 dollar hard ceiling" exactly go hand in hand, though. Also, waiting for Dell's AMD lineup (something I was seriously considering doing) probably isn't really an option because I can't go without a computer for the next month and a half or so, I have some work to be doing at home unfortunately. Circumstances kind of force me to replace my C640 NOW.
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post #5 of 6
11/9/06 at 9:03am
You have to be kind of realistic. A top of the line GPU today on a notebook would be hard pressed to play games in 2009 (even just decently). With AMD's 4x4 (4 CPU cores x 4 GPU cores) expected to be released next year, expect games to take advantage of those 4 GPU cores. In the $850, if you want dual core (which you'll really need by 2009 IMHO), then you can expect both a low end dual core and a low end GPU -probably integrated - at best (like the dv6000z with low end Turion X2 (1.6 GHz) and the GeForce 6150 http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11181302&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017750&Mo=14&pos=4&No=6&Nr=P_Ca talogName:BC&cat=4580&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=
)
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post #6 of 6
11/9/06 at 12:50pm
For laptop should last 3 years;

A real fast Core 2 Duo T7400
2GB DDR2 667MHz is a must
120GB HDD is also recommended for advanced user, as well for extra performance
DVD-RW Combo Drive? A MUST!
A decent graphic card.. If you not a serious gamer, go for Geforce Go7600 or ATI X1300. IF you a true type gamer, consider Geforce Go7900 or ATI X1800 or higher.

You may find the price may exceeded your budget but that setup will sure last 3 years.. Wow i feels like i'm part of Alienware builder lol..
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