[Vitchman]

Hi all. I could use some expert help if anyone can offer it!

Dilemma: I am looking to replace my current computer (desktop) for a laptop...a high end one at that.

Background: First, I am currently a student at Kansas Unversity, in my second year. I play many video games on the computer, but I usually only play MMORPG's. I want to have smooth functionality and the laptop helps for mobility...I'm moving around alot. Otherwise, I'd stick with a powerful gaming desktop.

Second, I understand that MMO's don't require much for play, but I do take them seriously enough that I'd prefer to have the power in my laptop to play the game smoothly on higher settings. I was incredibly interested in that M17x that was just released...while expensive, I'm not particularly worried about budget.

I was wondering on things regarding the video cards, RAM, harddrives and chipset....for instance, would Quad Core be too much? Dual 260 Nvidia Cards way overboard? 6GB of RAM completely unnecessary? I don't want to be spending outrageous amounts but I don't want to be outdated in the next year or so.

This all may sound confusing, but basically any help or suggestions on what to do with the M17x or even another laptop suggestion would be awesome. Thanks!!

[BlueMak]

The following are suggestions, take them or leave them.

1) with the money you need to buy a powerful laptop you can buy a low priced desktop that will be faster than the laptop and have enough money to buy a laptop that will run the basic MMO out there. If however you are between various addresses or on the move so much that the desktop PC won't see any time worthwhile, then yes, better forget 1.

2) A middle range laptop should play most MMOs (all? I don't know I don't play any) without problems. For that you would need 2GB of RAM (the more the better, but 2GB is the min in my opinion. A nvidia 9600+ series of graphics card or a AMD/ATI 3650++. Of course the more money you spend for a faster graphics card, the better results you will get, the higher resolution and with the more details you will be able to play.

3)CPU. A Core 2 Duo of the T7xxx series and upwards should be enough. Buying a quad core CPU will be overall better, but then we are talking about more money.

4)Avoid Alienware and/or Dell. Especially Alienware laptops. Even when their built quality manages to reach good levels, their customer support is worse than you can imagine. (read and heard from many many other people over the years, I never went that way)

5)If money is of no issue get an ASUS W90 with a quad core cpu and a 4870X2.

6)What you need to remember is that laptop CPUs and graphics cards are slower than their desktop ones with the same name. They are not the exact same cards.

Also, if you can find a laptop with Vista 64 installed, it would be better for overall experience (personal opinion) and future proofness. (nice?)

What would I buy if I had to be careful with my budget? (I don't have any budget now so that is if I were you)

a laptop with 4GB of RAM, Vista 64, 320-500GB HDD, 15-17" monitor , a quad core CPU, and a 4870 or close to that graphics solution. My guess (and nothing better) that would cost you about $1500 if not more.

It all depends on the exact games you play, for how long you want this laptop to be able to play recently released games and at what resolutions.

[Vitchman]

Thanks for the reply Blue...but after doing a bit of research, i'm becoming even more confused. I got a few more questions for all of you...keep in mind my goals for this computer is something that will still be strong 3-5 years from now.

1) Processor: Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8gHz) vs Quad Q9000 (2.0gHz)
My question here is...which one is a better choice? I find the T9600 to be completely necessary and very fast for what I do, MMO gaming, school work, possibly some AutoCAD in the future. But Quad being the future of chips, is it worth it in the long run?

2) RAM: 4GB DDR3 1333MHz vs 6GB DDR2 800MHz
How far do the MHz speeds go? And what's the difference between DDR3/DDR2? I mean as far as speeds it would seem the 4GB outruns the 6GB, but I'm no computer guru. Which would be better choice?

3) Hard Drive: 640GB(2 x 320GB) 7200RPM SATA vs 320GB(2 x 160GB) 7200RPM RAID 0
How important is RAID 0? I've looked everywhere and many people say it's not significant, while others claim it really is. I've also seen that some say it's dangerous for hard drive failure? Would this really affect me if I was doing lighter computer work and gaming?

4) Graphics: nVidia GTX 260M 1GB vs Dual GTX 260M (2GB AND SLi Technology)
In the long run, would dual still be incredibly strong? It seems the nVidia's are rapidly becoming faster so I'm just wondering if a single 260M will stand up to the future cards. As opposed to dual still being a force. Is dual worth it, or would a single pack a punch for a long time?


Absolutely ANY help is much appreciated. I'm just trying trying to get down to what is truly worth it. I'm currently looking between the Asus G71Gx and the Dell/Alienware M17x. While I know many people have been claiming not to get Dell, and especially Alienware, I think this could be a good company combo...this being the first Dell/Alienware mixed laptop. Many friends had Dells with no problems, and then a couple friends in particular had the XPS. With hardcore gaming they are still going strong a couple years later.

Thanks!

[BlueMak]

There is nothing you can buy that will be strong 3-5 years from now. Nothing.

1)The more cores cpu is always the better choice. Quad is not the future. 8 cores or more is.

2)More memory is almost always better than faster memory, especially in terms of longlevity.

3)Yes it would affect you. Hard drive failure doesn't need a specific program or pattern to happen. I am not good with RAID numbers, but if 0 is the one that they both work as a single unit to increase the speed (320+320=320), then yes, if something happens to one, you will lose your data. The best would be to use one drive only, or if you have to install 2 drives, have them as seperate drives. Whatever you choose, make sure you have backups of all your data and, if you can afford it, have a third drive ready to replace the other one(s) in case of failure and pressure of time (assignments etc).

4)It depends on the exact games you will play and want to play. No matter what you get, it won't be good enough for future games, say a couple of years from now (new releases) or a bit more. It's how things work. Dual would be better than single for performance and it might even buy you some time, but, from my experience it won't necessarily be speed that will be your problem, but features. Still, yes, 2 is better than 1.


As I have said before, STAY AWAY FROM ALIENWARE. Crappy products, even worse customer support. You will regret it. Not maybe, you are going to regret it. Don't fall for the marketing, unless you are rich and don't mind wasting your money.

The ASUS in question is a good model. I can't give more advice as to specific models/makes since I have long stopped looking to buy a gaming laptop (waste of money IMO).

[Neshi]

addition to BlueMak

• RAID 0 (striped disks) distributes data across several disks in a way that gives improved speed and no lost capacity, but all data on all disks will be lost if any one disk fails. Although such an array has no actual redundancy, it is customary to call it RAID 0.

• RAID 1 (mirrored settings/disks) duplicates data across every disk in the array, providing full redundancy. Two (or more) disks each store exactly the same data, at the same time, and at all times. Data is not lost as long as one disk survives. Total capacity of the array equals the capacity of the smallest disk in the array. At any given instant, the contents of each disk in the array are identical to that of every other disk in the array.

• RAID 5 (striped disks with parity) combines three or more disks in a way that protects data against loss of any one disk; the storage capacity of the array is reduced by one disk.

• RAID 6 (striped disks with dual parity) (less common) can recover from the loss of two disks.

• RAID 10 (or 1+0) uses both striping and mirroring. "01" or "0+1" is sometimes distinguished from "10" or "1+0": a striped set of mirrored subsets and a mirrored set of striped subsets are both valid, but distinct, configurations.