Looking into laptops

thegaming1 · Jul 31, 2005, 08:06 AM

I'm looking into buying a laptop that costs under $1500 USD, used for gaming and dvd/cd burning. I've configured a HP zv6000 the way I think would be better for my usage. CAn someone give me advice on what to change in the current setup?

OS: Windows XP Home with SP2
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0GHz/512KB L2 Cache)
Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
Graphics Card: 128MB ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory (thinking about a 256mb)
Memory: 1 GB SDRAM (2x512MB)
Hard Drive: 40 GB 4200 RPM
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW/R & CD-RW Combo w/ Double Layer
Networking: Integrated 56K Modem + 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Battery: 8 cell Lithium Ion
Extras: 160 GB External Hard Drive
This setup is priced at $1263.99 without rebates

Any help is appreciated.

thegave · Jul 31, 2005, 09:19 AM

i don't know how good the xpress 200m will be for gaming....
check out www. sagernotebooks.com for their low-end selection.
what kind of games do you plan on playing?

thegaming1 · Jul 31, 2005, 10:14 PM

I mainly play unreal and half-life 2. I'm trying to make my own mods to half-life. Thanks for the suggestion.

swimtech · Aug 1, 2005, 03:48 AM

You can get a Dell with Go 6800 graphics for about 1500.00 (US) or a Gateway M680X with X700 graphics for less...

Gateway has been pooh-poohed in years past for their units - but the specs on that one for the money are hard not to look at...

Get a 3 year warranty on any laptop you buy for peace of mind - laptop repairs are still quite expensive out of warranty and the failure rate is still higher than for desktops.

quakerjtf · Aug 1, 2005, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegaming1

I'm looking into buying a laptop that costs under $1500 USD, used for gaming and dvd/cd burning. I've configured a HP zv6000 the way I think would be better for my usage. CAn someone give me advice on what to change in the current setup?

OS: Windows XP Home with SP2
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0GHz/512KB L2 Cache)
Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
Graphics Card: 128MB ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory (thinking about a 256mb)
Memory: 1 GB SDRAM (2x512MB)
Hard Drive: 40 GB 4200 RPM
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW/R & CD-RW Combo w/ Double Layer
Networking: Integrated 56K Modem + 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Battery: 8 cell Lithium Ion
Extras: 160 GB External Hard Drive
This setup is priced at $1263.99 without rebates

Any help is appreciated.

I have pretty much that same setup. It runs pretty well, but I'd suggest getting something with a mobility X700/6600 if you want to play games with higher graphics. 128MB ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M runs HL2 800x600 medium 2xAA well. I haven't tried increasing video ram to 256MB because I only have 512MB ram at the moment.

thegaming1 · Aug 2, 2005, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the advice. I looked into Gateway, but the cost was higher than the same setup from HP. I'm trying to get this as low as possible so I can work on building a desktop built for video editing and making mods to my games. That is why I'm thinking HP will be my best option, being less expensive for the same compnents. I looked at Sager Notebooks as well, but even their low-end products, I feel are not worth the money.

Aligokalppeker · Sep 9, 2005, 08:31 PM

Xpress200 is a poor card for gaming.Need at least ATI X600 for a gaming machine or 9700mobility.

yoda133113 · Sep 16, 2005, 09:15 AM

I also can't really recommend an athlon 64 for your processor, you'll get lower battery life and a heavier system with that desktop chip, the p-m or at least the AMD mobile chip (can't remember the name, starts with a t) would be better. for example with the GW m680x i litterally get 2-3 hours playing HL2 on max specs (res only at 1440x900 cause thats all my screen will handle) with the smaller bat, and 4-5 hours on the larger bat, compare that to my old P-4m based laptop (more power sucking than the A64 but not by that much) wich wouldn't run for more than 2.5 hours on max battery running no extra progs.

Plus you can't possibly game seriously with that video card, the x700 mobility 128mb is the minimum if you actually want to game, that card is only slightly better than intels integrated solution.

yoda133113 · Sep 16, 2005, 09:29 AM

I would also say that an internal wireless card is a necesity (if you get a p-m based centrino system it has one in it automatically), even if you don't have a wireless lan at home now, you will find out later that it's can be used in so many places, and it's a lot easier to get it internal now than to deal with a pcmcia slot one later.

Also get the larger battery, and maybe more than one bat, you never know when you will be in need of the extra time, but at the least get the larger primary bat.

And this is personal opinion, but an external HD is unnecessary, if you plan on keeping your current comp, then that can be used, but using a external one is generally a pain, and not worth much other than pure backup, and imo CDs and DVDs can do that much cheaper. and get the biggest internal you can, i'm busting at the seams with my 60 gb, i would LOVE one of the 100 or 120 gb hds, (but i'm broke now)

Jul 31, 2005, 08:06 AM	#1
thegaming1 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Looking into laptops I'm looking into buying a laptop that costs under $1500 USD, used for gaming and dvd/cd burning. I've configured a HP zv6000 the way I think would be better for my usage. CAn someone give me advice on what to change in the current setup? OS: Windows XP Home with SP2 Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0GHz/512KB L2 Cache) Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800) Graphics Card: 128MB ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory (thinking about a 256mb) Memory: 1 GB SDRAM (2x512MB) Hard Drive: 40 GB 4200 RPM Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW/R & CD-RW Combo w/ Double Layer Networking: Integrated 56K Modem + 10/100 Ethernet LAN Battery: 8 cell Lithium Ion Extras: 160 GB External Hard Drive This setup is priced at $1263.99 without rebates Any help is appreciated.

Aug 1, 2005, 03:48 AM	#4
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	You can get a Dell with Go 6800 graphics for about 1500.00 (US) or a Gateway M680X with X700 graphics for less... Gateway has been pooh-poohed in years past for their units - but the specs on that one for the money are hard not to look at... Get a 3 year warranty on any laptop you buy for peace of mind - laptop repairs are still quite expensive out of warranty and the failure rate is still higher than for desktops. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Sep 16, 2005, 09:15 AM	#8
yoda133113 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 309 Rep Power: 0	I also can't really recommend an athlon 64 for your processor, you'll get lower battery life and a heavier system with that desktop chip, the p-m or at least the AMD mobile chip (can't remember the name, starts with a t) would be better. for example with the GW m680x i litterally get 2-3 hours playing HL2 on max specs (res only at 1440x900 cause thats all my screen will handle) with the smaller bat, and 4-5 hours on the larger bat, compare that to my old P-4m based laptop (more power sucking than the A64 but not by that much) wich wouldn't run for more than 2.5 hours on max battery running no extra progs. Plus you can't possibly game seriously with that video card, the x700 mobility 128mb is the minimum if you actually want to game, that card is only slightly better than intels integrated solution. __________________ [color=Yellow]Guild Wars Character: Corrupted Bubbles[/color] "The muffin isn't picky, Timmy. Nor is it tasty! But it is powerful. All hail the muffin!" Cosmo, Fairly Odd Parents "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. He is not entitled to his own facts." Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan [color=Sienna]Gateway M680X P-M 750 1.86 GHz Alviso Mobility Radeon X700 128 MB 1 GB 400 MHz DDR2 60 GB 5400 RPM Hitachi HD QSI DVD+-RW DL 17" Widescreen [/color]

Sep 16, 2005, 09:29 AM	#9
yoda133113 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 309 Rep Power: 0	I would also say that an internal wireless card is a necesity (if you get a p-m based centrino system it has one in it automatically), even if you don't have a wireless lan at home now, you will find out later that it's can be used in so many places, and it's a lot easier to get it internal now than to deal with a pcmcia slot one later. Also get the larger battery, and maybe more than one bat, you never know when you will be in need of the extra time, but at the least get the larger primary bat. And this is personal opinion, but an external HD is unnecessary, if you plan on keeping your current comp, then that can be used, but using a external one is generally a pain, and not worth much other than pure backup, and imo CDs and DVDs can do that much cheaper. and get the biggest internal you can, i'm busting at the seams with my 60 gb, i would LOVE one of the 100 or 120 gb hds, (but i'm broke now) __________________ [color=Yellow]Guild Wars Character: Corrupted Bubbles[/color] "The muffin isn't picky, Timmy. Nor is it tasty! But it is powerful. All hail the muffin!" Cosmo, Fairly Odd Parents "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. He is not entitled to his own facts." Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan [color=Sienna]Gateway M680X P-M 750 1.86 GHz Alviso Mobility Radeon X700 128 MB 1 GB 400 MHz DDR2 60 GB 5400 RPM Hitachi HD QSI DVD+-RW DL 17" Widescreen [/color]

Jul 31, 2005, 09:19 AM	#2
thegave -=[DHzer0point Team]=- Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 96 Rep Power: 0	i don't know how good the xpress 200m will be for gaming.... check out www. sagernotebooks.com for their low-end selection. what kind of games do you plan on playing?

Jul 31, 2005, 10:14 PM	Thread Starter #3
thegaming1 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	I mainly play unreal and half-life 2. I'm trying to make my own mods to half-life. Thanks for the suggestion.

Aug 2, 2005, 09:30 AM	Thread Starter #6
thegaming1 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the advice. I looked into Gateway, but the cost was higher than the same setup from HP. I'm trying to get this as low as possible so I can work on building a desktop built for video editing and making mods to my games. That is why I'm thinking HP will be my best option, being less expensive for the same compnents. I looked at Sager Notebooks as well, but even their low-end products, I feel are not worth the money.

Sep 9, 2005, 08:31 PM	#7
Aligokalppeker DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: TR Posts: 184 Rep Power: 0	Xpress200 is a poor card for gaming.Need at least ATI X600 for a gaming machine or 9700mobility.