new gameing computer help

[ToC_Azrael_]

ok 1st off il let you know im a complete n00b,i dont understand anything about computers really,but i do know what i want in the end.
i need a middle of the range gameing LAPTOP capable of playing AoE3,s.t.a.l.k.e.r and company of heros ONLINE 2v2 pref.
its also going to be used as a student laptop for me and the girlfriend,i would like be able to upgrade it in the future but ive been told laptops arent easy to upgrade.
a 15" screen will be fine,but i want a decent make and one where if i do break the screen i can replace it unlike my old laptop screen which was made by some obscence company that had gone bust and i need good screen graphics.
weight isnt a problem but its mustnt over heat so a good fan/motherboard is important,it needs to be able to handle multi programs opening,unlike the computer im useing atm!
id prefer window xp but i heard vista is haveing problems and glitchs so maybe you can advise me as i heard everyting will soon switch over?
cost,i have around £800 which is near $1500 dollars,i have a pay pal account which is in the middle of getting set up,so i can buy part abroad.
And asking me to build my computer is silly lol,but i have a friend who may do it for me,so i may able to buy peice by peice if it works out cheaper than buying the lot from a firm.
simple speakers will do but they need good sound quality.
il be useing a multitude of language CDs that use voice back (to see if i can speak correctly) so i need a microphone (here im at a complete loss guys i just know i need to be able to speak into the laptop).
memory.lots.least 5gbs and TONS of RAM,basically a friend descibe it as short term memory (RAM) and long term memory (GBs of space on the computer,long term memory) and he said alot of ppl **** one of these up and that why there computers run slow even throu they have the bits n peices to run the games they want.
it needs to able to copy cds,put picture onto cds etc and i would like wireless too onthe laptop.
i hope this is enough to help(so you can help me please lol) i saw your site on a post on AoT sanc in a signiture so i must thank who ever it was!!
any other questions il freely answer,my friend whom is know in aussie land with no computer told me to get a list of things i need before i buy as he said getting a dell laptop etc can be a pain once bought if it aint right to your specications.

Az

[LeftyAce]

Firstly, welcome to PCMech!

If you want a laptop powerful enough to play games, take a look at the Dell XPS lineup. For what you've described, look at one with 1 to 2 GB of RAM (For running a game or multiple other programs at once) and a harddrive at least 80GB, preferably more.

We tend to recommend people stick with XP for now, as vista has too many issues that still need to be worked out........you won't absolutely need to have vista for a few years; XP will be compatible with most applications in the mean time.

Unfortunately building a laptop isn't really possible.

Ok, looking at Dell's site, it appears as though you're stuck with Vista: http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/pr...hs1&l=en&s=dhs

The machine for 799 will probably do what you want; my only concern is the video card, which might struggle running games at higher settings. The 899 model has a more powerful card that'll game just fine, but it's up to you whether it's worth the increase in price.

Hope this helps!

[doubledragon5]

You can install your own copy of XP if you buy the laptop, just make sure it is a legal copy.. I done this whith my Toshiba which came with XP Home.. It came with all sorts of issues because of all their extra stuff. So I bought my on copy of XP Pro and have had not issues since... I recommend Dell laptops over all the rest.. I have had two in the past and they performed excellent.. This time I wanted to try something different, and wish I hadn't..

[Katreat]

If you are really set on building yourself, you pretty much have to go with a bare bones kit. Even then you will probably be paying for the fun of building it, because it will likely be more expensive than the Dell. Run a google serch on bare bones lap tops and you will come up with some hits if you want to go this route.

If you want greater flexability for part selection, you pretty much need to look at alienware and voodoo. They will customize more than dell but it all comes with a price.

Kat

[ToC_Azrael_]

thanks guys,i do already have my own version of XP home,so dells my best bet,think il strech to the 899 lefty,but gotta wait till end of may (pay packet)s o aybe the price will go down!
ive used XP home before but not run high end games on it,is that when it starts to cause problems double dragon?

[Katreat]

Originally Posted by ToC_Azrael_ thanks guys,i do already have my own version of XP home,so dells my best bet,think il strech to the 899 lefty,but gotta wait till end of may (pay packet)s o aybe the price will go down! ive used XP home before but not run high end games on it,is that when it starts to cause problems double dragon?

I think what he was refering to is the pre-loaded software that they put on in addition to XP. XP home on a clean install will have no trouble gaming once you get SP1 and 2 working. But Dell, like every other company who pre-loads software, thinks they know what you need and pre-loads it for you. This is not all bad, it has probably protected many customers from themselves, but all of those extra features often cause problems and slow down systems when it comes to gaming.

[ToC_Azrael_]

ive heard you can delate/close some parts of xp that arent used during game play and speeds up the playing rate and or frames per second.....where do u find these?