School/Gaming Laptop

[tweakyapoc]

Hey all, I just finished up high school this month (hip hip hooray!)

So...

I need to get a decent laptop for college. With me being a gamer I would like it to be able to run high end games.

I would like it to have at least

1g ram (2g prefered)
128 Vidcard (256 prefered)
Dvdrom drive
100G hard drive

I'm open to any brand processor I just want it to be a decent speed.

I'm looking to spend around 1000-1500

But I still want something portible that I can lug around to school with me.


Any ideas and or tips guys and gals??



Thanks


-Bryce

[glc]

You aren't going to get one in that price range with any kind of quality that will meet those specs. You are going to have to spend a lot more or compromise on specs. The minute you start talking a discrete video solution instead of integrated or shared memory video, the price tag jumps. Dell gaming laptops start at $2600.

http://www.dell.com/content/products...=19&l=en&s=dhs

[tweakyapoc]

Well... I have found this one, any comments on it?


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...984&CatId=2289

[tweakyapoc]

I also made an alienware...

Decent by any means??


1] Area-51® m5500

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 730 1.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4" WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD - Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 60GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Optical Drive: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Modem: Integrated 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Communications: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Exclusive Offers: GameFly - Unlimited Game Rentals for 15 days - FREE TRIAL
Flash Memory: Alienware® USB 2.0 256MB Flash Drive
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Messenger Bag
Headphones: Sennheiser PC140 Multimedia Headset
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager


PRICE-1559

[glc]

Neither one of those have video suitable for "high end" games. You are gonna have to compromise. You can do as well or better than either one of those with a properly configured Dell Inspiron E1505.

[thefultonhow]

You can probably get an Inspiron E1705 with a GeForce Go 7800 or 7900GS for around $1500 after discounts. I configured one with a Core Duo 1.83 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, a GeForce 7800 card, a 100 GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a three-year CompleteCare warranty for $1402 plus tax and shipping after applying a $750 off $1999 coupon. If you bump the RAM down to 512 MB and get two 1 GB sticks from Newegg you'll save money on it. I would recommend the good warranty (warranties are important for laptops, and CompleteCare protects you against accidental damage, which is common at colleges), but if you don't get it you can get a better CPU, video card, and/or display.

[tweakyapoc]

Anyone have any builds for under 1500???

[Staren]

Not for major gaming, no. Most all laptops under $1500 are going to have intagrated graphics. Some of them will play fairly decently, but not to the level I think you want.

[thefultonhow]

Since you asked for me to tell you the configuration I used, here goes:

First, choose the E1705, and then the third out of four options.

Then, select the following options on the first page:

• Intel Core Duo T2400
• Windows XP Media Center 2005 reinstallation CD
• 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533 MHz
• 100 GB 5400 RPM hard drive
• 8x CD/DVD burner
• 256 MB nVidia GeForce Go 7900GS (they discontinued the 7800 overnight)

Select the following on the second page:

• 3-year limited warranty with at-home support
• CompleteCare for 3-year warranty

This will effectively give you a 4-year warranty if you pay with a major credit card, because many credit card companies will extend your warranty automatically by a year.

Add the machine to your cart. The cost should be $2252 minus a $300 discount. Then apply the following coupon in the Coupon Entry field for $750 off $1999:

JHWP?6BZH8DFFM

Note that this coupon expires early tomorrow morning, but don't feel pressured to use it as new coupons pop up all the time and you'll doubtless get another one like this soon. The final cost is $1502 with free shipping, but you may be charged tax depending on which state you're in.