Question:
Cheap Notebooks?
1) What is your budget?
Around $400-700
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
B-C
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Gaming, homework, internet
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Maybe around the house, but no farther
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, plan to get games like World of Warcraft and maybe Oblivion. EDIT: Now that I think of it, it will be pretty hard to play WoW on a notebook with this price. So probably Warcraft 3 and maybe Oblivion
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
n/a
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Prefer a long batter life, but lower would be fine
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Yes
9) What country are you buying this in?
USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
n/a
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
n/a
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
n/a
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really...
14) How long do you want this laptop to last?
3 years (until college)
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
40 gb is fine
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
n/a
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Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
Whoops, forgot to read rules. I will edit this later...
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
well, with your price range, the decent gaming capabilities are the compaq v2000z with the ATi 200M which is ok but can play games at full capability. The compaq v3000 and also the HP dv2000 are good ones too.
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
Ok, I fixed up the post.
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
oblivion is one of the most graphics intensive games available. there is no way you will be able to play it without a dedicated gpu. i think your only choice would be the dell e1505 with the x1400 using the dell coupons. even so, it will still struggle with oblivion.
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
Ok, since I was not even sure if I wanted to play Oblivion anyway. Do you think I will be able to play WoW on this or the v2000z with maybe RAM upgrades or possibly a graphics card upgrade?
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
you can't upgrade the gpu. wow should be playable on the v2000z
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
Would this be a good laptop to buy?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HP-Compaq-Pr...QQcmdZViewItem
Answer:
Re: Cheap Notebooks?
There is no way to play Oblivion for >$700. WoW will be playable on an X200M.
Would this be a good laptop to buy?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HP-Compaq-Pr...QQcmdZViewItem
That is a very basic machine, you will have trouble running anything but older games on it. WoW should run, but probably at low settings. You will have to upgrade the RAM to 1GB to game; 512MB is too little. 128MB is already taken up by the GPU, since it is integrated and has none of its own memory.
If you give up the gaming, you can get a much better notebook, the Dell E1405 with a Core Duo and better screen.