Question:
Budget Gaming Rig
For the past few monthes, I have been wanting a notebook for gaming on a tight budget. Stress the fact that I want a Dual Core processor and a pretty good graphics card great for The Sims 2. 512MB is ok but 1GB preffered.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
$600 and $1000..maybe a little over $1000.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Gaming, Some Photo Editing, Web Surfing.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Leaving it on a desk and occasionally on my sofa as I watch T.V etc.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
The Sims 2 and/or expansions.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I prefer Dell, HP, Toshiba, and Apple.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Does not matter. It will be plugged into an outlet most of the time.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
I don't mind.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
America...
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
15.4" minimum
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
All...
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
none unless there is one out there valued bleow or about $1,000.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy preffered, but really no preferance.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, but if there is an unstylish one with better preformance, no.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying in the next month or so. 3-4 years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
40GB or 60GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Whatever one is for writing dvds and cds, as well as playing them lol! :)
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
The Dell e1505 with a coupon, spec'ed decently with a C2D and the x1400 should be around your budget range.
Answer:
My uncle gets 20% off all Dell Systems, so I think thats where I'm gonan go.
Sorry for the double post, but is it worth it to upgrade the processor? It can go from a 1.6 GHz up to a 2.0 GHz. :rolleyes:
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
It's worth it for future-proofing if you can afford it. The 2.0 GHz has a 4 MB cache which will help performance a bit more when it comes to CPU-intensive stuff.
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
If you are looking to get more gaming power, I have heard of some NBR members getting some excellent deals on the e1705 with the go 7900 GS in the Dell outlet. 17" systems are not very portable though. Also, I don't think you can use any discounts in there though.
And, don't forget to check the Dell coupons. You might be able to save a few extra bucks if any of them are stackable.
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
For a 15.4", the HP dv6000t is a good choice:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...dv6000t_series
Its Go7400 256MB graphics card is a decent gaming card.
Make sure you have at least 1GB of RAM to be able to play games comfortably.
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
I'm going to be going with either the Dell E1505 or the E1705 since i get a discount in the normal Dell market, and an even bigger savings in the Outlet. Unfortunately I cannot find an E1705 with the Nvidia card at this moment, but I'm going to wait a little longer.
Chaz...I cant get an HP because I get special deals on Dells.
Answer:
Re: Budget Gaming Rig
Just keep your eyes open and keep checking if you're going the Dell outlet route.
Good luck!