Should i Get A Laptop and If So What Kind?

[network24]

I was thinking of building a new computer at the end of the month for $500-$600 but then i realized that I'm probably going to need a laptop in about 2 years so maybe it would be better to go ahead a buy one now that could meet my requirements. For a budget I guess $700 will be a good starting point but i can higher if needed. A 14 inch or 15 inch should be fine and screen resolution is not a huge concern. Battery life doesn't matter. I would like to play games like Arkham Asylum 1 and 2, Split/Second, Burnout Paradise, Need For Speed: World, Test Drive Unlimited: 2, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (2010), Prince of Persia (2008), Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 and many games to come. I'm not a big graphics person so i guess medium settings would be fine. I would also be using the laptop for just internet surfing and school. 250 GB should be enough space. I started out looking at Dells just because that is what my old desktop is and i noticed that the Inspiron line used something called Intel HD Graphics or could be upgraded to a Mobility Radeon HD5470, would either of these cards be able to play the games i've listed including future games at? I also noticed that the Studio model could be upgraded to a Mobility Radeon HD5650, would this be good enough? Should I be looking at other brands to meet my gaming requirements?

 

[buwish]

For $600-$700, I'd build a desktop. I think that you'll get much better performance for gaming out of a desktop and like you said, a you've got 2 years until you need a laptop, so save up after the desktop build.

 

[squallypie]

spend the 700$ on the desktop, really... i have a laptop which i bought for 1000$, and it is not even strong enough to exceed the performance of a 3 year old 650$ build... Laptop parts are underclocked and thus perform slower than computer parts.

You will have 700$ in 2 years if u save 1$ a day! and by that time laptops will give u more performance for money than now...

But if u feel u still need a laptop right now, look at msi's line up... they, as far as i know, offer u good performance for the money than most of the other companies. They also have good cooling.. laptops get REALLY hot!


But please! I really feel bad that i've spent this much money on a laptop, which could be better spent on a desktop.. desktops can give u 3x performance than laptop for hte money... thats coz laptops are tuned for mobility. If u wont be moving around, then DESKTOP

 

[dextermat]

If you want a laptop that last a few years buy an Asus laptop.

Standard brands like Dell, hp, gateway, toshiba are all crappy laptops and are more likely to have problems after the warranty expires. You will have to change the motherboard that cost 300-400 $

Good luck

 

[holl0w]

Hi Network24,

If you want a laptop that will allow you to play the games that you had mentioned, I believe HD5650 will suit you just right. However at the budget of around $700, I would say that its almost impossible for you.

Maybe you can raise your budget to above 1k? Whats your maximum budget? A desktop would be more suitable to play games but if you feel that you'll be needing a laptop, go for it.

Cheers,
Holl0w

 

[network24]

Hi Network24,

If you want a laptop that will allow you to play the games that you had mentioned, I believe HD5650 will suit you just right. However at the budget of around $700, I would say that its almost impossible for you.

Maybe you can raise your budget to above 1k? Whats your maximum budget? A desktop would be more suitable to play games but if you feel that you'll be needing a laptop, go for it.

Cheers,
Holl0w

Well I will be needing one for school in 2 years so I just didn't see the point in paying $600 for a desktop that i'll only be using for 2 years and then have it just sitting at home for 4 years. I was looking at the new Dell Inspiron 15r and for $700 i could get an i3-350M, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, and a Mobility Radeon 1GB HD5470. Would this setup be enough to run the games i listed at decent settings?

 

[network24]

Best answer selected by Network24.