Laptops and GPU

[Des12]

Hello, I am interested in purchasing my first laptop with the main intentions of web-surfing, using microsoft office(word,exel,ect), and gaming. I am looking for a laptop from 500-750, and it seems I can get the web surfing and office easily in that range, however I am not so sure about gaming. I have been reading and seem to find that GPU (Graphics Card?) is the most important here.

My first question: If I bought a laptop could I install a Graphics Card on my own like in a desktop computer, or would there be soldering and specials tools and all that?

My second question: On laptop, is the clock speed (2.0ghz) or processor (Core 2 Duo) more important?

I was thinking of searching eBay for something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834147291

[renegade600]

you will not get office nor can you game at the price you set. If you look closely, the office you get is just a trial version. You cannot install a graphic card to laptops since most are intregrated. IMO, core2duo is more important.

expect to spend over over 1000 and even then its iffy depending upon the games you play.

[Des12]

I see. For the Office part of your reply, thanks for the warning. For gaming, Could the below laptop run a game released just recently, such as Battlefield 2142?

Minimum requirements for Battlefield 2142:
System: Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon 1.7 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 512 MB
Video Memory: 128 MB
Hard Drive Space: 2200 MB

Recommended requirements for Battlefield 2142:
System: Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon 3.0 or equivalent
RAM: 2048 MB
Video Memory: 256 MB

It looks like the laptop I am interested in below has enough CPU in it, and I could upgrade the ram to 1GB, but I don't know about the graphics/video memory



Model: R4000 Custom
Processor Brand (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)AMD
Processor Type (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)AMD ATHLON XP 64 4000+
Processor Speed (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)2.4 Ghz
RAM (MB) (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)512Mb 333MHz DDR SDRAM
RAM Expandable To (MB): (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 2Gb
Hard Drive Maximum Capacity (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 80GB 5400RPM enhanced IDE
Frontside Bus Speed (MHz) (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)533
Level 2 Cache (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 512KB
Type of Drive (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) DVDRW/CDRW
Maximum CD/DVD/CDRW Speed (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)24x CDRW
Maximum DVD Burner Speed (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)8x
PC Card/Expansion Slots (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 1 Type I/II 32-bit card bus (supports 16-bit)
Screen Size (Inches) (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 15.4"
Screen Type (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) XGA TFT Screen, Bright
Maximum Screen Resolution (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)1280x800
Video Memory (MB) (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)128Mb DDR (dedicated)
Graphics Type (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)ATI 200M 4x AGP and 3D Architecture
AudioJBL Speakers, AC audio link, Volume control, Mute button
USB Ports (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 3 USB 2.0
IEEE 1394 Port (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) 1
Parallel Port (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)- Serial Port (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)- Ethernet Port Yes
Integrated Wireless Capabilities54g/802.11b/g
Infrared Port (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28)- Other PortsHeadphone-out, Mic-in, VGA (15-pin), TV-out (S-Video), RJ-11 (modem), Integrated Digital Media Reader (SD, MM, MS & SM)
Modem Type (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) Integrated 56K V.90/V.92 (RJ-11 connector)
Software Bundle Windows® XP Home, Microsoft® Works & Money, Norton Antivirus
Pointing Method (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:g%28) Touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad
Warranty:Refurbished by HP, 3 Months Warranty
Item Height in Inches 1.8
Item Width in Inches14.25"
Item Depth in Inches 13
Weight 8.0 lbs.
Product Conditionin perfect work condition
Box ContentsNotebook, A/C Adapter, Battery, Recovery CDs, Software and Manuals, Warranty Certificate.

And thanks for helping me with all this Laptop business!

[renegade600]

it might run it, but imo, there could be resource problems. imo You need more ram and better video. you really need to get closer to the recommended requirements, if not exceed it if you want the full benefit of the game.

[Des12]

You cannot install a graphic card to laptops since most are intregrated.

I am guessing that the generic graphic cards are integrated ("Graphics Media Accelerator 950", "Intel Extreme Graphics 2"), but are the non-generic ones integrated such as the "nVidia GeForce FX Go5700" or "ATI Radeon 9700 Gaming Card"? (I am planning on getting the laptop with the Radeon 9700 in it)

[oracle128]

All laptop graphics are more or less integrated. Even the ones that aren't physically integrated are next to impossible to upgrade, because of interface, size, and heat constraints - as well as the little problem of finding a shop around that supplies laptop upgrades like CPU or graphics. Essentially, if anything but the hard drive or RAM isn't enough, the laptop itself isn't good enough.

Now, for BF2142...what you need to be looking for is a laptop with either Radeon X1600 or X1700, or GeForce GO 7600. These are the higher-end mobile graphics, and are about as good as you're going to get in laptops for a while. For what it's worth, the Asus F3J series are damn good value - specifically, the F3JM if you can find a supplier for it (I've just bought one myself last week - AUD$2500), otherwise the F3JV is almost as good but more widely distributed (the only difference between the V and the M, is in the standard configuration the M has a WSXGA screen compared to the V's WXGA, for about the same price - the WSXGA is better). The only configuration I've seen for them, they come with a Core2 Duo T7200, 1GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM, 120GB HDD, DVD burner, Win XP Pro, and GeForce GO 7600, despite the official specs (http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=26&l3=0&model=1221&modelmenu=2) showing a wide number of possible configs for the model. Interestingly, I've also seen it advertised with an X1700, so I don't know what's up with that. For the power it has, those models are certainly about the cheapest you're going to get it for, and Asus is a quality brand.

[Des12]

I see, thanks for clearing that up. I am not in the 1000-2000 price range so unfortunatley I can't purchase the laptops you recommended, however it seems that the Dell 9100 with an ATI Radeon 9700 128mb is the best bang for the buck I am going to get for 500-750, the only other choice seems to be a GeForce Go 5#00 (5700 is the best I've found so far), so I will take the Radeon 9700. Could the 9700 run 2142 at the lowest specs and get an acceptable framerate? Or is there a better graphics card included in a 500-750 laptop that I am not seeing?

[oracle128]

For your price range, you won't be playing BF2142.

[warken]

check pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com) your find deals like this one (http://www.saveateagle.com/av3320eh1-ca.html?ovchn=OTHER&ovcpn=Price+Watch&ovcrn=AV3320EH1-R&ovtac=CMP)

[smurfy]

Hi Warken, I think that link only emphasises how far short Des12's expected price range is going to fall short of a BF2142 capable machine.
That "deal" is for a 1.6GHz Celeron with a maximum memory capacity of 512MB. Doesn't even mention it's graphics system (bad sign - probably means it's very BAD).
So it's a long way below the minimum spec for BF2142. I'd say it would struggle to even run BF1942 depending on what graphics system it does have :(

For your price range, you won't be playing BF2142.
Agreed 100%
Unless you are looking at a desktop (http://www.milegroup.com/store/pwsys.asp?sysid=248), that price won't buy a BF2142 compatible PC.


Double your price expectations and you'll start being serious (http://www.3gplaza.com/estore/control/Computer3G/productdetails?id=59787&srccode=PW) (Warning - Oracle - If you've really just forked out AU$2500 you might not want to click that last link. :) )

[oracle128]

Double your price expectations and you'll start being serious (http://www.3gplaza.com/estore/control/Computer3G/productdetails?id=59787&srccode=PW) (Warning - Oracle - If you've really just forked out AU$2500 you might not want to click that last link. :) )US price, plus GST, plus shipping, plus customs, wouldn't be worth it anyway. Plus, it's a Core Duo, not Core2 Duo, lower res display (mine's 1680x900), smaller HDD and XP Home so that saves me from buyer's remorse. From what I've heard, the US models are a little different from the Asia/Pacific configs.