Poll: College Computer

[crimson5pheonix]

I'm no expert, but for a budget build I think this is fine:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131162
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154095

Total: $506.93 + shipping
Add in an LCD monitor, lets say http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009212
For ~$170

Asus netbook is around $380, lets round up to $400.
So for around $1200 you have a pretty good desktop and a 10 hour battery life netbook.
If you have money, you can spend more on the desktop, such as a better case, better video card, more hard drives, etc, though I think the 4850 should run the games you listed without a problem.

And add about $20 for a disc drive. You'll also need an OS somewhere, but yeah, that's a good rig.

 

[Destal]

1033 isn't what I would call slow, especially for a laptop. The fastest RAM you can get for a laptop is 1666, but I've never seen a computer come with that, only the 1333. If you want a good gaming computer anything smaller than a 17 is likely to have heat issues. There is only so much space for ventilation in a laptop.

On a side not, try finding a computer that is comparable for under $2,000.

I call DDR3 1066 slow because it is. If you can reach that speed with DDR2, it has no business being used in DDR3 except as a stepping stone to better RAM. Kinda true yes, but keep in mind that the OP is looking for more portability than gaming since this is a college computer.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/print_summary_details_popup.aspx?~lt=print&c=us&cs=19&fb=1&l=en&oc=DKCWFW1&s=dhs&leadtime=3/25/2010&showleadtime=True

That should take you to the page, but it may be a cookie on my computer.

Yes, it's just a cookie on my computer. The computer I designed on there wouldn't have been as powerful, but it would have a vastly superior battery life. And portability. And would still be able to game more than effectively.

Also, you know that the processor on yours has a slow clock speed?

It may be slower, but it has 4 of them, rather than 2. Also, those 4 are hyper threaded, so it acts like 8. The M11 is great and all, but in reality, it doesn't hold a candle to the gpu in the Asus.

 

[Abedeus]

Of course that a PC and a netbook. A laptop, even a strong one, won't be as portable as a netbook nor as powerful as a PC.

Also, I might add:

15/45 is 33.3%, but 30/45 is 66.7%?

 

[crimson5pheonix]

1033 isn't what I would call slow, especially for a laptop. The fastest RAM you can get for a laptop is 1666, but I've never seen a computer come with that, only the 1333. If you want a good gaming computer anything smaller than a 17 is likely to have heat issues. There is only so much space for ventilation in a laptop.

On a side not, try finding a computer that is comparable for under $2,000.

I call DDR3 1066 slow because it is. If you can reach that speed with DDR2, it has no business being used in DDR3 except as a stepping stone to better RAM. Kinda true yes, but keep in mind that the OP is looking for more portability than gaming since this is a college computer.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/print_summary_details_popup.aspx?~lt=print&c=us&cs=19&fb=1&l=en&oc=DKCWFW1&s=dhs&leadtime=3/25/2010&showleadtime=True

That should take you to the page, but it may be a cookie on my computer.

Yes, it's just a cookie on my computer. The computer I designed on there wouldn't have been as powerful, but it would have a vastly superior battery life. And portability. And would still be able to game more than effectively.

Also, you know that the processor on yours has a slow clock speed?

It may be slower, but it has 4 of them, rather than 2. Also, those 4 are hyper threaded, so it acts like 8. The M11 is great and all, but in reality, it doesn't hold a candle to the gpu in the Asus.

Yeah, I actually had up the M15x which also had a quad core, just not the hyper threading to eight cores. There's really no point to eight cores apart from specialty applications. We are now finally seeing dual core permeate gaming. It also had half the Ram because 8 GB is overkill. The GFX wasn't as good, true, but why are you getting a beast of a laptop anyway? You can upgrade everything about your desktop whenever you feel like, but a laptop is far more restrictive.

 

[zakski]

Im all for the first option, desktops are a pain to lug to and from uni, plus depending on digs and flatmates you could get your main rig stolen. Another thing is that depending on the degree and the netbook, you might not have the uumph to run some of the programs you need on it. At the mo, im sitting with a 17" hp-dv7 from a year and a half ago and it would rock all those games fine for under 1000 euro.

Then current gen dv-7 has around a 1GB dedicated for the same price so I assume you could pick up a budget gaming 15" laptop for under $1000

 

[Phoenixlight]

I'd rather have a laptop. You don't need a particularly amazing one to play older games like starcraft on.

 

[Destal]

1033 isn't what I would call slow, especially for a laptop. The fastest RAM you can get for a laptop is 1666, but I've never seen a computer come with that, only the 1333. If you want a good gaming computer anything smaller than a 17 is likely to have heat issues. There is only so much space for ventilation in a laptop.

On a side not, try finding a computer that is comparable for under $2,000.

I call DDR3 1066 slow because it is. If you can reach that speed with DDR2, it has no business being used in DDR3 except as a stepping stone to better RAM. Kinda true yes, but keep in mind that the OP is looking for more portability than gaming since this is a college computer.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/print_summary_details_popup.aspx?~lt=print&c=us&cs=19&fb=1&l=en&oc=DKCWFW1&s=dhs&leadtime=3/25/2010&showleadtime=True

That should take you to the page, but it may be a cookie on my computer.

Yes, it's just a cookie on my computer. The computer I designed on there wouldn't have been as powerful, but it would have a vastly superior battery life. And portability. And would still be able to game more than effectively.

Also, you know that the processor on yours has a slow clock speed?

It may be slower, but it has 4 of them, rather than 2. Also, those 4 are hyper threaded, so it acts like 8. The M11 is great and all, but in reality, it doesn't hold a candle to the gpu in the Asus.

Yeah, I actually had up the M15x which also had a quad core, just not the hyper threading to eight cores. There's really no point to eight cores apart from specialty applications. We are now finally seeing dual core permeate gaming. It also had half the Ram because 8 GB is overkill. The GFX wasn't as good, true, but why are you getting a beast of a laptop anyway? You can upgrade everything about your desktop whenever you feel like, but a laptop is far more restrictive.

It works out really well for me, since I'm in school for programming. Yes, the 8 gig is probably far more than most people need. The blu ray is nice as well though. =)

Also, it comes with a backpack and a good mouse.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

1033 isn't what I would call slow, especially for a laptop. The fastest RAM you can get for a laptop is 1666, but I've never seen a computer come with that, only the 1333. If you want a good gaming computer anything smaller than a 17 is likely to have heat issues. There is only so much space for ventilation in a laptop.

On a side not, try finding a computer that is comparable for under $2,000.

I call DDR3 1066 slow because it is. If you can reach that speed with DDR2, it has no business being used in DDR3 except as a stepping stone to better RAM. Kinda true yes, but keep in mind that the OP is looking for more portability than gaming since this is a college computer.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/print_summary_details_popup.aspx?~lt=print&c=us&cs=19&fb=1&l=en&oc=DKCWFW1&s=dhs&leadtime=3/25/2010&showleadtime=True

That should take you to the page, but it may be a cookie on my computer.

Yes, it's just a cookie on my computer. The computer I designed on there wouldn't have been as powerful, but it would have a vastly superior battery life. And portability. And would still be able to game more than effectively.

Also, you know that the processor on yours has a slow clock speed?

It may be slower, but it has 4 of them, rather than 2. Also, those 4 are hyper threaded, so it acts like 8. The M11 is great and all, but in reality, it doesn't hold a candle to the gpu in the Asus.

Yeah, I actually had up the M15x which also had a quad core, just not the hyper threading to eight cores. There's really no point to eight cores apart from specialty applications. We are now finally seeing dual core permeate gaming. It also had half the Ram because 8 GB is overkill. The GFX wasn't as good, true, but why are you getting a beast of a laptop anyway? You can upgrade everything about your desktop whenever you feel like, but a laptop is far more restrictive.

It works out really well for me, since I'm in school for programming. Yes, the 8 gig is probably far more than most people need. The blu ray is nice as well though. =)

Also, it comes with a backpack and a good mouse.

Yes well, if you're learning programming, then that is a very good laptop and there are no faults (except for the slow RAM, but I'm over blowing that a bit). But if you aren't doing something that consuming, it's extremely excessive. And I say 8 gigs is too much when my desktop has 8 gigs as well. And Blu-ray is nice, isn't it?

 

[BECarrico]

Im in my dorm room right now. Its a 12'x15' room. I do not have space for a desktop. I couldnt imagine not having my laptop at school. It does everything I need to do. HP DV7T. It has 4GB or memory and an HD screen. And windows 7 64 bit. Also, if your going to run starcraft your gonna need to spend quite a bit on a desktop.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Im in my dorm room right now. Its a 12'x15' room. I do not have space for a desktop. I couldnt imagine not having my laptop at school. It does everything I need to do. HP DV7T. It has 4GB or memory and an HD screen. And windows 7 64 bit. Also, if your going to run starcraft your gonna need to spend quite a bit on a desktop.

I hope you mean Starcraft 2, because I think we're almost to the point where integrated graphics could play Starcraft (over-exaggeration). But seriously, Starcraft is very easy to run now.

 

[Acier]

Im in my dorm room right now. Its a 12'x15' room. I do not have space for a desktop. I couldnt imagine not having my laptop at school. It does everything I need to do. HP DV7T. It has 4GB or memory and an HD screen. And windows 7 64 bit. Also, if your going to run starcraft your gonna need to spend quite a bit on a desktop.

I hope you mean Starcraft 2, because I think we're almost to the point where integrated graphics could play Starcraft (over-exaggeration). But seriously, Starcraft is very easy to run now.

integrated graphics definitely can play the first, I have it on my current laptop.

In fact the only problem with older games is trying to play hL1 with my flashlight turned on


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