Gaming Which laptop?

[superkidmax]

Okay, well im not a computer noob and i do research before I buy computers.
I'm going to get a laptop for Christmas. I do NOT want a netbook. On my laptop i will install Ubuntu right away, so I don't care about what OS comes with it. I will likely be uing Dolphin [The one and only Wii emulator, thats amazing (do your research)] and using Play On Linux to install Steam. im not looking for too much, so a pentium or core 2 duo is fine, maybe even an i3, as long as it has graphics that fill my needs. Im buying from tigerdirect. My budget is 600 dollars.

I found a lenovo notebook here, and an eMachines here.
but i think my best bet would be this systemax here. it comes with 2 year warranty.
What do you guys think? i'll gladly take any suggestions. and btw, i never used steam before and i want to try it.

 

[Apk07]

Why're you so set on Ubuntu? I'd imagine Steam would run smoother on windows as it was originally made for windows. Then again, you could dual-boot.

Also, if you dont need windows pre-installed, see if they have laptops without it, because windows licenses can add onto the cost of the laptop... and stay away from HP laptops.


All 3 of those are dangerously similar, and all 3 have terrible integrated graphics... none of which will do steam much justice

 

[superkidmax]

I want ubuntu because 1. no viruses/malaware/spyware etc. and 2. i like linux better, look and feel in general. and even those little ubuntu perks like ubuntu one and the software center. i also wasn't loooking for an HP, cuz there overpriced anyway. and i can't really find any no-os systems that have decent specs.

 

[superkidmax]

I searched the integrated graphics up, and i (think) all of them could handle steam on low/medium settings. im not so graphics crazy, i can settle with low settings.

 

[Rydian]

Core i3 > C2D, yes even the mobile.

The graphics of the Core i3 should be better than the others, should get you fluently low settings on source-based games (seeing as I could play HL2 on low with something scoring less than half).

 

[Slyakin]

Yeah, I'd also recommend an i3. Just because you want Ubuntu so badly (which can be a bad idea) doesn't compensate for low-spec processing. If you also want to play some (really) good Steam games, I'd go so far as to recommend i5 or, in the most extreme cases, i7.

 

[Dangy]

I searched the integrated graphics up, and i (think) all of them could handle steam on low/medium settings. im not so graphics crazy, i can settle with low settings.

It depends on which games you're going to be playing. Steam has nothing to do with it.

 

[superkidmax]

don't know which im gonna be playing, might win HL2 from a contest (NOT linking to it, so don't even ask for what it is) and prolly so others, not sure. and steam was a possibility, i don't even have an account. i was mainly running for Dolphin, and thats suprisingly a not-so-high video resource needer. YAY DOLPHIN!!!

 

[superkidmax]

@Rydian whats C2D?
edit: core 2 duo sry

 

[Rasas]

Isn't that a pretty poor choice since you can probably get 5 other laptops with better specs such as....

HP ProBook 4520s

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-AS5742-7120...ci_sku=15125402

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...9519#vi-content

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Sate...p;skuId=1552571

and some other ones which is actually a lot of other ones.....

Edit: Try ebay, amazon and craigslist if you want the best deal.

Well then again I have no idea about the quality or possible difference in integrated graphics.

 

[myuusmeow]

Dolphin is extremely CPU intensive. I don't think a low end mobile part will be enough. I have a highly overclocked AMD 3 core @ 3.6GHz and I can barely run GCN or Wii games.

 

[Originality]

@Rasas, without looking at the eBay link, both the Acer and Toshiba laptops you linked are virtually the same as the Systemax laptop in the first post. Core i3, with Intel GMA HD graphics.

@myuusmeow, most of the Intel Core i range are stronger than most of the AMD range. The benefit you gain from overclocking doesn't neccessarily beat a superior architecture.

That said, I've never used Dolphin so I don't know what system would work best for it. All emulation (Wii emulation, or even SNES emulation) is CPU intensive, although I would imagine having a good GPU would help make things smoother and take some of the burden from the CPU.

 

[Apk07]

@Rasas, without looking at the eBay link, both the Acer and Toshiba laptops you linked are virtually the same as the Systemax laptop in the first post. Core i3, with Intel GMA HD graphics.

@myuusmeow, most of the Intel Core i range are stronger than most of the AMD range. The benefit you gain from overclocking doesn't neccessarily beat a superior architecture.

That said, I've never used Dolphin so I don't know what system would work best for it. All emulation (Wii emulation, or even SNES emulation) is CPU intensive, although I would imagine having a good GPU would help make things smoother and take some of the burden from the CPU.

- There is an AMD processor to match almost every level of Intel processor. The difference is AMD's are cheaper. Overclocking is also unstable in most games and definitely not a good idea in a low-end laptop with no cooling options.

- To my knowledge most emulators strictly use the CPU and don't really take advantage of GPU acceleration much anyhow, so mobile graphics are going to suffer.

- HL2 is going to look mediocre on most sub-$600 laptop with integrated graphics, despite being a 6 year old game. Also, as someone else said, you can't just say "Steam" games, because Steam is merely a platform for distributing games, not a game system itself. A "Steam game" can be anything from Solitaire, which takes absolutely nothing to run, to Crysis 2, which these laptops couldnt run even if they were overclocked to death, cooled with liquid nitrogen.

You also have to think into the future. After you beat HL2 and get tired of any HL2 mods, what're you going to do? You can't upgrade and you can't play newer games.

 

[Originality]

Even with AMD chips at the same price level as Intel chips, the Intel chips are generally 30% stronger when playing games. Just check the link I used in another thread - it's got a comparison table to help.

 

[naved.islam14]

Systemax is my pick.

 

[Rasas]

The processor is a little better not by that much but 2.26GHz versus a 2.4GHz is a slight difference. Also the ram is 4gb instead of 2gb which will save him or her money when he or she wants a ram upgrade. If it is CPU dependent a 2.4GHz processor would probably make a difference.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...6316#vi-content
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-SL51..._pr_product_top

 

[Y05h1]

As people said, Dolphin is dependent on your CPU, not GPU. It emulates the Wii GPU rather than actually using your GPU, so...
That being said, it doesn't need to be a monster. My 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo runs it decently, so an i3 should definitely do okay. And integrated graphics should be all right for Steam games.

As for RAM, invest in 4GB, don't go for 2. It's a relatively cheap upgrade, but it can have a huge impact. Plus, integrated graphics use your RAM as well, so playing games would mean you would realistically have around 1.5GB RAM available unless you go for 4GB.

I recommend also making sure you get a laptop with a proper screen... too many people neglect that aspect when looking at laptops. Good colour reproduction, good viewing angles, and proper backlighting will really make it a much better experience.