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Laptop that will run Flight Simualtor

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  • 30-10-2007 11:53pm
    #1
    Fabio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,245 ✭✭✭


    I am looking into getting a new laptop, which will comfortably run Flight Simulator 2004 for me as whenever I want to fly at the moment I have to ask my brother for use of his desktop which I do not fancy!

    The Dell website was a first call to get specs and a price range. My requirements of any laptop would be...

    - Has to be able to run Flight Simulator 2004 with settings almost full.
    - Has to be light and small enough so as to be able to move around with in college.
    - Besides Flight Simulation it will be mainly used for stuff like essays, listening to music, fairly normal day to day stuff.

    Anyway here are the two I picked out:

    Dell Vostro

    Dell XPS M1330

    You will probably notice that the graphics cards in both are 128mb. I'm not sure if this will be good enough at all but if you have the time can you please take a look and let me know what ye all think?

    Thanks a lot.


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    #2
    dulpit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,376 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    I have a vostro 1500 with a 256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT gfx card, and it (according to the microsoft website) will be more than amble for the requirements...

    It's a great gfx card (unless you want top of the range for current games) you can't really do better for the money, can you?


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    #3
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    Fabio wrote: »
    The Dell website was a first call to get specs and a price range. My requirements of any laptop would be...

    - Has to be able to run Flight Simulator 2004 with settings almost full.

    And what are the requirements to do this?


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    #4
    Fabio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,245 ✭✭✭Fabio


    From the box:
    (minimum spec I think)
    * Microsoft® Windows® 98/Me/XP/2000
    * PC with 450 MHz equivalent or higher processor
    * 128 MB of system RAM for 2000/XP, 64 MB RAM for 98/Me
    * 1.8 GB available hard disk space
    * 4x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
    * 8 MB video card required
    * Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
    * Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
    * 56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play


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    #5
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    According to this the system requirements are:
    • PC with 450 MHz equivalent or higher processor
    • 128 MB of system RAM for 2000/XP, 64 MB RAM for 98/Me
    • 1.8 GB available hard disk space
    • 4x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
    • 8 MB video card required
    • Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
    • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
    • 56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play

    This vostro will handle it no bother. It's a 14" so it will pretty portable. It's €750 excluding delivery and vat but if you want to save money you could drop the warranty down to a one year. This will save you about €150.


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    #6
    Fabio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,245 ✭✭✭Fabio


    Looks good and the price is nice too. Is it ok to buy even if you are a home user?

    I have heard that the Vostro, as good as it is, gets quite hot and is a heavy machine...


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    #7
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Fabio wrote: »
    Looks good and the price is nice too. Is it ok to buy even if you are a home user?

    I have heard that the Vostro, as good as it is, gets quite hot and is a heavy machine...

    It's fine to buy this if you are a home user. My sister has a vostro 1000 (bigger than the 1400) and I think it's fairly light but then again I'm used to lugging around my 17" laptop. :D


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    #8
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    I have a 1500 and don't find it particularly heavy or overly hot, but being the fine strapping young fella that I am maybe that's biased.

    If those are the actual requirements, then you didn't even need to ask. Any laptop, with even the cheapest, nastiest integrated graphics (like sis or some other junk) would run that without any issues.

    M1330 and Vostro 1400 are both nice machines, but the 1400 is much cheaper.


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    #9
    pclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,939 ✭✭✭pclancy


    Guys FS2004 is VERY heavy on graphics and MS are too stingy with their specs, 2004 will suffer from very poor FPS on anything less then a 256Mb graphics card, regardless IMO of processor and memory specs of the machine. To have the detail sliders near or at full you need a decent card. Try get the best card you can, perhaps ask on www.ifsd.ie or www.avsim.com forums for advice as there would be a lot of people on those forums using FS on laptops.


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    #10
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    If it suffers from abnormally low FPS on 'anything lower then a 256mb graphics card' then I would love to see it running on the min requirements of 8mb vram...:eek:


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    #11
    pclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,939 ✭✭✭pclancy


    Its crazy theres no way it would work at that spec, you'd be getting 5-10fps if you were lucky. FS2002 would run okay on it but not 04. Crazy MS and their system requirments.

    MS say the min specs for windows vista is 800Mhz cpu with 512Mb RAM, Id love to see how long that took to boot never mind run any apps.


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    #12
    legs11
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,347 ✭✭✭legs11


    yes, 2004 needs a very decent gpu to run at any decent fram rates at all.

    flight sim x ran quite good on the M1710 i had tho...


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