Is this a good machine?

Stercus Accidit

800 for it new, from my own memory these are the specs

4gb ram
1gb dedicated graphics memory - Intel integrated card I think
Intel core 3 processor - 2.4

These seem like good specs to me, I have no other info or brand as I was just window shopping, but payed attention to the above

Am I looking at decent specs here for playing games? I am not into desktops and don't need amazing graphics (highest settings on cyrsis or any of that but would like to be able to run stalker, fallout if the machine can handle it and dont mind reducing settings).

Any thoughts guys?

Thanks.

Alanstrainor

It doesn't sound right to me. If it's an integrated intel card, forget about gaming. I'd be expecting an i5, with a decent dedicated card for that kind of money tbh.

We need more info about the exact specs, as amount of memory a graphics card has doesn't reflect how it will perform.

Stercus Accidit

Alanstrainor wrote: »

It doesn't sound right to me. If it's an integrated intel card, forget about gaming. I'd be expecting an i5, with a decent dedicated card for that kind of money tbh.

We need more info about the exact specs, as amount of memory a graphics card has doesn't reflect how it will perform.

Could have been Nvidia, it was a few days ago and I wasn't taking notes unfortunately, I plan to stop in to them and look at it again.

Are you able to get a dedicated card for a laptop, I thought they were all integrated?

x in the city

the vast majority of laptops have integrated graphics, if you want a step above, it wil cost you.

and alan is right, that is not worth 800e of anyones money, intel integrated graphics for 800 squids... and it wont run STALKER or any game like that on ANY setting...tbh

800e, meh..!

why is there not a sticky about intefgrated graphics, every second post has questions like this it seems

Stercus Accidit

Is there anything in that price range that could have decent graphics capabilities? I'm not talking high end, I ran stalker on my current 5 yo junk machine at 5-20 fps at lowest settings and played the whole game through.

I do a lot of photoshop, CAD and so on and again my current heap has managed them, so just up to 800, what is the best kind of things I should be after in a machine, and should I buy new or second hand?

Thanks

x in the city

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Is there anything in that price range that could have decent graphics capabilities? I'm not talking high end, I ran stalker on my current 5 yo junk machine at 5-20 fps at lowest settings and played the whole game through.

I do a lot of photoshop, CAD and so on and again my current heap has managed them, so just up to 800, what is the best kind of things I should be after in a machine, and should I buy new or second hand?

Thanks

second hand tbh, with nvidia dedicated gfx

dazzday

There are plenty of new machines at the 800e mark that will be ideal for you.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L670-14P_Core_i5_Laptop_PSK3FE-00U00REN/version.asp?switchc=e

A quick look shows something like ths. The 5650 is a good mid-range card that will comfortably play all games at mid settings even for the next year or two.

In fact the i5 is probaly overspecced for your needs, buts its one hell of a cpu and with a tdp of ~105 degees it wont throttle during gaming like some i3s are reported to.

To save a few pennies look at machines with i3s and 5650 + or Nvidia 335M GT +, more than adequete for your needs,

Stercus Accidit

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/product/Satellite-L650D-11R/1086297/toshibaShop/true/

This is the model I looked at in the shop just for your opinions, thanks lads.

Stercus Accidit

dazzday wrote: »

There are plenty of new machines at the 800e mark that will be ideal for you.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L670-14P_Core_i5_Laptop_PSK3FE-00U00REN/version.asp?switchc=e

A quick look shows something like ths. The 5650 is a good mid-range card that will comfortably play all games at mid settings even for the next year or two.

In fact the i5 is probaly overspecced for your needs, buts its one hell of a cpu and with a tdp of ~105 degees it wont throttle during gaming like some i3s are reported to.

To save a few pennies look at machines with i3s and 5650 + or Nvidia 335M GT +, more than adequete for your needs,

Looks great, would I be hit with VAT if I import it? Are they reliable to deal with? Thanks.

Stercus Accidit

Could someone look at the one I linked, and the one linked above, and tell me which is better and why?

Graphics cards and ram look the same, the processors are different I take it and what other things?

I am doing my best to understand all this stuff myself, thanks.

dazzday

Just realised you are after 15inch model...you have alot of options! Did a very quick browse on the usual sites:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/231418

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226838

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/231420

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/219449

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=MME9432L4V#spec

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=ECE2047436#spec

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=WCEPSK1KE00N013EN#spec

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=ECE1983495#spec

http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-r580-core-i3-350m---3gb---320gb---15-6----dvdrw---windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-laptop-72SW.html?refs=51340000

http://www.dabs.ie/products/toshiba-satellite-pro-l650-1cg-core-i3-350m-2-26-ghz-2gb-320gb-15-6--windows-7-professional-64--xp-7439.html?refs=51340000

+ lots more on dabs, pixmania, expansys etc at ~€800.

As I said you should be aiming for

GPU: HD 5650 or GT 330/335 +
CPU: High end i3 or low/mid range i5 dual-core processor. Core2duo will suffice for your needs, but why spend money on old tech? AMD triple cores and quad cores are interesting but Im not sure you will find the benefit over a higher clocked i3 unless you plan on doing video editing or processes that can utilise multicores.
Screen: Odds are at 15inch you will find only standard resolution WXGA (700p). However if you find 1600 x 900 WXGA+ at that price I would be sorely tempted. Higher resolution may effect fraps though, particularly with the 330M.
Connectivty: HDMI is a must. Id also aim for E-Sata as a method of highspeed transfer can be really useful. PCI express slot would be awesome too if you can find it...potential do so many things like add USB 3.0 or a DIY GPU dock.
RAM: Easily upgradable (4gb costs ~100e), but aim for 3-4gb. Also check if the laptop has room to expand up to 8gb...nice for future proofing.
HDD: 7200rpm would be nice but dont fret over it! Size is a personal thing! Easy to upgrade.

My advice is to go through them all, pick 3-5 and than look for online reviews and most importantly user forums (such as forum.notebookreview) where you can get real opinions and any associated ptoblems accounted through real life use.

Than come back here and we will help pick the winner!

Stercus Accidit

type : AMD Phenom™ II Triple-Core Mobile Processor P820
clock speed : 1.8 GHz
2nd level cache : 1.5 MB

VS

Intel Core i5 - 2.53 GHz
2nd Level 2.0 Mb

Just on the point of multi cores, can you tell me a bit about them? I understand multi core support isn't there in a lot of programs, so how can I directly compare CPU performances? I see clock speed, 2nd level cache (?) and can find out how many cores they have.

Will a game use multicores at all? My Photoshop and CAD don't seem to put much strain on my computers so I must be a light user, I don't do any video editing, but I do want to get in at the base level of PC gaming, but move a lot so never have the space for a desktop.

Thanks.

Stercus Accidit

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/product/Satellite-L650D-11R/1086297/toshibaShop/true/

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L670-14P_Core_i5_Laptop_PSK3FE-00U00REN/version.asp?switchc=e

Can someone quickly tell me if the AMD machine will be much out paced by the i5 machine and which is better for what?

Is the i5 machine being a 17 inch make it much more valuable (both 800 eur)

Thanks.

Voodu Child

i5 seems faster in every respect, single-threaded and multi-threaded.

dazzday

i5 is the better cpu.

Screen size is totally up to you. 17inch laptops are not very portable due to size and weight,

Stercus Accidit

I'm balancing the pros and cons of walking into that shop and buying the AMD triple versus having to order online, but maybe getting better specs.

If the AMD triple seems to be fair at 800, and has the Nvidia gfx card, I might just get it, unless I am looking at a decent up-spec by buying online?

Would processor speed affect gaming even though both the tosibas I am looking at use the same GFX card? Probably a stupid question, but using CAD and Photoshop I never seem to have any trouble so I am less concerned about their performance.

Stercus Accidit

Voodu Child wrote: »

i5 seems faster in every respect, single-threaded and multi-threaded.

Where can you find that sort of info? I don't know what most of it means so would you be able to compare the i3 to the AMD?

Several comparible machines have i3 and if you could tell me where it exceeds the amd that would be great, thanks.

Voodu Child

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Where can you find that sort of info? I don't know what most of it means so would you be able to compare the i3 to the AMD?

Several comparible machines have i3 and if you could tell me where it exceeds the amd that would be great, thanks.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

Its twice as fast on single-threaded stuff like SuperPi, and a slightly faster in most multi-threaded stuff.

So even though the AMD has 3 cores, the dual-core i3 is faster in every aspect.

Stercus Accidit

Voodu Child wrote: »

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

Its twice as fast on single-threaded stuff like SuperPi, and a slightly faster in most multi-threaded stuff.

So even though the AMD has 3 cores, the dual-core i3 is faster in every aspect.

Thats very helpful thanks.

Stercus Accidit

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=ECE2047436#spec

I am looking at this lad now, it has the dedicated gfx card(PCI Express - ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 HyperMemory), i3 processor, and I have a 2GB stick of ram I could install myself.

I might go for this one then, seems better than the original machine, and is an irish based company and is a little cheaper.

Looks good?

Here is a slightly cheaper but apparantly similarly specced machine http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=WCEPSK1KE00N013EN#spec why is it cheaper in particular? I am worried it will be lacking some obscure but necessary function!

Stercus Accidit

Quick Q,

Here are the spec pages for two graphics cards, please tell me which is the superior card, I tried to find them on a comparisson website but they seem not to be listed, at least as I saw them.

One is the Nvidia Geforce http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gt_330m_us.html

The other is ATI http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/GRAPHICS/ATI-MOBILITY-HD-5700/Pages/hd-5650-specs.aspx

If you can compare these, I am very close to making my decision on a machine, thanks for all the help lads.

Voodu Child

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Quick Q,

Here are the spec pages for two graphics cards, please tell me which is the superior card, I tried to find them on a comparisson website but they seem not to be listed, at least as I saw them.

One is the Nvidia Geforce http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gt_330m_us.html

The other is ATI http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/GRAPHICS/ATI-MOBILITY-HD-5700/Pages/hd-5650-specs.aspx

If you can compare these, I am very close to making my decision on a machine, thanks for all the help lads.

HD5650 is faster than Nvidia GT330M. Vantage scores are a good bit higher and it will outperform the GT330M in most modern games.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

Stercus Accidit

Voodu Child wrote: »

HD5650 is faster than Nvidia GT330M. Vantage scores are a good bit higher and it will outperform the GT330M in most modern games.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

Brilliant thanks,

I am down to this http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=ECE2047436#spec and this http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=WCEPSK1KE00N013EN#spec

I will buy one or the other I think, one is a few quid cheaper, is there any reason why that you can see?

I'd say I am decided after this and will be ordering when I can