Considering getting a new laptop...

huitzilopochtli

... What can you recommend?

My needs are simple. I'd like to be able to play Dawn of War 2 and Age of Empires 3 (and maybe some other games, if I ever purchase more). I'd like to be able to go online (and browse without slowing to a crawl) and I'd like to be able to do my college work. And if I could get it for less than €400 that'd be great.

So, is €400 a reasonable budget? Could I get something decent for less? Would I be better waiting until I could afford more? Where's the best place to go?

I've been trying to decipher the technical stuff and I've got a list of things I think I might need, but I don't know a lot about laptops and would appreciate a more knowledgeable soul weighing in:

Dual core processor (AMD or Intel?)
2-4GB Ram
300-500GB hard drive
A graphics card (I haven't a clue what kind of card but I know it's important because the old family computer ain't got a good one.)

Am I on the right track regarding my technical requirements? Have I overestimated/underestimated my needs anywhere? What's the difference between processors and different graphics cards? Is there anything I've overlooked?

Any advice appreciated.
H

Alanstrainor

400 is really bottom of the barrel budget for a laptop.

That being said, Age of Empires 3 is pretty old, so pretty much anything should run it these days. But if you can wait a bit, I'd say it'd be worth the weight.

Torqay

Really depends on your gaming requirements. 387 yoyos will buy you a Core i3 Fujitsu laptop. But HD 3000 graphics isn't suitable for modern games. AoE 3 should be just fine tho.

huitzilopochtli

Torqay wrote: »

Really depends on your gaming requirements. 387 yoyos will buy you a Core i3 Fujitsu laptop. But HD 3000 graphics isn't suitable for modern games. AoE 3 should be just fine tho.

So am I looking for a HD4000 graphics card or....? I'd like to have the option to play some newer games.

Alanstrainor wrote: »

400 is really bottom of the barrel budget for a laptop.

That being said, Age of Empires 3 is pretty old, so pretty much anything should run it these days. But if you can wait a bit, I'd say it'd be worth the weight.

How much would you recommend? I'm happy enough to wait. Any particular brands that strike a compromise between what I'm looking for and price?

Torqay

huitzilopochtli wrote: »

So am I looking for a HD4000 graphics card or....? I'd like to have the option to play some newer games.

Although a slight improvement, Intel HD 4000 is not much of a gaming GPU. And for 400 yoyos you wouldn't find anything with a decent dedicated GPU

huitzilopochtli

Torqay wrote: »

Although a slight improvement, Intel HD 4000 is not much of a gaming GPU. And for 400 yoyos you wouldn't find anything with a decent dedicated GPU

Oh, I actually did not know there was such a thing as a HD 4000. I meant that to be a joke, illustrating the fact that I do not know what the different grades of graphics cards are. What kind of graphics card do I want?

Torqay

HD 3000 is the graphics chip (IGP) integrated in Sandy Bridge processors, HD 4000 is integrated in Ivy Bridge processors.

The Fujitsu for €387 I have linked above comes with a Core i3 2310M, a Sandy bridge CPU with Intel HD 3000 graphics.

Depending on the games you want to play, you'd be looking at least for a Nvidia GT 630M or better, you'll hardly find them in laptops under €600. But Intel HD 3000/4000 is a big step up from previous Intel graphics chips and they can run a lot of older games as long as they're not too demanding.

Alanstrainor

I was running Medal of Honour(the one release in 2010,) on my ultrabook with HD4000 graphics last night and it ran fine on low settings. Frame rates could have been better, but it's definitely playable.

huitzilopochtli

OK guys, thanks for your help. I'll be putting off getting it until I can afford something better and I'm a lot more confident in knowing what I want. Thanks again!