Core 2 Duo laptop w/good graphics

[lorthus]

I made a thread a few days ago about getting a Core 2 Duo Laptop or a Core Duo, and some people were saying that it was better to get a Core Duo with good graphics.
Now Dell is offering their E1505 w/ Core 2 Duo for an extra $100.00 and you can add an ATI X1400 256MB or a 256MB Geforce Go 7300 Turbocache .
You can get all that for under $999.00 with a 7200RPM hard drive which isn't bad for a laptop...

But anyway, as far as graphics go for a laptop is the ATI better than the Geforce ???

thanks

 

[lorthus]

I was just building a laptop for myself and this is the build I came up with:

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66Ghz w/2MB Cache
Windows XP Media Center w/reinstalation CD
15.4" Wide Screen XGA w/True Life
512MB DDR2 1 DIMM
256MB NVIDIA Geforce Go 7300 Turbocache
60GB 7200RPM Sata Hard Drive
8X DVDRW w/double layer
Intel Pro Wireless and Bluetooth

Everything was price at $1,112.00 bu then I used a coupon to get %20 off and it ame out to be $889.60

Coupon Code : TMLZVFQ44WR72D If any1 is interested

* The reason why I only have 512MB of ram is because dell charges close to $300.00 to upgrade from 512 to 2GB and I can get 2GB myself for less than $160.00 and sell the 512 on ebay so basically you get the same system I got up there with 2GB of ram for about $999 - $1,100

I don't think there's any other laptop with that price range that can come close to this specs.
Anyway if you know a better deal than this please let me know, thanks

 

[mpjesse]

Funny you ask because I just got my new C2D laptop from Alienware. Here's the configuration:

Area51 m5750
Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz
60GB 5400 rpm drive
512MB of DDR2-667
Ati Radeo Mobility x1800 (256MB dedicated)
WinXP Media Center
17 inch UWXGA screen (the upgraded one)
8X DL DVDRW/CDRW
Alienware T-Shirt

Total cost was $1985 w/ shipping (which was a ridiculous $99!!!)

Now... what I did was upgrade the memory and hard drive on my OWN. I bought 2GB of DDR-533 from newegg (4-4-4 timings) for $168 and a 120GB 7200rpm drive from newegg for $130. I took out the stuff alienware put in and put the new stuff from newegg in. Worked like a frigin charm. I recommend you go this route. I saved about $400 doing it that way. Interestingly enough, the laptop was extremely easy to upgrade. Both the hard drive and memory slots are easy to get to. All you gotta do is remove a panel from the bottom of the laptop which are held in by screws.

I benched 3DMark06 on it and got about 3,000 3dmarks. I also ran some high end ATI demo's and they ran pretty damn smooth. I haven't played a hard core game on it (like Prey), but I plan to this weekend. Judging from my 3dmark06 score, Prey should run over 30fps at 1024x768 easily. I'll let you know how Prey runs.

And it's a GORGEOUS laptop too. It's big, but what can u expect w/ a 17 inch screen? It's not very thick though. No thicker than my old Dell Precision M60 Centrino.

 

[mpjesse]

I was just building a laptop for myself and this is the build I came up with:

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66Ghz w/2MB Cache
Windows XP Media Center w/reinstalation CD
15.4" Wide Screen XGA w/True Life
512MB DDR2 1 DIMM
256MB NVIDIA Geforce Go 7300 Turbocache
60GB 7200RPM Sata Hard Drive
8X DVDRW w/double layer
Intel Pro Wireless and Bluetooth

Everything was price at $1,112.00 bu then I used a coupon to get %20 off and it ame out to be $889.60

Coupon Code : TMLZVFQ44WR72D If any1 is interested

* The reason why I only have 512MB of ram is because dell charges close to $300.00 to upgrade from 512 to 2GB and I can get 2GB myself for less than $160.00 and sell the 512 on ebay so basically you get the same system I got up there with 2GB of ram for about $999 - $1,100

I don't think there's any other laptop with that price range that can come close to this specs.
Anyway if you know a better deal than this please let me know, thanks

For gaming, I recommend one stays away from the nVidia 7300/7600 and Radeon x1400/1600 solutions. They do fine at low resolutions, but if you want to play a game like Prey or HL2: Episode 1... those solutions aren't going to cut it. In other words, modern games aren't going to do very well on low end nVidia and ATI solutions. Well meaning > or = to 30fps at 1024x768

 

[angry_ducky]

The Alienware Area-51 m5750 is a 17" C2D laptop that comes with a Mobility Radeon X1800.

EDIT: Mpjesse beat me to it

 

[angry_ducky]

Area51 m5750
Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz
60GB 5400 rpm drive
512MB of DDR2-667
Ati Radeo Mobility x1800 (256MB dedicated)
WinXP Media Center
17 inch UWXGA screen (the upgraded one)
8X DL DVDRW/CDRW
Alienware T-Shirt

What's the resolution of that screen? Games will probably look weird because you can't run them at the native resolution.

And it's a GORGEOUS laptop too. It's big, but what can u expect w/ a 17 inch screen? It's not very thick though. No thicker than my old Dell Precision M60 Centrino.

How much does it weigh?

 

[crazypyro]

i am looking at a new laptop myself, i went to Dell and built an Inspiron e1705

Intel Core 2 Duo T2700 (2.0GHZ)
Ultra Bright 17" screen
1gb DDR 533
80GB Hard drive
8x DVD-R/RW DL
nVidia 7900GS
Integrated Audigy Sound Blaster

$1,637, plus with my $300 discount it comes in just under $1,400

i did a few bumps to it like the CPU, screen, DVD drive, vid card, and sound card... but overall very nice, i should enjoy it when i order it next week

 

[mpjesse]

I just took these a few minutes ago.

It's actually (I think) a little lighter than my old Precision M60. Anyways, it's definitely a notebook. You wouldn't wanna pop this baby open on an airplane unless you're in first class.

 

[mpjesse]

That's a fantastic deal mate. Get it! It's a better deal than my Alienware lappy. 7900GS is a good gaming card.