Hey all, I'm looking for a laptop that I can use when I'm away from home (which is often). I have about 900 dollars to spend, give or take 100. The one thing that is very important to me is being able to play some games. I am willing to give up any other frills in the process. The games are obviously not going to be too new, probably just world of warcraft, some sims2, and maybe some half life 2 level games. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

any laptop with at least 2GB of memory, and at least a 2.0GHz dual core and probably an 8600GT go video card will suit you plenty. I love my Dell, and i have never owned a pre-built desktop before.

any laptop with a 8600m will be good for you. I suggest HP and ACER

I seem to be having a tricky time finding one for a grand that has the 2.0ghz, 8600 gpu, and the 2gigs of memory. Found one that was close but it only has 1 gig of ram. Any specific suggestions by chance?

you can have a look at the Dell Inspiron 1420, it has 2.4GHz CPU, 1440x900 LCD, 128MB 8400M GS, 3GB DDR2, 320GB HDD. A recent deal on it is $909.

Hi guys..
i'm newbie here, may i join this thread?
i also looking for a laptop between $1000 with the same specs as penta do..
(at least 2,0 GHz C2D; 8600GT GPU)

@boonality & tekzor:
Could u give us the specific suggestion?

i've tried to search in dell, acer, n HP oficial website but didn't find exactly what u suggest..

thx..
(i'm so sorry if my english is bad.. thx.. XD)

You can go with 1gb ram easily if you are only going to play WoW and HL2. If you later want to play something newer you can install more at will.

don't get 1gb of ram if you want to run vista well. 2gb should be the minimum these days. Take a look at dell, you can get a laptop for under $1000 with an 8600m gt. Did you look at the Vostro models?

I think part of his point was to buy it with 1gb and then buy 2gbs on your own, since in most cases it's cheaper. Just be warned that doing so may void the warranty.

Dell still is offering XP on some models as well.

Guys, i found this @newegg.com..

ASUS F8 Series F8Sp-X1 Intel Core 2 Duo T5750(2.00GHz) 14" Wide XGA 3GB Memory 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 NoteBook - Retail
* Pre-installed ATI 3650 1GB VRAM
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
* CPU Type: Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2.0G
* Screen: 14" WXGA
* Memory Size: 3GB DDR2
* Hard Disk: 250GB
* Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi
* Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
* Video Memory: 1024MB
* Model #: F8Sp-X1
* Item #: N82E16834220303

The Price is $969.99 + $16.65..

Is it Good enough?
N what is the meaning of "Pre-installed ATI 3650"?
How good is the GPU (HD 3650) compared to 8600GT?
N what is the difference between T5750 2.0G vs. T7100 2.0G (Santa Rossa platform)? Is it only about the FSB or else? And how is the performance difference?

@lostandwandering:
Thx dude.. XD

@dmacfour)
Thx.. I've looked at the vostro models, i think it's good.. But how about the one i've found @newegg.com?

(I'm sorry if i'm double posting...)

Good enough for what? If you want to game, it will be ok for most of today's current titles with decent settings with Crysis being an exception. For movie playing and web/office stuff, it'll be fine.

Not entirely sure what they mean by "pre-installed" since most laptops come with a graphics card anyway. They might mean that it doesn't use a modular slot and thus can't be upgraded later on (you'd have a hard time doing that anyway).

The 3650 and 8600 are about the same at least in terms of benchmarks. I would imagine that they would game similarly as well.

The T5750 is a 2.ghz, 667mhz FSB, 2mb cache, 65nm CPU. The T7100 is a 1.8ghz, 800mhz FSB, 2mb cache, 65nm CPU. The T5750 would actually be a better CPU because of its higher clock speed in this case.