buying a laptop Created 16 years ago2007-09-16 17:41:09 UTC by Jokerboy

Hey im looking to buy a laptop. My budgets kind of low I dont want to spend more than $1100. I basically just want a laptop that can run CSS really good.

The specs i want at minimum are:
                -2gb ram
                -dual-core processor 2.0ghz
                -17in screen

The size of the hard drive doesnt really matter. So I was just wondering if any of you all could help me pick a good one out or give me any suggestions. Links would help a lot. And I would be happier with windows xp instead of windows vista.

thanks

Even ebay or craigslist will have laptops like that starting at $1300.

With $1100 total, you could get a laptop with an Intel X3100 and deal with low settings (DX7 lol).

ive seen plenty thsi price their not dells or anything but they have those specs

Then why haven't you bought them?

just waiting to get the right one i dont even have all that money yet jsut my birthdays coming up and im getting a job at the end of the month

You're after some really high specs for that money... they're laptops, not desktops. If you do find those specs for that then watch out coz another feature of it will suffer, such as the video card.

Basically, with that budget Id recommend heading over to Acer's bargain bin, sorry but I just dont rate your chances too high.

well than how much do you all think im going to have to pay. and jsut for the record im not looking at gameing laptops or anything

You are, you want something that can run Counter-Strike: Source well. That's pretty intensive gaming.

I have a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 (and every time I start up CSS it tells me my video card is expired) and I used to have 512mb ram then i recently upgraded it to 1gb ram. CSS ran fine with 512mb ram (although I couldnt open up anything else) and the graphics dont bother me to much. In fact the main reason I want the laptop is to bring it places. So considering those specs were good enough, what specs do you think I should get on my laptop for the price I listed.

(and every time I start up CSS it tells me my video card is expired)

I'm sure it tells you your drivers are out of date. I mean, if it's telling you your card is old, then it must suck.

Well, I've been looking into buying a new laptop because my current laptop chokes on the high-end graphic effects in CSS and HL2 + Ep1 and it then spits them out as white colours. Your budget is unreasonable. You will not be able to get a powerful enough computer to run the high-end graphics of HL2. And Episode 2 looks like it is going to kill your machine (and mine). I am looking at getting at least a 2 Ghz Dual Core Processor, at least 1gb ram, and aim for a 100gb-min harddrive + then attaching my current 80gb external harddrive, dvd player/burner, USB optical mouse, headphones+microphone, external LCD screen (45cm min). Don't look into buying a laptop with a large screen. After examining the prices, you are looking at an extra $1000(australian) just for a larger screen. You can then go buy a decent Plasma or LCD flatscreen monitor for about $300-$800 dollars. This setup will probably cost me around $2500-$3000 but you need to look at spending at least $2000 for a decent machine.