Does this have the stats to run the games I want?

JaysonFour

So I think I found a laptop that'll fit my budget. Dell has a package of:

XPS M1330

-Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor

-4 GB DDR2 memory, 500GB HD

-NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GX (128 MB) graphics card

-Windows Vista Home Premium SP1

-13.3" wide-screen display

All for a base price of $949.

Of course, I'm going to be installing WoW, CoH/CoV, and maybe something else- right after the antiviral gets done updating and getting set.

Does this setup have the power to run WoW, or should I change anything?

imperial6

That video card won't blow the doors off of anything, but that said it will run WoW on lowish settings. I'd be more worried about not being able to see anything on a tiny 13.3" screen.

Lucky Cynic

imperial6 wrote: »

That video card won't blow the doors off of anything, but that said it will run WoW on lowish settings. I'd be more worried about not being able to see anything on a tiny 13.3" screen.

It'd be a lower resolution most likely.

From the looks of it, yeah I think it would play both games fairly well. I would of course invest in a laptop fan board thing to keep the laptop running cool. A good battery always helps and of course, update drivers! The laptop isn't particularly beefy but the additional ram should help.

Jasconius

JaysonFour wrote: »

So I think I found a laptop that'll fit my budget. Dell has a package of:

XPS M1330

-Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor

-4 GB DDR2 memory, 500GB HD

-NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GX (128 MB) graphics card

-Windows Vista Home Premium SP1

-13.3" wide-screen display

All for a base price of $949.

Of course, I'm going to be installing WoW, CoH/CoV, and maybe something else- right after the antiviral gets done updating and getting set.

Does this setup have the power to run WoW, or should I change anything?

I have pretty much that same computer except one prior generation from Dell (Inspiron 1720).

It will run WoW on Medium-Low setting reasonably well. You'll be able to raid. I've never tried CoH on my laptop but if I recall correctly, CoH will run rather well, but CoV will be fussy... CoV is way more graphics intensive (not sure if they've ported the CoV map tiles to CoH).

It's not really a gaming machine. The 8400 chipset is there to get you by, not to serve as a replacement for the type of desktop system you could probably build in the 500-700 range. Don't expect to play anything more sophisticated than HL2, DoD, WoW, etc... things from that era. New stuff will crawl.

Jasconius

Another thing worth noting is that the 8400 mobile chipset that Dell uses, so far as I am aware, does not receive regular driver updates... which to me seems important. You will get updates directly from Dell and rarely from Windows Update, you can't go to Nvidia for drivers.

DHS Odium

I don't know if weight is a factor (it is for me), but have you considered Sager?
http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=91133&action=customize

That's has similar stats, but a much better videocard. Slightly less HDD space though. Larger screen, though depending on who you ask that's either a plus or a minus.

GMaster7

Yeah, I have a Dell XPS M1210 from last generation, which is basically what the M1330 replaced. I thought I was being very clever when I got it, and instead of getting a 15" or 17", opted for the tiniest option and just loaaaded it with all of the best options. The size itself is okay, and I like how portable it is, but it does have problems running newer games (that said, my unit itself is a bit of a lemon, and has had some specific issues since I got it). Still, for stuff like WoW and CoH, it's fine, and I've had no problem raiding with it or multitasking or whatever.

The reason I pop into this thread is to say that I've actually been considering a Sager, just based on what I've heard over the past few days, scouring forums and such. Seems like a cheaper alternative to something with a better-known brand name, and I don't need a lot of HDD space, so I can save a bit of money there. Is that what you have, DHS? Do you approve?

GMaster7

Jasconius wrote: »

Another thing worth noting is that the 8400 mobile chipset that Dell uses, so far as I am aware, does not receive regular driver updates... which to me seems important. You will get updates directly from Dell and rarely from Windows Update, you can't go to Nvidia for drivers.

Also, this. This blows. Shouldn't be hard to keep up with drivers, Dell, especially when I buy a gaming or multimedia PC. Come on.

Djeet

Jasconius wrote: »

Another thing worth noting is that the 8400 mobile chipset that Dell uses, so far as I am aware, does not receive regular driver updates... which to me seems important. You will get updates directly from Dell and rarely from Windows Update, you can't go to Nvidia for drivers.

You could check out laptopvideo2go.com. I used to get drivers there for my Lenovo system: Nvidia site drivers wouldn't fail to install and Lenovo's provided drivers trailed Nvidia's considerably.

Fishdert

Screen's too small, graphics card won't run anything spectacular beyond WoW or CoD, be warned right there. RAM's fine, most games will not use that much, and RAM is nice and cheap.

Other than that, processor's decent, I'm sure you're not running Crysis... Like I said, get a bigger screen. D:

DHS Odium

GMaster7 wrote: »

Yeah, I have a Dell XPS M1210 from last generation, which is basically what the M1330 replaced. I thought I was being very clever when I got it, and instead of getting a 15" or 17", opted for the tiniest option and just loaaaded it with all of the best options. The size itself is okay, and I like how portable it is, but it does have problems running newer games (that said, my unit itself is a bit of a lemon, and has had some specific issues since I got it). Still, for stuff like WoW and CoH, it's fine, and I've had no problem raiding with it or multitasking or whatever.

The reason I pop into this thread is to say that I've actually been considering a Sager, just based on what I've heard over the past few days, scouring forums and such. Seems like a cheaper alternative to something with a better-known brand name, and I don't need a lot of HDD space, so I can save a bit of money there. Is that what you have, DHS? Do you approve?

I don't have a Sager anymore. I use a desktop mainly, but I do have a netbook (1000HE). My brother bought a Sager in 2001, after several years he gave it to me. I sold it early 2008. Yes, it was alive and kicking seven years after it was bought. It seemed like a pretty solid machine, I only had it for less than a year before I sold it, but that lasted a long time.

Azio

Jasconius wrote: »

Another thing worth noting is that the 8400 mobile chipset that Dell uses, so far as I am aware, does not receive regular driver updates... which to me seems important. You will get updates directly from Dell and rarely from Windows Update, you can't go to Nvidia for drivers.

Actually, you can

kharvelan

never mind I'm dumb, just noticed this was a laptop

Malkor

what the jesus?

NVIDIA has drivers specifically for laptops cards? I've been blindly going to LaptopVideo2Go all this time!

edit: wait. nevermind.

Artreus

That is crazy, I got a dell vostro 1500

15" monitor
120GB HD
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz,
1 GB RAM (I upgraded to 2 for like $50 on my own, doing it on the website is way expensive)
Geforce 8600m GT (256 MB video card)

For about the same price over a year ago. There has got to be some way you can find a better deal or video card. This machine is starting to be a bit slow for my tastes, Fallout 3 chugs most of the time, Left4dead has been lagging on even low settings.

Now it could just be that I need to fix it or it is wearing down or something, but it used to be able to run bioshock on the highest settings with little to no lag. And that is of course with the better video card, so I would advise against getting a laptop with a video card that weak.


buut after going back and reading what you typed, you will be just fine playing WoW or most other MMOs with little problem. Hell, WoW will run on just about anything.

Jasconius

You can get 4GB of high performance laptop RAM now for under 50 dollars.

Artreus

yeah, that is why I am confused about how his laptop was so expensive. It doesn't seem to be that much better than my more-than-year-old laptop.

Stormwatcher

Wait a second, I used to run WoW on maxed settings on a Athlon 2800 Barton with a GF6600GT AGP, back in 2006. Did they upgrade the engine to be heavier?

Jasconius

Yes, the lighting/shadows engine has been completely overhauled, and most stuff in Northrend takes a little bit of juice to run at medium-high settings well.

Stormwatcher

Cool, now I'm gonna have to convince myself not to go back. Thanks

Azio

Malkor wrote: »

what the jesus?

NVIDIA has drivers specifically for laptops cards? I've been blindly going to LaptopVideo2Go all this time!

Well. It's just in the last few months that they've been offering notebook drivers. But yeah you don't have to go to that other site anymore.