Buying a computer

[Carl5872]

Ok so Im buying a new laptop because my old one wont play civV well. I was looking at the alienware m17x and wanted to know the forums opinion on it. I know absolutely nothing about laptops and was hoping some of you computer gurus could help me out.

 

[Dedrytus]

Hi! Maybe it help you a little bit. My laptop: Intel i3 (M330, 2.13GHz), 4Mb Ram, Win7 64bit, Moblity Radeon 5650. Civ5 works fine with standard map on high settings (except anti-aliasing which is off) in resolution 1366x768. Anything better than this configuration should work just fine.

 

[Maktaka]

Alienware's customer service took a nosedive after being bought out by Dell, I wouldn't recommend them. They're very quick to want you to ship them the computer (at your expense of course) when problems arise and tend to be unresponsive.

 

[Carl5872]

Alienware's customer service took a nosedive after being bought out by Dell, I wouldn't recommend them. They're very quick to want you to ship them the computer (at your expense of course) when problems arise and tend to be unresponsive.

Where would you recommend buying a laptop?

 

[Dark_Jedi06]

Get a new desktop; more bang for your buck!

 

[Maktaka]

Where would you recommend buying a laptop?

Is this meant to have a useful battery life, or is it a desktop replacement where horsepower is the only concern?

 

[Carl5872]

Is this meant to have a useful battery life, or is it a desktop replacement where horsepower is the only concern?

Its meant to be a portable desktop. I don't care how much the thing weighs or how short the battery life is bc I will always be using it by a plug. I know that desktops are a better value, but I want to be able to take it all over, so I need a laptop.

I want to be able to play it on the highest settings, and turn on all those graphics options (shade and water detail, anti-alaising etc.) My budget is about $2,500.

My previous computer had compatibility issues with its graphics card, and would frequently freeze to black in the middle of games, and sometimes even youtube videos, so obviously I want to avoid this.

Any suggestions on specific laptops would be greatly appreciated.

Although I know very little on computers, I am an accountant and can offer you guys free tax advice as a thank you for laptop info.

 

[h0ncho]

Alienwares are way overpriced for what they are; essentially you'll pay heaps just for the brand. Look elsewhere.

 

[Maktaka]

AVADirect has an excellent customer service history and a VERY highly reviewed line of desktop replacement laptops. They put a freaking i7 in those beasts, and they go up to 18.4" on the screen size.

Reviews:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/avadirect_d900f
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/avadirect_x8100_review

Links:
http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=16237
http://notebooks.avadirect.com/Gaming_Notebooks

 

[Carl5872]

AVADirect has an excellent customer service history and a VERY highly reviewed line of desktop replacement laptops. They put a freaking i7 in those beasts, and they go up to 18.4" on the screen size.

Reviews:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/avadirect_d900f
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/avadirect_x8100_review

Links:
http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=16237
http://notebooks.avadirect.com/Gaming_Notebooks

Thanks for the links! Ill have to look at these in more detail after work

 

[Carl5872]

I saw this processor: Intel® Core™ i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache)

CivV recommends a 1.8 quad core processor on its box.

Im not sure what turbo mode is, so I don't know if this processor will consistently exceed the expectations, or if running in turbo mode is bad, and can only sustain itself for short amounts of time.

Can anyone explain if this is a good choice for me if I want to play CIV V at the best possible settings?

 

[Maktaka]

Turbo Mode allows a single core of a multi-core CPU to automatically overclock in cases where not all cores are being leveraged, which is most of the time as most applications are still single-threaded. It's not user-controllable other than turning it on and off, and it'll default to on.

CPU power will primarily be leveraged for time between turns in CiV and load times. The former is single threaded while the latter is multithreaded. I wouldn't worry about going higher than a 740QM, the price isn't worth it and the performance penalty (if any) will be negligible.