Laptops

[air_head]

Will RCT3 run on this laptop that I'm thinking of buyin?

Specs:
CPU: AMD Sempron 2800+
Windows XP Home
512MB DDR RAM
40GB HDD
64MB nVidia Go5200

[mandible]

Mind the lag! Cut down details. :frownblue :cry:

[eddie_4720]

It will work on your laptop but only just. You'll have to make your laptop the quickest it can be and you might want to make yourself a cup of tea while its loading.

[Silkius]

Just to show I am probably the oldest git on the forum.
My dad always told me 'you get what you pay for and there isn't really any such thing as a true bargin'

To which in the world of PC's/Laptops I have 'nearly' always found to be true. (even though it hasn't stopped me trying) When I have built/bought pc's on a budget - and skimped on tech over other items - they have never lasted or performed upto standard.

Items like the laptop you are looking at (and celeron PC's) are great if all you want to do is run office type applications, surf the web, and play simple games that do not require heavy gaming tech.

I never buy full on latest but find out what it would take to be full on and try to step back one or two steps (with the option to upgrade at least two steps past full on) the resulting performance is still good but you aren't paying through the nose just to be in the lead (i.e. a 3.0 P4 is considerably cheaper than a 3.4 P4) - This is why - even If I am not self building I will buy from somwhere that will config a PC/Laptop for me rather than buy a boxed one from a shop. This way you can normally dump thew stuff you don't really need in favour of what you do.

Make sure it has space for more RAM that is easy to buy - and if you want to game on it you really need to make sure the GFX card is as good as you can afford.

Also (IMO) this 'isn't' the time of year to buy one - if you can hold out to end of Jan - you can often find some very good deals - if you shop around.

I know that isn't what you want to hear (but its true) -

[eddie_4720]

A friend of mine is thinking of buying a powerful laptop thats thin and light. There is no such thing as a powerful laptop thats thin and light. I agree with Silkius but its only a matter of time before there are laptops that fufil a PC spec. The thing thats lacking form laptops is a decent graphics card that is over 256MB and a good cooling system. But there has been a Dell XPS released in America with 3.6Ghz P4 processor, 2GB Ram, 256MB graphics ect, ect. Just waiting for the technology to come to the UK.

[ChrisA]

although saying that semrpons arent as bad as celerons they are basically the athlon xps with a stripped down L2 Cache

[Silkius]

Originally posted by ChrisA
they are basically the athlon xps with a stripped down L2 Cache

problem is: games like this make a lot of use of that cache - when you laod a park, a lot of that text you see relating to park items is the items being loaded into cache - also so we don't get that waiting to render booxiness thta games like sc4 give you when you scroll

@ eddie: you already can get laptops that will match pc's - check out a company called alienware - (my fave PC builders) but you don't want to look at the price :eekblue:

[ChrisA]

alienwares ahhh nice machines but the pricetag stings majorly and i know L2 cache is good i was just saying semprons arent too bad compared to celerons

[Silkius]

Oh I agree Chris - likewise I was just trying to warn that it will still probably fall on its knees if you try and run games like this beauty on anything but basic game specs

I don't have an alienware PC myself - but I've seen them in action and just drooll a little when I get the newsletters. (one day....:rolleyes: )

[ChrisA]

you could build the equivalent for around half the price of an alienware and nowadays you can get cases that look quite like alienware cases a desktop that is i wudnt like to try and build a laptop far to fiddly for my tastes