Inexpensive Laptop Video card requirements?

I'm looking for a reasonably priced laptop that I want to make sure will run SL. Obviously discreet video cards usually add $200-$300 to the price. I would prefer to stay under $800US total cost for the laptop. Can someone tell me if some of the integrated Intel etc cards will run SL reasonably well? I don't need the highest level of video, just enough to exist in SL with reasonable function.

I'd avoid Intel graphics like the plague. You can get a laptop with a discrete video card in your price range.

My favorite laptop maker is ASUS. They're the only manufacturer of notebooks in the world who also happens to be a manufacturer of video cards and motherboards. As such, they're able to offer far more bang for the buck than anyone else.

For $800, here's a great option: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220389

My girlfriend just got one in the same series, and it's fantastic. Hers has a better CPU and faster FSB (for $300 more), but graphics-wise, they're the same. I'm pretty amazed at how well this little machine runs SL. With almost all settings maxed, 256M draw distance, anisotropic filtering enabled, and 2x anti-aliasing, it gets 15-30 FPS on the mainland. With more modest settings, it would be much faster still, but I can't stand seeing lumpy objects and jagged edges, so I only tested with high settings.

I'm not quite sure how much the lower end processor in the $800 version would cut SL performance, but I doubt it would be all that much. With the same amount of RAM and the same video card, the speed is likely to be pretty close.

http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=320

same thing as above but slightly larger screen

i just got me a hp pavillion dv5-1140eg, has a geforce 9600m, runs windlight at "ultra" with 25-50 fps depending on what you look at. costs 799 euro over here in germany.

That's not a bad find, but I'd hardly call it the "same thing" as the ASUS I linked. It's somewhat similar, but really not equivalent.

First, it's only got half the video memory of the ASUS, and has a 10% slower GPU. Second, it's got nowhere near the connectivity Unless I'm missing something, the iBUYPOWER comes with no HDMI, no firewire, no eSATA, less USB ports, no Bluetooth. The ASUS comes with all. Further, the card reader in the iBUYPOWER is just 3-in-1 while the ASUS's is 8-in-1. Also, the warranties aren't even close. iBUYPOWER only gives you 1 year parts & labor, while ASUS gives you 2 years parts & labor, 2 years accidental damage, and 30 days zero-dead-pixels.

Additionally, not that it's a huge deal, but ASUS gives you a free mouse. iBuypower makes you pay for one. It's only a difference of a few bucks, either way, so as I said, not really a big deal, except in principle.

For roughly the same price, the ASUS is a far superior machine. The iBUYPOWER does have a potential saving grace in that it has configuration options, while the ASUS is pre-configured, but those options of course increase the price, putting it out of the OP's stated range.




Too bad 799 Euros translates to over $1100 US. The OP was trying to stay under $800.

Also, that particular model is not offered in the US, from what I can tell. The closest DV5 configuration available in the US comes out around $1100, which makes perfect sense, I guess. Again, though, it's well above the maximum price the OP stated (not to mention, it's not as full-featured as that ASUS I linked).



I hate to sound like such a one-note fanboy, but really, nobody else comes close ASUS's feature per dollar ratio.

Much appreciated. Here's another ASUS that looks very interesting. On sale right now (12/31/0 at Best Buy for $699 US

Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black/Coppery Gold
Model: X83Vb-X1 | SKU: 9050242
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T5800; 4GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 14.1" widescreen; 250GB hard drive; built-in webcam; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1

The graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS. This should be a good set up shouldn't it?

We actually looked at that very one at Best Buy. We decided against it for three reasons:

1. The GeForce 9300 is a very low-end card. It's better than integrated Intel graphics, of course, but not by much. I would not recommend it for SL.

2. She hated the color of the case, which was a showstopper in and of itself. She's not very technically inclined, doesn't care nearly as much about what's under the hood as whether or not it's "pretty".

3. The reason Best Buy is able to sell ASUS laptops so cheaply is because they don't come with the good ASUS warranty. All you get is 1 year parts and labor, and from what I've heard, not the same level of phone support either. Their stuff is pretty solid, so there's a good chance it won't matter in the end, but still, it's a machine. Machines break, especially ones that get lugged around from place to place. Warranties are important.

Newegg and other online retailers are far better than Best Buy for this type of thing.

Many thanks for your comments.