Buying Laptop - Please Help

Hello -

I'm converting from a Mac to a PC. Please help me pick a computer that will run FAST with great GRAPHICS (i.e. Windlight). Specs scare me so if you could speak in "layman's" terms that would be nice.

Here are my rules:
1. It must be a Laptop.
2. It must be <$2000 US.
3. It must be a DELL (I am a HUGE fan, as I had a Dell for 10 years before moving to Mac.)
4. It must be capable of running SL pretty much right out of the box.


I'm interested in the XPS M1730. Specs below:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache, Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 320GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor, and NVIDIA®SLI™Dual GeForce®8700MGT with 512MB GDDR3 Memory.

Questions:
1. What has been your experience in SL with this computer?
2. Is there a better system for me? (Please provide links)
3. What is the AGEIA PhysX™ 100M Processor? Does it make a difference?
4. Is this a computer that will run SL for at least the next 2 years?

Thank you!

I'm not a laptop fan so count me out on advice............EXCEPT:
Spend another $40 US for a cooling pad!!!!

Looks good to me. You might consider a few extra dollars, and install Windows XP.

Thank you for posting Peggy. Is there a cooling pad brand you recommend? And excuse me if this sounds silly, but how do they work? Do you put them on the pad when they are heating up, or do you leave it on the pad at all times? The reason I'm asking is that I move my laptop around a lot.




Thank you Lee for that tip. Have you had issues with Vista and SL? If so, what should I expect if I use that OS?

I have had quite a few people come to my workshop who have bought laptops with Vista installed. In a short time the computer has slowed to a crawl, wiping and reinstalling clears that, and the laptop runs fine again, for a while.
Installing WinXP Pro usually cures the problems, the computer runs faster, and without all the annoying " are you sure you want to do that?" messages. )
However, there is a problem with some newer computers, they are no longer supported by XP, so you have to search around for compatible video and sound drivers etc.

As far as the cooling pad goes, it is basically a stand that has extra cooling fans built in, and since SL causes massive heating in any laptop video card and high CPU heat as well, it does make a big difference. Use it any time you use SL

You may find that there is software control of CPU and video settings that automatically turn the settings down to conserve battery life, something that is worth looking at.

If you are going to use a laptop on mains power most of the time, run it on battery once every few weeks and let the battery run down completely and then recharge, this will extend battery life as batteries have a tendency to develop a "memory" and that will cut down the time the machine will run on its battery.

SL will always run better on a desktop machine because of many reasons, the main one being better cooling in a larger space. A desktop machine of comparable spec to a laptop will also be around 25% of the price of a laptop.

Thank you for the information, it was very helpful! So, now I'm thinking a bit more about the desktop. Please disregard if this is a silly question... Could I get a desktop that is slightly portable, where the "computer" bits are on the floor in a large tower but I use a nearby laptop style display and keyboard? /me runs and hides out of embarrassment...

hahaha dont hide

It is not easy to move the screen around, but a wireless keyboard and mouse will make at least that part portable.I use a small wheeled unit for my tower and screen at home, I have a longish network cable and mains cable which means I can move it in front of whatever chair I choose to sit on

The computer you posted has 4GB of RAM, if you want to use it all, you'll need a 64-bit OS.

You'll only get 3GB of that in XP Pro. There's a 64-bit version of XP, but driver support is poor compared to Vista.

AGEIA PhysX is just a processor to handle physics calculations. the software must support it for it to do anything. There are some games that support it and it helps a ton, but I'm not sure its worth the extra money unless you use a program (not SL) that really needs it.

i really dont understand the question based on your requirements

2 grand budget, and it must be a dell ... WELL go buy a 2000$ dell, how hard is it?

Thank you very much Taff, its good to know that even desktop users like to be portable!




Hmmm, let me try to figure out. 4GB isn't going to help me if I run XP, only if I run Vista? Does Vista + SL = Bad?




Oh, that was very helpful! Thank you!



Well, I don't understand why you needed to post that A little bit snarky if you ask me. And, maybe posts like yours are why many people don't go and ask for help. Interesting since it seems you post a lot. Way to make a new poster feel small and stupid.

My questions were specific to how SL would run with the computer I listed, and asking if other options are available. And, there are about 100 different computers on the Dell site alone. Many of the new ones have graphics cards that are NOT listed on the recommended page from SL support. I'm not a computer person at all, and I just simply want a system that will work well with SL right out of the box with great customer support (and an educators discount). So, sorry if my questions somehow offended. Next time, choose not to post if you don't have anything helpful to say.

Don't let Osgeld get to you Vixie.......he's really quite harmless and he does know his stuff (damn him ). The graphics cards listed as "recogmended" on SL's requirements page are only the cards they have actually tested and found to work with SL. The people at Linden Lab have not tested anywhere near all the cards on the market......that would be a formidable task with new cards coming out almost daily. I don't pay much attention to ATI because I have nVidia so I can't say much in that direction. But, any card listed on the "recogmended" page plus pretty much any nVidia card that is 8000 or 9000 series will work. The higher the second number the more powerful the card for the series........example: A 8800 is more powerful than an 8600 card. I can vouch for the 8600 because that is the card I use. I know the 8800 is good too because of the posts here and other places. The 9800 also gets a lot of positive posts.

Getting a computer that is guaranteed to run SL "right out of the box" is a pretty tall order. No one can say any computer will run SL without some tweaking........it's the nature of each computer's individual configuration. Vista and SL play very nice together too. But if you are starving for RAM (like less than 2 gigs) you almost definitely will have a few problems. If you are going to run Vista (which I recommend) then make sure you have at least 2 gigs of RAM.........3 is better.

On the 32 bit vs 64 bit. If you are runing Vista the problems with getting drivers is not nearly as bad as with XP. At the present time very few programs are coded to use 64 bit so the gain is only in the ablilty to use more RAM.......up to 8 gigs while you are limited to 4 with 32 bit operating systems.

With a 2 k budget you can get a very nice custom built Dell by using their customize options. Start with a high end base and get a good graphics card (say a gForce 9800GTX) and then get a 600 watt power supply to run that card properly. With what's leftover on your budget get as much RAM as you can. Maybe an extra case fan or two.

To use more than 3GB of memory, you need the 64-bit version of either Windows XP or Vista.

The 64-Bit version of XP is a technological dead end. It runs SL very well, but driver support for it is kinda crappy. It never got much of a market share, and it doesn't have a bright future.

Driver support for Vista is practically the same with 32 and 64 bit. So if you want to use >3GB of memory, and things like your printer and scanner, you'll want Vista x64, not XP x64.

That was sooo helpful Peggy!! Thank you for taking the time to explain and the tip about Osgeld. To be honest, its hard to ask computer questions when you don't know much about them. And, posting here is a bit daunting. Like going to a MIT student and asking them to help you solve a long division problem. I'm sure they're thinking...idiot!

Peggy, I really appreciate your well written and thoughtful advice. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share. After reading Taff's mobile desktop rig - I'm now thinking of getting a desktop. Missy's advice about the AGEIA PhysX processor will definitely save me money. And, I asked more about Vista and SL thanks to Milla and Lee.

I am much more confident going forward with my purchase. Wish me luck!

Good luck