Help... looking for new laptop for SL

i bought an Asus X53SR laptop on monday having been told it would work with games like SL,

i set it all up and dl SL so i could play on better graphics (ATI Radeon HD X2400) but as soon as i logged in it just crashed! completely shut my laptop down and restarted itself. i got the message "the problem was caused by Windows vista please download vista service pack 1" so i did after about 4 crashes, i also downloaded the latest drivers for the card, this seemed to solve the problem, untill i tried to walk then it just crahsed.... i took it back to the shop where the "techguys" had a look at it for me... after 7 hours of them downloading all the stuff i had already done they told me i had to either pick a different one or get a complete refund.... i thought this was really good because he would be there to talk me through which ones would be good but.... he sent out the youngest "shelf stacker" out with a pice of paper with Graphics numbers on he had no idea what they were for... every one i picked the techguy told me it wouldnt work.... i'd have to look more towards the £800 range...

i'm asking here cos of the fact that you know what i play and what my laptop needs! also... if its just a vista-SL thing then please let me know so i know i'm not going mad!

i found a laptop i quite like http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0049416356.1207842295@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadedkkdjheecflgceggdhhmdfho.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=752059&category_oid=-27749
i think it should work but i dont want to buy it and it wont.

if you dont think that will work... please point me in the right direction as i'm completely confused!!!

The laptop you like, basicly has the same setup as my home system as for processor and graphics are conserned, only difference is that I use XP.

So in theory, it should work, if not, my thoughts go to Vista as the source of the problem.

I have the same problem. Vista is apparently hugely incompatable, so that's one problem. I can't say what one to buy, but have 2 GIGS of RAM, and at least a 512 video card. Aparently havok 4 compatable. Mine is no longer cmpatable and I just bought my video card last year. So I am feeling your pain here.

the problem with laptops.... is even i the specs look the same as another, or some desktop... it doesn't mean it will work. Often the drivers for the desktop versions will not work for the laptops and you are completely at the mercy of the laptop manufacturer to update their drivers. Most, if not all, will have drivers that are usually 6 months to a year old. Your best bet is to find a laptop with an intel chipset (can usually always use intel chipset drivers) and an nvidia card that you can find info on that says it can run the nvidia.com drivers, not requiring the laptop manufacturer drivers.

or you could just get a nice big 17" Macbook Pro very yummy machine, even if you only run Windows on it.... but I'm sure your looking for a lesser/cheaper machine.

It's probably a Vista issue. I have a similar HP Laptop (DV9410 Nvidia go 6150) and is runs SL adequetly for my needs. Of course I dumped Vista and went back to XP. Of course that means the fancy buttons don't have drivers and are now useless. Which is no big deal, they just start media player and HP's quickplay.

I actually chatted with a teck friend for a large part of the night about this problem. I am having troubles as well. I posted some hardware specs, but he also said that ATI video cards are crap in SL, unfortunately I have one. The new Windlight is lagging it really badly. He did say that nVidia cards work the best, he thought so anyway. Hope that helps

Ive run sl on a number of lappys, right now Im on a sony viao vgn-fe41s. It runs sl superbly, in fact better than hubbys PC which was top spec last year. Try and get one with Nvidia graphics, at least 128 and NOT onboard and at least 2mb ram. Hope you find something that works for you!

ok. thanks for all the help.
i have found a del 1520, has nVIDIA geforce go 8600 (dedicated), 2 gig RAM, the tech guys saw no reason as to why it shouldnt work... only thing was.... not in stock! just have to put up with jerky graphics for a few days till they get it and i can pick it up... might get it all sorted in store with SL just to be sure.
if its a vista thing i'll get XP on it. and wait till vista works propperly.

I'm also considering a laptop and was about to ask for recommendations on what works and what doesn't from anyone out there currently running SL on a laptop. Yana, that Dell is pretty much at the top of my list at the moment. Get back to us and let us know how it works for you OK?

Thanks!

If your going to buy a laptop buy one that will be generally compatible for most games if possible but for god's sake dont blow a chunk of money on one to play a single game thats on a downward spiral for poor performance. *shakes head*

I have an ATI graphics card and it used to crash all the time in sl after some time. I disabled Ati Catylyst A.I. and it doesn't. So before you go and buy another laptop, try disabling the Catylyst A.I.

the Dell with Vista works prefectly! brilliant graphics and not a single crash or freeze (touch wood)

I'm still waiting for a green light from my peers on the Vista fiasco. Though many say its ready to rock, Ive heard just as many say 'hold that thought'. One thing for sure, avoid the 64bit version of Vista. Its definately not ready for the big time, and has many nuisances at this juncture. For example, many complain that when a driver has not been officially signed by Microsoft, you cant just click " run it anyway" like you do with XP, cus it will NOT work at all. As for graphics cards, N'Vidia seems to be a Secondlife favorite. In fact, Ive had ATI cards in the past, and Nvidia always performed better with most of my software. In addition, I've found that tweaking programs like the 'Rivatuner' (google it) have made my NVidia card even more user friendly, especially when solving SL problems like flashing textures or unrezzing textures.