Just... tell me what to buy

Really, most laptops are under $2100, and I can afford any (other than those insane Alienware things) because thats how much I have.

It must be a laptop.
It must be able to run SL better than I can on my current machine.
It must be able to run World of Warcraft. (not wc3, not oblivion, not cross gun fire whatever)
It must be rather far ahead of the requirements listed on the SL requirements page so that I won't be shelling out alot more money in the near future everytime SL updates. I want it to last a considerable amount of updates.

I've been everywhere, "justanswer.com" where you pay an "expert" for thier advice. "notebookreview.com" where there is so much second guessing and technical jargon i can't see straight. and i've been to every manufacturer site, reseller site, and comparison site except eBay because I don't want to buy from some an individual.

my current machine give me 11fps at the best of times. here are it's stats.
2003 17inch iMac 1ghz Powerpc G4; 768mb ram; OSX 10.3.9; nvidia geforce4 Mx 64mb, AGP bus.

It really doesn't matter to me if I get a windows pc or a mac, new Macs with Intel can run Windows OS now anyway. But that doesn't matter. I've had really bad experiences with Dell hardware and customer service, I really don't like them, however if that is the only machine on the face of the planet that can do these things, I'll buy it.

I just know that in the next update or the one after my machine won't be able to do it anymore, I can't compete in fun things like races or primitionary because of lag. Please just... tell me what to buy.

It's a 15.4 instead of a 17", but it's perfect.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7742927&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01174&id=1140393564933

Add another gig of RAM, have them bump the shared graphics on the X600 up to 384...
You'll then have 512 GPU RAM and just over 1.5 GB CPU RAM, along with an excellent processor.

As a builder and someone who has fixed several systems, you're wise to avoid Dell and Alienware is severely overpriced. Most Gateway stuff over the past few years has been pretty decent quality.

You won't go over your budget to get the Accidental Damage Handling, I'd suggest it.

And if you have them put on the AV software, get PC-Cillin, for the love of God... Not Norton.

thank you. i'll go to the store and check it out. i couldn't find a configure or customizer thing to add your suggestions so I'll just visit the local store.

/sigh. thanks. i hope this one will last me through many more versions of SL. It looks great so far, the graphics card I can't tell if it's new enough but it fits. ^_^

edit: uh-oh. i've been reading the jargon on another site and the laptop above has 4200rpm Hard drive where as I need at least a 5400rpm Hard drive... or is this inconsequential for what I'll be doing?

The less expensive version is (barely) in your price range, even after you add another $100 to the base price for extra RAM. It has a very good ATI Radeon X1600 graphics chip; about as good as laptop graphics currently get. (The low end version only has 128MB of video memory; the 256MB in the more expensive MacBook Pro systems is better, but perhaps not $500 better. And yes, I know that the NVidia 7800 Go and 7900 Go are even faster, but they only seem to be found in huge desktop replacement systems, not anything you can actually carry.) It will run the Mac software you've alredy got. And it will run Second Life MUCH better than your current system.

Thank you, I never count out the macs in my decision, I still compare everything I find to them.


I don't want to carry around my laptop. I would like a desktop replacement. I would only move the laptop from the desk in my room at home to the desk in the dorm. So the size/weight isn't a consideration.

ASUS V6J-X009P Intel Core Duo 15.0" SXGA+ NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 NoteBook - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834220022
ASUS A7J--R003H Intel Core Duo 17.0" Wide XGA+ ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 NoteBook - Retail ( Plus you can run Mac OS X with QE & CI on it )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834220020

Im running sl on a 'sooped up'(sp?) Asus W3V. with wireless connection.

SL is always making the wireless on this thing fall out, i have to restart it 10s of times when playing sl.

And ever since this last update LAG LAG LAG LAG LAG!!!!!! And crashing.




Someone mentioned asus in previous post, just thought id mention this.

Oh, and it gets BEYOND HOT and causes problems with your body.

If you're not worried about carrying it, the Inspiron E1705 is worth a look. You can get it with optional NVidia 7900 graphics, a 2 GHz Core Duo, and 2GB of RAM, and still come in under your price ceiling (at least today; Dell pricing changes all the time).

The XPS 1710 is basically the same machine but in more tricked-out configurations (NVidia 7900GTX, etc.) and a flashier case, but it costs more.

It's a system with a 17" display, in the neighborhood of 8 pounds. Too big for my taste, but it sounds like it would suit you.

As much as I dislike Dell, this laptop is looking better and better... I found some coupons that make it cheaper... you didn't hear this from me but:
http://www.notebookreview.com/dellCoupon.asp

Yeah, I might have to go with the Dell... lets pray its not another disaster like the last comp I bought from them.

I was trolling the forums for just such a topic because i have a laptop that SL refuses install due to the integrated graphics i have. I have been pouring over many sites and laptops trying to figure out what i need to buy next to run SL but the most ironic part is the fact Porcelain is if you changed you name to mine everything else you said is the same as the situation i am in. lol SL, WoW and all. Just thought that was funny.. does anyone know if it matters if you get one with shared or deticated ? Laterz