Second Life Forums Archive - Laptop advice

Wildefire Walcott

Heartbreaking

Join date: 8 Nov 2005

Posts: 2,156

11-28-2006 11:11

When I got my notebook three months ago, the Gateway NX860XL was, dollar-for-dollar, the best notebook you could buy for the money. The base price is now around $1,899. I upgraded everything during my order, so the final configuration came out to around $2,500- and it was STILL the best price for a notebook that fast.

And yes, it runs Second Life beautifully. I also play World of Warcraft at full resolution (1920x1200) with all graphics settings turned up and get a solid 60 frames per second, which I think I heard is the maximum for WoW. It also plays Oblivion super smoothly at the game's 'Ultimate' video settings, also at full resolution.

Too bad it doesn't help with SL's lag and asset server issues.

_____________________

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FlipperPA Peregrine

Magically Delicious!

Join date: 14 Nov 2003

Posts: 3,703

11-28-2006 12:39

Word of warning about the HPs listed above; Cristiano Midnight and I both owned them, and the video chip on them tends to burn out from SL (literally melts the silicon). You have to send it back and wait 4-6 weeks for a replacement. This happened to both of us - twice.

After that I demanded a refund, got it, and went with a Sager. Sager's makes really high-end machines that are sold by places like Alienware, but also cheaper outfits with better service like CyberPower (where I ordered mine). You can check them out, with pricing here:

http://www.CyberPowerPC.com

They're built with much better cooling system than HP or Dell, so they tend to die less when you're a heavy SL user. They have monitor sizes available in 15.4", 17" or 17" models. Here's mine:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64ultra.asp?v=d

It kicks most desktop's arses for SL performance. Or any performance for that matter!

Regards,

-Flip

_____________________

Peregrine Salon: www.PeregrineSalon.com - my consulting company
Second Blogger: www.SecondBlogger.com - free, fully integrated Second Life blogging for all avatars!

swaffette Firefly

Registered User

Join date: 23 Jul 2004

Posts: 126

11-28-2006 13:12

sounds wonderful but not sure if its available in the uk

Adec Alexandria

Registered User

Join date: 7 Nov 2006

Posts: 49

11-28-2006 14:37

Re the Sony above .. I was looking at this one in the UK .. which you can get from Comet for £799 ...

SONY VGN-FE31H Laptop

Processor : Intel Core Duo 2 T5500 1.66Ghz
RAM : 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM
HDD : 120GB Hard Drive (SATA)
Display : 15.4" WXGA Widescreen TFT Screen with X-black
Graphics : nVidia GeForce Go 7400 256MB Turbocache

I would have hoped that this would run SL ok ..... ??

Adec

Miles Hugo

Registered User

Join date: 14 Oct 2006

Posts: 15

11-29-2006 05:43

From: swaffette Firefly

lol miles im uk to - do you fancy buying urs first then telling me if its ok? rofl

LOL

Will let u know, just ordered the Inspiron 9400, should be here in a few days, as long as the credit card goes through...

Daisy Rimbaud

Registered User

Join date: 12 Oct 2006

Posts: 764

11-29-2006 14:58

Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL?

Miles Hugo

Registered User

Join date: 14 Oct 2006

Posts: 15

11-30-2006 03:59

Daisy, I'd check out the Mac forum if I were you.

cHex Losangeles

Registered User

Join date: 24 Nov 2006

Posts: 370

11-30-2006 07:08

My Toshiba Satellite Dual Core T2400 @ 1.83GHz with 2GHz of RAM and ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 works peachy!

Miles Hugo

Registered User

Join date: 14 Oct 2006

Posts: 15

Inspiron 9400 turned up

12-08-2006 03:07

From: swaffette Firefly

lol miles im uk to - do you fancy buying urs first then telling me if its ok? rofl

Swaffette, all i can say is OMG.

The improvement from the powerbook to the dell is awesome.

So much so I can now see all the neighbours around my skybox - gonna have to move lol.

I ordered from Dell UK

Inspiron 9400 Core 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2.0 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) 1
17" UltraSharp Wide Screen WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Display with TrueLife 1
2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024) 1
100GB (7,200 rpm) SATA Hard Drive 1
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive 1
Battery Primary 9-Cell 80W/HR LI-ION 1
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS 1
Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio- Trial Version 1
Europe - Intel Pro WLAN 3945 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g 54 Mbps) for Core 2 Duo Processors 1

If you are looking to keep the cost down then the idea suggested to go for minimum memory and add third party is a good one. You can even order it cheaper from Dell themselves rather than upgrading on the order ! I took the easy route, have trouble putting a plug on a cable

Good luck with your purchase

Dnate Mars

Lost

Join date: 27 Jan 2004

Posts: 1,309

12-08-2006 04:53

From: Daisy Rimbaud

Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL?

They are very good, well the MacBook Pros anyway. I have one that I use for SL, and it works great. I even do it wirelessly.

_____________________

Visit my website: www.dnatemars.com

From: Cristiano Midnight

This forum is weird.

Pazzo Pestana

Registered User

Join date: 17 Sep 2006

Posts: 39

... got lucky??

12-12-2006 00:10

I went to Fry's (a California chain) and found a HP8300 series, refurbished, Core Duo (not 2), 1GB RAM, nVidia 7600 256VRAM, 100GB HDD, 17" screen for less than $1000US ... couldn't pass it up. The next series up would've been $1500 (with 2GB RAM, built-in cam, same video card) ... hope I got a deal!

Haven't tried SL on it yet ... yikes!!

Gummi Richthofen

Fetish's Frasier Crane!

Join date: 3 Oct 2006

Posts: 605

12-12-2006 02:13

From: swaffette Firefly

ty so much for advice - im aware i will have to spend a lil extra

and being in the uk prolly more than u guys in the usa

Im willing to do this as it willl be used for work as well as play , anything to not have the kids moaning that they want to get on the net LOL i know the specs i need but having advice like uve given - personal experiences and recommendations are invaluable. ty

In the UK?

www.sterlingxs.com - bought all sorts of stuff from them in the past. Good people.

do NOT by Vaios in Europe. Their warranty-repair is in a warehouse off the Peripherique in Paris and they are unspeakably nasty people to deal with. Lovely kit but the warranty is a disaster.

Gummi Richthofen

Fetish's Frasier Crane!

Join date: 3 Oct 2006

Posts: 605

12-12-2006 02:16

From: Daisy Rimbaud

Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL?

Only really the more recent ones. Go under 1Ghz speed and it gets uncomfortable, but then the problem with mac versions of SL is, they seem to under-perform compared with roughly equivalent PC hardware.

Personally, I'd buy the Mac new (or nearly-new) because overall they last longer than PC laptops (Dell in particular make machines with very brittle plastic casings - what's the point of a laptop which you can't take places cause it's too fragile?), and because for all your other surfing needs, OSX catches fewer viruses, popups, and all that.

But don't listen to me, I'm ambisexual - I have a mac at one end of the desk and a PC at t'other!

FlipperPA Peregrine

Magically Delicious!

Join date: 14 Nov 2003

Posts: 3,703

12-12-2006 13:36

BEWARE OF THE HP PAVILLIONS! Cristiano Midnight and I both had the equivalent model about a year and change ago (the 8000s), and the cooling system isn't sufficient for SL. Both of us blew out our mainboard video chips TWICE, before demanding refunds. This happened for both of us after about 8 months, IIRC.

If you want great prices on system comparible (literally - same components) to Alienware without the price tag:

http://www.CyberPowerPC.com

I hope it helps!

Regards,

-Flip

_____________________

Peregrine Salon: www.PeregrineSalon.com - my consulting company
Second Blogger: www.SecondBlogger.com - free, fully integrated Second Life blogging for all avatars!

swaffette Firefly

Registered User

Join date: 23 Jul 2004

Posts: 126

12-13-2006 07:34

ty miles!!! have ordered and am excitedly waiting for delivery - thanks to all who posted on this thread and helped me to make my mind up.

Shirley Marquez

Ethical SLut

Join date: 28 Oct 2005

Posts: 788

12-13-2006 09:16

From: Daisy Rimbaud

Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL?

The older systems called PowerBook (and the iBooks) aren't great for SL. The CPU is too slow, and the graphics chips are so-so.

The new MacBook Pro (Intel-based) is great for SL. The MacBook (non-pro) is lousy, because of the integrated graphics.

Laptop advice
Wildefire Walcott Heartbreaking Join date: 8 Nov 2005 Posts: 2,156	11-28-2006 11:11 When I got my notebook three months ago, the Gateway NX860XL was, dollar-for-dollar, the best notebook you could buy for the money. The base price is now around $1,899. I upgraded everything during my order, so the final configuration came out to around $2,500- and it was STILL the best price for a notebook that fast. And yes, it runs Second Life beautifully. I also play World of Warcraft at full resolution (1920x1200) with all graphics settings turned up and get a solid 60 frames per second, which I think I heard is the maximum for WoW. It also plays Oblivion super smoothly at the game's 'Ultimate' video settings, also at full resolution. Too bad it doesn't help with SL's lag and asset server issues. _____________________ Desperation Isle Estates: Great prices, great neighbors, great service! http://desperationisle.blogspot.com/ New Desperation Isle: The prettiest BDSM Playground and Fetish Mall in SL! http://desperationisle.com/ Desperation Isle Productions: Skyboxes for lots (and budgets) of all sizes!
FlipperPA Peregrine Magically Delicious! Join date: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 3,703	11-28-2006 12:39 Word of warning about the HPs listed above; Cristiano Midnight and I both owned them, and the video chip on them tends to burn out from SL (literally melts the silicon). You have to send it back and wait 4-6 weeks for a replacement. This happened to both of us - twice. After that I demanded a refund, got it, and went with a Sager. Sager's makes really high-end machines that are sold by places like Alienware, but also cheaper outfits with better service like CyberPower (where I ordered mine). You can check them out, with pricing here: http://www.CyberPowerPC.com They're built with much better cooling system than HP or Dell, so they tend to die less when you're a heavy SL user. They have monitor sizes available in 15.4", 17" or 17" models. Here's mine: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64ultra.asp?v=d It kicks most desktop's arses for SL performance. Or any performance for that matter! Regards, -Flip _____________________ Peregrine Salon: www.PeregrineSalon.com - my consulting company Second Blogger: www.SecondBlogger.com - free, fully integrated Second Life blogging for all avatars!
swaffette Firefly Registered User Join date: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 126	11-28-2006 13:12 sounds wonderful but not sure if its available in the uk
Adec Alexandria Registered User Join date: 7 Nov 2006 Posts: 49	11-28-2006 14:37 Re the Sony above .. I was looking at this one in the UK .. which you can get from Comet for £799 ... SONY VGN-FE31H Laptop Processor : Intel Core Duo 2 T5500 1.66Ghz RAM : 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM HDD : 120GB Hard Drive (SATA) Display : 15.4" WXGA Widescreen TFT Screen with X-black Graphics : nVidia GeForce Go 7400 256MB Turbocache I would have hoped that this would run SL ok ..... ?? Adec
Miles Hugo Registered User Join date: 14 Oct 2006 Posts: 15	11-29-2006 05:43 From: swaffette Firefly lol miles im uk to - do you fancy buying urs first then telling me if its ok? rofl LOL Will let u know, just ordered the Inspiron 9400, should be here in a few days, as long as the credit card goes through...
Daisy Rimbaud Registered User Join date: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 764	11-29-2006 14:58 Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL?
Miles Hugo Registered User Join date: 14 Oct 2006 Posts: 15	11-30-2006 03:59 Daisy, I'd check out the Mac forum if I were you.
cHex Losangeles Registered User Join date: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 370	11-30-2006 07:08 My Toshiba Satellite Dual Core T2400 @ 1.83GHz with 2GHz of RAM and ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 works peachy!
Miles Hugo Registered User Join date: 14 Oct 2006 Posts: 15	Inspiron 9400 turned up 12-08-2006 03:07 From: swaffette Firefly lol miles im uk to - do you fancy buying urs first then telling me if its ok? rofl Swaffette, all i can say is OMG. The improvement from the powerbook to the dell is awesome. So much so I can now see all the neighbours around my skybox - gonna have to move lol. I ordered from Dell UK Inspiron 9400 Core 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2.0 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) 1 17" UltraSharp Wide Screen WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Display with TrueLife 1 2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024) 1 100GB (7,200 rpm) SATA Hard Drive 1 Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive 1 Battery Primary 9-Cell 80W/HR LI-ION 1 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS 1 Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio- Trial Version 1 Europe - Intel Pro WLAN 3945 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g 54 Mbps) for Core 2 Duo Processors 1 If you are looking to keep the cost down then the idea suggested to go for minimum memory and add third party is a good one. You can even order it cheaper from Dell themselves rather than upgrading on the order ! I took the easy route, have trouble putting a plug on a cable Good luck with your purchase
Dnate Mars Lost Join date: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 1,309	12-08-2006 04:53 From: Daisy Rimbaud Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL? They are very good, well the MacBook Pros anyway. I have one that I use for SL, and it works great. I even do it wirelessly. _____________________ Visit my website: www.dnatemars.com From: Cristiano Midnight This forum is weird.
Pazzo Pestana Registered User Join date: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 39	... got lucky?? 12-12-2006 00:10 I went to Fry's (a California chain) and found a HP8300 series, refurbished, Core Duo (not 2), 1GB RAM, nVidia 7600 256VRAM, 100GB HDD, 17" screen for less than $1000US ... couldn't pass it up. The next series up would've been $1500 (with 2GB RAM, built-in cam, same video card) ... hope I got a deal! Haven't tried SL on it yet ... yikes!!
Gummi Richthofen Fetish's Frasier Crane! Join date: 3 Oct 2006 Posts: 605	12-12-2006 02:13 From: swaffette Firefly ty so much for advice - im aware i will have to spend a lil extra and being in the uk prolly more than u guys in the usa Im willing to do this as it willl be used for work as well as play , anything to not have the kids moaning that they want to get on the net LOL i know the specs i need but having advice like uve given - personal experiences and recommendations are invaluable. ty In the UK? www.sterlingxs.com - bought all sorts of stuff from them in the past. Good people. do NOT by Vaios in Europe. Their warranty-repair is in a warehouse off the Peripherique in Paris and they are unspeakably nasty people to deal with. Lovely kit but the warranty is a disaster.
Gummi Richthofen Fetish's Frasier Crane! Join date: 3 Oct 2006 Posts: 605	12-12-2006 02:16 From: Daisy Rimbaud Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL? Only really the more recent ones. Go under 1Ghz speed and it gets uncomfortable, but then the problem with mac versions of SL is, they seem to under-perform compared with roughly equivalent PC hardware. Personally, I'd buy the Mac new (or nearly-new) because overall they last longer than PC laptops (Dell in particular make machines with very brittle plastic casings - what's the point of a laptop which you can't take places cause it's too fragile?), and because for all your other surfing needs, OSX catches fewer viruses, popups, and all that. But don't listen to me, I'm ambisexual - I have a mac at one end of the desk and a PC at t'other!
FlipperPA Peregrine Magically Delicious! Join date: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 3,703	12-12-2006 13:36 BEWARE OF THE HP PAVILLIONS! Cristiano Midnight and I both had the equivalent model about a year and change ago (the 8000s), and the cooling system isn't sufficient for SL. Both of us blew out our mainboard video chips TWICE, before demanding refunds. This happened for both of us after about 8 months, IIRC. If you want great prices on system comparible (literally - same components) to Alienware without the price tag: http://www.CyberPowerPC.com I hope it helps! Regards, -Flip _____________________ Peregrine Salon: www.PeregrineSalon.com - my consulting company Second Blogger: www.SecondBlogger.com - free, fully integrated Second Life blogging for all avatars!
swaffette Firefly Registered User Join date: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 126	12-13-2006 07:34 ty miles!!! have ordered and am excitedly waiting for delivery - thanks to all who posted on this thread and helped me to make my mind up.
Shirley Marquez Ethical SLut Join date: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 788	12-13-2006 09:16 From: Daisy Rimbaud Are Mac powerbooks any good for SL? The older systems called PowerBook (and the iBooks) aren't great for SL. The CPU is too slow, and the graphics chips are so-so. The new MacBook Pro (Intel-based) is great for SL. The MacBook (non-pro) is lousy, because of the integrated graphics.

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