Uhhh...laptops?

[Jife_Jifremok]

Yeah. I've recently become interested in owning a laptop. But I don't wanna spend too much on one, so none of that fancy high-end Alienware stuff. PSU would probably be the most advanced thing I'd have on the laptop. (PC gaming? I'll stick with the old stuff like Star Control, thanks.)

The cheapest I've seen so far is like $400 on the Best Buy website. But before I start saving up and plunking down, what exactly should I look for in a laptop?

[Sexy_Raine]

Mines is $1500. But I'm sure you want one cheaper.

[Sord]

what you use it for tends to define what you want your laptop to be, so just what will you be using your laptop for?

[Jife_Jifremok]

I want it to be able to play PSU and old-school PC games (and emulators) and I'm gonna wanna browse the Intehnet at will. It needs to be able to use a controller and pair of headphones. Anything else I need, I don't know.

[Sexy_Raine]

That might be a little most costly Jife. Mines has everything! It's an HP Pavilion zv6000 with ATI and AMD64, wide screen.

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

On 2007-06-28 13:03, Sexy_Raine wrote:
That might be a little most costly Jife.

No, not from what he wants. He listed some pretty basic stuff. He doesn't need to spend $1500 to get the uses he wants.

Just don't buy a budget model out of a computer store that is from a brand you never heard from before. Read some funny horror stories on that.

Make sure to check sales/ads and write things down to do your own comparisons. One store might charge $600 for only a 40GB HDD while another nets you twice that for example. PSU isn't the most graphics intensive game out there but you should make note of what mobile cards are available in the laptops in your price range.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HAYABUSA-FMW- on 2007-06-28 13:12 ]</font>

[Sord]

if you are going for PSU as the most advanced thing on it, then it would probably be cheaper to just get a refurbished laptop that was made in the past few years. Use the minimum requirments to set a baseline for how advanced you want to go.

• Operating System: Windows 2000 (SP4 or later)/ XP (SP2 or later)
• Processor: P4 1.6GHz or higher
• Memory: Minimum 256MB RAM
• Video: higher than Geforce4 series / ATI RADEON 8500
• Disk Space: Minimum 3.0GB (10GB required for product)
• Connectivity: Online Broadband recommended
• Control Options: Keyboard or Game Pad

[Jife_Jifremok]

Well, it seems that something powerful enough to run PSU is pretty much out of my budget. I may be willing to go for a cheaper one that cannot handle PSU, but I hope to be able to get it an internet connection so I can hook the PS2 up to it. Is there anything I should be aware of if I try that?

[Sgt_Shligger]

Well, is the laptop's internet coming from your own router? An ethernet cable? Random wireless source?

[Shiro_Ryuu]

My laptop costed somewhere like 600 or 700 bucks, don't remember, but I know it was less than 800, and it can run PSU just fine, which is what you said is going to be the most advanced thing you'll run.

[Jife_Jifremok]

The internet connection's gonna have to come from some wireless source so I can go online wherever I bring the laptop.

And Shiroryuu, where did your laptop come from?

[Shiro_Ryuu]

I bought it from Best Buy, its a Gateway.

[Jife_Jifremok]

Okay, after a bit of looking around, I'm thinking I might want this one...it's only $350, but considering that I would need over $500 for a new laptop from Dell...uhh yah.

I know this couldn't play PSU, but can I at least get wireless internet and play old-ass PC games on it? (with wireless internet I hope to get the PS2 hooked up to it so I can at least use that.) It's a Toshiba Tecra 8200.

Processor Processor
1 GHz Pentium III®

System Architecture
PCMCIA Support
Two cardslots

Memory
Size
256 MB/512 Max RAM

Hard Drive
Size
20 GB

Storage
DVD ROM
Modular

Display
Type
Active Matrix Color

Size
14.1"

Max Resolution
1024 x 768

Video
Memory Capacity
16 MB

Audio
Speakers
2 integrated

Keyboard
Keyboard type
84 keys

Pointing Device
AccuPointIITM

Expansion Ports
Serial Port
One

Printer Port
One

PS/2 Port
One

External Monitor
One

Infrared
One
Network Interface
Integrated 10/100 RJ-45

Modem
Integrated 56K RJ-11

Expansion Bus
One (for dock or port replicator)

Microphone Jack
One

Speaker/Headphone Jack
One

USB
Two; ver 1.1

TV Out
Composite Video

Battery
Type
Lithium Ion

Pre-Installed Software
Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® 2000 SP4

Software
AVG Anti-Virus, AdAware and OpenOffice

User's Guide

Electronic User's Guide available from Toshiba's Support Site

Dimensions/Weight

12.3"L x 10"W x 1.5"H/5.6 lbs

[VioletSkye]

totally not even worth it. you can do so much better and not have to spend much more on it. if you need a decent budget laptop for under $500 check out: Acer Aspire 3690 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3157070&CatId=2510) - $429.99

one caveat, it comes with Vista Home Basic.