ZeldaExpert
New member
I'm about to buy my own laptop,so what laptop would you recommend?
Laptop refernces.
- Thread starter ZeldaExpert
- Start date
Doomulation
?????????????????????????
My HP COMPAQ NX9420 can never go wrong.
But you didn't really tell us what you're looking for?
But you didn't really tell us what you're looking for?
OP
ZeldaExpert
New member
- Thread Starter
- #3
Sorry,when I typed that I was in a rush.Okay,I need a laptop with the perfect spects to run emulators flawlessy,big harddrive,lots of RAM.If you can find a laptop with those features,I will :drool: all over untill I buy it.
Doomulation
?????????????????????????
Thankfully, most laptops are upgradeable (save for the graphics card), so you could purchase a laptop, and upgrade the HD and ram.
Both of which I did for my abovementioned model.
For HD, I do recommend the Travelstar series, as they're very fast for 2.5 inch disks. You should be able to get some extra memory, too, for your laptop.
Both of which I did for my abovementioned model.
For HD, I do recommend the Travelstar series, as they're very fast for 2.5 inch disks. You should be able to get some extra memory, too, for your laptop.
Toasty
Sony battery
Which emulators? If you mean SNES emulators, you can go with a used 233MHz Pentium off eBay. If you mean Gamecube emulators, you'll need the fastest dual-core CPU you can get a hold of, a 64-bit OS, and even then you still won't get a 'flawless' experience for most games (though you may in the future). Also, what's your budget?
OP
ZeldaExpert
New member
- Thread Starter
- #6
N64 emus.I don't really have a budget...
Doomulation
?????????????????????????
Meaning you don't have much to spend or a lot? What is about the most you think you want to spend?
Toasty
Sony battery
Just about any new laptop will have a CPU that can easily handle N64 emulation. Graphics are in almost the same boat, but avoiding Intel's IGPs is probably still good advice. From what I hear, their X3100 is decent for an IGP, but I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to graphics processors. Of course, if you want the muscle to play even moderately recent PC games with good settings, you'll want a dedicated graphics card. Sometimes Vista's eye-candy can be a little sluggish on weaker IGPs as well, so if that's important to you, it might be worth it to look into a dedicated card, or at least a faster IGP.
As far as memory, you'll want at least around 2GB for Vista. (If you tweak things around you could make do with 1GB, but 2GB will give you much more breathing room.) If you're going with XP you could make it with 1GB. (Similar to above, you could make do with 512MB on XP, but that's probably a moot point unless you're getting something used, since most new laptops come with no less than 1GB RAM.) If you get a laptop with an IGP, make sure to take into account that some of the system memory, often a customizable amount, must be reserved for the IGP.
As far as hard drive space goes, you're probably the best judge of how much you need, but if you don't store a lot of video, I'd guess you can get by with 120-160GB, which is pretty much standard for new laptops nowadays.
So, all in all, just about any new laptop should handle N64 emulation just fine, but keep an eye on the graphics chip and RAM for Vista. A dedicated graphics card is also a necessity for serious gaming as well. <$500 USD at Best Buy could do it if you don't have any needs more intensive than N64 emulation. Tasks like serious gaming and video editing will require more for an enjoyable experience though. Like Doom said, just about everything besides the graphics are usually upgradeable (though I imagine upgrading the CPU is probably not a trivial task if it's possible), so get a laptop with a graphics chip and preferably CPU that you know will be satisfactory, and the rest can be upgraded later, and probably cheaper as well.
EDIT: It seems most of the after-Christmas specials have dried up, so that <$500 estimate may have been a bit off.
<$600 is still likely though.
As far as memory, you'll want at least around 2GB for Vista. (If you tweak things around you could make do with 1GB, but 2GB will give you much more breathing room.) If you're going with XP you could make it with 1GB. (Similar to above, you could make do with 512MB on XP, but that's probably a moot point unless you're getting something used, since most new laptops come with no less than 1GB RAM.) If you get a laptop with an IGP, make sure to take into account that some of the system memory, often a customizable amount, must be reserved for the IGP.
As far as hard drive space goes, you're probably the best judge of how much you need, but if you don't store a lot of video, I'd guess you can get by with 120-160GB, which is pretty much standard for new laptops nowadays.
So, all in all, just about any new laptop should handle N64 emulation just fine, but keep an eye on the graphics chip and RAM for Vista. A dedicated graphics card is also a necessity for serious gaming as well. <$500 USD at Best Buy could do it if you don't have any needs more intensive than N64 emulation. Tasks like serious gaming and video editing will require more for an enjoyable experience though. Like Doom said, just about everything besides the graphics are usually upgradeable (though I imagine upgrading the CPU is probably not a trivial task if it's possible), so get a laptop with a graphics chip and preferably CPU that you know will be satisfactory, and the rest can be upgraded later, and probably cheaper as well.
EDIT: It seems most of the after-Christmas specials have dried up, so that <$500 estimate may have been a bit off.
<$600 is still likely though.
Last edited:
OP
ZeldaExpert
New member
- Thread Starter
- #9
Thanx!