New laptop for FC 2.0 and DCS A-10C

[T-Bone]

Hey guys,

 

I've been using a really old desktop I built back in 2006 and I need an upgrade badly. I've been looking into this laptop and I was wondering if you guys think it will work well for FC 2.0 and DCS:

 

Dell Alienware M11x

 

2GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz

Intel Pentium SU4100 1.3GHz (2MB Cache)

11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p)

1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M

 

(I'm planning on hooking it up to my new 32 inch samsung HD LCD TV when flying so I'm not worried about the 720p resolution and small screen size, plus I want something portable to surf the net when I travel.)

 

There is a 4GB RAM option also, would this be recommended over 2 GB? The FAQ says 3 GB is "recommended."

 

Thanks,

 

T-Bone

[EtherealN]

That processor will cripple you seriously for DCS. Minimal system requirements for DCS:BS is the following:

 

Minimal system requirements:

OS: Windows XP, Vista; CPU: 2 GHz; RAM: 1 GB; Graphics: 256 MB ATI or nVidia, DirectX 9 compatible; Sound card; 4 GB of free space on HDD; Copy protected, requires internet activation.

 

The architecture is weak and it's clock speed is even weaker. Do not get that laptop for the purpose of running simulators - especially not high-fidelity simulators like DCS.

[Maximus]

find a better processor. 1.3 ghz is not enough in my own opinion.

[EtherealN]

If you have cause to specifically want a laptop as opposed to a desktop, you could indicate your budget and we could give you some ideas of good candidates. I myself like Rockdirect laptops but there are other alternatives that are purpose-built for power while still being relatively nice on your wallet.

[T-Bone]

Is there anything I can get for under $1000?

[EtherealN]

Specifically a laptop? Probably, I'll look.

For desktop - definitely, if you have a screen, keyboard, mouse etcetera that you can re-use. Even more if you can re-use hard drive.

[EtherealN]

I'm finding a bunch of HP dv6 laptops that fit into both the price class and the minimum reqs. Rockdirect didn't have anything in that price class though. Lenovo also has some offerings in that area.

 

But I would really advise you to save up for a couple hundred more. It'll do miracles for what you can get, since most laptops in the $1000 class aren't meant for gaming and have processors reflecting normal office work. Get yourself to $1300 dollars and you'll be in good shape for a selection though.

[T-Bone]

Well, alternatively if I spent around $3000 on a maxed out M17x alienware, do you think it would be worth the value? I'm just sick of spending a lot of money on a new computer every few years.

[EtherealN]

Bit torn on the value. It'll give you a laptop that will last for a while, yes, but alienware are a bit like Gucci - good stuff but you do pay a premium. I looked over the M17x hardware specs as well and the selections are pretty widespread. I'd need more details to make a proper judgement.

 

But basically, with Moore's law still in effect you will never get away from the pattern of spending money on new computers ever few years - at least if you want to keep running new software. The speed of technological advancement is just so fast that you cannot avoid it. What I do myself lately is to stay on stationary computers and built them myself - then overclock. That way I can use relatively old (and therefore cheap) hardware and run it quite some way above it's specification. But this does require that you feel confident in building your own system and doing stuff that, if you make really bad mistakes, might fry your equipment. (The risks aren't big if you do some homework, but it does exist and you will void all warranties.)

 

Sadly, there are no such options that are practical for laptops.

 

But if you make a hardware selection for that M17x with a final pricetag I can make a judgement call on it - the model name itself covers too wide an area to say too much beyond that the case design was pretty.

[T-Bone]

PROCESSOR Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)

VIDEO CARD 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M

MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz – 2 x 4096MB

[EtherealN]

The processor is at the edge, but as long as it's innate overclocking (it'll overclock cores if it finds one core being used and the others being unused, which might apply to DCS and FC2) operates properly it should work well. 3.2 will still be slightly on the weak side compared to the massive margin you'll have on memory and GPU, but it'll definitely be properly playable.

 

If pricetags enter into it I would recommend spending extra on the CPU and saving on the RAM. RAM is the easiest thing to swap out on a laptop if the future so demands (could rest on 4G), but CPU swaps are difficult.

 

For reference, I played DCS pretty well on a laptop set up as follows:

 

Processor: Intel Core2 2GHz, 2GB 577MHz RAM, GeForce 8600m 256mb. As long as you beat all three of those, with the processor clock speed being the most important, you're in good shape.

Edited February 17, 2010 by EtherealN

[DanKurt]

I run LOMAC and DCS on my Dell Studio Laptop and both run quite well.

DCS fps drops on maps where there is lots of action such as BATTLE but all in all its playable with Textures high, Vis Med, Water low (config), Shadows Active planarand heat blur OFF.

 

Dell spec: Intel i7 720QM (1.6Ghz to 2.8Ghz Turbo mode), ATI 4650 mobility, 17.3" 1650x900, 4 Gb DDR5, 500 gb 7200rpm HDD.

This cost me £730. Which isnt bad for the spec.

[T-Bone]

Well, I pretty much made up my mind on getting the Alienware M15x until I read about the Studio XPS 16 and I'm really undecided now.

 

Alienware is $300 bucks more expensive for the graphics card and 3GB 1333MHz RAM.

 

I would be happy just running the graphics you have on your Studio since right now my computer I am running is only capable of medium terrain, etc, and low water at 800x600 (AMD XP 3000+, 1 Gig RAM, 512 MB Geforce 7800 GS)

 

What do you recommend?

 

T-Bone