Looking for help from Tech Savvy Members

[devilboy]

Just to start off I will say that I am not as tech savvy as I would like to be. I am looking into getting a new laptop and would like some suggestions. What i am looking for is a laptop in the 11.6 range in the $350-$475 range. Most of the use will be for OOTP use with some Patrician and Civilization gaming sprinkled in.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. As I said I'm not as tech savvy as I would like to be and when I start looking at all of the options I am not always sure what is better and all that stuff.

Thanks in advance.

[BCStone]

The price range your looking at generally wont get you a lot for what your after. However I came across a computer which you would be very hard pressed to find a better deal. This would be a very good computer for what you want. Normally it's $1029.00 but with the E-coupon it's $549.00. I know your paying $75.00 more than the highest end you want to pay but I don't think in your price range you'll find anything close to the specs on this computer. It will run everything you have mentioned. Maybe someone else here has something better to help you out. Good luck!


Lenovo Z50 Laptop | 15.6" Multimedia Notebook PC*| Lenovo US

To get into your price range I also found this. Very good computer for the money. The 500gb HD for $449.00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...milaptunde1-20

[cody8200]

Just to re-iterate, the Lenovo is a great PC for that price. The Radeon card included is vastly superior to the Intel video card you would find on other budget laptops.

[devilboy]

I appreciate the responses. I looked at both options and they look good other than the size. I currently have a 15.6 inch laptop, which will be going to my wife when I get a new one, and I want to downsize. The 15.6 is bigger than what I want to carry around. I am looking in the 11 inch range and I found these 2 that interest me and am wondering what you guys think. Will they handle the games that I am looking at playing?


Amazon.com: ASUS Transformer Book 12-Inch T200TA-C1-BL 2-in-1 Detachable Touchscreen Laptop, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB Storage: Computers & Accessories


Amazon.com : Lenovo ThinkPad X140e 20BLS00400 11-Inch LED Notebook (AMD A4-5000 1.50GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Windows 7 Pro) : Computers & Accessories


Also on a side note, when comparing computers what is more important, the processor or the amount of RAM?


Thanks.

[Bigrod]

You should check out newegg.com. There deals are hard to beat. I've been purchasing from them since they opened their doors 11 yrs. ago or so.
If the product is IronClad Guaranteed, they'll match anybody's price.
They have excellent support and I've never had anything take longer than 3 days to ship. Even from Cal.
I'd at least compare their prices vs. other sites.

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by devilboy

I appreciate the responses. I looked at both options and they look good other than the size. I currently have a 15.6 inch laptop, which will be going to my wife when I get a new one, and I want to downsize. The 15.6 is bigger than what I want to carry around. I am looking in the 11 inch range and I found these 2 that interest me and am wondering what you guys think. Will they handle the games that I am looking at playing?


Amazon.com: ASUS Transformer Book 12-Inch T200TA-C1-BL 2-in-1 Detachable Touchscreen Laptop, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB Storage: Computers & Accessories


Amazon.com : Lenovo ThinkPad X140e 20BLS00400 11-Inch LED Notebook (AMD A4-5000 1.50GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Windows 7 Pro) : Computers & Accessories


Also on a side note, when comparing computers what is more important, the processor or the amount of RAM?


Thanks.

Neither of these have a dedicated video card meaning that on games, they may be chugging quite a bit. Memory is typically meaningful up until a certain point. 6GB is what I would typically recommend but 4 should be okay as long as you have a dedicated video card. If you don't, like these machines, some of the regular memory is actually used for the onboard video card making both the video card and memory underpowered.

Processing power works the same way. Only certain applications can take advantage of more powerful processors - OOTP cannot use the multithreading ability like some applications can and do. That means that having a dual core or quad core means very little difference. However, the standard clock rate will be related to how quickly a sim can occur. However, a game like Civ 5 can take advantage of multi-core processors and a better processor can make a substantial difference.

Finally, a solid state hard drive with allow for better performance on any software that utilizes a hard drive quite a bit - like OOTP. On a standard computer, one of the biggest speed killers is a traditional mechanical hard drive that needs constantly accessed.

[devilboy]

So if the graphics card is sharing memory than that takes away from the RAM available to other processes? What if I bought the 11 inch Lenovo I posted earlier and expanded the RAM to 8GB from the 4 would that improve the situation you mention about both the graphics and memory being underpowered?

[kingcharlesxii]

I'd really recommend you look at a 13" PC vs a 15" if you're looking in that price range - you pay a significant premium for 11" machines usually. 13" laptops are also much thinner and smaller these days so it will feel significantly smaller than an older 15" laptop.

As has been said above, you'll want the following:

- Intel Core i5 processor (you can get away with an i3 but I strongly recommend an i5 for future proofing, it's worth the extra money)
- 6-8 GB RAM
- SSD if possible, 7200RPM drive if not.
- Dedicated video card, doesn't need to be cutting edge but anything is better than an integrated card because they are terrible for gaming

OOTP will run fine on just about anything (I've gotten it running, albeit slowly, on a $79 Windows tablet!) but Civ and other games will run terribly on anything that doesn't meet these requirements. With these specs, you'll get a laptop that should run just about anything competently for years.

[devilboy]

Originally Posted by kingcharlesxii

I'd really recommend you look at a 13" PC vs a 15" if you're looking in that price range - you pay a significant premium for 11" machines usually. 13" laptops are also much thinner and smaller these days so it will feel significantly smaller than an older 15" laptop.

As has been said above, you'll want the following:

- Intel Core i5 processor (you can get away with an i3 but I strongly recommend an i5 for future proofing, it's worth the extra money)
- 6-8 GB RAM
- SSD if possible, 7200RPM drive if not.
- Dedicated video card, doesn't need to be cutting edge but anything is better than an integrated card because they are terrible for gaming

OOTP will run fine on just about anything (I've gotten it running, albeit slowly, on a $79 Windows tablet!) but Civ and other games will run terribly on anything that doesn't meet these requirements. With these specs, you'll get a laptop that should run just about anything competently for years.

Do you have any suggestions that meet these specs? I am starting to see that finding a laptop at the size I want and the specs I need may not be possible.

[kingcharlesxii]

Originally Posted by devilboy

Do you have any suggestions that meet these specs? I am starting to see that finding a laptop at the size I want and the specs I need may not be possible.

Yeah, it seemed a bit optimistic but if you're willing to wait for a sale, you might be able to hit that price point.

I'm hesitant to recommend a model as it's really a personal preference on look and feel, I'd just try a few different laptops at an electronics store in-person and see which one feels best. You can buy it there or online elsewhere later. I'm really only familiar with Dell models and they don't really have a model with those specs at that price point right now. You could try checking Dell's Outlet site (Dell Outlet | Dell), they have units that have been refurbished or have minor cosmetic damage at large discounts and the same warranty as a new one. I'm sure other manufacturers have similar sites.

[Habsfan18]

Originally Posted by BCStone

The price range your looking at generally wont get you a lot for what your after. However I came across a computer which you would be very hard pressed to find a better deal. This would be a very good computer for what you want. Normally it's $1029.00 but with the E-coupon it's $549.00. I know your paying $75.00 more than the highest end you want to pay but I don't think in your price range you'll find anything close to the specs on this computer. It will run everything you have mentioned. Maybe someone else here has something better to help you out. Good luck!


Lenovo Z50 Laptop | 15.6" Multimedia Notebook PC*| Lenovo US

To get into your price range I also found this. Very good computer for the money. The 500gb HD for $449.00

Amazon.com: Lenovo Z50 15.6-Inch Laptop (80EC000TUS) Black: Computers & Accessories

Just wanted to thank you for these links.

My computer is on its last legs and was soon going to be buying a new laptop. I just bought the Lenovo Z50-70 59436279. Definitely awesome getting a $1,000 laptop for practically half off!

Can't wait to play OOTP 16 on this bad boy. Will be nice to be able to play it from the couch rather than the computer desk!

[Hammercraft]

Originally Posted by devilboy

Most of the use will be for OOTP use with some Patrician and Civilization

OOTP and Civ aren't that graphics heavy. The on-board video is probably sufficient, having additional memory and a good processor are probably more important.

[kryakyu12]

Hi,
I currently use a low-end 11-inch laptop (a Lenovo S205), here is my experience with OOTP on it:

* Despite the low-end CPU (AMD E-350), my league runs mostly fine. The only real delay is when generating the Almanac (which I have turned to max settings, takes about 5 min). FYI, I am running an alternate *** league, with 12 teams and 2 minor leagues.
* I replaced the internal disk with an SSD. That made a WORLD of difference for the OS. Highly recommended
* The screen is a bit small, as is the keyboard, but not unbearably so. The weight - 1.3Kg - makes up for this.
* I upgraded the laptop to 8Gb, but the 4Gb it came with should be fine for OOTP

Cheers!
-kr-

[BaseballMan]

I couldnt see running civ 5 or ootp on such a small screen. It may run but im not sure the experience would be as good. Though it is nice to be able to run the games when your out and not have to open up a giant laptop.

[bwburke94]

Originally Posted by BaseballMan

I couldnt see running civ 5 or ootp on such a small screen. It may run but im not sure the experience would be as good. Though it is nice to be able to run the games when your out and not have to open up a giant laptop.

Good point. Most people need at least 12 inches/900 vertical pixels for OOTP.

[BaseballMan]

How much of ootp can you fit on a 11.6 screen when looking at stats. Scrolling all the time would be a pain.