Combating obsolescence?

[sponge008]

So, my computer is fast becoming outdated (for gaming), and I'm looking to either upgrade it, get a laptop, or both. So, given that I need mobility mainly for non-intensive things (word processing, web browsing, IM, programming, CS Source, Starcraft), and that battery life and weight are not the main concern (weight matters some, battery life is not too important), is it a better deal for me to go for a ~$700 laptop on an ubersale (Core (2?) Duo, ~gig of RAM, X1_00 mobile, decent hard drive) and upgrade my desktop for some $500, which would give it another 1.5-2 years of life, or would it just be better to get a $1200+ laptop? I'm leaning toward the first, but I could use some advice from people who've done either one, or could provide insight. Thanks.

Forgot to mention: I would like to be able to play games like Crysis in 1680x1050 at home, for at least 1.5 years.

 

[acole1]

What are the specs of your desktop at home?

I may be wrong, but I don't think even a 4k laptop would play Crysis or the like at that resolution for the next 1.5 years. You might look at a powerfull Core 2 Duo desktop where you can continually upgrade your video card to keep yourself up to date, and then just get a cheap(ish) laptop for your other work.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

From what im hearing not much thats out at the moment will play crysis at anywhere near that res

 

[sponge008]

Aha, well that's settled then...now, am I right in thinking that I should jump on the next good Dell coupon code for an E1505 and super-upgrade it? Perhaps there are better options? My basic criteria are: <~$800 (waiting for super coupons acceptable), <8 lbs strongly preferred, gfx card capable of running CS Source and down at decent resolution (XSGA+ perhaps?) at decent frame rate, preferrably Nvidia for Linux support. Thanks for the help so far.

 

[chairbornrangerx]

going witha base 1505 dell, and upgrading to 1GB RAM, and a 256MB geforce go 7300 its like $930.

 

[sponge008]

This is without the crazy Dell coupons though. Also, I could buy the gig from the Net and eBay the 256 sticks.

I have gotten the suggestion from another forum to look for refurb/used laptops on ubid.com, I guess this would apply to eBay too. Does this sound like a good idea?

 

[chairbornrangerx]

your not going to ebay the video card, I'm not sure but I'm fairly certain that is onboard video. I wouldn't go with any refurb'd laptops. But you might find a decent deal on a laptop with the specs your looking for on ebay, be careful is my only advice

 

[sponge008]

I was talking about ebaying the memory, actually. I just looked around on ubid, and it looks like online auctions are my best choice, unless Dell has some 80% off of $400 coupon in the next few months. By saying 'be careful', what would you advise me to look out for? Thanks for the help