Laptop Questions - Please help!

Citadel535

Senior member
Jan 16, 2001
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I am planning on buying a Toshiba 1800-S204 and it comes with a Trident CyberBlade XP graphics chipset. How good is this chipset? I think I would be able to run old 3D games on it but will new ones run too? Are there any things I should know about with this? I am buying it mostly for using the net and college work, maybe putting Linux on it for fun. Also could I run new games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Unreal on this?

Laptop Specs
=====
1000 MHz Intel Celeron
256MB SDRAM
20GB Hard Drive
13.3" TFT active matrix display
DVD-ROM
Built-in Ethernet Adapter and Modem
Touch Pad

Thanks
---
Mike
 

Poontos

Platinum Member
Mar 9, 2000
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I am still deciding on a laptop also, but I think I have concluded on the Fujitsu C6611. Check it out.
 

Gunbuster

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,852
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it's silly to buy a laptop for games, and a cyberblade is just crazy

look for geforce or rage mobility chips if you really want to game
 

jschuk

Senior member
Jun 29, 2001
808
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The graphics in that unit definately have 3D capability, but I don't know just how good it is. I can tell you that the video memory is shared with the main memory. I can also tell you that it is a good solid machine.
 

kylef

Golden Member
Jan 25, 2000
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That card is NOT a good idea for new games. Although I don't have numbers in front of me, I believe the chipset is similar to Trident's 9880 Blade3d chipset, which was slower than a Voodoo3 AGP with SDRAM. I owned a card based on that chipset, and I couldn't play Quake III on it because of the speed. Some of the problem were the poor drivers. I don't know whether that has been fixed or not...

Also, because the shared memory bandwidth in the laptop is certainly slower than that in a dedicated card, I would expect yours to be slower than a Voodoo3 as well.

Basically, don't buy that laptop to game. You might be able to play a few games, but the experience probably won't be that great.

Edit: I should mention that I NEVER play games on my laptop anyway...
 

Troubadour

Member
Sep 30, 2001
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Trident is garbage, but you've got a bigger problem than that. You're going to get a laptop with a 14 inch screen or better. Trust me on this. Also, downgrade your ram as much as possible. Laptop companies rape you up the ass when they sell you ram, and it's cheap enough even now to do an upgrade with crucial or whomever.
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
34,890
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alienbabeltech.com
According to Tomshardware review, the Trident graphics is only good for 2-D games and the most primitive 3d games.

In contrast, I got a Dell notebook with a 866Mhz P-III Mobility, 14.1" TFT (1024x768), 320MB PC-133 and most importantly the ATI Mobility Radeon 16MB DDR - it runs Max Payne with NO slowdowns at 32 bit color and all details set to mid.

Make SURE you don't get a very high resolution TFT if you are a gamer.
 

daddyo

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
676
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I have an Inspiron 8000 with a 16mb Geforce 2 Go.

I can play RTCW at 1024x768x16bit without no slowdowns.

It's a 900mhz cpu by the way.

For 3D gaming in a laptop, Geforce2Go is the best choice, hands down.
 

Cryption

Member
Nov 11, 2001
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I've got an Inspiron 3800 w/ a ATI RAGE MOBILITY 8MB vid-card in it - and it sucks! Running Counter-strike in software mode is faster than trying to pump out poly's with that slow as bitch. (More like a 3D-Deaccelerator)

If you even want a hope of being able to play the games that are going to come out over the next 3-6 months, then get a GeForce2 in that bad boy; else forget about it.
 

Citadel535

Senior member
Jan 16, 2001
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Well I am thinking about it and I figure I can always use my Athlon system as my gaming machine. I like RTCW a lot and it would be nice to play it on it but I also play games like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and hopefully the upcoming Neverwinter Nights. If the minimum requirements are a 3D accelerator card and a 300MHz processor, then I should be able to at least play it on it, right?

Anyway, my budget is as close to $1000 as possible. Going with a Radeon mobility or a geforce2go brings the price up to 1500 which is what I don't want.

Agh! :confused:And I want this thing for Christmas too... Don't know what to do now... :disgust:
 

daddyo

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
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I paid $1,200 for mine. I bought it from the Dell Refurbished site. I get the same warranty program as any new Dell laptop, and the system was in mint condition, not a single scratch.

If you think it's an option, check the site often, as the inventory is refreshed a few times a day.
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
34,890
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alienbabeltech.com
If you are a serious gamer, only 1 card will do - the Geforce 2 GO 32MB.

However, the 16 MB GeForce 2 Go is OK and so is the ATI 16MB DDR Mobility Radeon (not the older Rage chipset). As I pointed out before, my Inspiron 4100 866Mhz P3 and Radeon can play Max Payne without slowdowns on my 14.1" TFT (1024x768 native resolution) at 32 bit color and all details set to "mid". "Hi" details does slow it down but I can't really tell the difference - graphically-wise - between "hi" and "mid" on a 14 inch screen.

My choice for $1200 turned out to be an excellent compromise solution for gaming. However, nothing beats playing 3D games on a 19" flat-screen CRT except a 21" CRT.

:)
 

badga

Member
Nov 4, 2001
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keep your eye out on techbargains , a great site that always has the scoop on optimum web-deals and coupons. Dell seems to have sales in their home or small business site every week. from this morning, "Power Notebook Inspiron 8100 P3-866M 14.1" SuperXGA+ Screen 128MB/20GB XP Home Office XP 1yr $1199 shipped with FREE Palm m105 PDA" hardly the best spec dell but still pretty powerful and not too far out of your price range.
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