What do I need in a 14" laptop to play WoW?

[nitrousninja]

I'm going to be doing a bunch of travelling for work and some vacation but i want to bring a laptop with me to play WoW.


Would a dual core, 3gb ram, and ATI 4250 cut it? I dont want to spend a ton of money but that can be had for under $500. I'd like to play at the lower setting widescreen but i dont need all the bells and whistles turned on. I mostly do dailies and questing.

Thanks for any help!


Matt

 

[CurseTheSky]

The 4250 graphics chip is going to hold you back. It should be sufficient if you turn down most of the settings, but I would personally look for something with a better dedicated card. Something like an HD 5650 or GT 330 / 335M would be perfect, and you should be able to find a laptop with one in the $600 range or so.

 

[chusteczka]

I agree that an HD4250 will hold you back. Might as well get 4GB RAM since it is standard. Only budget laptops are currently offered with less than 4GB and your gaming will not be budget. My recommendation is for a dedicated card HD5550 or higher.

I know little about graphics but significant improvement is easily seen in upgrading from an HD4250 to an HD5550 even for simple 2D .tif image rendering. Anything more than budget use should use stronger graphics than an HD4250.

 

[Zap]

I'm assuming you're looking at standard 1360x768 resolution 14" notebooks? When they are released, look for one of the new AMD solutions with a 6000 series IGP. Alternately (and again when they are released) look for a Sandy Bridge notebook. This will end up being more expensive, but in the AnandTech review Sandy Bridge IGP was as fast as a discrete desktop Radeon 5450. They were getting close to 60FPS at 1024x768 medium settings in WoW.

 

[Tom]

2 computers I've bought recently meet your needs well. Both are from the Dell outlet so they are refurbs, but are exactly like new including warranty.

Dell Inspiron 15r with Intel i5, ATI Radeon 550v 1gb discrete graphics, 4gb ram. Cost me about $440.
Alienware M11x with Core2Duo, Nvidia 335m 1gb discrete graphics. 11.5 inch screen. Cost about $450.

Both play games very well. The 550v is not well known but it is a capable mid-range graphics card.

The m11x is very cool, but small screen. Very portable though. The 15r is fairly light for a full sized 15.6 laptop.

Search deal sites for coupons to save at the outlet.

 

[ericlp]

Good deal? Or should I wait for a better one?



Inspiron 15R Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium Unit Price $629.00 Estimated Delivery Date

2/18/2011

Save 15% on all Dell Outlet Home Laptops and Desktops!
Expires Wednesday, February 16, 2011 View Details - $94.35

Inspiron 15RD7GXJ
Integrated 1.3M Pixel Webcam
Certified Refurbished3E476
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD550v, 64-Bit, DDR
8X DVD +/- RW Drive
Processor: Intel Core i5-460M Processor (3M cache, 2.53 GHz)
Dell Support Center 64 Bit 2.099RFP
Dell Wireless 1501 802.11b/g/n Half Mini Car
64BIT Operating SystemJ6XND
6 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM 1333
Microsoft Office Starter
15.6 inch HD
6 Cell Primary Battery 90W AC Adapter
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
640 GB SATA II Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Insp 15R: 1 Yr Limited Hardware Warranty, Mail-in Service (Included In Price)
Qty 1
Unit Price $0.00
TOTAL: $534.65

 

[Tom]

good deal but I would wait for one with a smaller hard drive and less memory. You should see some with a 320gb hard drive and 4 gb of memory for $550 before coupon. Maybe even $529. That's plenty of memory and hard drive for most tasks.

Check early in the morning, seems to be less people looking then.

 

[ericlp]

Thanks for the tips! Yeah, 4GB and 320 gb is plenty since I already have a few TB USB drives. The reviews say this one stays cool. That's what I'm looking for cheap, cool and mid range.