Can my notebook play games?

Maverick

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Jul 10, 2005
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I'm thinking about getting a Dell Inspiron 9300. It has specs like an Intel Pentium M Processor 750 (1.86 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHZ FSB), 1 GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2DIMM, 256MB NVIDA GeForce Go 6800, 80GBrpmHard Drive, and a 24x CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive. Can this notebook play games like F.E.A.R., Swat 4, The Movies, and Battlefield 2? The people at Dell don't really seem to know what's going on and I know nothing about playing computer games (I'm as new as a newb can get when it comes to PC gaming), so I thought I'd ask the good people at MG.
 
Wow, and similar games

I have a dell with half the ram than yours and I play it just fine.
It used to be that you could take a lap top on the road with you and play when you were in the hotels....


:steeringw
 
I've seen plenty of laptop gamers. Of course most of them spent quite a wad on them and had all the accessories (wireless mouse and so forth).
 
Honestly, I think you really need to ask yourself if you NEED a notebook PC... If you need a PC to take to school or on trips and that ALSO will play games, that's one thing- I have a Dell Latitude D600 from work that's not quite as nice as the laptop you're looking at, and I play City of Heroes/Villains (with faiurly minimal graphics, true) and Guild Wars on it when I travel and it's acceptible. Not half as nice or fast as my desktop (an aging AMD 2100+ system) but it gets the job done. Top-end games like F.E.A.R will likely choke it, though if you use any sort of antialiasing or anisotropic filtering.

I have no idea why you'd need something fancy like a wireless mouse or anything like that- I just use a cheap-o USB mico-mouse (a free gift at a trade show) and it works great. Networking should be on the mobo. A USB hard drive is a nice add-on for moving files back and forth, and is not too expensive (just buy a 3.5" HDD and an external case kit for $30).

Really, the only challenge I have is HEAT- my Dell pumps out a LOT of heat when I play, so much so that it will really warm up your legs if you use it in your lap. Use a lap desk or other insulated, hard surface that won't restrict crucial air-flow (or sear your family jewels).

If you don't necessarily need a notebook for school/work, I'd spend the same money on a desktop- you'll get faster componants for the money, it's upgradable more easily down the line, and is still portable enough to take to LAN parties and such...