Help with deciding on a new laptop computer

[Jotokun]

(06-03-2011, 11:01 AM)Link3324 Wrote: Thanks a lot for all of your help so far. So are you all pretty much saying that what I originally picked out would play GameCube games just fine, but not really Wii? And admin89, did you mean to say that the first link that you referenced ... (Acer Aspire AS5750G-9639 Notebook Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M) ... would definitely be able to play both types of games? If so then I might just get that one.

I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but as helpful as everybody is I'm still seeing hieroglyphics. Is it possible to just list the one or two most important things to look for when making a decision like this, and a few examples of laptops which meet the minimum requirements to get things running smooth? From what I've been reading on other threads so far, I need a "ghz" close to 3 and either an i5 or i7 core-something. Again I apologize but I really don't speak the language...

Originally I did not want to venture past $700, but if for another $100 I could get a laptop that would definitely be able to play GameCube and Wii games on it, perhaps I should lean towards that. As I said before my last one broke and I need to purchase a new one either way. So as long as I'm looking, I just think it would be the coolest thing to be able to pop open the CD drive and load up one of my GameCube disks on my new laptop

Thanks again!

The laptop you linked has an OK CPU (could run a lot of Gamecube games at decent speed) but the GPU is bad enough that it completely negates it.

Look for:
-Intel CPU, since AMDs dont work as well with Dolphin speed-wise
-The higher the clock speed on the CPU, the better. So an i3 at 3ghz would actually be better than an i5 at 2.5ghz. This only applies to Dolphin and other emulators though, for general purpose stuff an i5/i7 would be faster than an i3/i5
-An AMD/NVidia GPU with at least 512mb dedicated ram. Intel ones wont cut it. Go for 1gb if possible.

The other specs like ram and hd space shouldnt matter a whole lot.

[jbone1337]

(06-03-2011, 12:37 PM)Jotokun Wrote:

(06-03-2011, 11:01 AM)Link3324 Wrote: Thanks a lot for all of your help so far. So are you all pretty much saying that what I originally picked out would play GameCube games just fine, but not really Wii? And admin89, did you mean to say that the first link that you referenced ... (Acer Aspire AS5750G-9639 Notebook Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M) ... would definitely be able to play both types of games? If so then I might just get that one.

I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but as helpful as everybody is I'm still seeing hieroglyphics. Is it possible to just list the one or two most important things to look for when making a decision like this, and a few examples of laptops which meet the minimum requirements to get things running smooth? From what I've been reading on other threads so far, I need a "ghz" close to 3 and either an i5 or i7 core-something. Again I apologize but I really don't speak the language...

Originally I did not want to venture past $700, but if for another $100 I could get a laptop that would definitely be able to play GameCube and Wii games on it, perhaps I should lean towards that. As I said before my last one broke and I need to purchase a new one either way. So as long as I'm looking, I just think it would be the coolest thing to be able to pop open the CD drive and load up one of my GameCube disks on my new laptop

Thanks again!

The laptop you linked has an OK CPU (could run a lot of Gamecube games at decent speed) but the GPU is bad enough that it completely negates it.

Look for:
-Intel CPU, since AMDs dont work as well with Dolphin speed-wise
-The higher the clock speed on the CPU, the better. So an i3 at 3ghz would actually be better than an i5 at 2.5ghz. This only applies to Dolphin and other emulators though, for general purpose stuff an i5/i7 would be faster than an i3/i5
-An AMD/NVidia GPU with at least 512mb dedicated ram. Intel ones wont cut it. Go for 1gb if possible.

The other specs like ram and hd space shouldnt matter a whole lot.

How is that laptop bad?

the cpu is a 2.0ghz quad core, or turbo boost could hit 2 cores probably to 2.6-2.8ghz area (the more un active cores you have the higher the boost, 2.9 is based on 3 inactive cores, so 1 core @ 2.9). You also may want to turn off intel speed step or create a power plan for gaming that maxed min&max processor use 100% speed. as the speedstep will just mess stuff up while trying to game.

Yes more clock speed = better, but the highest i3 is 2.53ghz, fastest i5 is 2.66ghz. so you should be able to hit that with turbo boost, or just get the i5 for it being cheaper. But the i5 does have turbo boost, but the 2nd core cant be at max load otherwise it will do almost nothing, so there is a chance the i5 could beat the i7 for emulator use only.


the gt 540m is not a bad graphics card: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-540M.41715.0.html
can play really any game at med settings.


"Intel CPU, since AMDs dont work as well" proof pl0x?



As for cooling there are plenty of ways to cool a laptop:
-undervolting FTW
-laptop cooler
-Replace stock thermal paste
-cooler ambient temps, just turn on the ac in your house :3

-could go as far as modding your laptop for better cooling, but idk about that lol

[admin89]

(06-03-2011, 09:09 PM)jbone1337 Wrote: -could go as far as modding your laptop for better cooling, but idk about that lol

With this

But the fansink uses 12V , I have no choice but have to buy an 12v adapter for it

[dannzen]

thatswhy buy a desktop or a cooling pad...

[Link3324]

Well thanks everyone. This has been really helpful. I'm going to print this thread out and reference it in about a month or two when I go to buy one finally. But I'm just curious, is there any laptop out there, like one of the most expensive laptops on the market, that could play all these gamecube and wii games out there pretty close to flawlessly, guaranteed? Not that I would ever be able to afford such a thing... but I was just curious to find out if the technology for such a thing was even out there.

Thanks again!

[dannzen]

i7 2720qm is running with turboboost @3.3ghz
i7 2820qm is running with turboboost @3.4ghz

just look after a notebook with this cpu's
(but dont forget the cooling pad... this things are running rly hot)

[jbone1337]

(06-05-2011, 11:06 AM)Link3324 Wrote: Well thanks everyone. This has been really helpful. I'm going to print this thread out and reference it in about a month or two when I go to buy one finally. But I'm just curious, is there any laptop out there, like one of the most expensive laptops on the market, that could play all these gamecube and wii games out there pretty close to flawlessly, guaranteed? Not that I would ever be able to afford such a thing... but I was just curious to find out if the technology for such a thing was even out there.

Thanks again!

Well... http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP7282
is 3.2ghz with turbo boost up to 3.46ghz, so id imagine it would run gc at 100% speed.

But if you were going to spend this much on a laptop.... as you can get an insane desktop for this

[LordVador]

(06-06-2011, 07:51 AM)jbone1337 Wrote:

(06-05-2011, 11:06 AM)Link3324 Wrote: Well thanks everyone. This has been really helpful. I'm going to print this thread out and reference it in about a month or two when I go to buy one finally. But I'm just curious, is there any laptop out there, like one of the most expensive laptops on the market, that could play all these gamecube and wii games out there pretty close to flawlessly, guaranteed? Not that I would ever be able to afford such a thing... but I was just curious to find out if the technology for such a thing was even out there.

Thanks again!

Well... http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP7282
is 3.2ghz with turbo boost up to 3.46ghz, so id imagine it would run gc at 100% speed.

But if you were going to spend this much on a laptop.... as you can get an insane desktop for this

yep but Metroid(s) unplugged on the beach I say it's fun too

[Link3324]

Hello everybody. Back again! What I am about to ask may better fit into the "Dolphin PC Buying Guide" but I hope that you don't mind me placing it here since I already started this topic. Because of my good fortune, my main computer recently died too, so as of right now I absolutely am forced to buy a new desktop PC. I would like to re-ask my original question but now for a desktop instead.

So, would anybody be willing to recommend a computer around the $700-$800 range that I could buy that would be able to play Dolphin very well? I don't know how to build a computer, so I have been putting various specs from the above posts into the Amazon drop-downs, but it seems that if a computer has one it's lacking another... and again I'm not a complete pro at what I'm reading

I kind of have to buy something at this point, so any push in the right direction this time will be greatly appreciated. Since you were all saying that desktops were way better than laptops, I was just wondering if I could now play a game as "bulky" as SMG2 for example close to this price range without having to build it myself.

Thanks again for your help!


EDIT: Sorry I Forgot to mention some examples Amazon funneled me towards. Are either of these computers good for for running Wii games on Dolphin for the price?

http://www.amazon.com/iBUYPOWER-Gamer-Power-A933SLC-Computer/dp/B004L2LAA2/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308107948&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-Elite-HPE-400f-Desktop/dp/tech-data/B003ZX87IG/ref=de_a_smtd

...Or even something else? Again I am VERY open to suggestions

[ExtremeDude2]

(06-15-2011, 01:08 PM)Link3324 Wrote: EDIT: Sorry I Forgot to mention some examples Amazon funneled me towards. Are either of these computers good for for running Wii games on Dolphin for the price?

http://www.amazon.com/iBUYPOWER-Gamer-Power-A933SLC-Computer/dp/B004L2LAA2/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308107948&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-Elite-HPE-400f-Desktop/dp/tech-data/B003ZX87IG/ref=de_a_smtd

...Or even something else? Again I am VERY open to suggestions

I would go with the "iBUYPOWER".