gfx card help please

hi i hopeu can help i am trying to buy my son a laptop to game on but i am having problemsa understanding all the diff gfx cards so if i put the way i understand it i hope u can help please.

he will be playing

battlefield 2
halo 2
fear combat
need for speed most wanted

can u tell what gfx cards will play these games as when i go to buy 1 ppl say yes it will play them but in fact they dont i have read ur posts and c u know what ur talking about and are not making commision on sales so i hopeu can help ( as this is for my son for only 12 months or so i want the cheap end of the market please aswell as high end but need to know what is cheap and whats not if that makes sense sorry )
thx sut

 

The lowest card I would get is either an Nvidia 7400 or an ATI X1400. If you really want it to last him a long time then go for a system with a 7600/X1600, since those cards are about twice as powerful as the ones down a step and the system will last him alot longer. The downside to getting the better card would be larger screen size, atleast 15.4", which still isnt large, but if portability is big then yeah. Also a system with a 7600/X1600 will definitly cost more, I would say about $300-400 more for a similarly equiped system with a 7400/X1400.

 

your sons a lucky one...have such a great fatehr that buys him a great system jsut for gaming..

id say x1600..

 

And be advised you will probably have to go online. Most major retailers, Compusa included, are really lacking in cards over the 7400 line. Not to mention you will overpay. Only reason I say this is because when I was younger my dad would always get burned by walking in and saying "Give me the best one you have". Most salesmen don't know any better. Your son should be grateful you have come for advice first.

 

sut, welcome to the forum!

What a nice father too! Ok, it is true that the x1400 or go7400 will suffice for gaming. But it is also true that the x1600/go7600 level is about 2x as powerful, but of they do run hotter and use more battery power.

Consider filling out an FAQ in the What to buy Forum and post your answers there for some specific suggestions on systems to look at.

Good luck on your search.

 

I don't know about the X1600, but I've actually been really impressed with just how cool the Go 7600 runs. While the power draw is naturally going to be greater than the 7400 or X1400, how much really remains to be seen. I know in my notebook I get over three hours with the 7600 - no small feat for a card that powerful.

As for graphics cards, I agree, filling out the FAQ and posting to the forum is the right call.

If you'd like more information, I wrote a GPU Guide that may be of use to you.

 

I definitely agree that my HEL80 with go 7600 also runs quite cool. Many x1600 notebook owners state the same about their laptops. I just thought it would be fair to point out to sut that with more power and speed, heat and battery consumption are going to be by-products. Perhaps not a whole lot more, but I thought it should be mentioned nonetheless in case it would be a concern for sut.

Sut, here's a great read on GPUs in case you haven't seen it already:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1246649&postcount=1

 

I have to add that the X1600 is mighty impressive with regards to battery life and heat as well. With Powerplay on "optimal battery life" (which is enabled by default) my laptop can get a good 4 hours on the standard battery in general tasks and its both cold and whisper quiet. When running games it does get a little hot but not terribly so (and its only a small section of the underside that is warn) and on battery I can easily get 2 hours out of the laptop when running games and that's when I set Powerplay to "balanced" (which gives performance very similar to the card running on AC) and not "optimal battery life". This is on the HP NC8430.

Just to back up what others have said, I'd recommend an X1600 / 7600 level graphics card.

 

thank you for ur honest replie people i cant fill out the FQA in what to buy as the thread is closed but atleast i have a better idea now as my sons birthday is coming in leaps and bounds. so thanks i can now look at the laptops with only these cards ande try to buy the best i can as cheap as i can ( see standard dad always trying to save money lol )

CAN I ASK IS THIS ANY GOOD Nvidia GeForce FX Go5650
Graphics RAM 128 MB any good as i have someone offering to sell me that cheap
Processor type Intel Pentium M
Processor speed 1700 MHz
RAM installed 512 MB
Display size 15.4 in.
Display type colour TFT (Dell UltraSharp)

he want £500 for this system


but again thank you

 

You can fill in the FAQ, all you have to do is copy it into a new thread and then fill in your answers.

That laptop linked would be a terrible buy, the FX series of cards were simply rubbish and you are also getting an outdated CPU and not enough RAM (1GB is needed for modern games). Cosidering this is second hand, the price is very poor as well.

What is the max of your budget? If you can stretch to around the £800 mark (which you really have to if gaming is a primary concern) you can get a VERY powerful machine that will be great in games and anything else, as well as having outstanding business class build quality and a free 3 year warranty (which is worth more than £100 on its own), from here. I have this laptop and it really is superb.

 

I agree with brain_stew on the laptop being offered to you. For that kind of money, you can get a much better system. For a little more, you can get an excellent gaming laptop for your son (if you want).

Open the FAQ thread, copy the text, then create a new thread in the What to Buy Forum like you did here. Then you can paste the text and fill in your answers.

If you're in the UK, Zepto.com is a nice place to start. Take a look at the 6214W, 2425W, and 6615W in particular. We also have a Zepto forum here if you would like to read more on them.

Good Luck and hope to see your FAQ.

 

this id driving me mad is the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 any good he say that it has 256 ram to the card but the makers say 128 FUJITSU-SIEMENS AMILO

can anyone tell what sort of gfx card this is for high games

thx

 

it might be good if you post your price range so we can suggest certain systems to you. like many people haev said, you really should go with atleast a 7400 or x1400, your system will be dragging when yuo play if you dont.

 

Don't post the same thing in two threads; that's cross posting and it is not allowed here.