is the x1600 suitable for me?

i'm not much of a gamer as i lack the patience for it so would i be able to get good use out of the x1600? or am i better off with a lower end graphics card? i'm just looking to do serious work and every now and then watch some movies. i probably don't need a vista ready machine so maybe integrated graphics would be enough?

 

Integrated graphics would probably be enough. Will you be the only one using the machine? What kind of "serious work" are you talking about? Word? 3D modeling? And for movies, a dedicated card is often better. You may not need an X1600, but an X1400 wouldn't be bad, or an X200m (or whatever the integrated ATI part is)

 

I would suggest a low end graphics card - its better than integrated because at least it has some of its own memory - so won't be stealing so much from your RAM - plus then it does give u the option to go to vista - with all its glory - if you want.

 

yeah, but if u want to watch movie, getting a dedicated video card is better because it offers video enhancement; eg. ATI's AVIVO technology or Nvdia's PureVideo tech.

 

If you dont game at all then integrated will do. But Id recomend a low end dedicated card as it doesnt eat into system ram. Something like a x1300 or 7300go and disable hypermemory. That way you save your system ram for applications.

 

yeah this notebook is just for me i'm going into computer science so i'll just be typing up long boring reports and loads of programming, i'm not sure about 3d modelling although i've seen some computer science projects which do lots of simulation stuff in a 3d environment

 

there is no harm in going for a laptop with a 7600/X1600 but if your on a tight budget go with something like a X1400.

If you get a laptop with an integrated GPU, then it won't be future proof. The bad thing about a medium power GPU is that is uses up more battery than a low end GPU but you won't notice much difference in graphical quality comparing the two graphics cards.

I suggest you read the Mobile Graphics Guide in the gaming section of the forum which should give you a detailed insight on which GPU you should go for. Make sure you read these:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568


http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=65548

Also, if you want your laptop to run Windows Vista nicely, I suggest you go for the ATI X1600

 

Ive used the X1600 for solid works and 3D apps, and it runs them perfectly. If your budget can afford it, go with a dedicated GPU. Since you stated you might do some 3D modeling, go for the X1400 or the Nvidia 7400 as those are decent options.

 

Yeah. If you're going into CS, I'd suggest a discrete card. the x1400/x1600/Go7400/Go7600 or whatnot would be great. I'd also highly suggest (especially if you won't be using an external or secondary monitor) that you get a larger, high-res screen (1280x800 is bare minimum, I'd suggest higher). Coding on low-res is an exercise in pain. I hate switching to my mouse to move to another file or scroll to look at other parts of my code.
And a professional warning: I noticed you said you don't have the patience to game. Be forewarned, computer science is basically an exercise in patience and problem-solving skills. You'll be staring at something for hours on end, trying to get it to work, and it just refuses to It's worth it, but make sure that you love it before you go too far with it. I've seen lots of people who just like computers who ended up dropping out of CS because they didn't have the patience or the love of solving problems.

 

I suggest you go for the x1300 or go 7300. Those will work more than excelent for you

 

do you have to pay for vista when it comes out or is it gonna be a free update

 

Yes

Why wouldn't it? We are talking Microsoft....the ultimate symbol of capitalism...along with Maccy D, Nike etc

But that's a discussion for another day

 

lolz
thanks