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    is 1.4ghz dual core alright?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by lokster, Jan 31, 2008.

  1. lokster

    lokster Notebook Deity

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    ive been looking for a budget gaming laptop just for home use and lan parties and ive come across a dell vostro 1500, its perfect since its below my budget of 800usd! ive upgraded it to 2 gb and 256mb of 8600m gt and 160gb hard drive.

    my question is the processor is only

    Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5270 (1.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)

    its 800mhz fsb which is good since most processors are only 667, but is 1.4ghz good enough for gaming? im looking at bioshock, cod4 and crysis, coz i do want to go lan with my friends and i can afford it.

    all opinions are welcome thanks :p
     
    lokster, Jan 31, 2008
    #1
  2. skywalker

    skywalker Business Notebook FTW!!

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    Yes, it can as your GPU is 8600GT. Add as more RAM as possible.
     
    skywalker, Jan 31, 2008
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  3. de.1337

    de.1337 Notebook Evangelist

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    I say get more speed per core. If you're doing a singe core task it won't be as fast (maybe not always noticeable) as, say a 1.8 Ghz single core.
     
    de.1337, Jan 31, 2008
    #3
  4. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    de.1337 is right. If you have a little extra, go for the extra .4Ghz or so. :D
     
    pixelot, Jan 31, 2008
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  5. Stu.The.Bunny

    Stu.The.Bunny Notebook Consultant

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    that proc is fine for gaming, I have it, and even with my x3100 gaming is pretty smooth.

    you could also just get a gig of ram and upgrade it yourself on the cheap.
     
    Stu.The.Bunny, Jan 31, 2008
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  6. JTF2

    JTF2 Notebook Consultant

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    I dont know the pricing of the configurations, but if I recall (based on my toying around with Dell online), Dell charges $100 per GB Ram. If so I would recommend only buying 1GB and use the $100 to upgrade the processor (I think its ~$150 to upgrade from T5xxx to T7250). Then you can buy your own ram, which will be a lot cheaper.
     
    JTF2, Jan 31, 2008
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  7. E30kid

    E30kid Notebook Deity

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    If you have $830 you can get one with an 8600m GT and the T7250 with 2GB of ram.
     
    E30kid, Jan 31, 2008
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  8. lokster

    lokster Notebook Deity

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    thanks the 2gb comes standard and without the bluetooth it costs 758usd!!! with the 8600gt and the 160gb hard drive! sweet :p

    my doubts on the processor have been vanquished. my gamer friends confirm its pretty alright 1.4ghz dual core.

    thanks for all the help :D
     
    lokster, Feb 2, 2008
    #8
  9. tikt4ever

    tikt4ever Notebook Enthusiast

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    imo not even 1.67 ghz is good enough for gaming; thats why im trying to build with a T9300 (2.5 ghz)
     
    tikt4ever, Feb 2, 2008
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  10. nobscot6

    nobscot6 Wise One

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    lordy, for gaming, try to upgrade the dual core.....
     
    nobscot6, Feb 2, 2008
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  11. syxbit

    syxbit Notebook Evangelist

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    i'd say wait and grab a T9300
     
    syxbit, Feb 2, 2008
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  12. nyu3

    nyu3 Notebook Geek

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    Bioshock and especially Crysis are extremely demanding. Even if you play at very low settings, a 1.4ghz C2D isn't going to cut it. It is more than worthwhile to upgrade to a 2ghz or better processor.

    Check out the benchmarks here:
    http://www.techspot.com/article/64-bioshock-performance/page3.html

    Note that even with a Desktop 2.33ghz Core 2 Duo, the 8600GT manages 37.5 fps at LOW quality 1280x1024. At high quality, it drops to 21.3 fps.
     
    nyu3, Feb 2, 2008
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  13. teksurv

    teksurv Notebook Guru

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    Yeah for gaming I personally would rate the T7250 as my minimum. While I understand most games rely more on the GPU, newer games are quite demanding on the CPU as well.

    I myself am waiting to purchase the T9300 for my system.
     
    teksurv, Feb 3, 2008
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  14. gspot333

    gspot333 Notebook Consultant

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    Save and go for the better specs. You won't have any regrets and increase system longevity.
     
    gspot333, Feb 3, 2008
    #14