New laptop/desktop for kiddo # 2

[M's]

Child #2 is wanting to save up enough cash to buy a laptop. What I need to know is what would be the minimum requirments to run TF2 and L4D2.
doesnt need to be anything fancy or high dollar. He's only 13 but does want to play against his old man sometimes.
So let me know what would be good for that.

Also I am running wireless and can hook him up to the router.

[Boss Llama]

Most decent laptops these days could run TF2 and L4D2 at a basic level, though the settings might have to be cranked down, depending on the equipment. The "recommended" specs for TF2, which is the higher of the pair, are as follows:

CPU: 3.0 GHz
RAM: 1 GB RAM
GPU: DirectX 9.0 video card; 512MB recommended video card memory.

The CPU clock speed is an old spec, from before the current generation(s) of chips were out. A slower chip from a new series will do just fine.

----------------

The difference between "ok graphics" and "good graphics" is probably where the cost will lie.

Something like this or this would probably be functional for basic purposes. They have small screens and integrated graphics, so certainly aren't going to tear it up, but they'll run, and they tend to price around $450-$500.

Up the performance scale a bit will be laptops like this and this, which pack much more powerful mid-range stand-alone graphics chipsets, more powerful CPUs, and in the case of the latter, a 17 inch screen. They tend to price around $700, and should be more than enough for a 13 year old.

More power is readily available, but at proportionally greater expense, and probably isn't what he's in the market for.

[MrBlah]

Alizee's suggestion are good ones, but you know it is always a better decision to build a desktop.

View the picture there on the first post.
http://www.theville.org/forums/viewtopi ... 14&start=0

You might even be able to get him to research himself and take a look at Toms Hardware charts to see how everything compares.

[M's]

The thing is he'll be carrying it between my home and his mothers. And thats the main reason he wants a laptop.

[tsmitho]

Do you have a price range in mind? it would really help limit things down

[M's]

Some where around the 300-500 hundred range.
He's working to save up for it. And I dont really want him to drain the bank.

[tsmitho]

something like this looks like it would be the best bang for his buck.
dual core phenom 2 @ 3GHZ
ati 4250 should be able to play games on decent settings
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834215126

Edit: Oh thats the same laptop alizee already mentioned, so i second that

[tsmitho]

Also, If he doesnt need it right away i would wait till later this summer (mid-late july/august) because most stores will be running back to school specials selling the cheaper laptops. It will also be interesting to see how AMD's new APUs and Bulldozer/llanos cores will affect pricing of current models and how affordable they will be.

[Clay Pigeon]

Llano laptops should be available within a month. That should be more than sufficient to run tf2 and l4d2, for substantially cheaper than a laptop with a discrete graphics card, and with much more power than laptops with integrated graphics available today.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/06/ ... ies_apus/1

[unknown]

today i was at walmart and i saw a laptop under 300$, but i didnt look at any of the specs. i was buying a tv for my dorm

[M's]

Would this work
http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/LX.PXE02.209

if not how about this one
http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/LX.PY902.035

[tsmitho]

Are those actually the same price? It seems so. The first one with the Phenom would be wayyyy better than the one with the pentium in everything except maybe battery life. the phenom is quad vs dual core. 2.2 ghz vs 2.0 and ati 4000 series vs crap intel card. so it is much better. Clay also has a good point. If you can wait, the llanos APUs seem to be amazing. super low power consumption and way faster for games and stuff. as they become more available i also would assume current products would drop in price to stay competitive against them.

[M's]

Will this one be alright
Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Celeron® Processor / 15.6" Display / 3GB Memory / 250GB Hard Drive - Black
Processor Speed2.3GHz
System Bus800MHz
Cache Memory1MB on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM)3GB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To4GB
Type of Memory (RAM)DDR2
Hard Drive TypeSATA (5400 rpm)
Computer Hard Drive Size250GB
GraphicsIntel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M
Video Memory128-1341MB dynamically allocated shared
NetworkingBuilt-in 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless NetworkingWireless-B+G+N
IEEE 1394 FireWire PortsNone
System Version64-bit
Graphics ChipIntel
Drive Capacity250GB
Graphics CardIntel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M

If not how about this
Acer 15.6" TravelMate 5542-3590 Laptop PC:
Key Features and Benefits:

•AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P340 processor
2.20GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

•2GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory

Gives you the options for surfing, video conferencing, documents, basic photo editing and simple computer tasks

•250GB SATA hard drive

Store 166,000 photos, 71,000 songs or 131 hours of HD video and more

•SuperMulti DVD Burner

Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

•10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN

Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC

•15.6" CineCrystal TFT display

ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics

[Clay Pigeon]

Will this one be alright
Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Celeron® Processor / 15.6" Display / 3GB Memory / 250GB Hard Drive - Black
Processor Speed2.3GHz
System Bus800MHz
Cache Memory1MB on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM)3GB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To4GB
Type of Memory (RAM)DDR2
Hard Drive TypeSATA (5400 rpm)
Computer Hard Drive Size250GB
GraphicsIntel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M
Video Memory128-1341MB dynamically allocated shared
NetworkingBuilt-in 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless NetworkingWireless-B+G+N
IEEE 1394 FireWire PortsNone
System Version64-bit
Graphics ChipIntel
Drive Capacity250GB
Graphics CardIntel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M

If not how about this
Acer 15.6" TravelMate 5542-3590 Laptop PC:
Key Features and Benefits:

•AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P340 processor
2.20GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

•2GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory

Gives you the options for surfing, video conferencing, documents, basic photo editing and simple computer tasks

•250GB SATA hard drive

Store 166,000 photos, 71,000 songs or 131 hours of HD video and more

•SuperMulti DVD Burner

Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

•10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN

Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC

•15.6" CineCrystal TFT display

ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics

Definitely not the first. The second may work, but I would get a Llano (amd A-series processor) -based laptop instead. Acer will probably be launching their A-series based laptops later this month. Toshiba and HP already have models available.

[M's]

Thankyou all for the help.
Based on what was said I now kno what to get.