Affordable laptop that I can game on.

[milkmanv1]

Hey guys, my desktop just took a crap on me and it is pretty old, so I'd really rather just get a replacement at this point. In terms of a new desktop I'll eventually be getting a iMac, but in the meantime I want a notebook that I can mess around on. I was looking at getting a netbook, but they simply can't handle any gaming really, so it's a losing battle.

Basically here's what I want.

Pretty cheap laptop-probably around the 500$range
Atleast a VGA out (what laptop doesn't have that) if possible a HDMI out.
Something that has a decent graphics card.

My desktop ran suprisingly well for the fact that it was like a 1.5Ghz or something like that processor, and only 512megs of ram. So anything really would be an upgrade.

Windows is starting to bug me so another quick question here, if I put linux on what I get, does the program wine work well? The main game I wanna play is GuildWars, just picked up eye of the north on sale for like 5 bucks so I wouldn't mind giving GW a whirl again.

[J T]

I have an HP Pavilion dv5 that I bought at Fry's for around $700 a few years ago that will play most games. That may be more than what you're looking for price-wise, but if you want to have a nice enough graphics card, you might want to spend a little more. I will also say that once I bought my laptop, I rarely even bother to turn on my PC. Portable is so much nicer.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Wine works but... It's not very good. Idk what version you were using but Win7 works great. I know it may be a little more expensive but you could get a Z560 lenovo, it's 700 something dollars

I myself have my old 4 year old PowerBook and iPad for when I need to be a road warrior, and an iMac at home.

[milkmanv1]

Windows gets raped and pillaged by viruses like theres no tomorrow, I used XP forever, vista is bearable but idk about windows 7 yet.

Basically I get really sick of dealing with viruses....

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Windows gets raped and pillaged by viruses like theres no tomorrow, I used XP forever, vista is bearable but idk about windows 7 yet.

Basically I get really sick of dealing with viruses....

I've only ever gotten one virus on xp, and windows 7 seems secure, especially since Microsoft now has virus protection software for free.

[milkmanv1]

Well, basically any computer other then an apple is gonna have windows on it anyway, so I'm not opposed to giving it a try, but I just need good suggestions on what to get.

Newegg has this refurb HP that seems pretty legit for right around 400$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834157253

This compaq doesn't seem too shabby either

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834107044

Any opinions?

[Hatta]

Wine has an app db that keeps track of what is well supported. Guild Wars is at the top of the Platinum list, so you should have no trouble with it.

However, moving to Linux is a big move. There's a lot that's different, and a lot to learn. This can cause headaches, but it can also be very rewarding. I'm a huge Linux nut, but I don't recommend people switch unless they're interested in Linux for its own sake, instead of just as a platform.

If you're just sick of viruses, you might try installing XP in a VM (under XP or 7) and doing all your internet stuff in the VM. If you get infected, just roll it back to an earlier snapshot.

[milkmanv1]

Wine has an app db that keeps track of what is well supported. Guild Wars is at the top of the Platinum list, so you should have no trouble with it.

However, moving to Linux is a big move. There's a lot that's different, and a lot to learn. This can cause headaches, but it can also be very rewarding. I'm a huge Linux nut, but I don't recommend people switch unless they're interested in Linux for its own sake, instead of just as a platform.

If you're just sick of viruses, you might try installing XP in a VM (under XP or 7) and doing all your internet stuff in the VM. If you get infected, just roll it back to an earlier snapshot.

Thats good stuff to hear. I really wouldn't mind a change. What would you recommend? kernel, or Ubuntu?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Wine has an app db that keeps track of what is well supported. Guild Wars is at the top of the Platinum list, so you should have no trouble with it.

However, moving to Linux is a big move. There's a lot that's different, and a lot to learn. This can cause headaches, but it can also be very rewarding. I'm a huge Linux nut, but I don't recommend people switch unless they're interested in Linux for its own sake, instead of just as a platform.

If you're just sick of viruses, you might try installing XP in a VM (under XP or 7) and doing all your internet stuff in the VM. If you get infected, just roll it back to an earlier snapshot.

Thats good stuff to hear. I really wouldn't mind a change. What would you recommend? kernel, or Ubuntu?

My personal favorite distro is Mandriva, it's even more user friendly than Ubuntu, it's also very light even though it has tons of visual flair.

[Hatta]

Ubuntu is a good start. They have a solid foundation stemming from Debian, and they have a big community. Most problems you'll encounter, someone else will have encountered first. They do a pretty good job of buffering users from the command line environment and text config files, but there's always a few things you'll need to edit by hand. Don't be afraid of the terminal, it's your friend!

I got started on Mandrake back in the day, but I haven't used it since long before it turned into Mandriva. I always hear good things about it, so while I can't personally comment on it, I'm sure it's a good option.

Myself, I use Debian Sid with XFCE and rely heavily on the terminal. Going back to windows for work is painful.

Oh, and if you're interested. Mednafen is an absolutely fantastic emulator for most 8-bit consoles. SNES and Genesis support is in the development version.