essendoubleop

I'm a casual gamer, mostly just play sports simulation games and an occasional RTS game. I was hoping with my next laptop to be able to play Oblivion and Fallout 3. I also want a wireless-compatible laptop, and maybe around 200 GB. I found 4 strong options. Which do you think I should go with?

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire AS4530-5627 NoteBook AMD Mobile Athlon 64 X2 QL-60(1.90GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 2GB Memory 160GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9100M G - Laptops / Notebooks
HP Notebook 15.4" LCD, AMD Athlon X2 QL-60 Dual-Core, 2GB RAM, 120GB Hard Drive
Best BlackFriday Deal: HP 15.4 Laptop: Dual Core T3200, 2GB, 160GB, Vista Premium
Best BlackFriday Deal: Toshiba 15.4" Laptop: Dual Core, 3GB, 160GB

Radio Monk33

Is that your absolute budget limit? I mean, that's around the price range for a netbook.

While RTS games should be fine, Fallout 3 and Oblivion might need a more powerful video card. I got an Nvidia 8600GT in my Macbook Pro and I imagine this is near the bare minimum requirements..

__________________
"Punk rock had this cool, political personal message. It was a bit more cerebral than just stupid cock rock, you know"
-Kurt Cobain

essendoubleop

I'm a student in school and would like to spend between $400-500, maybe extending that range a little bit if absolutely necessary.

The first option from newegg has a Geforce 9100. I'm not a computer-head, but the reviews at the site have said they are able to run Oblivion. The Geforce 9100 was listed as "class 3" according to this site. The Radeon HD 3200, which I know at least the second option runs with, is also listed as class 3. So, I would assume the laptops with this video would also be able to run the games as well.

Stare At The Sun

Why are you getting a laptop over a desktop? Is mobility that important to you?

Vigilante

Not the newegg one. I don't even have to click it to know better.
Not the second one, either. AMD's older CPUs are vast underperformers.

I hate to say this because I had AMD for 10 years, but drop the AMD chips. Aint gonna work.

3rd one is ok, but who knows what video card is in it, if any. Probably intel graphics. Ugh. The chip is pretty low on the scale and honestly I'm not sure if it's that much better than the AMD chips. You'd be much better off with a 7xxx series chip.

4th one....still a piece of crap IMO, but maybe I'm holding higher standards than some. You said you want to game though, and gaming doesn't happen on 400 bucks!

The main thing is look for video cards. That's the kicker, you HAVE to have a non-onboard video card in that lappy if you want to game. 8600M GT or better. It's not an option.

__________________
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

essendoubleop

Well, the newegg one comes with a GeForce 9100, and according to some of the reviews there, is able to play Oblivion.

And yes, mobility would be important for me as a graduate student.

Lasereth

None of those will run Oblivion or Fallout 3 worth a shit and anyone who says different is...well, full of shit. You will need a good videocard in the laptop to run those games and a good CPU and 2 GB of ram. GeForce 8800 series or better, Radeon HD 3800 series or higher, GeForce 9600 series or higher. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but playing those games at any respectable settings is simply out of your price range.
-----Added 24/11/2008 at 10 : 41 : 02-----
Sure it will boot it up and run but it's not gonna look good. You might as well play Morrowind since it will probably look better than Oblivion on a laptop 9100 card. You can't turn chicken shit into chicken salad and that is what you're trying to do if you go with these laptops.

essendoubleop

Wow, you sound almost bitter. Rough experience in the past, I take it?

The problem is I can't even at least give it a test-run. What if I just ordered the laptop, tested the game, then returned it? That's kosh, no?

EDIT nevermind, checked their policy. Replacements only for defective items.

Vigilante

Meh, just go get one and see for yourself. Let the best buy tech talk you into something.

__________________
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill