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I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 05:59
by iag48
Greetings
I have been watching videos of this game on Youtube for about a week now and every time I grow eager to play this game.
The only problem is I have a Macbook (gma 950) which is not capable of running the game and I do not want to spend a lot of money on just to play this game. I was hoping of maybe getting a Macbook Pro with 512mb (previous version) from craigslist.org if I can find it cheap but so far no luck.
Are there any sub $700.00 laptops that can run this game at high settings? I know I can get a desktop cheaper but I really prefer the laptop.
Appreciate your help.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 06:23
by bigpimp83
just get a desktop because you're gona wana play another better (in lighting and all that) game and your mac book might not handle it get something with atleast 2gb of ram dual core would be a good choise and 8800 nvidia series video card. that would be a good system
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 06:28
by iag48
Trust me I do not have room for a desktop and I prefer the laptop because I can play when I have breaks between classes.
Do you know of any laptops that can play the game maxed out?
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 06:36
by bigpimp83
i went to best buy last week they had some laptops that would play games fairly well check it out at bestbuy.com try to find something similar to those specs that i posted above
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 06:59
by Lt.Dan_991
Try Dell Laptops...I've heard they make great laptops and they are great for the money.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 07:08
by casiNo
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 07:09
by iag48
I was hoping to get a cheap macbook pro with 512mb video ram. But it seems that they are too expensive;I may have to opt for a windows machine or make space for a desktop =(
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 07:11
by Makee
I was searching for good (gaming) laptop this summer, choice on market wasn't wide as I expected & wanted, but nothing was even close to 700$.
Bought
Acer Aspire 6920, I'm very satisfied with its performance and overall, it runs every game I tried so far (PR, Far Cry 2, Race Driver Grid,...) smoothly on maximum settings.
You can maybe try your luck on those current rebate contests, you never know what today traders are capable of.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 13:16
by supahpingi
iag48 wrote:I was hoping to get a cheap macbook pro with 512mb video ram. But it seems that they are too expensive;I may have to opt for a windows machine or make space for a desktop =(
Good laptops are pricy,so its best to get a Desktop pc
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 22:01
by Skodz
Gaming laptop are basically twice the price of the same thing on a desktop.
ncix.com
and you do not want mac/apple for gaming...
https://www.realitymod.com/guide/System_Requirements
When it comes to video cards, most pc available at big stores such as Future Shop, Best Buy, wal-mart, etc. are horrible for gaming... Most are Geforce and you do not want anything lower then 600 on geforce. No 7300, 8500, etc. Only 8600, 8800, 9600, 9800, etc.
Right now, a good deal is the Geforce 9800 wich is the new 8800. Still, it depends on your power supply, monitor resolutions and other stuff.
Personnaly, I prefer ATI Radeon and the hd4850 512mo is a nice deal right now. I don't know if the hd4530 is out yet. If you want top class tho, you may want to go for hd4870 or hd4870x2 but this one is very expensive.
On Windows XP you will be good with 2go ram or 3 max because it does not really manage 4go+
If you want to go 4go + of Ram you need windows vista and if you vista, go for 64 bits.
Then you got the processor, atleast a dual-core, Intel have good ones.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2008-12-31 23:41
by Dougalachi
A recent macbook pro can handle PR just fine, the new ones have a M9600GT AND a M9400. The older ones have M8600GT, which can run BF2/PR fine, but dont expect better than medium or a little better without a drop in FPS, maybe up to high with the newest version of the Macbook pro. unfortunately, the case can get significantly hot b/c of a lack of an intake/venting fan on the case(i know firsthand, I own one.) However, you will need a copy of XP w/ SP2 or later or a copy of vista. I'd recommend getting a dell or something like that with a decent card. A lot cheaper than a Macbook pro and will run pr about the same, maybe even better, depending on how much money you shell out.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 08:13
by iag48
Well friends, I have decided that it is not wise to spend too much money on a laptop when I can get a better equipped desktop for much less. So now my quest for a desktop begins.
I definitely want to be able to play ARMA 2 and Operation Flashpoint 2 at HIGH settings so I need to look for a desktop with good specs. However I know that it is always cheaper to build but I do not know how to and with college/work I do not have the time. So I'm looking around, any suggestions?
Thanks for your help,
Sorry for the TYpos I'm drunk. \

Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 08:18
by iag48
By the way, does anyone here run everything on high settings? I would love to know what it takes to run this game with EVERYTHING HIGH.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 10:06
by kf_reaper
your gonna want a tower. 2 weeks ago my laptop burned up playing PR
ya it was cool being able to play on a laptop it lasted me about 3 years. bet heat is a problem and not being able to open it up and get all of the dust bunnys out is an big problem. they just get in the cooking system for your CPU/chip set/vid chip set and they just end up over heating and then dieing.
and on top of that most of the new laptop are not really made ware you can clean them.
but ya i got at $800 toshiba paper weight lolz.....
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 10:13
by Deadfast
iag48 wrote:By the way, does anyone here run everything on high settings? I would love to know what it takes to run this game with EVERYTHING HIGH.
You mean everything high in PR?
You don't need that much of a good PC do that
Everything above 8600GT and HD3850 should have no problems to run PR at all high + 8x AA
And yes, laptops are not good for gaming.
Too much heat, too little space...
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 16:01
by drengo
I just bought a laptop the other day and can't wait to play pr on it. Core 2 duo 2.26, 4gigs of ram, 9800m GTS 1g ddr3, 17" 1900x1200 screen, $1050. Only thing that bugs me is that its a gateway

Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 17:41
by AquaticPenguin
I have a 8600gt card which runs PR on medium (some high) settings no aa and a bit of af. However my computer's CPU is an old p4 and the motherboard is completely **** so I reakon a 8600gt on a reasonable motherboard and a dual-core could run it on all high settings. My Fps is lowered by memory bottlenecks and a generally bad motherboard. Definately try and get 2gb or 4gb of ram, because ram is cheap

Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-01 20:59
by iag48
I was reading how the Intel core i7 is much better than the quadcore processors. Therefore I began to look for i7 desktops and found a very cheap one:
Intel Core i7 Configurator
Is it too good to be true? I can always add another card in.
What do you guys think?
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-02 01:48
by kf_reaper
it would be a good idea to put air filters on your laptop intake vents it will help keep the dust out of it and in turn will prolong your laptops life.
Re: I want to play this game need help choosing hardware.
Posted: 2009-01-02 14:49
by Liquid_Cow
I got a Gateway FX series laptop which is built as a gamer. It does run hot, I found by tilting it just a little its much happier (I put a magazine under the rear feet.
This unit cost me well over $1200 new, now a year later they can be had for about $700.
Here's one on Ebay for $699
I am quite happy with it.
The biggest downside to using this vs a desktop is the smaller keyboard and lack of expansion. There are only 3 USB ports, and I use all of them when playing (sound, mouse, joystick or N52 keypad). Its more than enough for PRM, but it works pretty hard for WIC (I run med graphics there). I don't think it would play the newest games at anything more than low settings.
Plus side I can upgrade both the RAM and the CPU, and there is space for a 2nd HD, as well as access ports to get the dust bunnies out of the cooling pipes. It gets over 2 hours run time on the battery with the power settings lowered (gaming last about 30min tops, watching a DVD 1:45, just enough to watch the whole movie) when being used for other than gaming.
Here are the specs and review at CNET:
HERE