Trying to meet specifications with a new laptop

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[02ian]

merry christmas everyone...

just wanted to ask a quick question regarding system requirements

i'm planning on a buying a new laptop, because my current one is unable to cope with the high graphical requirements of certain pieces of software (including ship sim)

my current laptop specs:
intel core 2 duo T5550
(1.83Ghz 667Mhz 2MB)
2GB DDR2 Ram
120GB HDD
Vista

with this i can run ship sim, i can even turn on player wakes, provided i set view distance to minium and make sure the weather is sunny, multiplayer has so much lag its untolerable (at least to the other players who on my screen are still 2km's away, but in (virtual) reality are 1/2 Meter to port)

i have similar issues with other games, which is not suprising since most of the time i either barely meet or am under the system requirements

but i've had enough, its time for an upgrade

using a selection of my higest spec games as a reference, i can see that the main area i'm lacking in is clock speed (either that or the specs on the box are incorrect)

so i went out to look on the net for a laptop with a higher clock speed, but i havant been able to track down much more than 2.16Ghz (Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor T4300) that fits within my kinda price range £500 ish

having checked the specs on shipsim new horizons it needs 2.4ghz pentium 4

so bascially what i want to ask is... with a laptop like this:
    *  Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor T4300
    * (2.10Ghz, 800Mhz, 1MB Cache)
    * Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium
    * 4GB Memory
    * 500GB Hard drive
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/590597#productInformationSection

or like this
    *  Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor T4300
    * (2.16Ghz, 667Mhz, 1MB Cache)
    * Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium
    * 4GB Memory
    * 320GB Hard drive
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0015513880.1261843876@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadejehjllldcflgceggdhhmdfok.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=822766&category_oid=#productInformationSection

would i be able to run ship sim and other games of similar quality, at a resonable level of detail, ie with no lag, and several kms view distance, wakes etc or do i need to spend more?

any suggestions would be appreciated

many thanks
02ian

[Captain Best]

Yep. you need a better CPU. 2,4 at least

i have 1,6  so im unable to play ss08

[jammydodger]

If you search on Google for 'Custom Build Laptop' then you can find several sites where you can make your own laptop. I have used PC Specialist (www.pcspecialist.co.uk) to do 3 different laptop configurations for you. The reasons that they are so expensive is that laptops cost a lot more for better quality. It's alot cheaper to get a PC instead, even WITH roughly the same specs. My brother paid the same amount (roughly £1000 pounds, like our first two options here) for a PC with much better specs (GTX 280 1GB video card, 12GHz Quad Core Processor, 4 giant fans, giant case, brilliant ASUS motherboard, disk drive, everything a computer needs. And he put it all together himself in 4 hours!)
£1032 inc VAT and Delivery is a very good (custom specced by me) StyleNote 17N laptop. Here is a picture of the specifications:

£1072 inc VAT and Delivery is a very good (custom specced by me) 18.4" screen Viper laptop. The only differences here are the better graphics system with a more economical use of your CPU (processor) and the 802.11n wireless for faster wireless (where available).
Specs:

£990 inc VAT and Delivery is our cheapest option. The difference here is that the card is not Nvidia like the other two, but a 512mb (good) ATI card. This also has the 802.11n wireless.
Specs:


Hope that helps, James

[02ian]

in the intrest of saving myself a few bob (since as an apprentice i don't even earn minimum wage)

how do these specs for a desktop sound?
Operating system    Genuine Windows (R) 7 Home Premium     
Operating system mode    64-bit    
Processor brand    Intel    
Processor model    Core 2 Quad    
Processor Number    Q8300    
Processor clock speed    2.5GHz    
Processor cache    4MB    
RAM memory size    4GB    
RAM memory type    DDR2    
RAM memory clock speed    800MHz    
Hard drive capacity    640GB    
Hard Drive Spin Speed    7200rpm    
First hard drive interface    SATA

would they run shipsim ok?

[jammydodger]

You need a better video card and a better processor. Processor needs to be about 3 GHz. About 256mb video card will probably max out all the details on SS, (and is cheaper) but I think it'll be hard finding a site where you can get a good laptop with a 256mb video card. Usually they jump the gun to 3xxmb or 5xxmb.

[Master Captain]

each time you post the specs you dont post anything about the graphics card.. thats almost the most important part that tells you weather you can run ship sim good or not along with the processor and RAM

[02ian]

    *  AMD Phenom X4 9650 Quad-Core processor
    * (2.3GHz, 2MB Cache)
    * Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    * 4GB DDR2 memory
    * 640GB hard drive
    * 512MB ATI Radeon HD4350 graphics
    * DVD Rewriter
    * Built-in wireless (802.11b/g)

how about this one?

[jammydodger]

Good but it needs a faster processor (about 3.0 Ghz) then it will be perfect. You SHOULD be able to have SS on full everything smootly! I have a 6Ghz, 2GB RAM, three hundred and something mb video card and SS runs beautifully maxed out, so provided you have a processor over 3.0 Ghz, you're fine!

[02ian]

Processor (CPU)   Intel® Coreâ„¢i7 Processor i7-960 (3.20GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)   6GB CORSAIR XMS3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY
Motherboard   GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R:DDR3, 2-Way SLI & CrossFireX
Operating System   Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
USB Options   8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD
Memory - 1st Hard Disk   640GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive   22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Graphics Card   1GB ATI RADEONâ„¢ HD 4670 PCI EXPRESS
Sound Card   ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities   WIRELESS N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)
Case   COOLERMASTER SILEO 500 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Power Supply & Case Cooling   600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling   COOLERMASTER V8 EXTREME CPU COOLER - Experience the power of V8 (£49)
Firewire & Video Editing   1 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORT ONBOARD
Monitor   22 Inch Wide TFT Silver/Black 1680 x1050 5MS D-Sub, DVI (£125)
Keyboard & Mouse   Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Mouse   Black Logitech® Optical Wheel Mouse USB (£4)
Speakers   LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£7)
Surge Protection   Belkin 4 Socket 2M Surge Protector with £25,000 Protection! (£8)
Warranty   1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return
Delivery   STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time   Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days
Quantity   1

£1278 inc VAT and Delivery.

how do these specs sound?
or are there any admendments you can suggest based on this?

[MMMMMM]

Great Just like mine i have same graphics card and same procsser speed

[02ian]

and you can run ship sim at full potentional on that?
(also other software, particulary Trainz, MS Flight simX, other high graphic games?)

[jammydodger]

All of those, yes you can! Although because the processor is a little bit slow you may find FS X a bit laggy if you have it completely turned up, however I doubt you can find a processor you can fit in with all those specs the same. Go for it! Just be prepared not to have FS X on full blast detail. Otherwise that's perfect!

[Master Captain]

3.2ghz is not a slow processor, an intel core i7 is a quad core processor and intel doesn't make a processor that can go much faster, this one can go up to 3.46ghz with intel's turbo boost technology, other than overclocking you're not really going to find a faster quad core processor

[jammydodger]

Quad core? I thought this was Dual Core? I'm not saying it's slow... I'm saying it might mean that it's not capable of maxing out! (see below)
And anyway, on the back of my Flight Sim X box, it states that the minumum processor is 1.0 Ghz! Get out of it! Fat chance... I have a 6 Ghz Dual core and a three hundred and something mb video card and FSX is maxed out and goes perfectly. I'm just saying that Ian should not expect flat out perfect performance, but this doesn't mean he has to have the detail settings right low.
I suggest Ian, that you have the Graphics detail on 1 or 2 below max, aircraft on 1 or 2 below max, scenery on 1 below max or full, weather on 1 or 2 below max maybe full, and traffic on full. It MAY be possible you could go on max on more than just traffic (I mean you can definately).
Trainz should max out no problems. I used to play it, but abandoned it for Rail Works which I have everything maxed out on.
Good luck!  

P.S. BE CAREFUL WITH WINDOWS 7! I suggest that you buy a copy of Windows Vista as well, 'just in case' as many games are known to have malfunctioned on Windows 7. I'd wait  about 6 months ish for Windows 7 game patches, upgrades and games themselves to come out before using it. I suppose you could say that most companies haven't really prepared themselves for Windows 7 (as in game companies).

[Master Captain]

intel core i7 is a quad core processor, and with the specs ian posted above, that computer will perform better than yours. Since a 6ghz processor does not exist you must have an Intel core 2 duo running at 3ghz. The quad core is running at 3.2ghz, which is faster. He has a 512mb graphics card, yours is only 300 something. a 512mb card will perform better.

[MMMMMM]

and you can run ship sim at full potentional on that?
(also other software, particulary Trainz, MS Flight simX, other high graphic games?)

Yes perfecctly I have FSX and Trainz2006 and Trainz Classics, Railworks (get it I just got it better that Trainz and MSTS), pirates of the Caribbean, and it all runs perfectly

[jammydodger]

intel core i7 is a quad core processor, and with the specs ian posted above, that computer will perform better than yours. Since a 6ghz processor does not exist you must have an Intel core 2 duo running at 3ghz. The quad core is running at 3.2ghz, which is faster. He has a 512mb graphics card, yours is only 300 something. a 512mb card will perform better.

No, Quad Core ISN'T  better than a dual core, because most programs only use 1 or 2 cores meaning that potential is lost. You've gotta have a good processor to get the best out of your video card, and having a Quad Core 3.xx Ghz processor may not get the full potential of that 512mb. AND, it doesn't matter if he has more video RAM in his card than I do, beacuse as well as the processor, the card has to be efficient. Some cards eat your CPU for breakfast. Mine however, doesn't.
Technically 6Ghz processors DO exist, because processor speeds are said as a combined speed of all cores AS WELL AS the speed of each core and the number of cores.
  
 

[Master Captain]

i never specifically said 4 cores were better than 2, i prefer dual core over 4 as most programs as you said only use 1 to 2 cores. But the speed of the processor is fast than yours, the one ian posted above is a 3.2ghz and yours is a 3ghz. .2ghz isn't much but it can make a difference. The good thing about 4 cores is the un used cores can maintain normal computer functions while the other cores dedicate themselves to whatever program you're using. The memory a card has usually allows it to perform better, i only have a 256mb card, that 512mb card is going to perform better than mine. Some cards now have over 1 gig of memory allowing for excellent performance. The only time you have a 6ghz processor is if both 3ghz cores were running at maximum capacity which doesn't happen very often. and please dont use caps, it makes it seem as if you're shouting

[jammydodger]

i never specifically said 4 cores were better than 2, i prefer dual core over 4 as most programs as you said only use 1 to 2 cores. But the speed of the processor is fast than yours, the one ian posted above is a 3.2ghz and yours is a 3ghz. .2ghz isn't much but it can make a difference. The good thing about 4 cores is the un used cores can maintain normal computer functions while the other cores dedicate themselves to whatever program you're using. The memory a card has usually allows it to perform better, i only have a 256mb card, that 512mb card is going to perform better than mine. Some cards now have over 1 gig of memory allowing for excellent performance. The only time you have a 6ghz processor is if both 3ghz cores were running at maximum capacity which doesn't happen very often. and please dont use caps, it makes it seem as if you're shouting

No, mine is 2X 3 Ghz = 6Ghz max usage.    
BTW: I use CAPS as supposed to using italics.  
Processor power influences how much you can get out of your video card.  
So who's right?   

[Master Captain]

I'm right, i'm in school for this stuff. People dont refer to processors by their maximum power as they're rarely at full capacity, so correct name would be a dual core processor running at 3ghz

[jammydodger]

I'm right, i'm in school for this stuff. People dont refer to processors by their maximum power as they're rarely at full capacity, so correct name would be a dual core processor running at 3ghz

How about going to school for Grammar?   
As I said in the other thread, everywhere I have seen a processor whether it's for sale or not, the power has been listed as the combined maximum power of all cores together.

[Master Captain]

i will speak however i want, dont start criticizing my typing. For future reference if you're gonna talk about processors use the format everyone is used to

[jammydodger]

i will speak however i want, dont start criticizing my typing. For future reference if you're gonna talk about processors use the format everyone is used to

I use the format that I want to use. I use the format that I see most commonly used on websites I go to. I use the format that I am used to.

[Capt. Matt]

How about going to school for Grammar?   
As I said in the other thread, everywhere I have seen a processor whether it's for sale or not, the power has been listed as the combined maximum power of all cores together.

Look once you know what your talking about come back to talk to us....Don't criticize others if you don't even know if what your saying is right or not

[jammydodger]

Look once you know what your talking about come back to talk to us....Don't criticize others if you don't even know if what your saying is right or not

Thank you very much, but I'll think you'll find I have my facts right. Oh, no I don't. Off I go...
Here I am again! Yes I did have them right, wanted to check with the big big cheese to make sure I wouldn't get spancked by all the geeks.