Need some laptop advice

[m0ttz]

So I'm going to be buying a new laptop really soon and I need some advice.

Currently I'm looking at the Dell XPS M1530. I've set it up as follows (basic stuff you need to know):

Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz
Vista Home Edition
3GB or 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM
256MB GeForce 8600M GT
120GB 7200RPM Hard drive.
Wireless N card.

What I could like to know is if I should go with 3GB or 4GB or ram. Its a $300 decision and I would just like to know if it is really worth it.

Also, I currently play battlefield 2, so what sort of performance would I see in the game with this set up? Especially with the 8600M GT, would there be a big difference from the X1300PRO?

And for the newer games (Crysis, Far Cry 2, etc...) would I see good performance in those games too?

Thanks in advance.

[Eagle101]

well its ur lucky day buddy as i own a laptop for use in University and off-campus gaming lol the specs are exactly the same but i only have 2gigs of ram and OS XP Home Edition the rest of the specs i have and to tell ya the truth i play BF2 all high with 8*AA, crysis XP mode all high no AA and shadows low, Far cry 2 well i gotta wait to get that beast! um i can help with other games i just bought Company of Heroes: opposing fronts and i play it maxed out!!! i tried World in Conflict also maxed out CoD4 on normal settings with all other Multiple choice options enabled except for Vsync oh and ET:qw and UT3 run all high no lag whatsoever!!! here are my specs:

C2D T7500
100gb HDD @ 7k200
OS XP Home SP2
Nvidia 8600M GT 512MB dedicated
2gigs ram 667

i play on an ext. Kboard and mouse :P i got it from Hypersonic gaming systems for 1600$USD to tell ya the truth mate ur specs are fine may want to chage vista though and get 2 or 3 gigs ram!

[m0ttz]

Thanks eagle, mine is for university too when I go next year. Just curious though, dell only offers the 8600M GT in 256MB not the 512MB. Will this affect anything to serious?

[AllFoamNoBeer]

I'd go for 3GB Ram with a 512 8600. Or ask for an 8700.

Try to build your own, Dell is overpriced (unless this is part of your tuition, and Dell is your only provider).

They yeah, its a good system, and I would take the 4GB.

[THEONEANDONLY]

YES build your own....also ive found that vista needs 2x the ram xp would need 2 do the same job soo the more ram the better :)...512 8600m gt is working fine in my laptop so unless you want some SUPER powerd laptop stick with some of the stuff you got now but look around and see how much it would cost to custom build it :)

[signa]

I think this has been looked into before and custom building your own laptop is no where near cost effective as it is with a desktop. your better off to buy one.

I would check to see how much 2 gig of ram would be, and then see if you can find another 2 gig cheaper from and online retailer. ram is always overpriced from the pc manufacturers. also laptops usually only have 2 sodimm slots, so if you go with 2gig, make sure its one stick so you have an empty slot left.

[Eagle101]

I'd go for 3GB Ram with a 512 8600. Or ask for an 8700.

this is good here is two webs mate sry for late post had some uni work dont waste ur money on a laptop worth 5k$ with dual 88s its hogwash then whats the use of ur cheaper desktop that can own ur dual 88 laptop lol just advice mate and here are the webs to show ya yer best buy laptop!

this web has the model i bought!

http://secure.hypersonic-pc.com/scripts/custom_sys.aspx?sysid=Aviator_SR5

Make sure ur HDD is running @ 7k200 and ur OS XP PRO!

other web: same model original manufacturer from here its cheaper i guess!

http://www.sagernotebook.com/product...tion=customize

trust meh on this u dont need a lappy with a 7950 its a rip off real gam3rz game on deskys!!!