2 replies to this topic

[Rawnblaed]

I am in need of some unbiased opinions and I hope its not too off topic. My son got a gaming laptop from his grandparents 4 and a half years ago. It is now crashing/shutting down with alarming frequency (sometimes a few times a day). I have not had it opened and looked at but I am told it could be a heat problem due to dust/hair. Or the motherboard. So we are trying to decide if we should fix it or replace it. He is an avid gamer of games like League of Legends, Call to Arms and such (He tried MWO when it first came out but got frustrated that his joystick wouldn't work). He is very pumped about what Hairbrained Ideas is doing with Battletech. His laptop is an Acer Aspire AS5742G with Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz) 4GB DDR3 (max of 8), 500GB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M (1GB dedicated RAM), and windows 7 home 64bit. I'm not very good with the power pecking order of processors, RAM (ok that's no too hard), and GPU's but I would guess that it's not that good. Is it a dinosaur yet? Any recommendations for processors/RAM/GPU's for a new laptop for a dad on a budget that would be a significant jump up in power for him?

[MeepSire]

In the modern day, the i5 460M is adequate for gaming and everyday use. (4 threads, newer than Core2, and a decent clock speed = OK) The 4 GB RAM is fine for everyday use and one big game at a time, but if one wants to go tab crazy while a game is open, 6 or 8 GB would do better. Hard drives are fine if you don't mind the meh loading times. Win7 64 bit is fine. (I'm personally waiting till the last month win10 will be free to upgrade) Now for the GPU. The nvidia GT420M is an old GPU and not super high in the product stack either. Most modern laptop GPUs should do better. MWO at lowest settings should be playable.

There are a few nice options below $900 USD if you want to replace it. Most laptops have OK processors and 8 GB of RAM these day so the main thing to look for is an adequate dedicated graphics card. For nvidia, GT(X) 850+ or 940+, and for ones with AMD graphics, R7/9 M350+. Here are a couple of examples.

Spoiler

480-600 USD - Acer Aspire E E5-573G-52G3
This is about as cheap as one is likely to find a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. It's a good value, and should be able to play MWO at medium with particles and effects turned down a bit.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834315131

800 USD - Dell Inspiron 7559
The 7559 is a good all-round performer if you want to spend a little more. It should be able to play MWO comfortably at medium settings.

Whether or not to replace it comes down to whether spending a few hours cleaning (or hiring someone to clean) the hardware and software is worth the limited frame rates from the aging graphics card. If not, there are options that won't break the bank.

Spoiler

I would get a new machine if it were for me, as the aging graphics card is a substantial limitation.

[cSand]

Rawnblaed, on 25 November 2015 - 07:55 AM, said:

I am in need of some unbiased opinions and I hope its not too off topic. My son got a gaming laptop from his grandparents 4 and a half years ago. It is now crashing/shutting down with alarming frequency (sometimes a few times a day). I have not had it opened and looked at but I am told it could be a heat problem due to dust/hair. Or the motherboard. So we are trying to decide if we should fix it or replace it. He is an avid gamer of games like League of Legends, Call to Arms and such (He tried MWO when it first came out but got frustrated that his joystick wouldn't work). He is very pumped about what Hairbrained Ideas is doing with Battletech. His laptop is an Acer Aspire AS5742G with Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz) 4GB DDR3 (max of 8), 500GB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M (1GB dedicated RAM), and windows 7 home 64bit. I'm not very good with the power pecking order of processors, RAM (ok that's no too hard), and GPU's but I would guess that it's not that good. Is it a dinosaur yet? Any recommendations for processors/RAM/GPU's for a new laptop for a dad on a budget that would be a significant jump up in power for him?

You could clean it out, redo the thermal paste and get a bit more life.

How much is a reasonable price for a new one for you?

Edited by cSand, 16 December 2015 - 12:34 AM.