Re: the laptop? It's a higher initial price hit, but I've got several reliable friends now who all say the same thing.
Buy Dell, or buy Alienware.
2 friends running Alienware laptops, they're giddy and the damn things appear to be indestructible; 5 running Dell, and much the same to report there, with
the minor nit that one of them had minor issues that turned out to be a glitchy HD; it was replaced under warranty and he's happy now.
I'm personally running an HP 'desktop replacement' laptop, but it doesn't meet your minimum specs. And it's huge. It's a laptop in
the same sense that a golden retriever can still be a lapdog. Plays CoX quite nicely at high res, mind, but my newer desktop machine plays it better and
prettier.
But, I can't _recommend_ HP, in all honesty, despite my luck with The Beast. I really, _really_ want an Alienware machine, personally, after seeing the
performance of the one my buddy brought to our last LAN gaming session. *droooool*
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Buy Dell, or buy Alienware.
2 friends running Alienware laptops, they're giddy and the damn things appear to be indestructible; 5 running Dell, and much the same to report there, with
the minor nit that one of them had minor issues that turned out to be a glitchy HD; it was replaced under warranty and he's happy now.
I'm personally running an HP 'desktop replacement' laptop, but it doesn't meet your minimum specs. And it's huge. It's a laptop in
the same sense that a golden retriever can still be a lapdog. Plays CoX quite nicely at high res, mind, but my newer desktop machine plays it better and
prettier.
But, I can't _recommend_ HP, in all honesty, despite my luck with The Beast. I really, _really_ want an Alienware machine, personally, after seeing the
performance of the one my buddy brought to our last LAN gaming session. *droooool*
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs