What I'd like to be able to do with this computer is play poker, watch movies, run Hold'em Manager (a poker tracking program that is pretty memory intensive), run a messenger and I need to be able to jam out to Itunes!. Is this lap top sufficient?
• I wanna add more RAM (2X 2gb). Is there any way I can tell what kind of RAM this takes without having the laptop in front of me (its in the mail). I know I can use the Crucial scan thingy but I wanted to order the RAM before I received the laptop.
• Is the battery something I'm gonna wanna upgrade? I don't know how long battery life's generally last but id like one that would last around 8 hours ideally, is this battery strong enough for that? What kind of battery should I get if not.
• Is upgrading to a dual core cheaper then returning this and getting one that comes with dual core. Is it worth it for my needs?
• Is there a wireless card already installed in this? I think that's what this means, but I'm not sure.
Communications Description: Integrated LAN
Integrated Modem
Integrated Wireless LAN
I can't comment on how it will handle the games, but as you say it's no top athlete, but that said it should be fine for what you need, but to confirm, the spec states you're running Windows 7 64bit, is this correct ?
Assuming it is then as you said 4gig is the max you can use, you can go to the individual ram makers sites, input you're PC and they will list what is compatible with you're system, and they guarantee it to work this way, Crucial even have a tool that scans you're system (as you say) to find what you have, then tells you, but there are occasions that it can't identify a system, when that happens it directs you to choose manually, but Here is the link for Crucial results, they list the ram as being DDR2 PC2-6400, and say it has dual-channel, so make sure you buy a matched pair for best performance.
As too battery, it's not easy too answer, because it depends just how much stuff you have going on as to how much power it will require, and therefore the battery life will depend greatly on what you are doing at the time, but yes it does have wireless built in looking at the spec, but laptops although are great for convenience, they seriously lack in life span due to the very limited upgrades available, so buying the best you can afford is going to give you the longest use before it will no longer be capable of handling you're needs.
So about the best upgrade you could get would be an SSD drive (assuming it does not have one already), that along with the ram is about the best performance you will get from that system, if you want more then you will be best served getting a higher spec system from the start, hope this helps a bit anyway.
I agree with 8210GUY.
I'd just like to add that an AMD Sempron probably doesn't have the sort of "grunt" you're looking for. You'll find that even if you upgrade the RAM and put in an SSD, the whole system will be bottlenecked by the processor. There is only so much that a single-core, single-threaded processor can do. So really, multitasking is out of the question.
I would suggest looking at something a bit higher end. It's usually fairly expensive and difficult to upgrade the CPU in laptops, so if you really want a dual core, you might as well buy one to begin with. It'll end being cheaper.
I hope that helps,
Nahumi
Thanks for the replies 8210GUY and nahumi, you guys are awesome!
Nahumi are you saying that if I try and run HEM, Itunes, and a poker client im gonna be slow? Is it even worth upgrading the RAM?
I still have time to return this, can I find a dual core for a comparable price to this ($320) ?
Well ram is certainly a wise upgrade for a system, but as to how much difference it makes, that depends on the system as a whole, but for the price you quote you wont find anything very special, so if you can increase you're budget you will get a much better system.
As a thought, how much were you looking at to upgrade the ram ?
What I am thinking is instead of upgrading the ram, look to a system which already has 4gig, add what you were ready to pay for the extra ram to the money for the PC, and you will get a better result, the following is an example of what can be got if you think this way:- ASUS A52 Series A52F-X3 NoteBook
I know it is over you're budget, but consider how much you would spend on the upgrades and the price difference will not be that much, and it will serve you much better than you're current choice, this one can be upgraded to 8gig of ram, and you can also go for an SSD drive later on when you have more money, but in the immediate it will be much better than you're looking at now, as I say this is an example, by shopping around you may find a better deal, being an Intel i3 it is probably more expensive than an AMD, but I couldn't say what it would compare too, hope this helps a bit anyway,
Well that brings it up too $400, and if you consider 4gig is the max possible in you're first choice, there is no further upgrade you could make there, with this one you can go to 8gig, although that is overkill at this stage, it allows that bit more in the future if required, and the system as a whole will last you that much longer before you have to replace it, hope this makes sense.
So you're saying for what I need, 8gb is overkill and 4gb (maybe 2gb?) would be fine. So basically then, I need to decide if spending an extra $150 for the better laptop is worth the security of knowing it will probably last longer then the cheaper model.. All I want to be able to do is take it with me when I go out. Everything else I can do from my home computer. Hm, it should be here today so I'm gonna install everything and see how it runs and go from there. Also, I like that other laptop as it has a web cam and mine does not!
One more thing would someone mind explaining the SSD drive a little bit more to me, I tried to look it up and it didn't really help my understanding of why it will help me. Or if you could just link a page that describes it in layman's terms.
Thanks again guys.
OK, new idea. I just saw this one listed on Newegg. It comes with 4gb RAM and I can upgrade to 8, its a dual core and has a webcam. It's only 70$ more ($399). Would this make more sense?
Definitely, you get a better CPU and you're 4gig for the same price as you're first choice (when adding the extra ram), without the hassle of upgrading, instantly, although the one I linked is far better than this one, this is far better than you're first choice, to maximise a laptop's life you need to buy the best CPU you can afford, ram and hard drives are usually easy to upgrade, as long as you check this out before buying (with reference to the ram mainly).
But currently 8gig is considered overkill, although hardcore users would probably benefit, but not the average user, 4gig is the optimal amount IMHO at this time, but being able to increase this in the future allows more possibility's, 2gig is the bare minimum, and would show up if maxing the system out, so although 2gig would work just fine, 4gig would work much better.
SSD's (solid-state drives) are the new hard drives that will be\are taking over in the performance stakes, they are like a thumb drive, flash memory, as such there are no moving parts, so temp's are reduced (if not removed, but not sure there TBH), but speeds are far superior to traditional hard drives, and are currently the biggest performance boost to a system, at least thats my understanding, hope this helps a bit.
That was a great response, thank you. My only other question is what makes the computer you linked so much better? Is it the processor? I understand that the better the computer the longer it lasts, essentially. But IYHO do you think the differences between the new laptop I listed and the one you listed, for my needs, is worth the difference in price (which to me right now is a lot)? I hope that made sense
The problem with computers is how much is enough, how long is a piece of string, because a laptop is so limited in upgrading, it will need replacing far sooner than a desktop, with a desktop you can just change the motherboard\CPU and if needed ram, so upgrades are far easier and cheaper, but a laptop needs the whole thing changing, because they are not as upgradeable, so you have to balance what you need from the system, with being realistic over what you want to achieve without going crazy, the i3, i5 and i7 are the new releases from Intel, as such they are priced dearer than core2 or quad core options.
The easiest way to explain to someone the performance difference, is to tell them to go to a store where they have some on display to play with, go and try a few different systems, and see which feels the best to you, there is no other way to explain it properly, numbers on a page wont give you the feeling of physically using them, so given you're requirements, this is probably a good choice, obviously it can be bettered, a LOT, BUT, doing so probably quadruples the price, so IMO this is probably a sensible choice, but others who know laptops better than I do may have further input.
Well I just spoke with Newegg and I can refuse the delivery, send it back, and I won't incur any restocking charges. Yay!
So the new plan is to do just that and purchase the Acer Aspire. Its the same price as the first laptop after adding RAM and it has better components. I do agree the ASUS A52 Series A52F-X3 NoteBook is a much better machine, but I don't think I can justify the price jump for my needs. The next laptop will be sexy!
Thanks everyone for your help, I love this site you guys are all so nice and helpful. Have a great day!
I meant you're 2nd choice, the Acer dual-core, but it wouldn't hurt you to look around at some other sites, they may have a good deal on something better, hope you get the result you want anyway.
*edit
Just saw you're last reply, good result then, but it's always best to get advice on a system before getting it, others can give input that could stop you getting something that wont do all you need, but hopefully you will find the Acer just right for what you need.
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