Is Window media center XP good for games?

[Mycanid]

Yeah ... I have a friend who works at HP - the software backup tech support department. He can get things at 20% off, which isn't bad at all. I have been looking at similiar things over the past couple of months from HP too.

Dunno - I never was too impressed by the 200m ati card myself, but that's personal taste. Of course, there is also the option of eBay.

 

[KenM]

I have been looking at those options on that Dell, very nice. But I have a dumb question, does the Dell come with an AC cord to plug it in so you don't use the battery? I can get a much better video/ sound combo with the Dell at about the same price as the HP.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Tom's Hardware is running a series on gaming laptops. Link

Personally, I don't like Dell. I deal with them a lot, and I find the reliability to be low and the company a real PITA to deal with. I do deal mostly on the business side of things, though. And since every time I've specced a PC for somebody I've been able to come within spitting distance price-wise with other vendors, I've be fortunate in not having to deal much with the consumer end.

IMNSHO, I'd rank the laptop vendors as IBM/Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Dell, everyone else, stuff I found on the street, Sony. I've a reputation for being opinionated on such matters, though

Any laptop sold will come with the AC adapter. Whatever you get, I'd recommend getting a second one as they can be hard to replace on short notice, and being able to leave one at home and keep one in the travel bag is a nice convenience. No forgetting to take it with you when you go.

 

[KenM]

I went with the Dell. I got 1 GB of RAM, the 256 ATI X1400, and sound blaster card. I went with Win XP home because I know it. I also wanted a DVD RW so I went with the 8x CD/DVD burner drive. That speed seems low to me, but its the only option they had for a DVD burner with that model. Maybe thats a misprint.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I went with the Dell. I got 1 GB of RAM, the 256 ATI X1400, and sound blaster card. I went witj Win XP home because I know it. I also wanted a DVD RW so I went with the 8x CD/DVD burner drive. That speed seems low to me, but its the only option they had for a DVD burner with that model. Maybe thats a misprint.

8x is about right for DVD burning on a laptop. Writers are generally referred to by write speed, as opposed to readers which are referenced by read speed.

XP Home is fine. Media center is generally pointless on laptops. Although if you are planning on using it for working for home, Pro is a better choice in a lot of environments (mostly for the 'free' terminal server license). In terms of basic Windows functionality, there is no difference between the flavors -- one of the few smart things Microsoft has done and which they are in the process of screwing up royally with Vista.

 

[KenM]

I thought the speed was for reading CD roms and DVDs as well. If thats the lowest speed I'll be fine.