Laptop for World of Warcraft

[dbaamib]

I've just recently started playing WoW but the laptop I'm using at the minute really isn't meant for gaming, although it tries admirably. Basically I'm looking a laptop that's relatively small and light and capable of running WoW smoothly. The only important thing I need is integrated wireless networking.



General Questions

1) What is your budget?

Around £1000, but I could probably go to £1500 if I waited a couple of months.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

Ultraportable or thin and light. So long as its small and light enough that I can actually rest it on my lap and work like that for hours at a time.


3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

Mainly listening to music, playing DVDs, surfing the internet or playing World of Warcraft.

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?

Taking it with me. I never use my laptop sitting at a desk anyway, it's always on my lap.

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

Currently only planning on playing World of Warcraft.

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

No.

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Around 2-2.5 hours when under light use.

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?

No

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?

Widescreen

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

Currently got 1280x768 widescreen and thats fine.


12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Don't mind

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Not really

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?

Probably buying it within a couple of months. I normally keep my laptops until I end up breaking them somhow, which usually occurs after about two years.

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?

100GB would be preferable, but 60GB or over would suffice

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?

DVD-CD/RW

Thanks.

[_radditz_]

There are some good 14" gaming machines around but not in the 13" category.

I like the W3J reviewed here, specs - Core Duo 1.83GHz, 1GB RAM, 100GBHD and x1600 from here.

This is a really high quality laptop that very powerful.

Another option would be the zepto 6214 from here. You can configure the components you want on the system. Although cheaper it wont have the build quality of the Asus.

[liberiangirl03]

Can anyone advise me if the HP nx7400 would be any good for playing World of Warcraft? I'm most concerned about the graphics card...

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en...-76980341.html

[claudione314]

liberiangirl03, you could post your question in the gaming forum, but I can tell you (and dbaamib) that WoW will run on pretty much anything, including integrated graphics. May have to give up filters and some details, but it will run. It's extremely hardware-friendly.

dbaamib, there ARE 13.3" and 12.1" gaming machines: take a look at a Sony SZ or Dell XPS m1210: both have dedicated graphics powerful enough to run WoW at medium/high settings. Also the Asus W7J is a good 13.3" solution.

For a 14.1" notebook, I second radditz's recommendation of an Asus W3J... if you can afford it, and knowing it may be overkill. Also take a look at the Zepto Znote 6214W.

C.