I've been out of the loop of computers for a long time, so does anyone know if this is a good deal, or at least "decent"?

Its a 2800+ AMD 64 CPU. I don't like having clunky desktops, and I still like to play computer games. So this seems like a good choice. I've heard Radeon chipsets are good, but I always value the opinions of members here:
Laptop

Anybody?

I'm tearing my hair out between a new computer and building a custom AR right now. The thing is the AR wont get much use, cept when I have time to visit my 2nd home in AZ.

the 64 has it's issues,  Most 32bit apps run poorly on it.

You can get 64bit version of XP but there are few 64bit apps.

ATI currently has the fastest card on the market but at $500+ (last time i checked) it's not worth the money.  I thought i had finally found a game (Doom 3) that my Geforce 4 - 128 Ultra wasn't fast enough for,  But I found the fan filters were dirty.


Laptop wise,  be ready for lower video performance.  

Make sure whatever laptop you by you get the XGA or better WXGA.  TFT isn't fast enough and you will have ghosting.

You didn't mention which games. A couple of months ago I bought a laptop 3000+ AMD 64, 1 gig ram,  with an ATI Radeon mobility 9600 video card,  and it is kicking ass on the games I have, although I haven't bought any since x-mas. It cost me $1700.00, what are you looking at paying?

Synister1, do you know any particular apps which run poorly, and how bad? I currently have an AMD XP-M 1600+ (ProSavageDDR graphics) laptop, which runs great for what I use it for.

Ragnaroc
Mostly Lineage II and maybe Doom3 and everything else under the "bar" of these two.

A laptop will never equal a desktop, for one reason- you cant upgrade. As new games come out you will want to have a system that will support.

Also a 15" screen is weak.

Sorry to spread the hate, but a laptop isnt going to be a good gaming machine for long because the games will out pace it.

Quoted: Synister1, do you know any particular apps which run poorly, and how bad? I currently have an AMD XP-M 1600+ (ProSavageDDR graphics) laptop, which runs great for what I use it for. Ragnaroc Mostly Lineage II and maybe Doom3 and everything else under the "bar" of these two.

Mostly Multimedia and games.   I seen complaints about doom 3 and other games crashing randomly.   Office issues,  Etc.  

eventually they will figure out the flaws.

Really, if you want a computer for games, get a desktop.

Quoted: the 64 has it's issues,  Most 32bit apps run poorly on it. You can get 64bit version of XP but there are few 64bit apps. ATI currently has the fastest card on the market but at $500+ (last time i checked) it's not worth the money.  I thought i had finally found a game (Doom 3) that my Geforce 4 - 128 Ultra wasn't fast enough for,  But I found the fan filters were dirty. Laptop wise,  be ready for lower video performance.   Make sure whatever laptop you by you get the XGA or better WXGA.  TFT isn't fast enough and you will have ghosting.

Not worth the money?  From the benchmarks I've seen on the x800 XT, it's the fastest card out there.  The benchmarks I saw for Half Life 2, and Counter-Strike : Source were incredible.  It NEVER skipped a beat.  On the CS:S benchmarks, will 8x anti aliasing and 16x anisotropic filtering, it was still pulling down 70-80 frames per second.  And the equal in price Nvidia 6800 ULTRA, same settings, dropped to 40-50 frames per second.  I'd say the x800 XT is totally worth the money.  Just my opinion.

Quoted: Quoted: the 64 has it's issues,  Most 32bit apps run poorly on it. You can get 64bit version of XP but there are few 64bit apps. ATI currently has the fastest card on the market but at $500+ (last time i checked) it's not worth the money.  I thought i had finally found a game (Doom 3) that my Geforce 4 - 128 Ultra wasn't fast enough for,  But I found the fan filters were dirty. Laptop wise,  be ready for lower video performance.   Make sure whatever laptop you by you get the XGA or better WXGA.  TFT isn't fast enough and you will have ghosting. Not worth the money?  From the benchmarks I've seen on the x800 XT, it's the fastest card out there.  The benchmarks I saw for Half Life 2, and Counter-Strike : Source were incredible.  It NEVER skipped a beat.  On the CS:S benchmarks, will 8x anti aliasing and 16x anisotropic filtering, it was still pulling down 70-80 frames per second.  And the equal in price Nvidia 6800 ULTRA, same settings, dropped to 40-50 frames per second.  I'd say the x800 XT is totally worth the money.  Just my opinion.

Bleeding edge is NEVER worth the money. 70 FPS? bet you cant tell the diff with the naked eye from 50 FPS..
best bang for the buck right now would be a 9800 pro or XT, or the last gen nvidea..
I just would rather put the 200.00 dif into ammo or accessories.  I like to stay one step behind and go bang for the buck instead of upgrading every year for the latest and greatest..

Quoted: Really, if you want a computer for games, get a desktop.

Exactly.   When I play games I need a regular size keyboard, mouse ,  and a big ass CRT monitor.  This does not even include the need to be able to upgrade components.

Other mentions.  The AMD 64 does not have any issues playing games other than it kicks ass doing so.  For gaming I would take an AMD over an Intel processor due to a little better benchmarks and a much better price.

Alienware does have an option available on some of their laptops where you can easily swap out the video chips in order to upgrade your system.  

I know the desktop is alot better, but man... the headaches of putting everything together and configuring and installing drivers and troubleshooting. When I used to put systems together from nothing, it never went smooth, there was always something to give me a serious headache. Ahhhhh!!!! my heart rate and breathing is already increased just thinking about it. Not to mention all the space and lack of portability

I wont be playing games all the time, just something to do when I have free time. Mostly I require the portability more than adaptability.

I'm still strongly thinking toward a tack-driving no-ban AR15... especially if, God forbid, Kerry wins.

Although desktops are typically faster than laptops, you can still get some good gaming for a while with a decent laptop.  As long as you understand that you'll have to upgrade to a better laptop eventually to keep up with technology.  There are some laptops coming out now that you can replace the graphics card in.  That gives you some flexibility as far as that goes, but the only manufacturer I've heard of offering that is Alienware, and you have to pay a very pretty penny for one of those.  If you do decide to get a laptop, i'd recommend getting it from Dell (or some other reputable manufacturer, Alienware, if you can afford them, produce top notch computers and have excellent service, but like i said, you pay a premium for it) because of the service plan and warranty that would come with it.  I've heard good things about the Dell XPS series of computers (there is a laptop version as well) and they are designed with gaming in mind.  A friend of mine recently got a Dell laptop for school, i'm not sure of the exact model, but it had the radeon 9700 mobile in it and it played Call of Duty at least as well as  my dektop did with the desktop version of the 9700 pro.  If you want a laptop, go for it, as long as you understand the limitations.  Make sure you get a good service plan too, because those things can be hell to work on if something goes wrong.