so I'm narrowed down to 4 choices. Help pick.

[ilya]

I need a laptop for gaming
here are my choices.

1. Best Buy


Price before:
$100 mail-in rebate
Our Price: $1,499.99

eMachines Notebook with AMD Mobile Athlon™ 64 Processor 3200+
Model: M6810
Transfer photos, data and more quickly and easily with a 6-in-1 media card reader and high-speed USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces.

Product Details
Warranty Terms - Parts 1 year limited
Warranty Terms - Labour 1 year limited
Product Height 1.6"
Product Width 14"
Product Weight 7.5 lbs.
Product Length 10.4"
Processor Brand AMD Mobile Athlon 64
Processor Speed 2.0GHz
Display Type WXGA TFT widescreen
Screen Size 15.4"
System Bus 1600MHz
Cache Memory 1MB on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM) 512MB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To 1.2GB
Type of Memory (RAM) PC2700 DDR SoDIMM
Hard Drive Size 60.0GB
Optical Drive DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
Optical Drive Speeds 8x max. DVD-ROM; 24x24x24 CD-RW
Graphics ATI Mobility RADEON 9600
Video Memory 64MB DDR
MPEG Yes
Modem 56 Kbps* ITU V.92 *Capable of receiving 56 Kbps downloads. However, current regulations limit download speed to 53 Kbps.
Networking Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g); 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Audio PC2001-compliant AC '97 audio
Speakers Built-in stereo speakers
PCMCIA Slots 1 Type I/Type II
USB Ports 4 USB 2.0
IEEE 1394 FireWire Ports 1
Parallel Ports None
Serial Ports None
Game Ports None
Battery Type Lithium-ion
Pointing Device Touchpad with vertical scroll zone
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Included Software Microsoft Works 7.0, Media Player, Money 2004; Adobe Acrobat Reader; Real Player; Power DVD and more

2. shopping.hp.com

HP Pavillion zx5000
$1502-$100 mail in rebate

Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 3.00 GHz w/HT Technology
Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition
Display FREE Upgrade from 15" XGA to 15.4" WXGA (1280x800)
Graphics Card 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 9600
Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)
Hard Drive 60 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive FREE Upgrade from DVD to DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive!!
Networking 54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

3. New egg

ACER ASPIRE AS2012WLMI NOTEBOOK PENTIUM M 1.5GHZ, 15.4' WXGA TFT,
512MB,
60GB, DVD+/-RW,
RADEON 9700, WLAN, WINXP PRO<BR>
SPECIFICATIONS:<BR>
PART#: LX.A2406.001<BR>
CPU: INTEL PENTIUM M 1.5GHZ<BR>
DISPLAY: 15.4' WXGA (1280 X 800)<BR>
OS: WINDOWS XP PRO<BR>
MEMORY: 512MB DDR333 SDRAM (256MB X 2)<BR>
GRAPHICS: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700, 64MB DDR<BR>
HD: 60GB<BR>
OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD+/-RW<BR>COMMUNICATION: 56K MODEM, 10/100 LAN,
802.11B/G
WLAN<BR>PORTS: 3X USB2.0, 1X IEEE1394, VGA, PARALLEL, AUDIO PORTS, FIR,
S-VIDEO TV OUT, 4-IN-1 CARD READER<BR>AVERAGE BATTERY LIFE: 5
HOURS<BR>DIMENSIONS: 14.2' X 10.7' X 1.3'<BR>WEIGHT: 6.6
LBS<BR>MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 1 YEAR


Price: $1299

4.

ACER NOTEBOOK ASPIRE AS1662WLMI PENTIUM 4 3.0G, 15.4' WXGA TFT, RADEON
9700, 512MB, 60GB, DVD-DUAL, WLAN, WINXP PRO<BR>
SPECIFICATIONS:<BR>
PART#: LX.A3006.002<BR>
CPU: INTEL PENTIUM 4 WITH HT TECHNOLOGY 3.0G<BR>
DISPLAY: 15.4' WXGA TFT<BR>
OS: WINDOWS XP PRO<BR>
MEMORY: 512MB DDR333<BR>
GRAPHICS: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700, 64MB DDR<BR>
HD: 60GB<BR>
OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD-DUAL DRIVE<BR>
COMMUNICATION: 56K MODEM, 10/100 LAN, 802.11B/G WLAN<BR>
PORTS: 4X USB2.0, LPT, VGA, S-VIDEO, AUDIO PORTS, IEEE1394, FIR, TYPE
II/III
PC CARD SLOT<BR>
AVERAGE BATTERY LIFE: 1.5 HOURS<BR>
DIMENSIONS: 14.2' X 11.5' X 1.8'<BR>
WEIGHT: 7.9 LBS<BR>
MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 1 YEAR


Price: $1438

------

help choose which one.

 

[Razer1]

I just got the emachine a few weeks ago. I've had no problems with it so far, but I haven't tried any gaming. DOOM3 and KOTOR go on tonite though...

 

[NecessaryEvil]

I'd say get the Acer AC2012WLMI, if not that then the Emachines.


(admitedly, I'm against DTR P4s)

 

[caynee]

I'd go with the HP, but thats becuase i recommended it to you in the first place. 2nd choice would be the emachines, as it outperforms many 128mb card systmes, although not the HP. I sell computers for Best Buy, and the emachines is the best retail bang for the buck, but remember even with a discount i decided to get the customdirect form factory HP with the 1024mb ram. Consider that the same HP configuration from Best Buy would cost you $200 more ( go check it out if you dont belive me) , so essentially for going to the manufacture your paying less and getting a better machine.

 

[PunkRock247]

I vote for number 3. I like it's balance of portablility and gaming performance, and you can't beat the price.

 

[pxc]

Yeah, the Acer AS2012WLMI is a good choice if you already have a desktop. If you don't have a main desktop system, the emachines is probably better overall.

 

[MISMCSA]

3
1
4
2

 

[blue_heart71]

its very simple, gaming=amd64
another point, p4 dtr has low battery life, so discard the options 2 and 4

your choices should be between 1 and 3, i am not so sure how big difference between ati 9600 and 9700, but i heard there is only slight difference specialy they both are 64mb.

study carefully the other specifications and decide. but before you make your decision you can go to these sites and ask them the same

link1
link2

 

[tiebird321]

radeon 9600 s clocked at 300mhz
radeon 9700 is clocked at 400mhz

9700's will oc to 475-500
this basicly makes it as fast as a desktop 9600XT

i now have the acer 2012 from newegg
doom3 runs great at 1024x768@medium
its solidly built
and have talked to tech support 2x now
both times got a native english speaker
who was very compatent
(finding out if there were any bios updates and about reconfiguring softkeys)
its now serving as one of my technicians new daily machine
(was using a IBM t2x (p3 800))
and she loves it
most importantly is the DVD burner
your going to want one sooner or later and u might as well have it built into the lappy