Hardware for CMBN: AMD a8 or GT525M?

[SFJaykey]

Help! I am not very technical, and driving myself nuts trying to make sure my next laptop will be able to play CMBN (and future hoped-for installments of CMx2). I read the processor clock speed is more important than graphics card power, and am tempted by a Dell XPS with i7-2620M that's rated at 2.7, or 3.4 with "turbo." I can get either a Nvidia GT525M or GT540M with that machine.....would such a rig be adequate to play good-sized (maybe not supergiant) maps, with a little room to grow for future developments of the game> Would the upgrade from the GT525M to the GT540 be worth $100? And would I be ok with an i7-2630QM, clocked at 2.0/2.9, that would save me $95?

I just spoke with a salesman who seems to know more than the average clerk, who recommended the AMD A8 for value. He says it has much better integrated graphics performance than the Intel onboard graphics, comparable to an Intel system with a lower end discrete video card. The clock speed on the CPU is only 1.5/2.4, but the price is tempting, around $500. Has anybody tried CMBN on an AMD A8?

Finally, there's a neat machine currently on sale, the Asus G53SW-a1. It packs a graphic wallop for $899, with Nvidia GTX460m, 8gb ram, and a sexy gaming-style case. But the CPU is only the i7-2630QM at 2.0/2.9, and what little I've learned tells me this machine is tuned more for the 3D first person shooter type games than CM and I'd be better of spending on a better CPU.

Halp! I haven't had a PC that will play CM in almost 3 years, and want to get back in the game!

Matt

[LJFHutch]

I would personally advise you get a desktop if you want to play any games on it: more powerful and cheaper to boot. I suppose it depends what else you plan to use it for though, just CMBN or other games, 3D work, image-editing?

[SFJaykey]

Thanks for the reply. My personal situation really calls for a laptop. Gaming time is split between home and downtime at work, and even at work I can be sent around to different locations so a portable machine is necessary. I know it's a compromise performance-wise, and have considered the true "gaming" laptops like Alienware despite the cost vs. a comparable desktop. But from what I read, something like Alienware is really overkill for CMBN, or the RTS-type games I tend to enjoy.

I would like to try some of the newer iterations of old games like Age of Empires, Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate, which I haven't played in years. But even there, reading the specs it sounds like an i7/GT540 or even GT525 system would have no trouble with the latest versions of these. It seems like it's the shooters that demand the cutting edge power - and I haven't been into those since I wore out the original Doom.

Am I wrong?

As for other uses - I do a very little image editing with Paintshop Pro but except for that and gaming, I could get by with a netbook or a tablet.

[Erwin]

If you HAVE to get a laptop even tho' the video cards etc are NOT as powerful as the equivalent desktop hardware (nVidia adds an "M" to the end of their vid cards to differentiate the slower laptop versions from the desktop version with teh exact same number):

I have an intel core i7-2720QM @2.2GHz (3 point something running as single core), 8GB RAM, 64 bit, 295M card and 240GB SSD. The SSD is important as it runs software appreciably faster than a conventional HD.

Seems to run CMBN about as well as my desktop.

[Pak40]

FYI, I have a two year old laptop with specs a lot lower than what you're looking at. CMBN runs fine. I notice only a little lag in very large games, hardly noticeable. Any of the Intel i processors are more than enough for this game. I only have a core 2 duo, 2.5mhtz and a Nvidia GTX 260m video card. You're safe as a kitten with any specs above mine.

[SFJaykey]

Thanks for the comments! The GTX260M is actually a very good card, more powerful than the ones I've been looking at. 260 might sound like a low number but the GTX are different animals from the GT. And I've been told that the older Core 2 Duos are actually faster in single threaded mode (ie, the way CM runs), than some of the newer 4 and 6 core CPUs. Still, I think I'm zeroing in on a system - now I just have to find the right price.

I am way overanalyzing this, I know. It's what I do. You should see how I agonize over setting a Covered Arc.

[SFJaykey]

Well I finally pulled the trigger. Delivery in 2 business days. I was shopping for a 15" laptop but couldn't pass on this deal on a 17" at Dell, which I found by combing the Deals and Coupons at Techbargains.com:

Dell XPS 17

1080p LED display

Intel i7, upgraded to 2.7/3.4

8mb RAM

Nvidia GT555m with 3MB video RAM

1 TB & 500 GB dual HDDs.

Advanced-N Wireless with Bluetooth

Backlit Keyboard

all for $1069 with free shipping - though I paid an extra $15 for 2-day shipping. For that price I can deal with lugging the big 17" around.

Thanks for the replies - here and in my previous threads. I'm looking forward to meeting you all on the battlefield!

MattT

[SFJaykey]

If anybody else wants one here's the link to the deal I used. There are a number of Dell coupons up at Techbargains right now; this one seemed like the best:

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/270880

I upgraded the processor for high clock speed, which I'm told is good for CM. Also note, the backlit keyboard and bluetooth, among other things, are options you need to look for and add.