new computer power struggle

[Nexus2]

hey guys its about that time again (for me) to get a new sys and i was thinking about a lap top this time. I have been looking at two Compaqs and im wondering what would be the better rig would be. The two models im looking at is a compaq r3000z and the r3000t. The only 2 major differences are the processor type and the video card. The r3000z comes w/ the 64 bit 3400+ Athlon but with a G-force 4 64mb. On the other hand we could go w/ the 3.20 GHz with a radeon 9000 64mb. Keeping gaming in mind which one would be the better decision?

[beezlebubsbum]

I had a look at the laptops you wanted on the website. The Radeon equipped laptop you are looking at is the Radeon 9000 IGP. It is not a dedicated graphics card such as the Radeon 9000, and it uses system RAM to hold its video stuff. Therefore; it reduces the amount of RAM available to the system, and the performance of it will be a lot slower than the dedicated graphics solution. The other laptop that you were looking at, the R3000Z, has a dedicated NVidia GeForce 4 420 2 Go graphics card in it. It will not chew up any system RAM, and the benchmarks say that the NVidia card is a lot better then the Radeon one. Also, the Athlon 64 3400+ will mop up any Celeron or Pentium at gaming! I reckon that you should go for the R3000Z for the following reasons:

1.) An Athlon 64 3400+ (Killer Gaming Processor!!!)
2.) NVidia GeForce 4 420 2 Go 64mb (Not sucking up your ram, much faster then the Radeon 9000IGP!)
3.) It also comes with a special gaming offer, you'll have to look into that.

All in all, the R3000Z is a much better laptop then the R3000T. However, I should point out that both Video cards in both Laptops are a little outdated. You might want to look at some other laptops for some better cards. Try to go for the mobile versions of the Radeon 9600XT, or even the 9700 Pro, which is a real killer of a card. Also, you could look at the NVidia GeForce 5600 or Better. However, the fastest graphics card for the laptops is the 9700!

That's not to say that the laptops you are looking at won't be any good. I can assure you that you could play any game out there at the moment, but you might have some problems with upcoming games such as DOOM 3!

[kungfuramone9]

Nexus2, you thought about looking into an Alienware laptop? :mrgreen:

If you just inherited a vast fortune and could afford one, it would be pretty sweet to hear how Linux does on one of those bad boys. And you *sure* wouldn't have to worry about it being up to the demands of the latest games...

[ZennouRyuu]

Just stay away from radion's and shared video memory alltogether

[Nexus2]

Thanks guys for the great advice. I just ordered the R3000Z and i cant wait untill it comes in.(first thing to do: install Linux :w00t Btw how well does linux work on lap tops? Is it pretty good to autoconfigure the power management programs?

[ZennouRyuu]

I have never had any problems, except with power management (I never used a 2.6.7 kernel on a laptop before so I wouldnt be suprised if your just fine) search google, and forums.gentoo.org if it can be done, they will know.

[kungfuramone9]

I run Libranet on my aging Sony Vaio and it runs like a champ. Power management is so-so, but it was so-so in Windows too. There are a ton of kernel options (especially in 2.6) specifically for laptops, so be sure to look into that (i.e. be sure to compile a custom kernel after doing the initial install.)

[beezlebubsbum]

Is there problems with Radeons and Linux? What is wrong with them?

[ZennouRyuu]

not as much a problem as a complete (almost) lack of vendor support...........the 'official' ATI drivers blow when compared to the official nVidia drivers.

[MorphiusFaydal]

not as much a problem as a complete (almost) lack of vendor support...........the 'official' ATI drivers blow when compared to the official nVidia drivers.

as in.. anything later than an 8500.... no 3d accelleration.. no games..