Hi sinners I am in need of a new computer but don't know a whole lot about computers. I'm looking to spend $500ish CAN. I went to the local computer store and he showed me some laptops. He show me the MSI S6000 for $500. Its specs are Intel Core i5 i5-450M / 2.66 GHz , 64 bit computing, Mobile Intel PM55 Express chipset, 4gb ddr3 ram(can be upped to 8), 500gb hard drive, graphis are Intel HD Graphics Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 , and it has Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition. I'm not sure if it can run sins or how well it can. I want ti to be able to play a 5v5. Also the guy told me the graphics are good because the card has 64mb dedicated but since its integrated to go from 64-1600ish that it can adjust to what it needs. I dont really understand that. Also Ive never even heard of this company so Im not sure if its good or not. Any help would be very appreciated! Also he showed me another laptop similar to that one but with a slightly slower processer but 256 graphics up to 1900 and it was an amd processor. Also the only games I play on the computer are sins and the total war series. Any help with this is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Most important factor is what software you wish to run, and what software you may want to run in, say, the next 18 months. The actual machine is secondary. The software decision is first.
Next, why laptop over a desktop? Generally, for the same money, one can get 'more' in a desktop than in a laptop. Laptops are more convenient in their increased mobility. But the cost to miniaturize so much of the innards costs. Aslo, desktop are generally easier to upgrade, if you have a decent motherboard (mobo). So, if you have a good reason to choose a laptop, go for it. But if mobility is not necessary, stick with a desktop.
Yes, the system you describe will run sins - no problem. (Assuming the graphics are OK.) We have just reached my limit... others know much more about processors, etc. I think the i5 is a sandybridge? Anyway... read what others have to say... about graphics cards, RAM, etc.
Well, I'm not an expert, especially on laptop gaming, but here's my two cents.
We can't compare the MSI to the amd processor laptop because we can't compare the specs, so there's no way to know what's best. Generally speaking, Intel makes better processors, but AMD processors offer a lot of bang for the buck, so at the low/mid price range, you may be better off going with an AMD.
MSI is an okay brand from my experience. They're about standard on build quality and parts. You're not going to be brand loyal to them, but you won't hate them unless you get a lemon (which can happen with any company.)
The i5-450M is a run of the mill dual core processor. It's not Sandy Bridge, and it's definitely not overwhelming, but there are worse options. For around $500, you can find a better quad-core processor easily though, so I wouldn't waste money on older tech with the newer items are the same price.
The onboard graphics are all terrible, despite what any salesman tells you. It can not scale to 2gigs and run like any dedicated graphics card can. That said, some games are written to work well with them (like some of the older Total War games) but many more will struggle to perform. Older games will be your friends, and your ability to play Sins is dependent on your tolerance for how low you can turn down the graphics options before hating your new computer.
Sins should run in an acceptable fashion under medium or so settings (until it mini dumps that is ) I don't have personal experience trying to play Sins on one, so that's just a guess though. The Intel HD chips are getting better, and I'm making onboard chips sound worse than they are, but they are still poor in comparison. If you want a gaming laptop, you need one with a dedicated GPU.
If you don't have to have the mobility, definitely buy a desktop. Budget laptops have a lot of great uses, but gaming isn't one of them.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
