I'm Not Great with Computers...

...could somebody please give me a rundown on everything I'd need to know, from a techical aspect, before I try to get into gaming on a PC, like memory or graphics cards because I'm completely clueless. I'll soon be getting a laptop that was really good in late '06 or early '07 (obbviously can't afford much and simply want something basic). I'm 16 and its from my 20 year old brother. If anybody could recommend some good games for a system like that and take the time to give me some advice on what the hell I'm doing, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

In a laptop (or desktop) you need several components to be up to snuff before you can think about gaming.

1. Graphics card. There are 2 makers of graphics cards, ATI and Nvidia. Both have a large line-up of graphics cards and different price points to suit everyone's needs. You need to find out what graphics card is in your laptop and post it here.

2. Processor. Equally important is the processor, it basically powers your computer. Again, 2 main manufacturers; Intel and AMD. Your processor needs to be at least 2.2ghz in power (regardless of number of cores) to game comfortably. There are quad cores, tri-cores and dual cores. GENERAL rule of thumb is that quads are best, followed by tri-cores followed by dual cores. But a dual core at 3.2ghz will probably beat a quad at 2.33ghz.

3. Motherboard. This has to be compatible with your processor, but I'm afraid I don't know how to find out what make you have with a laptop.

You need to at least find out these 3 things for anyone to help you.

Sorry if I came over patronizing.:)

Before we can recommend you any games, It would be nice to know some basic specs of your laptop. Things like your ram, processor, and graphics card are the most important aspects to consider when gaming. Also what sort of games do you like to play? RTS, FPS, RPG.... the acronyms are endless!

*My bad on the similar post.... Yours was not up when I started mine

sorry, i haven't checked out the post since yesterday. here are the specs:

Intel Pentium M Dothan 730 (1.66 Hz, 533 MHz FSB)

512 MB (256MBx2) DDR2 ram at 533 MHz

Nvidia Go 6800 256MB

40 GB hard drive 5400RPM Upgraded to 60GB 7200 7K60

WXGA+ (1440x900) Ultrasharp 17" widescreen LCD (non glossy, non TrueLife)

Intel 2200 802.11 b/g wireless card

DVD-ROM/CD-RWx24

Windows XP Home

6-cell 53 watt/hour battery

2x90w ac power supply

There they are. Also I like FPS and RPG, but since I'm getting a computer of my own, I might try to get into some RTSs. So any reccomendations would be welcome.

sorry, i haven't checked out the post since yesterday. here are the specs:

Intel Pentium M Dothan 730 (1.66 Hz, 533 MHz FSB)

512 MB (256MBx2) DDR2 ram at 533 MHz

Nvidia Go 6800 256MB

40 GB hard drive 5400RPM Upgraded to 60GB 7200 7K60

WXGA+ (1440x900) Ultrasharp 17" widescreen LCD (non glossy, non TrueLife)

Intel 2200 802.11 b/g wireless card

DVD-ROM/CD-RWx24

Windows XP Home

6-cell 53 watt/hour battery

2x90w ac power supply

There they are. Also I like FPS and RPG, but since I'm getting a computer of my own, I might try to get into some RTSs. So any reccomendations would be welcome.

ververdan0226

[QUOTE="ververdan0226"]

sorry, i haven't checked out the post since yesterday. here are the specs:

Intel Pentium M Dothan 730 (1.66 Hz, 533 MHz FSB)

512 MB (256MBx2) DDR2 ram at 533 MHz

Nvidia Go 6800 256MB

40 GB hard drive 5400RPM Upgraded to 60GB 7200 7K60

WXGA+ (1440x900) Ultrasharp 17" widescreen LCD (non glossy, non TrueLife)

Intel 2200 802.11 b/g wireless card

DVD-ROM/CD-RWx24

Windows XP Home

6-cell 53 watt/hour battery

2x90w ac power supply

There they are. Also I like FPS and RPG, but since I'm getting a computer of my own, I might try to get into some RTSs. So any reccomendations would be welcome.

will952

if he can run CoH on low he can run DoW2 on low there req. are prac. identical XD

I'd say pretty much anything from before 03-04 would be fine.

Edit: actually, seeing as its like 500 bucks, you could get alot more for your money