[QUOTE="TERMINAT0R1"][QUOTE="IvanElk"]Look if you want the best possible gaming experience get the 3rd one that will give you enough to play some modern games on lower settings. 2nd one is trash for any games newer then 2005. 1st one will run games ok, but don't expect to play anything more demanding then what your asking for. Not trying to be rude or anything, but you might want to do your own bit of research.MaxGamer

Option 2 is the worst out of the 3. Staples is the last place I'd consider buying a laptop from...

I think I have boiled down my new laptop to 3 options...

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115727

2. http://www.staples.com/Acer-AS5741-6073-15.6-Laptop/product-nr_863062?cmArea=SC3:CG71:DP4118:CL161747#ReviewHeader
(it won't let me link)

3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115733

1. Acer – $600 – AMD Turion II M500(2.2GHz), 15.6", 4GB, 320GB 5400rpm, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 w/ 512MB, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery 2.5 hours, 6.16 lbs.

2. Acer – $600 – Intel Core i5, 15.6", 4GB, 500GB, Intel HD Graphics, 5.7lbs, 6-cell lithium ion,

3. Acer – $750 – Intel Core i5, 15.6", 4GB, 500GB 5400rpm, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 w/ 1GB, decent sound?, 6.16 lbs, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion, 3.0 hours

This laptop is to be an upgrade from my desktop which has AMD 64 3000, 1 gig ram, and a Radeon HD 3650. It's really an update from a Radeon 9800 Pro. I had to update the video card when the 9800 Pro started burning.

Games I plan to play include SimCity 4, Unreal 2004, The Sims 3.... nothing heavy.

I basically just don't know what to pick because I can't decide if I'm actually going to need a good graphics card in the future. I'm not a big gamer and don't plan on getting any new games. But maybe 2 years from now some game comes out that I REALLY want. Does waiting for maybe 1 or 2 games in the distant future justify getting option 1 or option 3? Or is it better to just go with option 2.? All options are a huge upgrade over my desktop and all options will run those games I have, so it's really just a matter of betting on the future. I'm leaning toward option 2. but I feel uneasy about it not having a graphics card. What do you suggest?

What about this @ newegg.

Acer Aspire : i5 430 2,26ghz, HD5650, 4Gb DDR3, 500GB HDD = $749,99 ($100 mir)

For $50 more than your budjet...

swehunt

Intel makes lousy graphics chips so as long as you're not going to be doing any heavy gaming that laptop looks ok.

fynne