Recommendation For Cheap Laptop That Will Play Sims 2

Hippeechiq

Thanks again for your replies

She hasn't bought the Sims 2 yet, as her current laptop won't play it without freezing, so she sold the one she had.

Can I just ask, do you think this would be better than the Tosh? I don't understand about the graphics card side of things, other than the Tosh has an NVidia card (which I've read is supposed to be good for gaming) and the Dell I've linked to has a graphics card I've never heard of.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230513861502#ht_6325wt_911

davester

Nope you have stepped down a notch. the processor there is a single core. I understand the confusion but single core and dual core processors are not comparable by their Clock Speed (GHz). I am unsure about the graphics card but as its an integrated card that steals RAM from the rest of the computer and its intel chips I would say no it wouldn't work.

Hippeechiq

That's brilliant. Thanks for clarifying.

I understand (at last! something I understand ) what you're saying about needing extra RAM, which presumably we could buy and extra stick of (or whatever) and get someone to put it in for us.

Getting a bigger HD would be a bigger problem though, as the laptop comes with the OS already installed, but no disc. So we'd be stuffed if we bought a bigger hard drive, as we would have no way of putting an operating system back onto the laptop unless we bought one.

That being the case, I'm not sure what to do now. I think I'll have to sleep on it, but once again, thanks for taking to time to reply and check out the laptops that I've linked to - I appreciate it

Donnie

davester wrote: »

Donnie ....

Of course the OP can buy some decrepit old computer. But there is me thinking that a young girl(I'm assuming) might actually want something that looks good and has a full warranty.

I just wouldn't pay £200 for an old laptop with little or no warranty and a dead battery(probably close). Hence me not recommending the likes of what has been shown here.

davester

My old laptop has a 30GB hard drive. I stored photos and music onto an external hard drive that was much bigger than the Drive inside the laptop. I'm sure you know someone who can add the RAM, it is really easy. Once you have seen someone do it you will think thats so easy.

Try in the morning post here again with the link to that laptop, ask some seasoned ebayers if the seller seems legit, as they are more likely notice if there is something not right or maybe know of a better one somewhere else.

davester

Donnie wrote: »

Why are you posting exactly the same information that I have in post #4, from the same source that I did and then proclaiming that it is news?

Of course the OP can buy some decrepit old computer, but there is me thinking that a young girl(I'm assuming) might actually want something that looks good and has a full warranty.

I just wouldn't pay £200 for an old laptop with little or no warranty and a dead battery(probably close). Hence me not recommending the likes of what has been shown here.

It was that the specs seemed high for minimum specs so I looked them up and posted the whole lot so that someone else might know of a better one and the full details would help them to be sure. Graphics cards change so rapidly and the model numbers are almost meaningless That a list of known working cards will allow people to compare findings.

I had a similar predicament a year ago my limping lappy was in need of replacement and I had specific game specs I needed to fulfill. So having the whole info I could find the right machine. I had only been away from following computer specs for 3 yrs when graphics cards and processors was easy, before they went mad with the numbers. So I sympathise with the OP's plight and being fully informed is to help understanding is sometimes better then the minimum facts.

As the OP's buget is very limited that a new laptop would be impossible, then an older machine and its processor is only the just recently been replaced with the i3 processors. I have the similar concern because it is a referb and have said she would need someone else to advise on ebaying.

I currently have the same situation with purchase of a camera, I have sorted it down to 3 and needed advice on what half of the specification meant. So now its a waiting for the funds or a sale

Donnie

Just in case you want to take a look at the Morrison's laptop Here is someone waxing lyrical. It's not exactly the same model, but it will look identical to the one shown here. I think this one was £199 in Morrisons, but there are reports of it being priced at £150.

I watched half of the video before I had to stop it.

davester

Donnie wrote: »

Just in case you want to take a look at the Morrison's laptop Here is someone waxing lyrical. It's not exactly the same model, but it will look identical to the one shown here. I think this one was £199 in Morrisons, but there are reports of it being priced at £150.

I watched half of the video before I had to stop it.

Sorry meant where you got the specs.

Anyway yeah her voice is grating, I have never liked tv shopping cause they say its a good deal and you run to the brands website and they have it cheaper lol. I never heard of that AMD processor, the TLs and but not the TF which is a low voltage jobby. and single core.

Hippeechiq

Morning Boys

Thanks again for all your feeback on what options are available to me.

Donnie wrote: »

Of course the OP can buy some decrepit old computer. But there is me thinking that a young girl(I'm assuming) might actually want something that looks good and has a full warranty.

I just wouldn't pay £200 for an old laptop with little or no warranty and a dead battery(probably close). Hence me not recommending the likes of what has been shown here.

Yes, she is young, although not a child IYKWIM and she would obvisouly prefer it to look good.

I'm also concerned about her paying £200 for an older laptop with only a 3 month warranty, but we do have limited options when my daughter has so little money to spend. That said, it's a lot of money to her and I don't want to advise her to buy a duff machine.

The guy n Eb@y, who is selling the Tosh has 17,914 feedback, and it's 100% positive - that's quite some feat when you're trading on ebay. And yes, I have specifically looked at the feedback for the laptops he's sold, as he also sell a lot of computer related gear. That said, I would have been more comfortable buying from a store or website that has an equally good rep just in case anything were to go wrong. Do all refurbs come with such a short warranty?

I've watched the video link you kindly put up Donnie in it's entirety (what a voice!) and I have to say, it looks great. Again, I don't understand the graphics card specs, it has a great HD and RAM, but it's the 1.6GHz processor that bothers me, and the fact that she keeps reiterating that you can do "light gaming" on it.

I don't do gaming of any kind - would Sims 2 be classed as light gaming?

I've looked all over the net, and it's clear than a new laptop is out of the question unless I risk a smaller processor than recommended. I've looked on B!gpockets and a few other sites that sell refurbs, but really, nothing I've found comes close the specs of the one on eb@y. Is there anywhere else I can try than you boys can think of?

Donnie

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Morning Boys

Thanks again for all your feeback on what options are available to me.




Yes,......... Is there anywhere else I can try than you boys can think of?

Don't call me a boy! :mad:

The model from Morrisons isn't quite up to the spec of the one on the video. It was to give you an idea....and a bit of amusement.

That price point is an awkward one.

Up until a week or so ago. the Clearance Bargains site had new ACER 5315s for £200. Again, not quite up to processor spec, but at least you could evaluate it for a few days in order to check.

The Toshiba in your link isn't terrible, though I don't know why the eBay seller is claiming that it has a 512MB video card. It has 128MB RAM onboard....and something called TurboCache.

There was an 80GB HDD inside, but he has replaced it with a 40GB HDD. That can easily be filled with films and music. Then you have to cough up for a new HDD or an external.
Also, bear in mind that is has a matte screen, not glossy.

What I don't understand, it that you are advocating buy some old computer for £200(the apparent budget) and then spending more on RAM.
What happened to the strict budget?

That said, the specs are ok.

Bluetooth
FireWire
Wireless N
V 92 modem
Fingerprint reader


These are clearly corporate machines coming to the end of their warranty period. They've had their hard drives removed for security.
In order to keep costs down, he's put lower capacity HDDs inside.

So they are probably well used business machines.