Buying a new laptop

[Sheers41]

I started university this year and what do you know... my laptop broke. So, I need a new one. I need one that will at least play the Sims 2, since this is the only game I play (and I don't mean minimum requirements, I want it to work well). Since the laptop I had was too big to take to school with me, I would like to buy a smaller one. However, I am now doubting wether I should buy a netbook or a regular laptop. The netbook I would want is an HP Pavilion dm1-4000sd, with an AMD E-450 processor, 4GB RAM, 500 GB harddrive and 5400 rpm. For a laptop I would want something like an HP Pavilion g6-1260sd (Intel Core i3-2330 M, 6GB RAM, 500GB harddrive and 5400 rpm). So, my question is: should I invest in a normal laptop, thoughen up and drag it to school everyday or will the netbook work as well? (And if the laptop I picked is sucky, any thoughts on which one I should get? The only thing it needs to be able to do is play the Sims 2 and run internet and Word at the same time without problems. Also, I would like to spend around 500 euros, not a lot more. I'm a poor student on a budget...)

[ajaxsirius]

The netbook is a definite no. I couldn't find the specific Intel graphics of the laptop but its likely neither of them will play the sims 2, they just don't have the video hardware necessary.

[whiterider]

Which Sims 2 EPs do you want to be able to play?

[Sheers41]

The netbook is a definite no. I couldn't find the specific Intel graphics of the laptop but its likely neither of them will play the sims 2, they just don't have the video hardware necessary.

Are you sure? Because my laptop now has worse specifications and I'm able to play it on this one just fine... All the EPs are installed and everything works perfectly. It's just a little bit slow when starting the game, but that's probably because of the massive amount of downloads I have installed at the moment.

[ajaxsirius]

It really depends on the graphics you have on the laptop. Like I said, its hard to tell for the laptop you mentioned since the specs on the HP website only says "Intel HD" graphics without specifying. Those kinds of integrated graphics are designed for playback of HD video but not gaming. That being said, they may be able to do something they weren't "designed for" and a more powerful CPU will help do that, I just can't say for sure but in general they're just not very good for games.

Here's the system requirements for The Sims 2: http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:System_Requirements/MTS2_Recommendations

As you'll be able to see, the most powerful Intel chip listed only supports University and not anything after that. The Intel chip on your current laptop or the laptop you're looking to buy might be better, it also might also not be. I can't tell because I just can't find where the specific Integrated Intel graphics # is listed.

[Sheers41]

It really depends on the graphics you have on the laptop. Like I said, its hard to tell for the laptop you mentioned since the specs on the HP website only says "Intel HD" graphics without specifying. Those kinds of integrated graphics are designed for playback of HD video but not gaming. That being said, they may be able to do something they weren't "designed for" and a more powerful CPU will help do that, I just can't say for sure but in general they're just not very good for games.

Here's the system requirements for The Sims 2: http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:System_Requirements/MTS2_Recommendations

As you'll be able to see, the most powerful Intel chip listed only supports University and not anything after that. The Intel chip on your current laptop or the laptop you're looking to buy might be better, it also might also not be. I can't tell because I just can't find where the specific Integrated Intel graphics # is listed.

I looked it up and I think you're right... It says Intel HD Graphics 3000, but apparently those are not suitable for playing games, so I'll have to look for a laptop with a different videocard. I currently have a GeForce 9200M GS, so maybe something like that?