Or get a docking station for your laptop which normally gives you the needed outputs. I had the same problem when I wanted to connect my U2711 with my HP elitebook and buying a docking station was the only solution.

Hi,

Are high res laptops worth the money? Or is it better to buy a standard res laptop and fork out on a monitor?

I've got two shortlisted below. Is A (the 17 inch) better than B (the 15 inch) because of the graphics card? What else separates them? Both are the same price. Thanks!!

A

Size :17.3"
Resolution :1600 x 900
Description :17.3" 1600 x 900 Screen
Description :
Intel Core i5 3210M Processor
Cache :3MB
Clockspeed :2.5GHz
Manufacturer :Intel
Description :4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory
Speed :1333Mhz
Description :500GB 2.5" Hard Drive
Interface :SATA
Description :8x SATA DVD Writer
Formats: DVD-RW / CD-RW
Interface :SATA
Description :NVIDIA GT630M 1GB Graphics
Description :
1x USB 2.0 ports
2 x USB 3.0 ports
1x eSATA port
1x external VGA port
1x HDMI output port
1x Headphone jack
1x Microphone jack
1x RJ-45 LAN port
1x DC-in jack


B

Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5 3210M (2.50 GHz, 3 MB L3 Cache)
Main Chipset: Intel HM76
System Memory: 8 Gb DDR3 1600 MHz
Memory Slot: 1 x SODIMM
Display: LCD 15.6 inch SuperBright, 300nit, HD+ LED, 1600 x 900, Anti-Reflective
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Graphics Memory: Shared
Sound: HD Audio
Sound Effect: SoundAlive
Speaker: 4 W Stereo Speaker (2 W x 2)
Integrated Camera: 1.3MP HD
HDD: 1 Tb S-ATA II 5400 rpm with 8 Gb ExpressCache
ODD: DVD SuperMulti Dual Layer
Wired Ethernet LAN: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Wireless LAN: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235, 2x2 802.11 abg/n (up to 300 Mbps), Widi Support
Bluetooth: Bluetooth v4.0

biggest difference is A has a nice video card that will let you play games while B won't let you play anything decent. They both have the same resolution screen.

OK I lied. I had forgot all about the Win8 release. Why is that a problem? I've read plenty of posts on 2p2 with various poker software not working with Win8. I couldn't personally recommend any Win8 system for a MTT player. I'm not saying it won't work, I just don't know.

Someone can feel free to post their own finds, but I just didn't have any luck finding a good Win7 system on sale that I'd 100% recommend.

Main motivation for getting a high-res screen is that I don't have space for a monitor and I like tiling... Is a high-res the way to go or could that money be better spent elsewhere (ie save the money/spend elsewhere on the computer/learn to stack)


Thanks

I think screen resolution is my #1 important feature for a poker laptop.

thanks! also appreciate your advice about Windows 8.
very cool of you(and others) to dispense all this advice/help for free...

thanks again.

cool i missed this post somehow.....any chance you could include budget-friendly options, like $500usd and under models?

With a dedicated graphics card and high res screen, how powerful does the computer need to be to cope? For example what will the difference be in performance regarding the two examples below? A is an i3, B is an i5 processor.

Many thanks for all the tips, it's very much appreciated!



A
Processor
Manufacturer Intel
Description Intel Dual Core i3 2350m Processor
Cache 3MB
Clockspeed 2.3Ghz

Memory
Speed 1333MHz
Description 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory

Harddrive
Description 500GB 2.5" Hard Drive
Interface SATA

Optical Drives
Description 8x SATA DVD Writer
Formats DVD-RW / CD-RW
Interface SATA

Graphics
Description NVIDIA GT630M 1GB Graphics

---

B

Processor
Clockspeed 2.5GHz
Manufacturer Intel
Description Intel Core i5 3210M Processor
Cache 3MB

Memory
Description 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory
Speed 1333Mhz

Harddrive
Description 500GB 2.5" Hard Drive
Interface SATA

Optical Drives
Description 8x SATA DVD Writer
Formats DVD-RW / CD-RW
Interface SATA

Graphics
Description NVIDIA GT630M 1GB Graphics

is it difficult / not possible to re-reformat to an older version of windows?

Last time I tried that (Vista to XP) it was a disaster. Google and see if it's a reasonable option.

Good question. In general I never use much of my processor. The times I have maxed my i7 happen in a few circumstances: Running filters on huge databases, Using Notecady, playing videogames that are poorly optimized, and using old legacy programs that don't know how to use multiple cores.

If you aren't a power user the i3 would be fine. Get the i5 if you are going to play newer video games.

xp to vista was a massive update overall tho and vista was miserable. it kinda sounds like hes planning to test out a fresh w8 comp and downgrade if needed. would be useless cause you'd need to buy a fresh win 7 key. if thats not true, partitioning is so simple and you can xfer files across very easily and also reformat them separately

didnt multi quote at first; how do old programs that cant use multi cores max out a quad core? ive tried to get mine over 50% to test heat (wasnt bored enough to stress test tho)

What I mean is that on my i7, there are plenty of games that will max out one core (13% overall usage) and bottleneck because they cannot effectively multithread. NoteCaddy is the only program I've used on this laptop that maxed out my CPU by being able to use all 8 cores.

ahh cmon hyperthreading doesnt count

didn't think it was that advanced

Cool. Many thanks for your advice

Sure, but most laptops aren't designed to be docked ie. don't come with docking connectors.

I was under the impression that all Elitebooks are equipped with a displayport-output on the lappy itself?

I'm not sure if the USB-ports on your laptop are 2.0 or 3.0, although USB 2.0 might suffice after all, just slower transfer speeds.
Also, I'm not sure how well these USB-workarounds perform versus having native displayport-output(s) on the lappy itself.

Anyways, check out the links below.

USB 3.0 to DisplayPort Adapter

USB 3.0 Docking Station

Getting ready for cyber monday thinking of investing in a good laptop. Something that can handle a good amount of tables (i have a spare monitor i use), and able to play Bluray. Anyone have any recommendations i'm not very computer savvy when it comes to translating computer specs.

Macbook.

not that

why? sorry comp noob here I thought they were meant to be good? esp with screen resolution being so paramount for grinding, shouldn't the mac pro retina display be the nuts?

because there are many poker programs that don't run on macs.

Just wondering.... would your opinion change for a person that doesn't use TN type programs? Ie for someone who wants to DL and play music/movies plus play multiple tables + HUD + ext monitor plus things like skype/aim/web pages etc?

I only ask because you sound like you know what you're talking about and every other person I know that (i think) knows what they're talking about computer wise reckons the new macbooks pwn.