Hi, all –
I realize that playing GW2 on a laptop is not ideal, but it’s my only option at the moment. I’m looking to buy a machine here in the U.S. and would appreciate any recommendations the community can offer.
Having read a number of related threads, I’ve seen references to several brands, including Clevo/Sager, MSI, Asus, Lenovo (Y series), and even Dell (7000 series). On specs, I gather that a CPU speed of 3.0-4.0 GHz is more vital than extra CPU cores, and that I’ll need a decent graphics card and reliable cooling.
In game, I don’t need to have graphics at max. Low- to mid-level settings are fine. I just want to be able to do HoT map areas and some larger events without FPS regularly bogging way down to 10…and without the machine reaching boiling temperature. (GW2 is the only game I play at the moment. It’s my first MMO for that matter. I’m a newbie.)
Generally, here’s what I’m looking for:
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Size: Fairly portable for travel, 15” screen max, 1080 display is fine
Appearance: Consumer/business. It needs to look at home in professional meetings. In other words, it can’t look like Alienware.
Budget: I’d like to keep the price under US$1200.
Upgrade options: To keep the machine functioning for the next 4-5 years or more, I’d like to be able to do basic upgrades (add/replace HD, GPU, RAM, etc).
Any suggestions or insights would be welcome!