Components and bottlenecks for online poker etc.

mikidi-kikidi

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Jun 16, 2008
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18,510
Maybe this belongs in the laptop area but since it's about components themselves and not particular models of laptops I put here.

I'm looking for a laptop that will mostly be used for online poker and it's tracking software database management as well as media stuff (watching HD video) and probably some light gaming (not a priority by any means) as well.

I don't know exactly how the poker clients function and what the bottlenecks are but on my current setup (FSC Amilo with Intel Dual Core 2Ghz, 2GB RAM running Vista) they start to work not-smoothly when I have multiple different clients open plus the tracking software and sometimes slow down considerably when I have browsers/flash video and other stuff running on the side. The tracking which uses PostgreSQL for it's database is also extremely slow when you fiddle around with it (you can view hands you've played etc). I've been told the bottleneck there is mostly HDD and getting a super fast SSD is the only fix?

What should I be looking for in my new laptop to make everything super smooth? Specifically I've been looking at a HP Elitebook 8730w (resolution is super important so any non-1920x1200 laptop won't do) which ships with either Dual or Quad Intel Core processors. Additionally there is a new model probably right around the corner which will have the i7.

Is something like a 2,8 Ghz dual core enough? Or should I get a Intel core quad one or something with the i7 or are they overkill? Would I benefit grealy from eight gigs of RAM as opposed to four?

Also it's not important for my that my setup has legs beyond 2-3 years. I don't want to pay extra or compromise anywhere just to increase the likelihood that it will still be a solid machine 3+ years from now. It just has to run everything smooth for the next 2-3 after which I'll be happy to replace it.
 

ulysses35

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From previous expericen a lot of people I know that used to play "PKR" the only real issue was the video chip supported or required. So before you buy a laptop have a look at the system requirements for the poker sites you will be using.

HDD speed wont be a problem - just make sure its defragged on a regular basis - 7200 RPM drive will be fine.

Either a C2D or C2Q will more than capable of online poker.

Watch which operating system you go for. Windows 7 would be the best option, but if you end up with Vista then make sure you have plenty of RAM
 

mikidi-kikidi

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Jun 16, 2008
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18,510
Thank the reply.

When you talking about the graphics card you just mean making sure it's dedicated graphics? Or are you really suggesting online poker clients benefit for a really high-end GPU?