Mac user seeks recs/specs before buying PC to run BL games

[kinsugi]

I admit it. I've never played a BL game, although I've seen clips online. BL games are PC only and I've had Macs at home since the late '80's. I have used PCs at various workplaces, but never liked Windows OS and color palettes. (Tried linux but too much work; I'm lazy.)

DMMd has changed everything. I'm drooling over DVDs on eBay. I want to play DMMd. And then, of course, other BL games.

Yes, I could use Boot Camp to install Windows on my Mac, but I'd need to buy legit Windows OS for it. Maybe it would be easier to buy a PC for games.

But even if I'm willing to pay for a computer and Windows, I wanna keep it simple and get to the gaming. So maybe I should buy an older computer with an older Windows OS already installed?

2 QUESTIONS:

WHAT PC HARDWARE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS do you recommend? Do recommend... or advise against... specific brands. Are some easier to open and install drive and memory upgrades than others? On MacBook Pro it's easy to add memory but not to change hard drive.

Be as specific as you like, including brand names if you have experience pro or con. I do speak basic geek and I prefer laptops.

WHAT VERSION OF WINDOWS do you recommend? and why?


Thank you for helping to bring a fujoshi into the BL gaming world!

[Kojichan]

Hello! ^_^

I'd be glad to offer some suggestions for you! Though I'm not sure where you are located in the world, some of the things may or may not be easily accessible.

So if you prefer laptops, this can narrow choices down relatively easy. I do recommend buying an older system at this point, as newer laptops come with a version of Windows that is NOT BL game friendly.

Look for a Laptop with these key points:

Windows 7 (Home Premium or Pro/Ultimate. As long as it's not Home Basic or Home Starter)
At least 2-4 GB of Memory
A HD with at least 500GB of HD space. BL games can get fairly big...
AMD-brand CPU. This can be a Dual-core or a Quad-core.
NVidia GeForce Graphics.

Everything else is fluff, but with these basic recommendations you can get a nice setup! I don't trust Dell or Lenovo brands, but Samsung, Toshiba, ASUS, and HP brands are nice. I lean toward HP and Asus myself, personally, from quality experience. My own Laptop is an HP and is awesome.

If you're going to use the laptop for more than just BL, like internets, homework, goofing around with Graphics programs, playing other games, then look for a more gaming oriented laptop with higher specs if you can afford it. Do watch out for some 3D games, though, with your Graphics Card. They can sometimes overheat the graphics card if they don't have a Frames Limiter. (Sims 3 torched my Laptop's GPU so I had to get it fixed. e_e;; Overheated itself.)

AMD Chips are great for gaming, but you can use an Intel-7 if you're out of luck looking for a good AMD one. ATI used to make great graphics cards, and then AMD bought them out and now they're more lower-end than GeForce models. They're commonly referred to as "AMD Radeon". They're okay really. ^^

When checking for a good laptop, don't forget to try typing on it to see if it feels comfortable for you. If it doesn't, you'll end up hurting your hands.

Screensize is completely up to you. If you can get a 17" laptop, then awesome. If not, it's all good! 15" screens are about average. Some laptops have Video-out on the side of the device, so you can hook up external monitors, or even speakers. I used my laptop as a main computer until I got my gaming tower.

Most laptops you can't change features any easier than a Macbook, so it's rather irrelevant. A Windows laptop can also help you later and is a cheaper alternative than buying Windows outright to use Bootcamp with.

Hope these suggestions help!