lF help, need a computr to run 4+ accounts at a time

I currently have a couple old computers that i use for multi-boxing ,and i'm tired of the mess i have. i want to buy something that can run 4 accounts minimum at the same time

i'm not comp savy at all, so i'll not be building it.

I don't need it to be super powerful as far as graphics go for visuals ( keep them at minimum settings to reduce workload) but powerful enough that the lag isn't ridiculous when i swap between accts etc.

Can i get a laptop that would handle this? or does it need to be a tower?

Pricewise, i'm looking at $500 max.

any suggestions?
Thanks all!

At the risk of NOT being helpful at all..FOUR accounts at once? Save the money..find some friends.

Too help a little..running 4 instances of the game will chew up your resources a LOT. SO basically..you need something awesome..not sure if you could do it for 500. The more RAM, hard drive space and more video memory you have..the better.

something with a good processor, a GPU with atleast 1Gb RAM, atleast 8Gb of system RAM (that's pushing as a minimum), and the game/OS installed on an SSD. IE: Not $500 and Maybe $1k.

System RAM minimum Calc:
Win7 x64 ~ 1.5Gb
CoX per instance ~ 1.5Gb
----------------------------
Absolute Minimum ~ 7.5Gb

I was going to chime in and say for $500 you'd have to upgrade an existing machine or go with a used/refurbished, but even a quick search at only one site (NewEgg) turned up this...

HP Pavillion P7-1235

Which is only a bit over that price ($540 with free shipping) and has plenty of oomph for four instances. The graphics are a little light, but adequate if you run low graphics settings, minimize instances and use MaxInactiveFPS.

Now, I am NOT recommending this particular machine; I don't know anything about it and am not a big fan of HP computers. It may be good, it may not. However, I do recommend NewEgg and you can use the similar items listings at the bottom of the pages to browse around and see if something jumps out at you.

I know you said you're not going to build your own....but think about it. Its very satisfying, and will come out cheaper especially since you have parts to scrounge from a couple other machines. I'm 30yrs old and just build my first PC 2 yrs ago, once you look into it a bit, find a guide or two online, and spend the time on deal sites looking for parts...its easy and cheap.

Reuse old parts:
Hard drive (disk drive)
DVD/Blueray drive
soundcard (if you have one or need one(you don't))
keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc
case fans

Possibly reuse:
case (bigger the better for first time builders)
memory
power supply (i'd reccommend buying a new well respected one though)
graphics card (don't know what you have atm)

Buy new:
small SSD for game files
motherboard
CPU & heatsink

I'm sure I forgot a couple of things, but just don't write off building a PC until you look into it a bit. If you are of average intelligence and manual dexterity, and can follow an online tutorial, you can do it easily, I found the experience very satisfying and now build PC's for friends and family.

U could do it for 500 dollars if you decided to run each account on the lowest gfx settings possible. Your real focus is going to be a good quad core; at least i5 2500k and I'd suggest no less than 16gbs of ram. You'll only run into issues if you raise graphic settings and can't accomidate for system memory.
Also, getting an SSD will really help you in load times and running each instance of Coh too. You don't need anything ultra expensive either in that dept.

It's possible; I know someone on Guardian (Blackberry Thorn) who runs up to 7 accounts at once on one machine. I don't know the particulars but they run windowed mode with 6 instances small and one large.

Now what kind of settings and FPS come from that I have no clue, the most I've ever run is 2 at once... and that was just to pad a TF or to do things like trading items before you could email them and to invite alts to the SG.

Yeah, to run multiple accounts, it'll all be about the cpu, and the ram to keep them all loaded without hard drive swapping. my own (slightly aged) 4Ghz amd Quad core runs 3 accounts fairly well (mine and my wifes 2 accounts) I am also running 8gb of ram, and yes I'd stress this as a minimum as well for running 4 accounts, the second that ram is gone and the hard drives start churning for swap file space, you'll be done for .

I can run four instances of the game relatively smoothly on my computer with mere 4 gig of ram, provided I use /maxinactivefps 1 command on every window (obviously I am playing one of these windows at 60 FPS, I'm not just talking about running four instances and then idling), and lower graphics to minimum on every window but the main one, which is running with decent eyecandy. Sure, loading times are a bit longer than if I just run 1 or 2 windows, but not exceedingly so. Perhaps by a factor of 2.

I have a intel i3 2120 and a GTX 560 ti. All in all, that computer sold and shipped as a built unit cost me 700 euros, which I guess is something like $900-$1000? Computers tend to cost more in my country regardless, partly due to higher taxes and partly because manufacturers love to use the "1 dollar = 1 euro" conversion.

No real point there, save perhaps seeing as I can do this with 4 gigs of ram there doesn't seem to be a *need* for more, although it could certainly be convenient. Just sharing my personal experience.