I'm buying a new laptop, but I need YOUR help!

mrchainsaw

mrchainsaw

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I'm sick of using outdate techonology so I've decided to buy a fancy new laptop to replace my dying one. I would like to spend as little as possible but I'd be willing to go as high as about $1000 if necessary.

More than anything I want it to be fast. I hate waiting for my computer to drag its feet or get bogged down when I have several programs running so I guess I'd like plenty of RAM and a good processor (I've gathered that Intel Core 2 Duo is the way to go).

I don't know a thing about video cards but I'd like to be able to play some PC games for a change. I don't see this as being a 'gaming laptop' but rather a laptop that happens to be able to run some games. Also, my major is civil engineering so I'll be using Autodesk software in my future, I'm guessing this needs a decent graphics card?

I don't care about weight and I won't be relying on the battery enough for the battery life to be much of a factor in my decision. The size of the HDD isn't too important either because I have a 500GB external HDD. As for the optical drive, just a CD/DVD burner combo is fine.

I'd like for the screen to be as large as possible, but I know this quickly makes the price go up and it isn't a big priority of mine.

I've been looking at Newegg and Dell(XPS series looks nice) but I don't really know what I'm looking for yet so some help would really be appreciated.

A few questions though, is now a bad time to buy a new computer? Is there anything rumored to be right around the corner that I should wait for? I know Windows 7 isn't far off but Microsoft says it's requirements won't be higher than Vista's so if I get a laptop with Vista, I should be able to switch over to W7 no problems, right?
 
#2 of the two ^ posted is better, better processor and the same graphics card. Same RAM and processor of the one I posted except it's got the better graphics card and Windows pre-installed so that saves you about 100 bucks. Seems to be the best of the ones posted so far.
 
Yeah listen to the last 3 posts. That laptop is one of the best deals out right now and has great specs all around as long as you don't care about weight/battery life.
 
Thanks a lot for the help guys.

The second laptop posted (Best Buy) does look like a really good one. My only question (other than "Why?" for the case) is about the HDD speed. It says it's 5400 RPM in one spot and 7200 in another. Does it really matter either way? This might all be for naught anyways because none of the stores in my area have this and it doesn't ship...

...which brings me to this, the other laptop seen in the 2nd link of this thread. It looks exactly the same as the other one except for a slower processor. I'll probably hold out for something better since obviously they're out there but it seems like a viable option.
 
^^^
The difference in processor speed between those 2, you will hardly notice a difference.

Also, go to your local best buy to browse around. You might get lucky and find the one you are looking for. Besides, you might find something else better than the ones listed
 
I plan on going to stores to play around with some laptops before I buy anything, I just want to have a grasp on what I'm looking for when I go.

As for the two laptops, I noticed here that the P7450 (2.13GHz) actually does better than the P8400 (2.26GHz). The 2.26GHz processor is actually one of their worst rated systems (#10). I don't know how reliable that site is but that certainly makes the second laptop more enticing.
 
Quick question. I always ask this when people tell me they are getting a laptop thats gonna be used for gaming and such. Do you really need a laptop? Could u live with a desktop or is this gonna be used for travel on a bus or something. The only reason I ask is cause most of the people that say they want a laptop end up just putting on their desk anyway and never take it anywhere. Which if you want the most bang for you buck would be to get a desktop for half the price and more features.
 
I could probably get by with a desktop but I am a college student so it's nice to be able to take my computer with me to the library, lecture, etc. I'm willing to pay extra for portability.
 
Understood. Then I cant add anything on top of what these guys said. Just be warned, a lot of laptop companies like to make proprietary stuff so get a warranty if possible. Ive had enough people ask me to fix their laptops to end up telling them that whatever is broken cant be replaced without paying a premium price to get it from the company. I know my brother got a laptop with a warranty from best buy and got his moneys worth replacing the battery after a few years cause they all seem to lose their charge capabilities after a while.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']In case you are interested in a desktop, for the same price as these you can get the worlds most epic desktop ever.[/QUOTE]

It has no video card though :bouncy:


You should really stick with the laptop. Like you said, it's really nice to be able to bring your laptop with you to the library (hey, I was a student once too). And to answer your earlier question, a 7200RPM hard drive in theory is faster than 5400RPM in both write and read speed. But in real world test, you're not going to be bothered by the extra second you have to wait for the game level to load or the extra 3 seconds for windows to boot. 5400RPM hard drive saves you a bit of battery, and produces less heat. It's going to be a trade off situation, but to give my opinion based on my experience, the 5400RPM hard drive will be good enough.
 
[quote name='tankass']Understood. Then I cant add anything on top of what these guys said. Just be warned, a lot of laptop companies like to make proprietary stuff so get a warranty if possible. Ive had enough people ask me to fix their laptops to end up telling them that whatever is broken cant be replaced without paying a premium price to get it from the company. I know my brother got a laptop with a warranty from best buy and got his moneys worth replacing the battery after a few years cause they all seem to lose their charge capabilities after a while.[/quote]

A warranty shouldn't be needed unless you fuck things up. If you know what you are doing, it's not needed. Actually, my boss tonight put her big water bottle, company laptop, little book of calendar, and other miscellaneous stuff women put in bags into her bag. 20 secs later, I hear "Crap!" and saw her pull her newly issued company laptop out of her bag and water just dripping out of it. Needless to say, everything in that bag had water damage. Thankfully the laptop was not on/sleep/hibernate, but the battery was still in it.

If you do get a warranty, read the terms and stuff. You might actually luck out/cheat the system like my friend did. Bought a warranty at Circuit City with her laptop, 2 years later when the extended warranty was about to be up, she somehow "fried" the cpu. It was not fixable and since she was under the extended warranty saying if they can't fix it, they provide a new one to her. They couldn't fix it and she was able to get a brand new up-to-date laptop.

[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']In case you are interested in a desktop, for the same price as these you can get the worlds most epic desktop ever.[/quote]

12 gigs of ram...geez, can a OS even utilize all that ram? Dream machine indeed, but not sure if OP is into/ok with putting parts together.
 
Good points all around. I think I'll stick with a laptop even if I could get more for my money with a desktop.

I'm hoping to go to BB this Saturday and play around with all their laptops. While I'm there I'll look into their warranties and see if they're worth it.
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']12 gigs of ram...geez, can a OS even utilize all that ram? Dream machine indeed, but not sure if OP is into/ok with putting parts together.[/QUOTE]

No they can't actually but I think the selling point to that package is you won't have to upgrade your hardware for another 4-5 years and still be able to run anything. Once it can be utilized you'll have the extra 4 gigs on hand.
 
[quote name='DaMonStEr']macbook[/QUOTE]
Here is the only macbook in his price range. 2gb ram, 120 gb hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. I guess if the OP wants to spend $100 more for half the computer and buy windows for boot camp it would be a good choice.
 
[quote name='DrFoo']Here is the only macbook in his price range. 2gb ram, 120 gb hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. I guess if the OP wants to spend $100 more for half the computer and buy windows for boot camp it would be a good choice.[/QUOTE]

kelso_burn2.gif
 
[quote name='mrchainsaw']Thanks a lot for the help guys.

The second laptop posted (Best Buy) does look like a really good one. My only question (other than "Why?" for the case) is about the HDD speed. It says it's 5400 RPM in one spot and 7200 in another. Does it really matter either way? This might all be for naught anyways because none of the stores in my area have this and it doesn't ship...

...which brings me to this, the other laptop seen in the 2nd link of this thread. It looks exactly the same as the other one except for a slower processor. I'll probably hold out for something better since obviously they're out there but it seems like a viable option.[/QUOTE]

I just bought this same notebook off of eBay for $730 BIN - 14% cashback = $627.8 + tax with free shipping. Here is the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-G50Vt-X1-1...fepn=5335869999&campid=5335869999&PID=1225267

That auction has ended, but the seller relisted here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-G50Vt-X1-1...goryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Even though it is refurbished, mine looks brand new. Cashback right now is 10%, which makes it $657 + tax, but that is still a great deal (save almost $200 over buying a new one) for an awesome gaming laptop. The only concern is the lack of warranty at all, but you can buy a one-year or two-year warranty from www.squaretrade.com (35% off coupon code floating around) if you want. Also, note that it comes with Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

Whether you buy new or refurbished, the Asus G50vt-x1 is a great machine for the price.

To answer your question, it comes with a 7200 rpm HD, and even though it says it has 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, it actually comes with 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM.

Another option, if you are patient, is this Gateway P-7805u for only $702 shipped: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=45459&t=1319625

It's currently out of stock, but it comes back once in a while.
 
You wouldn't understand the benefits of a mac unless you had one. Does not matter how powerful a pc 's specs are once it gets spyware:cool:
 
I'm not even considering getting a Macbook. I know several people who have them and they love them, but I will be using Autodesk which means I'll just be using it as a PC anyway. And like DrFoo noted, they're expensive.

That Gateway laptop looks REALLY good. Is Gateway a reliable brand? The warranty is only 30 days but if I see that back in stock, I might go for it. Thoughts?
 
[quote name='DaMonStEr']You wouldn't understand the benefits of a mac unless you had one. Does not matter how powerful a pc 's specs are once it gets spyware:cool:[/QUOTE]

ugh. Painfully stupid arguments hurt my productivity even more
 
[quote name='DaMonStEr']You wouldn't understand the benefits of a mac unless you had one. Does not matter how powerful a pc 's specs are once it gets spyware:cool:[/QUOTE]

If you know what you are doing and have common sense, you too can keep your PC free of spyware!

Macs are only good for recording and editing.
 
[quote name='DaMonStEr']You wouldn't understand the benefits of a mac unless you had one. Does not matter how powerful a pc 's specs are once it gets spyware:cool:[/QUOTE]

If I wanted to spend a lot of money on a laptop, I'd want it to be a powerful computer to game so I'd need Windows. If I wanted to spend only a little money, I'd get a weak computer like a netbook and I'd run Ubuntu. I see no space for Macbooks in any situation.
 
[quote name='yellowaznboy']I just bought this same notebook off of eBay for $730 BIN - 14% cashback = $627.8 + tax with free shipping. Here is the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-G50Vt-X1-1...fepn=5335869999&campid=5335869999&PID=1225267

That auction has ended, but the seller relisted here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-G50Vt-X1-1...goryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Even though it is refurbished, mine looks brand new. Cashback right now is 10%, which makes it $657 + tax, but that is still a great deal (save almost $200 over buying a new one) for an awesome gaming laptop. The only concern is the lack of warranty at all, but you can buy a one-year or two-year warranty from www.squaretrade.com (35% off coupon code floating around) if you want. Also, note that it comes with Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

Whether you buy new or refurbished, the Asus G50vt-x1 is a great machine for the price.

To answer your question, it comes with a 7200 rpm HD, and even though it says it has 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, it actually comes with 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM.

Another option, if you are patient, is this Gateway P-7805u for only $702 shipped: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=45459&t=1319625

It's currently out of stock, but it comes back once in a while.[/QUOTE]

So the laptop came looking new, works fine?
 
I went by Best Buy earlier tonight to look at laptops. I don't know what the deal is with new laptops, but they all seemed way too in your face with the glossy and shiny coatings. Funny enough, the Gateway (which I've given up hope on it coming back into stock at CompUSA) and the Asus were probably the two biggest offenders when it came to this. The Asus seems like a really good laptop but I really hate the case (lighting bolts and a logo that says "Republic of Gamers"? Really?) and the keyboard (glitter?). The look of the laptop isn't what's important but man, I would feel like such a tool using it.
 
I thought I'd let everyone know that the Gateway is back in stock for $750. I'm going to pass because the Asus isn't much more and I'd feel more comfortable buying new.
 
[quote name='maingon']So the laptop came looking new, works fine?[/QUOTE]

My Asus looks brand new (came with original box, software, and documents) and functions perfectly so far. Pretty awesome notebook for about $700 (California tax + stupid monitor fee) if you go the same route I did.

As for the design of the case, it's not that bad. I hardly even see it since the notebook is opened whenever I use it. ;)
 
[quote name='SOSTrooper']It has no video card though :bouncy:[/QUOTE]

Or any CD/DVD drive.

I've been looking to get a laptop too, and both the Asus and the Gateway "FX" have caught my attention. $750 for that Gateway is pretty damn good, but I'm waiting to see if my father knows anyone with a hook-up :cool:
 
[quote name='mrchainsaw']I thought I'd let everyone know that the Gateway is back in stock for $750. I'm going to pass because the Asus isn't much more and I'd feel more comfortable buying new.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='lolwut?']
I've been looking to get a laptop too, and both the Asus and the Gateway "FX" have caught my attention. $750 for that Gateway is pretty damn good, but I'm waiting to see if my father knows anyone with a hook-up :cool:[/QUOTE]

Tigerdirect.com has 8.2% Live cashback. So, $750 - 8.2% = $688.50 + $2 shipping = $690.50 shipped for the Gateway. Just search "computer desktop" at live.com to get a link.
 
This thread is past it's prime but I still haven't decided on which laptop to purchase. The Asus model* is still the best model I've found (I think) but I just can't get over how dumb it looks. Of the laptops I've found, I've narrowed them down to these seven:
Best Buy:
Asus X83vm (P7450 processor @2.13 GHz, 4GB RAM, 9600M GS, 320GB HDD, 14.1" screen) $800
*Asus G50-VT(P7450, 4GB RAM, 9800M GS, 320 GB HDD, 15.6") $900
HP Pavilion DV7 (P7450, 4GB RAM (upgradeable to 8), 9600(M?) GT, 500GB HDD, 17") $1000
Newegg:
Gateway MD7826u (P8400 @ 2.26 GHz, 4GB RAM, Mobility Radeon HD 3650, 320 GB HDD, 15.6") $700
Acer Aspire AS6930 (P8600, 4GB RAM, 9600M GS, 320GB HDD, 16") $900
Sony Vaio FW390 (P8600 @2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM, HD 3650, 250GB HDD, 16.4") $950
Toshiba Satellite A355 (P8600, 4GB RAM, HD 3650, 320GB HDD, 16") $1000

After comparing vid cards and CPUs at PassMark, I found these rankings:
Vid cards/rank/rating:
9800M GS 65 726
9600M GT 148 340
9600M GS 173 288
HD 3650 210 247

P8600 124 1576
P8400 127 1558
P7450 129 1536

So you can see that there is a wide range of video cards but all the processors seem to be pretty similar. I don't know how reliable this information is but I would have thought the processors would be more differentiated (afterall it goes from 2.13GHz to 2.4). If I can trust this, then the Asus G50 seems like the obvious choice. If the CPUs actually are fairly different, then I have no idea. :D

I'm not aiming strictly for best bang for my buck, but a laptop that will be fast and long lasting, while also being cost efficient.

A couple of questions:
-Would upgrading the RAM in the HP even be beneficial or would the processor or other things bottle neck it?
-What are your opinions on all the different brands? Should I steer clear of any?
-How much of a difference is there between the three CPU's?
-Anything I may have overlooked?
 
^^
Upgrading the ram should help the computer a bit with loading and performing actions on the computer (have a bunch of programs opened at the same time). I believe 64-bit can utilize the the extra 4 gbs should you add it.

each brand with have it quirks and it usually depends on the person and the machine/lemon they get. My first laptop was a gateway and everything was a-ok at first and then the hinges would crack. I later found out that line of laptops were made with craptacular material which the problem was also apparent in emachines laptops (gateway and emachines are one company now). I usually try and stay clear away from gateway laptops ever since I had the hinge problem, but I believe they fixed that problem in future models. HP has a lot of bloatware on the computers....thats all I can think of right now

you should not be able to see a difference in performace usually unless you look at benchmarks and all the numbers. A difference in 0.3ghz should not be noticeable.

I recently purchased the asus g50 since someone stole my HP and so far am loving it. It has Lojack on it which can track your laptop should it get stolen. The only issue I have is the size and weight problem. Not a big deal but if I want to lug it around, a smaller and compact laptop would be nice
 
I actually ended up not buying any of the laptops I listed. I bought the Acer AS8730 from Amazon for $1000 shipped. It has an 18.4" screen, P8600 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 9600M GT, and only weighs 9 pounds. I originally ordered it from Newegg but I couldn't get them to accept any form of payment so I went to Amazon and had no problems.
 
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