In the market for a notebook for school. Looking for something I can take to class, the library, but still able to plug in and kick back in my dorm. Music's big - probably going to get an Audigy 2 PCI card so I can hook up my 5.1s. Some gaming will take place, though graphically nothing worse than a few RPS games - probably mid-range gaming setup.
Looking to spend no more than $1600, preferably below $1500.
My general specs:
1.8 gig Core 2 Duo - I'm a big fan of multitasking, and I think 1.8 gig gets me where I need to be without breaking the bank. I'm not sure, however, if I right there.
1 gig ram - Again, multitasking. I've got 512 megs on my desktop back home, and it killed me.
80 gig HD - Just to store music, movies, games. 80 sounds fine.
Dedicated graphics - don't really care what. The way I figure it, so long as it's its own card, it'll be good enough.
15.4" widescreen display - good balance of movie watchabilty and ease of use. Decent resolution, but I'm willing to pay a little extra for a few more pixels. Fan of the glossy screen.
A few nitpicks: Like a stiff keyboard. Solid construction as a whole matters. And style matters - I'd like my laptop to look goooood.
Now, here's what I've come up with so far:
Asus Z96J
CPU: Merom Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz 64Bit 4M 667 FSB ES
RAM: Corsair 1GB DDR-2 667 SODIMM (1X1024)
HD: 80GB 5400rpm S-ATA
Internal Wireless Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Tri-mode 802.11a/b/g
Display: 15.4" WSXGA 1680X1050 Color Shine
GPU: ATI Mobility X1600 256MB PCI Express
Optical Drive: CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
Bluetooth: Built-in Internal Bluetooth
Webcam: Built-in Webcam
Cost: $1450
Pros: faster processor, gpu, more pixels, ram expansion, webcam, $25 bucks cheaper, solid keyboard
Cons: don't wanna webcam, less stylish, smaller battery
Satellite A100
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 (1.83GHz; 2MB L2 Cache; 667MHz FSB
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
1024MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (512MBx2)
15.4" Diagonal Widescreen XGA TruBrite™ display (1280x800)
nVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7300 with 128MB DDR discrete graphics memory
80GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Multifunction drive
Intel® PRO/Wireless LAN 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
harman/kardon® stereo speakers
Dual Mode TouchPad
12-cell Li-Ion Battery
Cost: $1475
Pros: awesome speakers, like the look, big-ass battery
Cons: smaller resolution, $25 more expensive, slower processor, weak keyboard
I'm almost willing to sacrifice that little bit of power for the look of the Satellite A100, but the keyboard and the resolution are getting me. Battery power's nice. What do you guys think? Will I be ok with 1200x800 graphics? Will I get used to a weak keyboard, or is it really that weak? Advice and tips are appreciated.
Looking to spend no more than $1600, preferably below $1500.
My general specs:
1.8 gig Core 2 Duo - I'm a big fan of multitasking, and I think 1.8 gig gets me where I need to be without breaking the bank. I'm not sure, however, if I right there.
1 gig ram - Again, multitasking. I've got 512 megs on my desktop back home, and it killed me.
80 gig HD - Just to store music, movies, games. 80 sounds fine.
Dedicated graphics - don't really care what. The way I figure it, so long as it's its own card, it'll be good enough.
15.4" widescreen display - good balance of movie watchabilty and ease of use. Decent resolution, but I'm willing to pay a little extra for a few more pixels. Fan of the glossy screen.
A few nitpicks: Like a stiff keyboard. Solid construction as a whole matters. And style matters - I'd like my laptop to look goooood.
Now, here's what I've come up with so far:
Asus Z96J
CPU: Merom Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz 64Bit 4M 667 FSB ES
RAM: Corsair 1GB DDR-2 667 SODIMM (1X1024)
HD: 80GB 5400rpm S-ATA
Internal Wireless Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Tri-mode 802.11a/b/g
Display: 15.4" WSXGA 1680X1050 Color Shine
GPU: ATI Mobility X1600 256MB PCI Express
Optical Drive: CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
Bluetooth: Built-in Internal Bluetooth
Webcam: Built-in Webcam
Cost: $1450
Pros: faster processor, gpu, more pixels, ram expansion, webcam, $25 bucks cheaper, solid keyboard
Cons: don't wanna webcam, less stylish, smaller battery
Satellite A100
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 (1.83GHz; 2MB L2 Cache; 667MHz FSB
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
1024MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (512MBx2)
15.4" Diagonal Widescreen XGA TruBrite™ display (1280x800)
nVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7300 with 128MB DDR discrete graphics memory
80GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Multifunction drive
Intel® PRO/Wireless LAN 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
harman/kardon® stereo speakers
Dual Mode TouchPad
12-cell Li-Ion Battery
Cost: $1475
Pros: awesome speakers, like the look, big-ass battery
Cons: smaller resolution, $25 more expensive, slower processor, weak keyboard
I'm almost willing to sacrifice that little bit of power for the look of the Satellite A100, but the keyboard and the resolution are getting me. Battery power's nice. What do you guys think? Will I be ok with 1200x800 graphics? Will I get used to a weak keyboard, or is it really that weak? Advice and tips are appreciated.
