Help getting first notebook.

Hello, I'm new to this forum.
I need help and advice for buying my first laptop.
I need a strong laptop for gaming: GTA IV, Fallout 3, COD (4,5,upcoming 6, although they dont need a very good graphics card) and currently Iv'e been looking at some. I'm planning to buy it in Singapore.

Dell XPS m1730-reffurbished (ebay): US$ 1998

Colour Option: XPS M1730 Smoke Gray with White LED Backlights Processor: T9300 Intel Penryn Core2 Duo 2.50GHz (6MB Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 4GB (4096MB) DDR2 667MHz
Hard Drive: 2 x 320GB Serial (SATA)
Display/Screen: 17.0" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) CCFL UltraSharp Widescreen Display with TrueLifeOptical drive: DVD-ReWriter Drive
Graphics Card: 2 x 512MB nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX SLI (Total 1GB)Sound Card: Sigma Tel Audio HD
Wireless network: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (A/B/G/Draft-N)
Bluetooth: YES
Additional features: - Integrated AGEIA PhysX Graphics Accelerator
- Integrated 2 MegaPixel WebCam
- Colour Changing LED Lights in Grilles/Speakers/Display
- Backlit/Illuminated Keyboard
- 8-in-1 Multimedia Memory Card Reader
- Integrated Wireless Hotspot Catcher
- FireWire (For Video Editing etc)
- Broadband Ready Network Card
- Touchpad
- Built-in speakers & MicrophonePorts: - 4 x USB 2.0
- 1 x Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays)
- 1 x S-video
- 1 x Firewire (IEEE 1394a)
- 1 x RJ45 Ethernet port (10/100/1000)
- 1 x ExpressCard 54mm Slot
- 1 x Infra Red
- Microphone/Headphone Sockets
Keyboard: BackLit UK English Layout (QWERTY) - Lights up in the dark!




Dell XPS Studio 16: SG$ 2,839.66


HD DISPLAYObsidian Black 16 " 1080p WUXGA (1920x1080) RGBLED Full HD Display w/ 2MP cameditPROCESSORIntel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9550(2.66GH, 6MB Cache, 1066 MHz FSB)editOPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 64 bit Edition (English)editMEMORY4GB (2 X 2GB) Dual Channel 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAMeditHARD DRIVE500GB SATA Hard DriveeditOPTICAL DRIVESlot Load Fixed Blu-ray BD-ROM / DVD + /-RW Combo DriveeditVIDEO CARD512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670editAUDIO SOLUTIONIntegrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software SolutioneditBATTERIES6-Cell (56WHr) Li-Ion Primary BatteryeditWIRELESS NETWORK CARDIntel(R) WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-cardeditBLUETOOTH MODULEDell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module




Gateway P-7805g: SG$ 2988

Specifications

Processor:Intel® Centrino®2 Processor Technology
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P87001
(2.53GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)Operating System:Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with SP1 (64-bit)Display:17" WUXGA TFT Active Matrix (1920 x 1200 max. resolution)Chipset:Intel® PM45Memory:4096MB 800MHz DDR3 dual-channel memory (2×2048MB)
2 DDR3 slots total, 0 DDR3 slots availableHard Drive:2×320GB 5400rpm SATA2Optical Drive:8x Multiformat dual-layer drive
DVD±RW with DVD-RAM with LabelFlash™3
Write max: 8x DVD±R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 2x DVD-R DL, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 5x DVD-RAM, 24x CD-R and 16x CD-RW Disks
Reads max: 8x DVD-R/RW/ROM, 4x DVD±R DL, 5x DVD-RAM, 24x CD-R/RW/ROM disksMedia Reader:5-in-1 memory card reader
Secure Digital™ (SD), Multi Media Card™ (MMC), Memory Stick™ (MS), Memory Stick™ Pro, xD-Picture Card™Video:NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GTS with 1GB GDDR3 Dedicated MemoryAudio:High-definition 2-channel audio
Built in SpeakersNetwork:10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100 (dual-band quad mode 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N)
Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)Modem:56K ITU V.92-ready fax/modemPointing Device:Synaptics touchpad with vertical scrollWebcam:1.3 megapixel integrated webcamPorts/Other:3 USB
1 HDMI v1.2 Connector
1 VGA
1 eSATA
1 IEEE1394b
1 RJ-11 modem
1 RJ-45 LAN
1 Headphone / SPDIF
1 Microphone
1 Kensington lock slot
1 AC adapter connectorExpansion Slots:Expresscard™ Type 54Dimensions:33-43mm(H) x 400mm (W) x 299mm(D)4Weight:4.11kg (system unit only)4Battery:9-cell Lithium Ion 86.58 (2.6AHr)Warranty:1 year parts and labor limited warranty5Software:

• Productivity Software
  • Microsoft® Works 9.0
  • Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial period)6
  • Adobe® Reader® 9.0
  • Adobe® Flash® 9.0
• Digital Media Software
  • CyberLink® Power2Go™
  • Napster 30-day trial
• Connectivity/Utilities
  • Google Toolbar and Desktop Search
• GatewayShield™ Comprehensive Security
  • Symantec Norton 360 2008 (60-day trial) 6
• Games
  • Gateway games powered by WildTangent® (pre-installed with 10 demo games with 60 minutes of game play)7

Thanks alot for your help.

Matan

Hey,
Thanks for the comment but I think im going to pass the option of buying from ebay.

Amything else ? I mean other suggestions ? I just saw the Asus G70 and W90 looks good, dunno how much they cost though. Any other laptops you suggest will be very appreciated,

Thanks in advance.

Well I can't really tell how the pricing is in Singapore either, I'm just going there for vacation soon. For dell.com.sg says the price in SGD and sg.gateway.com says the price in SGD. That's all I could tell, asus and others dont seem to have their pricing on their website.

To Djembe: Some of the laptops such as asus and others which cannot be modified through their website or so, might be sold for a lower price in certain stores over there, theyve got lots of IT malls that sell for cheaper than they should go for.

PS. Say, do you suggest the W90 which seems bigger, over the G70 ? if so, please state what you think is better in it.

Thanks alot for the great help.

Matan.

Hmmm
Maybe its another W90. The one I'm seeing currently in front of me has these specs: http://sg.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=...45&modelmenu=2

I think Asus is selling this model with different specifications.

Thanks again for the reply.
Any suggested site that would sell and ship those kinds of laptops to Singapore ? I'm from Israel, but I'll be in Singapore in about a week.

Ok, right now I'm down to 3 laptops, The Dell XPS Studio 16, The Gateway P-7805g, and the W90Vn which is in the link I posted above.

Say all are the same price, which one would you go for ? I heared the Gateway handles heat very well.

P-7805g: 4GB DDR3, GeForce 9800M GTS, Res. 1920x1200, HDD 2×320GB 5400rpm SATA.

Dell XPS Studio 16: 4GB DDR3, Radeon HD 3670, Res. 1080p, HDD 500GB 7200rpm SATA.

W90Vn: http://sg.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=...45&modelmenu=2


Which one should I get ? This is really frustrating. :[
Thanks alot in advance for help.

Ye I guess if I find the W90 somewhere for the same price as the others then that's what I'll get. I've been also thinking lately of a mathbook since I also do audio editing and production, so I was thinking of a Macbook Pro. But the MBP I have the money for is a 15" with an nvidia geforce 9400 GS Which I guess really sucks and it doesnt even support 1080p. That's abit frustrating. Guess I'll go for the W90 or the P-7805g, depending on how I find the bulkiness and size/portability of them. I guess the new macbook pro beats them in portability including the up to 7 hours of battery life. It's just that I'd be fed up not being able to play games. So in my opinion, a good resolution + good graphics card beats anything. Plus, I'd have a better sound refference when I need mobility with the W90.

Thanks for all the great help, if you've got more suggestions for me or anything else please say so, I love hearing alot before going to buy the item.