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My First Notebook

post #1 of 5
7/26/10 at 6:30am
Thread Starter 
I'm currently in the market for a Windows notebook and I'm struggling to find one I like searching online. If anyone could give me some advice off the top of their head it would be greatly appreciated. The following is my ideal specs in order of importance:

•High resolution on a small screen (1080 on ~15”)
•Low profile (not necessarily “ultra-thin”)
•Multi-touch trackpad
•Decent GPU, dedicated memory I guess? (used for drafting and maybe a little gaming)
•DVI and HDMI-out
•Minimal annoying software preinstalled
•Non-glossy screen
•USB 3.0 (if it’s even commercially available yet)
•I think that’s it?

I’ve always been keen on Acers but am open to any brand.

I’m thinking around AUD $1800-2200.

Also, let me know if anything I’m asking for is stupid (i.e. price) ‘cause I don’t really know much about what’s on the market now, everything I’ve seen on store shelves looks pretty crappy (possibly just ‘cause I live in Australia).

Any advice on the release trends of laptops (say, would Acer release a new model every 3 months or 6 or…?)

Thanks
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post #2 of 5
7/26/10 at 11:34am
A few words regarding your desired specs: Finding a high-resolution screen on a 15" is possible, although you're going to have to look around more. DVI is VERY rare to the point of being practically non-existent in notebooks today. Most notebooks have HDMI and VGA. Matte screens are also becoming more rare, although you can find them if you look hard enough. USB 3.0 is available on several higher-end notebooks but not on the less-expensive ones. And unfortunately, you're going to get annoying pre-installed stuff from pretty much any major brand. The only way to avoid that is to configure a computer from a less well known brand (such as MSI, Compal, Clevo, etc.) from a smaller reseller. This can be a good option depending on the models available, but I don't know any Australian resellers, so I cant help you there.

If you don't need an optical drive (or don't mind carrying around an external one), then the HP Envy 15 may work for you. It's got a powerful processor and graphics card and if you buy it with a quad-core processor, it comes with a full complement of USB 3.0 ports. Also, there is an option for a matte screen. However, it only has HDMI video output and may be beyond your price range.
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post #3 of 5
7/27/10 at 6:26am
No help in picking a specific laptop, but help in picking a brand:
Avoid HP/Compaq, Gateway, and Acer. They have had the worst record
for reliability for the last 2+ years. Asus, Toshiba, and Sony Vaio
have been the best. See below:
http://lifehacker.com/5524704/laptop...dy-highlights-
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post #4 of 5
7/27/10 at 6:40am
• Decent GPU, dedicated memory I guess? (used for drafting and maybe a little gaming)
Most laptop now days with full HD comes with standard dedicated GPU however is not the most powerful GPU for modern games.

• Minimal annoying software preinstalled
You won't be finding a branded laptop with no bloatware installed. You just have to uninstall it one by one. From my Dell experience, they provide a Windows Installation disc which is excluded bloatware upon reinstall.

• Non-glossy screen
Matte Screen? Oh no you won't be finding those now days. All glossy now.

• USB 3.0 (if it’s even commercially available yet)
2010 models often comes with USB3.0 however i'm not entirely sure.

On second word, is very hard to find those specific specs you want on a laptop, you can only try find a model that has as near as those you need. Now i'm not a huge fan of Asus, but is good place to start looking for one.

www.notebookcheck.com is actually a good site to get to know all laptops, you might find something good there.
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post #5 of 5
7/27/10 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NEX_SASIN View Post
• Decent GPU, dedicated memory I guess? (used for drafting and maybe a little gaming)
Most laptop now days with full HD comes with standard dedicated GPU however is not the most powerful GPU for modern games.

• Minimal annoying software preinstalled
You won't be finding a branded laptop with no bloatware installed. You just have to uninstall it one by one. From my Dell experience, they provide a Windows Installation disc which is excluded bloatware upon reinstall.

• Non-glossy screen
Matte Screen? Oh no you won't be finding those now days. All glossy now.

• USB 3.0 (if it’s even commercially available yet)
2010 models often comes with USB3.0 however i'm not entirely sure.

On second word, is very hard to find those specific specs you want on a laptop, you can only try find a model that has as near as those you need. Now i'm not a huge fan of Asus, but is good place to start looking for one.

www.notebookcheck.com is actually a good site to get to know all laptops, you might find something good there.
AMD based systems have good chance of seeing this by end of 2010.

cheers ...
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