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Seeking notebook advice

post #1 of 5
3/21/05 at 1:08am
Thread Starter 
Hey,

I am seeking advice on what to choose for my notebook. I will be using the notebook for graphic design, 3d modeling and animation, video editing, programming, and watching the odd movie. I am a student in high school and am budgeting 2500. I am aiming for the notebook to last 5 years. I would prefer a PC as the rest of the company I work for, my clients, and my school uses one.

I have looked at many notebooks and am confused about what to choose. So far, I am liking the IBM Thinkpad T42 (As I live in Canada, the T43 is not available), the ASUS A2k (Also known as the z80k), and the Acer Aspire 1681 WLCI .

Thanks,
Samson
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post #2 of 5
3/21/05 at 5:42am
5 years is quite a respectable aim. All current technology will be old in 2 years, so you don't need to stress so much on getting the newest and most expensive now. I'd go for

3-year support
SXGA+ or better screen
ATI MR 9600 or better graphics card

That said, I'd pick HP nc8000 (64 MB VRAM), HP nw8000 (128 MB VRAM), IBM T42 /w MR9600 64 MB, or IBM T42p (128 MB VRAM), depending on what is the best deal. Regardless of what you pick, in two years all their technology is pretty old. These computers are well built to last for long and great to work with.
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post #3 of 5
3/21/05 at 4:38pm
samsonh: I would not get the any machine that maxes ram at 1GB if you plan on video editing (VE). I've read reviews saying that big VE files require up to 1.7 GB ram, otherwise caching problems. You'd have to determine in advance the size of the VE files you'd be using.
Now, speaking from experience with the Asus z80k, I can recommend it as a fast machine for audio editing. The video card (ATI mobility 9700) is underclocked because it doesn't have its own fan, so runs a bit slower than the specs you'd find on the net. It may not be the fastest gaming machine out there, and I don't know what kind of games it would play in the future. Personally, I bought this machine for Longhorn and Linux 64 OSes. Right now the BIOS doesn't enable APIC so Win64 doesn't load. However, in the future us Z80k owners hope Asus will fix this problem, particularly when MS releases retail copies of Win64 in a few months.

I hope this helps you in your decision re: z80k, and machines with large ram maximums.
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post #4 of 5
3/21/05 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 
Ok thanks. I do not want a notebook to be the biggest and best, reliable and sturdy is more important to me. I hear that the ibm laptops are built like tanks, though ASUS also has a good quality and stronger performance. I might just be getting the ASUS, thanks.
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post #5 of 5
3/21/05 at 11:34pm
Maybe you should get Asus. I LOVE my laptop. It's looks great and is well built. The real selling point is the price. Depending on which province you live in, you could buy from Canadasys in Ontario (http://www.canadasys.com/laptopasus.htm) or order from Anitec (http://www.anitec.ca/?mode=product_d...d=3302&mcid=23) barebones (requiring you to purchase the HD, ram and cpu--all easy to install--plus OS) for really cheap, AND save the PST (you don't pay PST when you order from another province if you don't reside in New Brunswick(?)). So, you could get the whole system built for yourself like mine for about $1600 GST and shippng included. My Z80K cost $1550 taxes and shipping, but my cpu was purchased on eBay and is a bit older (less costly).
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