NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Help Me Choose a Notebook
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Help Me Choose a Notebook

post #1 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:11am
Thread Starter 
I am going to be off at college this year and I need a laptop. So I need your advice:

Pricing: I am looking to spend somewhere between $1400 - $1500.

Processor: P4 or Centrino or even AMD? I want something that can handle the latest games, but still get good battery life. I was thinking around >3.0 Ghz for P4 and ~1.8 Ghz for Centrino and ?? for AMD

RAM: at least 1 gb is a must. Companies rip you off on RAM though, I can always get 1 512 mb stick and upgrade.

Video card: Again, I want something to handle the latest games. I was considering the ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP w/128MB or the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro 256MB. Which is better?

Size: This is for a dorm, so the thinner the better. Widescreen is a must, prefably 15.4"

Hard Drive: at least 80 gb

Company: I want a cheap and reliable company with a good warranty. I was considering Toshiba and CyberPower ( www.cyberpowerinc.com ) They have good prices.

Its gotta have all the standards of course. Like wirless card, audio jacks, etc

Software is covered. I have everything I need, including Windows.

Am I dreaming here? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TaterSalad77
I am going to be off at college this year and I need a laptop. So I need your advice:

Pricing: I am looking to spend somewhere between $1400 - $1500.

Processor: P4 or Centrino or even AMD? I want something that can handle the latest games, but still get good battery life. I was thinking around >3.0 Ghz for P4 and ~1.8 Ghz for Centrino and ?? for AMD

RAM: at least 1 gb is a must. Companies rip you off on RAM though, I can always get 1 512 mb stick and upgrade.

Video card: Again, I want something to handle the latest games. I was considering the ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP w/128MB or the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro 256MB. Which is better?

Size: This is for a dorm, so the thinner the better. Widescreen is a must, prefably 15.4"

Hard Drive: at least 80 gb

Company: I want a cheap and reliable company with a good warranty. I was considering Toshiba and CyberPower ( www.cyberpowerinc.com ) They have good prices.

Its gotta have all the standards of course. Like wirless card, audio jacks, etc

Software is covered. I have everything I need, including Windows.

Am I dreaming here? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
GPU: between the two of them, the 9700's better. Whatever you do, get a 12-pipeline GPU, like the new ATI X800 or Nvidia Go6800 (or Go6800 Ultra).

My machine, for example, can handle 1920x1200 32-bit color, 8x Anisotropic Filtering, etcetera with high frame rates in Half Life 2...

CPU: For pure (game) performance, AMD64 is king. A close second is the Pentium M (sometimes mistakenly called Centrino). It also sips power. The P4's no slouch, but it's by far the biggest power hog.


Hmmm..as for which laptop...in the 15.4" segment, I'm not completely sure, but you could check out the Sager's.
Definitely do NOT get a Dell 6000--poor graphics card.
I'm not too familiar with the Alienware models...sorry.
Oh, I've been hearing of a new monster machine coming Q4 2005 from Fujitsu. As a bonus, their lcd screens are gorgeous.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:31am
These notebooks should serve you very well:

http://www.pctorque.com/sager-4750-gaming-laptop.php
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:52am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help guys. Right after I posted this I discovered the pctorque website. I am considering the Sager 4881 and the Sager 3880. However, these dont have thorndt's 'must-have' video cards. They only have the ATI MR X700 256MB and the NVIDIA GO6600 128MB respectively. If they had those video cards, I would seriously consider ordering one right now.

Also, quick question: WSXGA is Wide Screen right?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:55am
The "W" is widescreen, yes.

The X700 is a pretty good card--as I understand it, a little better than an 8-pipe 9700. It's pretty much a 9700 with PCI Express bus.

The only laptops that I know of which have a 12-pipe video card are a few of the Alienwares and the Dell 9300 and XPS2.
Oh, and high-end Sagers.

You could check out the Dell 9300--it has its issues, but it's got lots of performance for the dollar.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 39
7/19/05 at 5:57am
Thread Starter 
I see. I think if I go with the x800 or the 6800, it might put me out of my $1400 - $1500 price range, right?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:02am
With most laptops, yes.

Mine cost $1495.00 shipped--you have to catch Dell's periodic web coupons.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:07am
z70va
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:09am
Hmmm. The Asus Z70VA...not a bad choice either. I wonder what's the price?

I took a look at Gateway's new M680XL--Gateway now offers the Go6800 Ultra for that model. But the whole thing costs $2400+...
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:28am
Thread Starter 
The Asus Z70VA seems nice, but I can't to find a good graphics card with it. I think it comes with ATI X600 PCIe w/64 MB. I was really hoping for at least an x700. Good price though. And it looks very thin! Any other suggestions?
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:30am
z70va= z70 refresh with x700 video card.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:39am
Thread Starter 
Ah I see now. Vendor link?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 39
7/19/05 at 9:07am
It will be released in a little over a week.

Right now, you can only preorder it at istnc.com
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 39
7/19/05 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
I see. Do you think if I order it I will get it by August 12th? (Thats when I leave for college)
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 39
7/19/05 at 2:23pm
TaterSalad77, we're on same situation... my choices right now: zd8000 from HP and sager 7620... need to add about 500 bucks on your budget 1800-2100
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 39
7/19/05 at 3:50pm
Aug 12th? Doubtful, unless the release dates are infact true.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 39
7/19/05 at 6:51pm
So, for medium-high to high-end gaming laptops for August, your choices seem to be (in no order):
1. Alienware (big $$$$) machines
2. Gateway mid-range machines (reliability? not sure if it's bad or not)
3. The Sagers (maybe released in time)
4. Dell 9300 (high performance and good value, but maybe too large for you)
5. The Asus Z70VA -> a good name, good quality

Any I missed?
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 39
7/19/05 at 7:16pm
For $1500, dell 9300 will give you the best performance hands down.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 39
7/19/05 at 7:26pm
Wait for the Asus; three weeks is not too long of a wait, and you could be getting a killer machine when the refresh of Z70 comes.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 39
7/20/05 at 1:41am
Thread Starter 
Alright I believe I have narrowed it down to 3 laptops:

(No particular order)

1. Dell Inspiron 9300

Specs:

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
LCD: 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen XGA+ Display
RAM: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
Video Card: 256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800
HDD: 100GB Hard Drive
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Optical Drive: 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive (I would plan to upgrade to a DVDRW later)
Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)

2-year Warranty w/ Dell Service and Support

Subtotal: $1,475.00
Total including S&H + Tax: $1,643.45

PROS:
  • Top of the line graphics card
  • Great Service / Warranty
  • 17 " Wide Screen
  • 100 gb Hard drive

CONS:
  • It's probably gonna be huge
  • Heavy (8+ lbs)
  • No DVD RW out of box


2. ASUS Z70V Refresh Notebook

Specs:

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
OS: None (I already have a copy of Windows)
LCD: 15.4" WSXGA TFT Display 1680 x 1050
RAM: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
Video Card: PCI Express ATI X700 128MB
HDD: 80GB Hard Drive
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Optical Drive: 4x (DVD-RW) / 4x (DVD+RW) / 10x (CD-RW)
Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)

1-year Warranty

Subtotal: $1597.00 - $50 Student Discount = $1547.00
Total including S&H + Tax: ???

PROS:
  • Very Thin
  • Light
  • Decent GPU

CONS:
  • A bit out of my price range
  • Not even in stock - have to preorder - might not get here by the time I go to college
  • Limited Warranty

3. Sager 3880

Specs:

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
OS: None (I already have a copy of Windows)
LCD: 15.4" WXGA Active Matrix LCD
RAM: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
Video Card: NVIDIA GO6600 128MB
HDD: 80GB Hard Drive
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Optical Drive: 8x (DVD+-RW) / 10x (CD-RW)
Wireless Networking Cards: Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps)

1-year Warranty

Subtotal: $1488.00
Total including S&H + Tax: ???

PROS:
  • Decent Graphics
  • Fairly Thin
  • Fairly Light

CONS:
  • Limited Warranty
  • There's more I just cant think of any, cuz I am super tired


So, what do you guys think? The Dell deal ends Thursday.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Help Me Choose a Notebook