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New Laptop Purchase

Hey! I need help finding a good laptop. These are the minimum specs I am looking for:

512MB graphics card
4M memory
2G Processing power
cd/dvd burner
at least 120GB hard drive
don't want it to be huge (15" monitor is sufficient, no smaller than 13".)
don't want it to be glossy (not a deal breaker if it fits everything else)
preferably windows XP but I will deal with Vista if forced
must have a wireless card


STUDIO XPS 16 - Dell so far is the best thing I can find.

I tried looking at the Alienware stuff and I don't think it's ideal (read a lot of bad reviews).

Any suggestions?

Re: New Laptop Purchase

quote:

Originally posted by Theresa Hey! I need help finding a good laptop. These are the minimum specs I am looking for: 512MB graphics card 4M memory 2G Processing power cd/dvd burner at least 120GB hard drive don't want it to be huge (15" monitor is sufficient, no smaller than 13".) don't want it to be glossy (not a deal breaker if it fits everything else) preferably windows XP but I will deal with Vista if forced must have a wireless card STUDIO XPS 16 - Dell so far is the best thing I can find. I tried looking at the Alienware stuff and I don't think it's ideal (read a lot of bad reviews). Any suggestions?

Don't bother with Alienware unless you're a gamer. Even then, they're way overpriced.

What's your budget? There should be heaps of options for what you're looking for.

Don't worry Ben should be around any second now.

*taps my watch

i didn't know pedophiles wore watches


your laptop specs are pretty steep, notably with the graphics card- and 4 gigs of RAM is of overkill and won't do you any good in windows XP, and you should really get out of the mindset of "XP or bust". Vista, contrary to popular belief, is a solid OS nowadays and windows 7 is right around the corner.

i suggest a dual core AMD 64 processor, even if you're not planning on using a 64 bit OS, just in case. don't bother with alienware as sushi said.

personally i have a compaq and i like it quite a bit, i upped the ram from 2 to 4 and it runs nicely- my only gripe is the video card sucks and i should've researched them more before committing to it. then again i don't fuck around with video games on the pc so it's all gravy

yeha i guess the studio 16 xps looks all right stock.

1400 for

Intel� Core� 2 Duo P8600 2.4ghz / 3mb l2
Genuine Windows Vista� Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit
Microsoft Works
16' WLED LCD (1366x768)in Black w/2MP Webcam
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms)
320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive
Intel� 5100 WLAN Wireless-N (1x2) Half Mini Card
ATI Mobility RADEON� HD 3670 - 512MB
6-cell Battery

keep in mind thats a lot voltage cpu so... it wont kill the batt super fast, but i would upgrade to a 9 cell.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...N82E16834152073 <- weakish gpu, probably not ideal for running modern games

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...N82E16834152095 <- better

What is the intended use of this? If you are not playing games, 512MB video card is pointless. I can understand wanting a discrete graphics card, as opposed to onboard, but 512MB is extreme for an email machine. As is 4GB of ram. The hard drive is no worry as pretty much every full laptop has this. Same with dvd burner.

quote:

Originally posted by gehzumteufel What is the intended use of this? If you are not playing games, 512MB video card is pointless.

+1 for that. I was assuming it was for gaming because you mentioned the video card. But really, if you don't care about games you could probably cut the price in half.

quote:

Originally posted by Omega_Blue i didn't know pedophiles wore watches

They DO have to know what time school gets out.

quote:

Originally posted by bas They DO have to know what time school gets out.

quote:

Originally posted by gehzumteufel What is the intended use of this? If you are not playing games, 512MB video card is pointless. I can understand wanting a discrete graphics card, as opposed to onboard, but 512MB is extreme for an email machine. As is 4GB of ram. The hard drive is no worry as pretty much every full laptop has this. Same with dvd burner.

quote:

Originally posted by Cpt.Cocaine +1 for that. I was assuming it was for gaming because you mentioned the video card. But really, if you don't care about games you could probably cut the price in half.

As Ben knows now, I have been known to partake in some gaming.

Sorry if this is a dumb question... but is ASUS a good brand?!

I haven't really heard much about them and would like to know if others have had good/bad experiences with them.

Also... Newegg... good/safe company to buy from?

go for gateway pfx series
they are good for graphics and gaming
chk out ebay coz in canada its quite expensive....
dollar xchange is pretty decent so u shld save some money
i bought it for 1500 canadian

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/gat...l?part=nytimes2

chk it out

quote:

Originally posted by Theresa Sorry if this is a dumb question... but is ASUS a good brand?! I haven't really heard much about them and would like to know if others have had good/bad experiences with them. Also... Newegg... good/safe company to buy from?

ASUS only in the last couple years has gotten into the Laptop ring. They've been in the motherboard business for years though. Quality customer service when dealing with them on the hardware side.

Newegg is a great online retailer for computer hardware (pretty much the largest you'll find on the web), and is far superior to that of Tigerdirect. Though for a laptop, I'm more inclined to go to a brick and mortar store to buy something like that. Though, I usually know what I'm looking for.

I've always had great experiences with ASUS when it comes to motherboards.

*knocks on wood*

I got an ASUS M51Sn about 12 months ago and I love it. only had good experience with their customer service as well.

The bulk of a laptop is a cleverly designed motherboard, which is why you see these big name board manufacturers getting into the laptop business like MSI and ASUS, and they're usually reliable.

Newegg is the shit. I just ordered a phone from there.

Take a look at the HP HDX series - they make very quality, higher-end laptops I can vouch for.

4mb of memory isnt very much

Hmm, maybe things have changed, but when I research ASUS support, I get a lot of negative reviews. Has anyone here had a bad experience with that?

I am hesitant to go with ASUS however, I am not anxious to choose Dell either. With that being said, my boyfriend has a Dell and when he has contacted them he hasn't had an problems RE: support.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really intend to be contacting the support line, but just in case. If the support is shit and you can't get anywhere with a company (which is the impression I get from ASUS reviews), then I will get super frustrated and pissed off.

Anyway, if this laptop is going to last me 4-5 years as I hope it will, then I want good hardware stats. Things get outdated way too quickly. I don't want my computer to be struggling to play games or whatever by the next seasons new games.

quote:

Originally posted by Theresa Anyway, if this laptop is going to last me 4-5 years as I hope it will

Good luck with that...

quote:

Originally posted by Theresa Hmm, maybe things have changed, but when I research ASUS support, I get a lot of negative reviews. Has anyone here had a bad experience with that? I am hesitant to go with ASUS however, I am not anxious to choose Dell either. With that being said, my boyfriend has a Dell and when he has contacted them he hasn't had an problems RE: support. Don't get me wrong, I don't really intend to be contacting the support line, but just in case. If the support is shit and you can't get anywhere with a company (which is the impression I get from ASUS reviews), then I will get super frustrated and pissed off. Anyway, if this laptop is going to last me 4-5 years as I hope it will, then I want good hardware stats. Things get outdated way too quickly. I don't want my computer to be struggling to play games or whatever by the next seasons new games.

Personally, support is a very nil issue to me, as all Dell (or whatever) can really do for you over the phone is teach you a little about using your OS, and that's about it; actual repairs and whatnot would require shipping, etc. And I cannot be arsed to deal with that shit... That said, I would definitely not pick ASUS. I cannot relay personal experience with them, but I have heard nothing but bad things about their products. Does this mean if you buy an ASUS product, it's not going to last you years and years in working order? Well that I of course cannot say. But laptops are different than desktops in that they often require special parts and service that just aren't as easy administering yourself.

You of course cannot truly escape planned obsolescence, however. 3-4 years is likely a more realistic lifespan for a good laptop, and even that's likely at best. And 4gb of memory is plenty for a laptop at the time being. For example, I can have firefox open, winamp playing, torrents downloading all the while playing Bioshock at the same time and see little to no system slowdown. But as games and operating systems, for instance, become more sophisticated, the need for more memory will probably become more realistic - something to keep in mind, I guess.

Just what games are you looking to support?

//Because Diablo 3 should be the only game in the forseeable decade worth preparing for, and Blizzard is always way soft on their system reqs.

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/ho...ook?mco=MTE3MzM

nice costumer service with applecare, u can install windows xp on it etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Sushipunk Good luck with that...

It can be done... mine is still running and it's from 2004.

quote:

Originally posted by Zeiter http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/ho...ook?mco=MTE3MzM nice costumer service with applecare, u can install windows xp on it etc.

No Apple machine is in her price range.

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