Help with finding a good laptop for uni! (1 Viewer)

[Mountain.Dew]

hi all,

i am considering getting a new laptop for uni. i had a discussion with my friend about it, and he came up with a list of specs that would make a good laptop:

-CPU: Centrino (at least) + wireless
-RAM: min. 512 MB
-Graphics card: ATI Radeon X OR NVIDIA Geforce 8600 --> however, this is not a HUGE priority. all i need is a decent card, not a uber-good one that would cost a lot.
-Display: High Definition XVGA / UXVGA (1280 X 1024)
-laptop thickness less than 4cm
-lightweight
-battery life >= 4 hrs
-a good sound card e.g. creative.
-securities + vista compatible + wireless networking + lan

hopefully i can get a laptop with most of these specs at around the $2400 - $3000 range, but i am hoping for around $2000. (i think i am stretching a bit...)

now, crunch time --> do i really need all these top specs for uni?
if so, i can change the criteria in new posts to reflect changes to specs.

any help, quotes, suggestions, are welcome!

 

[insert-username]

If you want Vista compatible in a laptop, wait till October when Intel's 64-bit dual core laptop chips come out. It's not worth buying a laptop now for Vista - it'll be 6 months old by the time Vista comes out, and the specs you need mean you need to spend $2500+ at least. And when Vista does come out, it won't run particularly fast on a laptop bought now in that price range.

-Graphics card: ATI Radeon X OR NVIDIA Geforce 8600 --> however, this is not a HUGE priority. all i need is a decent card, not a uber-good one that would cost a lot.

The 6800 is an uber-good card for a laptop. You'd be better off with an ATi X1600, x700, or nVidia 6600 Go - they'll be cheaper.

-a good sound card e.g. creative.

"Good sound card" and "laptop" are rarely seen together. Most rely on the built in audio - it's cheaper.

Apart from that, the specs are solid and would serve as a uni laptop very well.


I_F

 

[Dumsum]

If it's for uni, ask yourself if you really need beefy graphics? Or unless "for uni" you mean "I want to play games during lectures" then I understand

Something like the Dell Inspiron 710m would be good, if in fact it is solely for uni work. Set you back about $1,900 for most of those specs.


Also as for Vista compatibility. Any decent computer is "Vista compatible," but if you're talking about having the Glass effect then you will need something with decent graphics. It's unneccesary. Really. The Vista betas, albeit a bit slow, run fine on my laptop (similar specs to this), and by the time they've done all the code optimisation it will run beautifully.

 

[Mountain.Dew]

thanks insert-username for ur input.

i have to say, compatibility for vista isnt really that important, so i'll have to get that off the list.

here is a refined list of specs:

-CPU: Centrino (at least) + wireless
-RAM: min. 512 MB
-Graphics card: this is not a HUGE priority. all i need is a decent card that i can get cheaply.
(e.g. ATi X1600, x700, or nVidia 6600 Go)
-Display: High Definition XVGA / UXVGA (1280 X 1024)
-laptop thickness less than 4cm
-lightweight
-battery life >= 4 hrs
-securities + wireless networking + lan

hope HOPE to get for under $2400.

 

[Casmira]

harvey norman have a 3000+ Athlon laptop on special (compaq), 256mb DDR ram, X200 Radeon video card (my brother bought one) for $800, (its $1000 but $200 cashback, the $200 cashback offer ends at the end of jan)

 

[Mountain.Dew]

ive done a bit of research, this looks okay for $1999

http://www.sony.com.au/vaio/catalog...F3I2AEIS0CWSCFBSFEQK0IIUEIV0?categoryId=22104

what do u guys think?

 

[insert-username]

I would recommend spending a little more money for a Pentium-M processor and at least 512MB of RAM. At $1999 or so, you should be able to get a 1.8Ghz processor, maybe better.


I_F

 

[HotShot]

thanks insert-username for ur input.
i have to say, compatibility for vista isnt really that important, so i'll have to get that off the list.
here is a refined list of specs:
-CPU: Centrino (at least) + wireless
-RAM: min. 512 MB
-Graphics card: this is not a HUGE priority. all i need is a decent card that i can get cheaply.
(e.g. ATi X1600, x700, or nVidia 6600 Go)
-Display: High Definition XVGA / UXVGA (1280 X 1024)
-laptop thickness less than 4cm
-lightweight
-battery life >= 4 hrs
-securities + wireless networking + lan
hope HOPE to get for under $2400.

Who cares about ligthweight seriously- sacrifice weight and thickness for better specs its worth its and helps to build your muscles.
battery life 3 hours is good four is better. The main that you should be looking for is the disply, HD UXGA widescreen. cos thats what u will be looking into most of the time (actually all the time), and if you dont like it then you will hate the laptop. Also check out the buttons/keyboard and see the design if you like or not.
you will also need a dvd burner-very important.

 

[Mountain.Dew]

thank you all for all ur assistance!

 

[SashatheMan]

just get a top of the range laptop, so u can use it for games or anything else you want. in my opinion , its too hard to use a laptop in lectures or in uni in general, and you wont really need it. so if u get a top of the range laptop, then u can use it for anything else