laptop suggestions (1 Viewer)

[Purp|e]

huzzah...

looking to get a laptop at around the $2k mark. mainly for home/uni ... doesnt have to be totally awesome in the graphics department ... but if i get bored i may need to cs

so basically, what do you suggest i get? and if there's anywhere cheap that would be mad too

oh and whats the deal with student discount?

ta <3

 

[Callistogenic]

First question:

Which platform?

 

[insert-username]

Which platform?

He wants to play the occasional game, so that probably means Windows.

oh and whats the deal with student discount?

Some manufacturers (such as Apple and Microsoft) offer discounts for students. Basically, you pay less money for the same product (the logic is you're a student, so you won't have as much money now, but if you learn hard, do well using the laptop/software, and go and earn lots of money, then you'll spend the money on the company that gave you the discount. So the logic goes.

looking to get a laptop at around the $2k mark. mainly for home/uni ... doesnt have to be totally awesome in the graphics department ... but if i get bored i may need to cs

It's really a point of personal preference. Since you want to game occasionally practically anything will do (well, you'll probably need XP, but yeah). You should be able to easily find something to suit your requirements at $2000, and even less if you look hard. Laptop prices have been coming right down over the past year. For a budget of $2000, I'd recommend the following specs:

Processor: Intel Pentium-M, anywhere from about 1.6Ghz up.
RAM: Minimum 256MB, if you can get 512MB
Hard drive: 40GB should be plenty, though 60GB will be better
CD drive: You should make do with a CD burner/DVD player, though aim for a DVD burner (they're starting to trickle into cheaper laptops)
Graphics: Integrated will be fine - GMA 900 or Extreme 2 will handle Counterstrike easily.

Go out to the department stores and ask around. They tend to offer the best prices, especially when they have sales. Another tip: don't buy the first laptop you see. Shop around and make comparisons. If you have any questions about the models you find, feel free to post them.


I_F

 

[Purp|e]

ahh thanks

yeah, definately windows ... i'd be weirded out with a mac.

ah yeah, those are the types of specs ive been looking at, insert-username. the only thing of concern really was the whole video memory being shared with ram. which is ok though? i guess. if thats the case there seems to be alot around to choose from ... haha which isnt exactly a good thing, i sucks at teh decisions.

i was looking at this one the other day.

is there really any big deal about which brand?

 

[Skittled]

While I was working at DSE (quit 2 weeks ago), I came to the conclusion that I only ever sold one Sony laptop that was a good deal -- and that was $1000 below our 'cost' price. Sony laptops, in my opinion are generally underfeatured and overpriced.

Brand
Brand matters to a small extent; in the end, they'll have a gaurantee for 12 months, regardless of brand. I bought a cheap Compaq (now the cheap-and-somewhat-nasty computer division of HP) at the beginning of this year, and the screen hinges broke 8 months in. One rather trying trip onto the other side of Sydney, and that was solved. However, my girlfriend has a sony laptop, which has got to have a HDD replacement... and that's about 13 months old (she treats it well, too).

That said, I'd personally avoid Acer, from what I've seen of them. Toshiba have always been leaders in laptops, and you pay a little more for them, but their products tend to be more refined than cheaper alternatives. HP seem okay, and Compaq are alright, as long as -- as I've learnt -- you're buying one that's at the end of a line of others, so they've had time to fix the problems. ie. Don't buy the V2000 or whatever: wait for the V2040. Same goes everywhere, but moreso with the cheaper brands (namely Compaq and Acer, from the DSE range)

In the end, they're all big brands, all with reasonable quality: they're all going to have just as many problems. Finally, if you're worried, get an extended warranty -- but with the company

RAM
Important things to note is that you can always upgrade the RAM (and HDD, but that means putting aside the existing one, while RAM can often just be added, but depends on the configuration that the manufacturer shipped the laptop in...), so you don't need to be too fussy with that, as long as you know it can be upgraded. Further, it's (usually) cheaper to install more RAM yourself, than to buy it with it pre-installed.

Go out to the department stores and ask around. They tend to offer the best prices, especially when they have sales. Another tip: don't buy the first laptop you see. Shop around and make comparisons.

Very good advice. In fact, you could take it another step and do your homework online, decide what you want, and then use the stores simply to shop for the best price, rather than a product too.

 

[insert-username]

ah yeah, those are the types of specs ive been looking at, insert-username. the only thing of concern really was the whole video memory being shared with ram. which is ok though? i guess. if thats the case there seems to be alot around to choose from ... haha which isnt exactly a good thing, i sucks at teh decisions.

Don't worry - my laptop has integrated graphics, and I share 512 MB of RAM. It handles Warcraft III, Command and Conquer Generals, Call of Duty, and Counterstrike all fine. Just make sure, if you can, that you get 512 MB of RAM. If you can't, it's a very cheap upgrade (less than $100), and it makes a world of difference.

i was looking at this one the other day.

For the cost, that laptop is excellent value. I'd recommend it, as you also have the big name of Sony behind it. I don't usually like Vaios, but based on specs, it's a good buy.


I_F

 

[Collin]

I'm also in the market for a laptop for professional/university use.

I've been loitering around the Dell website for the past 2 months. I'm very fond of their direct business model, which of course results in cheaper laptops due to the fact that there's no middleman.

A little while ago I configured the best deal for it's price ($1600) lappy:

Inspiron 6000
- Pentium M Centrino 750 (1.86GHz) w/ Intel 2200 b/g wifi of course
- 1GB DDR533
- 15.4in widescreen SXGA+ (1600*1000)
- 80GB 5400rpm
- CD-RW/DVD dual format & layer burner
- Bluetooth 1.2
- WinXP Pro

.. haven't found a deal like this anywhere else ever. But then that little deal finished and even now with the free RAM, HD, screen upgrades offered by Dell, that config still sets the price down for atleast $1900.

 

[Purp|e]

wah, thats pretty nice. i was talking to a guy at dell the other day, but im yet to look around their site much.

basically the dilemma i'm in, is that i kind of need the video card to be semi-decent ... the more ive looked into it, the more i see ill need it i guess. basically, from what ive looked at (which is a fairbit now since im just sitting around here wasting time till the 18th ) it seems that to get a decent VC im gunna go way out of my price range.

on the one hand i really want the portability of a laptop ... but if im gunna have to sacrifice too much, ive been thinking about just getting a desktop at home now ... which really, i can get an awesome one with 19" lcd for like 1600, and waiting a year or so and then looking at a laptop when i may *really* need it.

but if the problem can be solved all at once now by finding a laptop with everything i want, i guess thats the best solution the only thing im worried about is how will it go for heat? like a friend who's just spent like 2600 on a laptop has had trouble with his VC fan. is there really a problem with cooling ... cause ive never had one before, and i just cant see how they can keep it cool ... cause i'd be using it a fair-bit.

from what ive seen, some 'ok' looking ones are these:

http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/8366_LG_LW60_HLV4QA_PENTIUM_M_1_73__15_4.asp

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/43c1d9cb00c365ac2740c0a87f9c077b/Product/View/XC3659

so what you guys reckon? should i go for a laptop with non-integrated graphics (keeping in mind i dont wanna spend over 2300) or go desktop and delve into laptops in a year or so (will technology really be that much better by then ?)

ta <3

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Why wouldn't you ebay it?

 

[Collin]

Well Purple, do you REALLY need a laptop? When I get my laptop, I'll have both a desktop and a laptop, with the desktop reserved completely for gaming and the laptop for everything else. I did this because games meant that much to me. If gaming isn't a huge deal to you, then get a good desktop replacement notebook with high mobility (i.e Pentium Centrino model, decent amount of RAM, good res screen, big hard disk etc.).

With cooling, if you go Pentium M the heat won't be an overwhelming factor. Just that some people still opt for Pentium IVs inside their notebooks, which generates a not so impressive amount of heat. But don't use any laptops too long on your lap, as we all know it's not good for the sperm count.

Check out digitalstar.com. They're like Dell where you can configure the specs. There's one advertised in PC Authority Jan 06' issue where it's a Pentium M 760 (2.0GHz), 1GB, 15.4in widescreen system with an inbuilt TV Tuner and a nice 6600GT, for about $2,100. Something like that would get you places, even with games.. although I still wouldn't push it with new FPS games on high settings.

 

[Purp|e]

haha yeah, im not *that much* of a gamer ... so its been concluded that i must seperate it from the laptop, and just leave it for home. too unrealistic to get something that would provide the best of both worlds.

but now considering that i dont necessarily need it to be great for gaming, im thinking maybe a powerbook might be an ok idea?? .. especially since the company my mum works with sells mac's to employee's for alot less than retail, even more than i'd save with a student discount.

i've read alot about it in some past threads in here involving mac discussion. but they were a while ago... is there going to be huge benefits in waiting for the intel mac's to come out? and is it true about being able to run windows? or that windows programs will run native? ... i have minimal experience with mac's ... but ive only really heard good things. what you folk reckon

 

[Collin]

Well if you're not gonna play real 3D-intensive games, a laptop is fine. For example, I demand a high degree of performance and detail for the latest FPS games.. so notebooks are obviously not suitable for me, but a standard business notebook with a decent video card should do an occasional gamer (such as yourself) fine.

As for Macs, if you're a PC user who doesn't have much experience with Macs, stay with PC. What you're suggesting there is like saying 'WOW, I'm gonna buy a new Pierre Cardin suit from Myer just because it's on sale, even though it doesn't fit me perfectly'. Don't just buy something because you can get it on discount. Get something that's 100% suited for purpose! Your budget is gonna be great for a PC notebook, make no compromises Purple.. or else I shall rape you anally.

 

[Purp|e]

i love you jkd

im not sure what exactly i have to do to get this anal violation you speak of, but im willing to do what it takes to recieve it

 

[seremify007]

I could've sworn I posted here before... I had a rant about how Digitalstar ripped off my friend. Oh well.

Btw laptops for gaming... it just never seems to work right- there's too many things which can screw up such as the processor which changes speed constantly (made Fifa 06 run bloody fast!) and .... hmm I can't really think of anything in particular but I prefer playing on a desktop~

 

[Purp|e]

haha WTf ... i was on the apple site like all last night, and i didnt see anything about the new intel macs being out ... but thismorning it seems they're available. am i dreaming or something?

http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/80105/wo/qn7XMNGxP9Xi2J7dRUh1gaeO5sx/0.SLID?nclm=C117FECB&mco=7C576790

 

[insert-username]

MacWorld conference (big get together for the 300 Mac users in the world) - Steve Jobs announced the Intel Macs just yesterday, and they'll be shipping in the US next month.
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1449


I_F