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Thread: Laptop Suggestions

  1. #1
    Ultimate Member Magua's Avatar
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    Laptop Suggestions

    Heya all

    Been away for awhile, but back for a few pointers.


    Looks like I'm not going to upgrade the ole' desktop, but instead I'm going to switch over to a laptop for my "everything" machine. I am starting a new job that will have me on the road fairly constantly (airlines, so I suppose being on the road *IS* the job). Uses range from most office applications and internet/email usage to fairly heavy gaming.

    Looking for something powerful, but compact enough to take everywhere. The 17" notebooks seem a bit massive for everyday carrying, right now I'm leaning towards something in the 15" range 4-8lbs. Budget is around $2000, plus or minus whatever it takes to get something I'm happy with.


    Heres a few I have looked at so far, but any other suggestions would be great:

    ASUS V1S-B1 $1900
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220213
    -15.4" 1680x1050 ~6lbs
    -Core 2 Duo T7700 (2.4ghz 800mhzFSB 4mb L2)
    -2GB Ram (DDR2 667)
    -GeForce 8600M GT 512mb
    -160GB 5200rpm HD

    The GeForce 8600M GT seems decent (?), not a bad processor, and still clocks in at a manageable 6lbs. 5200RPM Drive isn't ideal. Not sure if I could pay to have that 2GB installed with 1 chip so I could add more easily later if needed. Unfortunately with ASUS/Newegg you get whats there, no customize options. Sharp looking notebook.


    Dell Inspiron 1520 $1700
    Dell.Com
    -15.4" 1680x1050 ~6.5lbs
    -Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2ghz 800mhz FSB 4mb L2)
    -2GB Ram (DDR2 667)
    -Geforce 8600M GT 256mb
    -160GB 5200 or 7200RPM HD

    Slightly less video ram. Slightly less money.


    Dell XPS M1330M $2200
    Dell.com
    -13.3" 1280x800 ~4-5lbs
    -Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2ghz 800FSB 4mbL2)
    -2GB Ram (DDR2 667)
    -GeForce 8400M GS 128mb
    -160GB 5200 or 7200RPM HD

    Smaller option. More manageable to carry around. Not sure how that video card stacks up, and the CPU a bit slower. Little more customizable through dell's website.


    Alienware M5550 $2500

    Alienware.com
    -15.4" 1920x1200 ~6lbs
    -Core 2 Duo T7600 (2.33ghz 667FSB 4mb L2)
    -2GB Ram (DDR2 667)
    -NVidia GeForce Go 7600 256mb
    -160GB 5200 or 7200 RPM HD

    Seems over priced. Not sure if I would want the alienware case anyways, little less 'professional.' Also don't know how this video card stacks up against the 8600M GT


    Sony Vaio VGN-FZ290 $1800
    -15.4" 1280x800 ~6lbs
    -Core 2 Duo T7700 (2.4ghz 800mhzFSB 4mb L2)
    -2gb RAM (DDR2 667)
    -NVidia GeForce 8400M GT
    -160gb 5200RPM Drive

    Another sharp looking machine. Not sure how much the 8400 sacrifices vs the 8600. Don't see an option for 7200RPM drive.



    Suggestions?

  2. #2
    Ultimate Member Rocketmech's Avatar
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    I've got the Dell 1520 w/ T7200 & 7200 hdd instead . It games well , no heat issues after a couple hours of BF2142 , HL2 , etc.

    I was considering an Asus , but the deal I get thru work from Dell was too good to pass up . So far I'm satisfied . The only con is floor noise from the headphone jack caused by the cpu idle state . But, that is a known problem among Intel dual core's .

    If you want to game , I would stick with the 8600 GT or better and 2 gb 667 . The dif between the 5400 / 7200 hdd's would be small , mostly when loading games .

    There are a couple good laptop venders worth checking out for that personal / custom laptop. The Sager and Compal are notable laptops .

    http://www.powernotebooks.com/index.php3
    http://www.xoticpc.com/

  3. #3
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    Personally, if I was buying it, I would opt for the 17 inch widescreen models.
    Dell has some nice ones. You will find that some apps on a 15 inch will have
    very tiny fonts. Plus with the widescreen, if you play any widescreen dvd's
    they will look correct. And they are not very heavy nowadays. Most laptops are
    in the 2-4 Lb range at most ... Easy to carry with a nice laptop bag or case.

  4. #4
    Ultimate Member Magua's Avatar
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    Hmm most of the 15" notebooks with any sort of stand alone graphics and decent CPU are in the 6lb range. The 17" 'gaming' laptops clock in at at least 9.5, and go up from there. With the need to lug this thing 3000 miles a day, weight/size matters.

    The Dell Inspiron and Asus are probably the top 2 I am looking at for now. 15" seems a good compromise for games/movie useablilty without being a tank. I think I can get a 10% discount through Dell as well. The ASUS says it uses a 512mb video card....I am slightly suspicious its one of those 256mb with 512 'useable' gimmicks....although it does say 512 dedicated.

    The seem like fairly comparable machines. Asus with slightly faster CPU and more video card memory. Dell with the availability of a 7200RPM drive.

  5. #5
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    I think all of them are very good , but from both the specifications and the price , ASUS V1S-B1 $1900 is a good choice .

  6. #6
    Ultimate Member Magua's Avatar
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    The Asus is what I was leaning towards. Although the Dell's with an additional 12% are tempting.

  7. #7
    Ultimate Member Magua's Avatar
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    Ok before I pull the trigger on this thing, am I missing something?

    Two different laptops listed on Newegg.

    One - V series
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220213
    Two - G series
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220182


    Number one is $150 more. Comes with Windows Vista Business instead of Home Premium. Fingerprint reader instead of what (I think?) is just a plastic logo on the Second. Has a T7700 2.4GHz instead of T7500 2.2GHz. And the video card (8600GT) has 512mb of dedicated ram instead of 256.

    AND its a full pound lighter, which even if they were equal I would pay $150 for. It also has an extra year on the warranty.



    The kicker is the second seems far more popular. 80 reviews, vs the first which has only 2.

    I feel thats a pretty well spent $150....am I missing something?

  8. #8
    Ultimate Member Magua's Avatar
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    Just ordered up the Asus.

    Got it for $1825 at zipzoomfly

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