just after any general advice and wondering if there are any brands to steer clear of?
also does vista run sweet on laptops?
just starting to do my homework any help greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance
Full Version: new laptop
looking for a new laptop up to ~$2500.
just after any general advice and wondering if there are any brands to steer clear of?
also does vista run sweet on laptops?
just starting to do my homework any help greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance
just after any general advice and wondering if there are any brands to steer clear of?
also does vista run sweet on laptops?
just starting to do my homework any help greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance
Vista runs perfectly fine on any modern laptop.
In fact, some laptops i've worked on lately have trouble rolling back to XP.
The audio drivers are a bit of an issue (although I have heard tales of SP3 fixing a lot of those problems...)
Anyway, that's a fair budget, what are you going to use it for / expecting to get for your money?
Brands to steer clear of is an interesting question, as i've used just about every brand you can think of, and most vary from model to model.
Acer is the number one in my hate list.
Dell and HP/Compaq have served me and just about everyone else I know, well over the years.
In fact, some laptops i've worked on lately have trouble rolling back to XP.
The audio drivers are a bit of an issue (although I have heard tales of SP3 fixing a lot of those problems...)
Anyway, that's a fair budget, what are you going to use it for / expecting to get for your money?
Brands to steer clear of is an interesting question, as i've used just about every brand you can think of, and most vary from model to model.
Acer is the number one in my hate list.
Dell and HP/Compaq have served me and just about everyone else I know, well over the years.
QUOTE (Selfdestruktor @ May 13 2008, 08:16 PM) 
Brands to steer clear of is an interesting question, as i've used just about every brand you can think of, and most vary from model to model.
Acer is the number one in my hate list.
Dell and HP/Compaq have served me and just about everyone else I know, well over the years.
Acer is the number one in my hate list.
Dell and HP/Compaq have served me and just about everyone else I know, well over the years.
Yea? You're not wrong about it being an interesting question, we've come across the exact opposite where I work (always seems that I have the opposite experience then you selfdestruktor lol
). All the Dells/HP/Compaqs are terrible that our clients go out and buy without letting us know beforehand, and we always have had issues with probably 90% of them. The same with the Sony Vaios egh. On the otherhand, we run ourselves ~6 Acer laptops and haven't had any issues with them at all. Personally the Asus ones look pretty nice though are a bit overpriced IMO, Toshiba seem good too, but are even more overpriced then Asus are (again IMO).
Ultimately, each brand out there (like anything else) will have duds, some people will luck out and have poor experiences with specific brands, others will have the exact same stuff and absolutely love it. Most brands out there are pretty good, and you should be relatively happy with any of them, Dell seem to have pretty good after sales support though.
QUOTE (Louie @ May 13 2008, 09:19 PM)
we've come across the exact opposite where I work (always seems that I have the opposite experience then you selfdestruktor lol )
)I'll have to back Selfdestruktor .... I've had very little trouble with Dell, HP/Compaq, IBM/Lenovo over the years.
If I was buying a laptop for myself it would be a Dell
Yea I have no doubt about that, they do seem pretty good. Just adding another opinion. Just strengthens the point that everyone will have different experiences with gear Though it looks like our clients are in the minority, they get the dud ones lol.
Though it looks like our clients are in the minority, they get the dud ones lol.
I bought a sony vaio FZ25GN at the start of the year and have been using it on a daily basis. Never had an issue with it - except when trying to setup a dual boot (XP and Vista) eventually I nailed it. Dual boot works a charm now
I would make sure you have atleast 2GB of ram for Vista though. I made sure I got 2GB of ram when I bought mine and imagine it would really struggle with just 1GB on Vista.
Something you may not have considered, though definately worth considering, getting a macbook pro and putting Vista on it. The macbook pro's are built awesomely, they are fast, and battery life is superior. They are essentially the same as any notebook since they have intel chips. The one click mouse button is ghey though.
I would make sure you have atleast 2GB of ram for Vista though. I made sure I got 2GB of ram when I bought mine and imagine it would really struggle with just 1GB on Vista.
Something you may not have considered, though definately worth considering, getting a macbook pro and putting Vista on it. The macbook pro's are built awesomely, they are fast, and battery life is superior. They are essentially the same as any notebook since they have intel chips. The one click mouse button is ghey though.
I agree about the macbook pro. I got the 17" widescreen Macbook pro last year and its great. I run dual boot on it and it actually runs XP faster than my PC. The macbook pro has 3 gig of ram in it though. Its a bit more pricey than the others though but your really getting 2 computers from the price of one, and the ability to transfer files from one to the other seemlessly. I just use XP for games and do everything else on the mac. You wont look back.
Antony
P.S. What one click mouse button? It only looks like one but if you click on left or right it still works like a two button.
Antony
P.S. What one click mouse button? It only looks like one but if you click on left or right it still works like a two button.
IIRC, the older mice only had one button and you had to hold it in for right-click.
???
???
Not anymore. New ones still look the same but can tell if your applying pressure to the right or left side. Very cool. also have cool 360 scroll button.
Ant
Ant
Question...what do you actually want to use it for?
- Do you want portability or a large display, or something in between?
- Do you plan to use it for gaming, of so how high a priority is this?
- Is multimedia a big requirement? If so, you might want to look for something with Vista Premium / Ultimate as these have the media centre functionality.
- Is it going to carry a lot of important information? If so, Business / Ultimate may be the way to go for the encryption (not liek many would use it) or the full system back up (more useful) features?
- Plenty of questions that need to be answered before I can really give any recommendations.
As far as brands, from my experiences I'd sum them up like this:
Acer Cheap build quality, cheap look, cheap price - yet they have been surprisingly reliable. We barely ever get them back. Have no problem recommending them to someone who wants a cheapo 'basic office' type machine, but on your budget I'd look for something of a higher quality.
Compaq Do yourself a favour - just don't. They look cheap, they feel cheap, they perform cheap and they are cheap (which is about their only plus). Based on our past history, it will probably break dpwm as well. But, that's not even the best part yet! Compaq = HP which means the worst customer service on the face of the earth. Do yourself a favour...if you ever need somethign this cheap and nasty, get an Acer instead. They look like crap, but at least they work.
HP Like Compaq, but prettier, more stylish, and better specced. So how does that make them like Compaq, I hear you ask? Well, they still break down just as much (if not more), and they have the same pathetic customer service. HP are priced about on par with Toshiba and ASUS (give or take). Asus provide the best base Warranty and service, and Toshiba offer the worlds lowest fault rates - do yourself a favour and go for one of those instead.
Dell We dont carry them, but I know people who do and who have dealt with them. From what I have heard from others, their service quality is brilliant, and their product quality is mediocre. What I can confirm from seeing them in person is that their build quality is average at best. Personally, I wouldn't go there unless the only other options were HP and Compaq.
Toshiba Toshiba has a reputation which pretty much speaks for itself. They built the first laptop (if my memory serves me correct), they build most of their own compoenents (rather then outsourcing), their build quality is typically very good (even on their basic models) and they have the lowest fault rates on the market - from memory it was something like 0.3% of Toshiba laptops with faults...pretty impressive. Negatives? You don't get as high a spec-per-dollar rate for them then you do for other competitive brands (HP, ASUS for example) and some of their models look a little unnattractive. I have no trouble recommending these.
ASUS Based on my experiences, these have been the next most reliable laptops after Toshiba. ASUS laptops are generally pretty good at everything. Their standard 2 year global warranty is the best standard warranty in the business (everyone else is pretty much 1 year local on base ranges) and their service is outstanding. Also for value for money they leave everything else I've seen for dead. They also use good components, are well put together, and the current range is mostly pretty attractive to look at. Personally, I'll admit I'm a bit of an ASUS fanboy - firstly because I've been using their hardware for the last 10 years or so in my desktops with no trouble at all, and secondly because since we started dealing in them a few years back they just haven't missed a beat. You don't need to sell an ASUs notebook - they sell themselves. ASUS has ranked first on one magazines consumer satisfaction surveys for the last two years (I think it was PCUser) so it seems owners are happy with them as well.
IBM/Lenovo These guys build some dog ugly laptops...but from what I've heard from everyone who deals in them, they apparently also build some very good laoptops. My brothers sells them at his work, and from what he (and many others) say they are about the most durable, brick like things on the planet - as in you can drop it down the stairs and it will probably still work. This is the business line though - from what I've heard their other lines sacrifice a lot of the build quality and durability for prettiness and aren't as good an option. All reports of reliability lists it as outstanding.
Apple I've dealed in these before, but not anymore. One big problem with Apple has always been their retailer support which seams pretty piss-poor. Customer sevice however, is probably alot better. Build quality is excellent, displays are the best in the business (along with Sony VAIO), they are generally very compact, and they typically are pretty well specced. The obvious downside is that the Macbook Pro's are terrible value for money, and will set you back about double the price of a comparably specced ASUS. Other obvious downside is that they dont come with windows installed, so if it is your operating system of choice you need to run a dual boot (or clean windows install). Reliability I'm not too sure on. When I used to deal with them, we didnt really sell that many - but there were almost always at least 2 in the faulty section.
Sony VAIO Like Apple, their strongest aspects are their displays and their style - VIAO's are generally drop dead gorgeous in their design and presentation. However also like Apple, you can expect to pay a significant amount on top compared to other brands with similar specs. I havent been dealing with them for a while, but they were never really the most reliable laptops out there. Better then HP/Compaq from my experience, but not as dependable as Toshiba or ASUS. Fault rates were probably about on par with Apple actually. Not bad, but there are probably better options out there.
Conclusion? If it were my choice, It'd be down to Toshiba, ASUS and Lenovo. Which of those I'd go for would depend on the requirements. If you want something compact and powerful then I'd go ASUS. They have some 12"/13" notebooks with some seriously impressive spec for very good prices.
For example, one variant of the ASUS F9Sg series has a 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB ram, 250GB HDD, 256MB Geforce 8600GS, and in-built 3G wireless internet (just insert sim card), all in a 12" package for under $2,000. I've not seen anything from another manufacturer with those type of specs, in such a small frame, for under $2k.
If you need absolute reliability, and don't mind sacrificing a bit of value for money, then I'd recommend Toshiba.
If you need something that can withstand your little cousins throwing down the stairs, then I'd recommend the Lenovo's.
Plenty of choice really!!
- Do you want portability or a large display, or something in between?
- Do you plan to use it for gaming, of so how high a priority is this?
- Is multimedia a big requirement? If so, you might want to look for something with Vista Premium / Ultimate as these have the media centre functionality.
- Is it going to carry a lot of important information? If so, Business / Ultimate may be the way to go for the encryption (not liek many would use it) or the full system back up (more useful) features?
- Plenty of questions that need to be answered before I can really give any recommendations.
As far as brands, from my experiences I'd sum them up like this:
Acer Cheap build quality, cheap look, cheap price - yet they have been surprisingly reliable. We barely ever get them back. Have no problem recommending them to someone who wants a cheapo 'basic office' type machine, but on your budget I'd look for something of a higher quality.
Compaq Do yourself a favour - just don't. They look cheap, they feel cheap, they perform cheap and they are cheap (which is about their only plus). Based on our past history, it will probably break dpwm as well. But, that's not even the best part yet! Compaq = HP which means the worst customer service on the face of the earth. Do yourself a favour...if you ever need somethign this cheap and nasty, get an Acer instead. They look like crap, but at least they work.
HP Like Compaq, but prettier, more stylish, and better specced. So how does that make them like Compaq, I hear you ask? Well, they still break down just as much (if not more), and they have the same pathetic customer service. HP are priced about on par with Toshiba and ASUS (give or take). Asus provide the best base Warranty and service, and Toshiba offer the worlds lowest fault rates - do yourself a favour and go for one of those instead.
Dell We dont carry them, but I know people who do and who have dealt with them. From what I have heard from others, their service quality is brilliant, and their product quality is mediocre. What I can confirm from seeing them in person is that their build quality is average at best. Personally, I wouldn't go there unless the only other options were HP and Compaq.
Toshiba Toshiba has a reputation which pretty much speaks for itself. They built the first laptop (if my memory serves me correct), they build most of their own compoenents (rather then outsourcing), their build quality is typically very good (even on their basic models) and they have the lowest fault rates on the market - from memory it was something like 0.3% of Toshiba laptops with faults...pretty impressive. Negatives? You don't get as high a spec-per-dollar rate for them then you do for other competitive brands (HP, ASUS for example) and some of their models look a little unnattractive. I have no trouble recommending these.
ASUS Based on my experiences, these have been the next most reliable laptops after Toshiba. ASUS laptops are generally pretty good at everything. Their standard 2 year global warranty is the best standard warranty in the business (everyone else is pretty much 1 year local on base ranges) and their service is outstanding. Also for value for money they leave everything else I've seen for dead. They also use good components, are well put together, and the current range is mostly pretty attractive to look at. Personally, I'll admit I'm a bit of an ASUS fanboy - firstly because I've been using their hardware for the last 10 years or so in my desktops with no trouble at all, and secondly because since we started dealing in them a few years back they just haven't missed a beat. You don't need to sell an ASUs notebook - they sell themselves. ASUS has ranked first on one magazines consumer satisfaction surveys for the last two years (I think it was PCUser) so it seems owners are happy with them as well.
IBM/Lenovo These guys build some dog ugly laptops...but from what I've heard from everyone who deals in them, they apparently also build some very good laoptops. My brothers sells them at his work, and from what he (and many others) say they are about the most durable, brick like things on the planet - as in you can drop it down the stairs and it will probably still work. This is the business line though - from what I've heard their other lines sacrifice a lot of the build quality and durability for prettiness and aren't as good an option. All reports of reliability lists it as outstanding.
Apple I've dealed in these before, but not anymore. One big problem with Apple has always been their retailer support which seams pretty piss-poor. Customer sevice however, is probably alot better. Build quality is excellent, displays are the best in the business (along with Sony VAIO), they are generally very compact, and they typically are pretty well specced. The obvious downside is that the Macbook Pro's are terrible value for money, and will set you back about double the price of a comparably specced ASUS. Other obvious downside is that they dont come with windows installed, so if it is your operating system of choice you need to run a dual boot (or clean windows install). Reliability I'm not too sure on. When I used to deal with them, we didnt really sell that many - but there were almost always at least 2 in the faulty section.
Sony VAIO Like Apple, their strongest aspects are their displays and their style - VIAO's are generally drop dead gorgeous in their design and presentation. However also like Apple, you can expect to pay a significant amount on top compared to other brands with similar specs. I havent been dealing with them for a while, but they were never really the most reliable laptops out there. Better then HP/Compaq from my experience, but not as dependable as Toshiba or ASUS. Fault rates were probably about on par with Apple actually. Not bad, but there are probably better options out there.
Conclusion? If it were my choice, It'd be down to Toshiba, ASUS and Lenovo. Which of those I'd go for would depend on the requirements. If you want something compact and powerful then I'd go ASUS. They have some 12"/13" notebooks with some seriously impressive spec for very good prices.
For example, one variant of the ASUS F9Sg series has a 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB ram, 250GB HDD, 256MB Geforce 8600GS, and in-built 3G wireless internet (just insert sim card), all in a 12" package for under $2,000. I've not seen anything from another manufacturer with those type of specs, in such a small frame, for under $2k.
If you need absolute reliability, and don't mind sacrificing a bit of value for money, then I'd recommend Toshiba.
If you need something that can withstand your little cousins throwing down the stairs, then I'd recommend the Lenovo's.
Plenty of choice really!!
Listen to Muzzy
Asus and Toshiba make some nice lappys. and the Lenovo ones are generaly pretty bullit proof but they seem to be more aimed at business users.
Asus and Toshiba make some nice lappys. and the Lenovo ones are generaly pretty bullit proof but they seem to be more aimed at business users.
I spent 2400 on a new toshiba laptop in september of last year with vista etc.
Running a duel core 2.2ghz, 2 gig ram, 240G harddrive, Radeon graphics card (The model escapes my brain at this time) etc etc..
Pro's -
Great for gaming
Vista
Portable
Great to replace a desktop
Con's
Battery time is horrific
Vista
Heavy
Power pack is the size of my face
Overall i like it even though the bads outweigh the goods.
But hey, its what you want!
=D
Hope i helped.. A bit..
Billyeah
Running a duel core 2.2ghz, 2 gig ram, 240G harddrive, Radeon graphics card (The model escapes my brain at this time) etc etc..
Pro's -
Great for gaming
Vista
Portable
Great to replace a desktop
Con's
Battery time is horrific
Vista
Heavy
Power pack is the size of my face
Overall i like it even though the bads outweigh the goods.
But hey, its what you want!
=D
Hope i helped.. A bit..
Billyeah
yeah you need to be picky with what laptop you get to suit what you do, i have a similar one to you BillK (p100 is what i have)
it's a desktop replacment/gaming laptop.
sucks for portability.
but then if i had one that was ultra portable i wouldnt do what i can do now
it's a desktop replacment/gaming laptop.
sucks for portability.
but then if i had one that was ultra portable i wouldnt do what i can do now
Exactly!
It really is great for gaming, (Cant remember the model though) its a satalite one (Spelling? =D).
I get about 30 minutes from a full battery running at high performance playing nfsc (Need for Speed Carbon).
As stated, find what suites your needs.
There is no point getting a gaming laptop if your only using it for a business laptop and visa versa.
Hope this helps?
Billgotacomputerlmaogosh
It really is great for gaming, (Cant remember the model though) its a satalite one (Spelling? =D).
I get about 30 minutes from a full battery running at high performance playing nfsc (Need for Speed Carbon).
As stated, find what suites your needs.
There is no point getting a gaming laptop if your only using it for a business laptop and visa versa.
Hope this helps?
Billgotacomputerlmaogosh
A good point!
After living with my old Acer laptop for the last 4 years (15.4", centrino 1.6, 512 ram, 80gb HDD, X700) I've been much in need of an update - until recently it just hasn't been feasible.
I think having this laptop tought me a number of things though, that helped me to decide what my next laptop would be:
Portability
Being a 15.4", my current Acer isn't particularly lightweight, and having it in a heavy leather bag doesn't help. It only takes about 5 - 10 mins of walking with the laptop before it starts to become [i]very/i] uncomfortable (to the point where I start to get red marks on my shoulder from the strap digging in). The first thing this told me is that my next laptop must be somewhat lightweight. Being a uni student I need something I can carry around frequently with comfort. Also, since IT is mostly likely going to be my future occupation, I'm likely going to need something I can carry from place to place.
Storage
Considering I do a bit of IT based work (and plan to do more in the future) I found the storage of my current laptop parrticularly limiting. After trying to run a dual boot (XP/Linux) system on an 80GB hard disk, I can confirm that it doesn't work too well. It allows you to install all the necessary software, and that's about it. Next thing I confirmed is that I wanted something with at least 200GB of hard disk space. This would allow me to (if necessary) run a dual boot system with 100GB dedicated to each O/S.
Performance
I use my laptop for a few different things over time. Image editing, some web designing, multimedia, web surfing, etc. On a 1.6 centrino with 512 ram everything runs barely sufficiently. All it takes is an attempt to edit a 25mb bitmap image to teach me that my next laptop has gotta have some balls.
Gaming
Whatever I buy, it is most likely that 90% of the time it will be used for uni / business use. This means that gaming is nowehere near a prority, as I have a ballsy desktop I specifically built for gaming and multimedia. However, on the odd occasion my mate will call us up to have a LAN night at his place for a little battlefield, medal of honour, Raven Shield, or whatever else is the flavour of the day. Tagging along my 20kg twin-PSU behemoth, 24" LCD and keyboard/mouse is hardly convienient, so I need something that has some gaming capabilities. Becuase of the limitations of my other mates' laptops, we never play anything too stressful - but at the least I need something with a bearable dedicated graphics chip.
Connectivity
Considering I plan to keep the laptop for several years, it's important to consider potential future connectivity requirements. USB is nice, but for something that I'll likely use in the IT industry it's important to have as much available connectivity as possible - firewire (being a common interface) and eSATA (being a potential future interface) are not necessary, but would be good to have. If eSATA really takes off, we could see the drop of USB hard disks in the next couple of years so I'd like to have the future covered for.
Multimedia
If I want to watch DVD's, I'll do it on my home computer. If I want to listen to music, I have my newly aquired reference headphones and a MP3 player in my phone. That means multimedia is not a priority. I don't care how loud the speakers go, and don't have how big my DVD's look.
Internet
Mobile internet would be nice, but I've done without it up until now because I just cant be bothered carrying around an external USB model everywhere I go - if I'm somewhere like in a car, on a bus, walking around uni or whatever it's not not feasible. That said, having to rely on the presence of local internet access is unfeasible.
So in the end, I had Identified my requirements. I essentially needed a compact laptop with high performance, a big hard disk, dedicated graphics, decent connectivity and mobile internet (if possible) for roughly $2,000. Once I identified these requirements, all I had to do is research.
I crossed out HP from the get go because their lack of service and reliability irritates me so much I've grown a personal grudge against anything with their name on it.
I crossed of Sony, because their compact laptops in my price range didn't have specs even close to what I needed.
I crossed off Lenovo and Toshiba because even though they had some nice compact laptops somewhere around my price range, all of them sacrificed hard disk space for portability (having 160GB hard disks at the most).
I crossed off Apple because getting a Macbook Pro with even HALF the spec of what I was looking for would cost me $2,500+
That left ASUS as the only brand - and with them I found three options.
F9S
12.1" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
2GB ram
250GB HDD
Geforce 9300GS
Inbuilt next gen wireless modem
Vista Home Premium
1.9kg
$1,999rrp
F6S
13.3" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz (T9300)
3GB Ram
250GB HDD
Geforce 9300GS
Vista Ultimate
1.99kg
$2,199rrp
V2S
14.1" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
4GB ram
320GB HDD
Geforce 8600GS
Inbuilt next gen wireless modem
Vista Business
2.3kg
$2,599rrp
Was a majorly tough decision but in the end, I really wanted the connectivity (12" had 3x USB only), Vista Business (for back up feature) and 3GB ram (to account for turbocache use) so I sadly scratched the F9 off the list.
I also really wanted the wireless internet capabilities, so the that scratched the F6 off the list - which narrowed it down tot he V2S. It's a little heavier and larger then the other two models, but at 2.3kg it's hardly a brick - and the extra display size wouldn't hurt come coding/gaming/image editing time. Being a business model, it also has a non-reflective screen which doesn't hurt use in high light areas. So even though it was a bit more then I wanted to spend, I placed my order for the V2S on Sunday.
I guess what I'm trying to show here, is that when deciding on a laptop, you reall need to have a good think about what you are using it for, what you need and want, and what you dont need and dont want. You can't always get all of the things you want, so sometimes you have to consider which compromises you can live with the most. If you look at some of the above criteria that I looked at myself and have a good think about each one, it may help you identify what you need in a laptop - and this will help you narrow down your choices.
Once you've narrowed down to a handful of models, then you can try to find some shops that have them and see which one feels the best for you, or which one can be aquired at the most suitable price.
Just make sure you try to consider everything possible, becuase the last thin you want is to spend $2,500 on a laptop, only to look back and regret it in a year because it can't do what you need!!
Hope that helps
After living with my old Acer laptop for the last 4 years (15.4", centrino 1.6, 512 ram, 80gb HDD, X700) I've been much in need of an update - until recently it just hasn't been feasible.
I think having this laptop tought me a number of things though, that helped me to decide what my next laptop would be:
Portability
Being a 15.4", my current Acer isn't particularly lightweight, and having it in a heavy leather bag doesn't help. It only takes about 5 - 10 mins of walking with the laptop before it starts to become [i]very/i] uncomfortable (to the point where I start to get red marks on my shoulder from the strap digging in). The first thing this told me is that my next laptop must be somewhat lightweight. Being a uni student I need something I can carry around frequently with comfort. Also, since IT is mostly likely going to be my future occupation, I'm likely going to need something I can carry from place to place.
Storage
Considering I do a bit of IT based work (and plan to do more in the future) I found the storage of my current laptop parrticularly limiting. After trying to run a dual boot (XP/Linux) system on an 80GB hard disk, I can confirm that it doesn't work too well. It allows you to install all the necessary software, and that's about it. Next thing I confirmed is that I wanted something with at least 200GB of hard disk space. This would allow me to (if necessary) run a dual boot system with 100GB dedicated to each O/S.
Performance
I use my laptop for a few different things over time. Image editing, some web designing, multimedia, web surfing, etc. On a 1.6 centrino with 512 ram everything runs barely sufficiently. All it takes is an attempt to edit a 25mb bitmap image to teach me that my next laptop has gotta have some balls.
Gaming
Whatever I buy, it is most likely that 90% of the time it will be used for uni / business use. This means that gaming is nowehere near a prority, as I have a ballsy desktop I specifically built for gaming and multimedia. However, on the odd occasion my mate will call us up to have a LAN night at his place for a little battlefield, medal of honour, Raven Shield, or whatever else is the flavour of the day. Tagging along my 20kg twin-PSU behemoth, 24" LCD and keyboard/mouse is hardly convienient, so I need something that has some gaming capabilities. Becuase of the limitations of my other mates' laptops, we never play anything too stressful - but at the least I need something with a bearable dedicated graphics chip.
Connectivity
Considering I plan to keep the laptop for several years, it's important to consider potential future connectivity requirements. USB is nice, but for something that I'll likely use in the IT industry it's important to have as much available connectivity as possible - firewire (being a common interface) and eSATA (being a potential future interface) are not necessary, but would be good to have. If eSATA really takes off, we could see the drop of USB hard disks in the next couple of years so I'd like to have the future covered for.
Multimedia
If I want to watch DVD's, I'll do it on my home computer. If I want to listen to music, I have my newly aquired reference headphones and a MP3 player in my phone. That means multimedia is not a priority. I don't care how loud the speakers go, and don't have how big my DVD's look.
Internet
Mobile internet would be nice, but I've done without it up until now because I just cant be bothered carrying around an external USB model everywhere I go - if I'm somewhere like in a car, on a bus, walking around uni or whatever it's not not feasible. That said, having to rely on the presence of local internet access is unfeasible.
So in the end, I had Identified my requirements. I essentially needed a compact laptop with high performance, a big hard disk, dedicated graphics, decent connectivity and mobile internet (if possible) for roughly $2,000. Once I identified these requirements, all I had to do is research.
I crossed out HP from the get go because their lack of service and reliability irritates me so much I've grown a personal grudge against anything with their name on it.
I crossed of Sony, because their compact laptops in my price range didn't have specs even close to what I needed.
I crossed off Lenovo and Toshiba because even though they had some nice compact laptops somewhere around my price range, all of them sacrificed hard disk space for portability (having 160GB hard disks at the most).
I crossed off Apple because getting a Macbook Pro with even HALF the spec of what I was looking for would cost me $2,500+
That left ASUS as the only brand - and with them I found three options.
F9S
12.1" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
2GB ram
250GB HDD
Geforce 9300GS
Inbuilt next gen wireless modem
Vista Home Premium
1.9kg
$1,999rrp
F6S
13.3" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz (T9300)
3GB Ram
250GB HDD
Geforce 9300GS
Vista Ultimate
1.99kg
$2,199rrp
V2S
14.1" Display
Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
4GB ram
320GB HDD
Geforce 8600GS
Inbuilt next gen wireless modem
Vista Business
2.3kg
$2,599rrp
Was a majorly tough decision but in the end, I really wanted the connectivity (12" had 3x USB only), Vista Business (for back up feature) and 3GB ram (to account for turbocache use) so I sadly scratched the F9 off the list.
I also really wanted the wireless internet capabilities, so the that scratched the F6 off the list - which narrowed it down tot he V2S. It's a little heavier and larger then the other two models, but at 2.3kg it's hardly a brick - and the extra display size wouldn't hurt come coding/gaming/image editing time. Being a business model, it also has a non-reflective screen which doesn't hurt use in high light areas. So even though it was a bit more then I wanted to spend, I placed my order for the V2S on Sunday.
I guess what I'm trying to show here, is that when deciding on a laptop, you reall need to have a good think about what you are using it for, what you need and want, and what you dont need and dont want. You can't always get all of the things you want, so sometimes you have to consider which compromises you can live with the most. If you look at some of the above criteria that I looked at myself and have a good think about each one, it may help you identify what you need in a laptop - and this will help you narrow down your choices.
Once you've narrowed down to a handful of models, then you can try to find some shops that have them and see which one feels the best for you, or which one can be aquired at the most suitable price.
Just make sure you try to consider everything possible, becuase the last thin you want is to spend $2,500 on a laptop, only to look back and regret it in a year because it can't do what you need!!
Hope that helps
my Toshy is a 17in wide screen, so i know where you are coming from with the weight part, mine weighs a tonne!
mine pretty much only leaves the house now and then when i go to a mates for the weekend who has wifi, rest of the time it sits on top of the PS2 to watch movies and TV shows from.
mine pretty much only leaves the house now and then when i go to a mates for the weekend who has wifi, rest of the time it sits on top of the PS2 to watch movies and TV shows from.
Mines a 15"4 =O
and the battery is still bad ! =O
back to desktop for me haha.
But yes, when you read your topic, tell us all what it will be used for.
BILLLOUDWORDS
and the battery is still bad ! =O
back to desktop for me haha.
But yes, when you read your topic, tell us all what it will be used for.
BILLLOUDWORDS
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