265 replies to this topic

[Bleedred]

I know this has been asked before, but I wanted to get an updated response from those in the know. If I'm buying a laptop for personal use and don't intend it to do anything crazy (i.e. music, internet, online banking, connecting to my work network, watching movies), what are there “minimum” specs I should focus on to make sure I have a really good computer? I'm not worried about price, but don't need to spend $1000 if it's not necessary.

As an example, the Dell Inspiron 14r has the following specs, but I'm told it may be more than I need:

Processor 2.27 GHz Intel Core i3 M350
Memory 4GB DDR3 RAM, 1,333 MHz
Hard drive 500GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel HM55
Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

I do not want a Mac.

Thanks

Can I get away with less memory, lesser processor, less GB for a hard drive? Do I want to?

[kneemoe]

Can I get away with less memory, lesser processor, less GB for a hard drive? Do I want to?

If you're going to the hard drive and memory are about the easiest things you can install yourself - so you can skimp on them before anything else. Getting something with good graphics and a good processor will go a long way toward making it last, you can always grab a cheap HD and some RAM off newegg (later/down the road) if you need to lighten the hit on your wallet right now.

[Corsi]

I hope it's alright to ask about Netbooks in here. I'm currently in the market for a budget netbook, to complement my current laptop, which I hate.

I really only need something that can run Skype, Firefox, MS Office, Hulu/You Tube and some other simple applications. I'm not a gamer, so graphics and all that aren't too big of a deal to me.

I don't really have a problem going refurbished, so long as it's from a reputable vendor.

So far, in my search, I've landed on a recertified ASUS Eee PC 1005HAB from newegg.com for $217 shipped.

A) Is this a good budget netbook for my needs and B) can I get it someplace else for less money? I've seen other options online, but they either only include a 3-cell battery or run Windows XP out of the box (I'd prefer W7).

Anything you guys can recommend would be great. Thanks!

[Bleedred]

Of all the places to "walk-in" and buy a laptop computer, which retailer would you recommend to treat the customer fairly, assuming the customer is essentially ignorant on what to buy as to Processor, Memory, Storage, security software recommendation, etc. This person is not buying an apple, is 75 years old, and will be buying a computer for the first time.

[Gagliano]

Give Micro Center a try if you have one nearby. Avoid Best Buy at all cost.

[Kevin Jewkilis]

I wasn't planning on getting a new computer until the warranty on my crappy Inspiron died (fall 2013), at which (the theory goes) I'd be able to get a nice one. But I've had my fourth hard drive die this year and am getting really frustrated with constantly having to install the computer from scratch. I'm not in a position to spend any real money, but with a birthday coming up, I can pool some money for this $300 Acer on sale this week. Does anybody know anything about this computer? How likely is it to survive for two years (despite having only a one-year warranty)?

I don't do anything that taxes my computer currently, so I'm not worried about the specs -- 4 GB RAM and a 320 GB hard drive will be significant upgrades even if they aren't top-of-the-line by today's standards. I'm skeptical about the seemingly low-resolution display, but I'll be able to see that for myself before I buy it. Anything I should know about low-end Acer models that I can't tell from the specs/demo model at the store?

[Kevin Jewkilis]

I wasn't planning on getting a new computer until the warranty on my crappy Inspiron died (fall 2013), at which (the theory goes) I'd be able to get a nice one. But I've had my fourth hard drive die this year and am getting really frustrated with constantly having to install the computer from scratch. I'm not in a position to spend any real money, but with a birthday coming up, I can pool some money for this $300 Acer on sale this week. Does anybody know anything about this computer? How likely is it to survive for two years (despite having only a one-year warranty)?

I don't do anything that taxes my computer currently, so I'm not worried about the specs -- 4 GB RAM and a 320 GB hard drive will be significant upgrades even if they aren't top-of-the-line by today's standards. I'm skeptical about the seemingly low-resolution display, but I'll be able to see that for myself before I buy it. Anything I should know about low-end Acer models that I can't tell from the specs/demo model at the store?

Now that this has been moved to the right forum, I wanted to bump this. I'm going to be in Cambridgeport anyway today, so I'll stop by Microcenter.

[joyofsox]

I hope it's alright to ask about Netbooks in here. I'm currently in the market for a budget netbook, to complement my current laptop, which I hate.

I am also looking for a budget/cheap netbook. It would not be my main computer, so I am going to try and not be super fussy about it. But I would like it to handle MLB Gameday and a couple of web windows without trouble. I have seen a couple of Acers at $240 (Intel Atom N455) and $280 (N570), but am wondering if there are ever any one-day specials that get down around $200, or is that a pipe dream.

[Caspir]

I am also looking for a budget/cheap netbook. It would not be my main computer, so I am going to try and not be super fussy about it. But I would like it to handle MLB Gameday and a couple of web windows without trouble. I have seen a couple of Acers at $240 (Intel Atom N455) and $280 (N570), but am wondering if there are ever any one-day specials that get down around $200, or is that a pipe dream.

I ended up grabbing an Acer Aspire One last week to use for note taking, light web browsing, and that sort of thing, and I couldn't be happier. It's got a 6 cell battery so I can easily get 6-7 hours off charger,but I never saw them in the $200 price range, so if you're finding them for $240 I'd jump.

[Papelbon's Poutine]

What advantage does a SSD offer over a traditional hard drive? I've been looking into the purchase of a new laptop and am a little suprised at the difference in memory size between the two. For instance, I'm looking at Toshiba Porteges - two models are the exact same price, all most all of the other bells and whistles are the same but one has a 128 GB SSD while the other has a 640 GB hard drive. Are these somehow "equal"? What am I missing?

[kneemoe]

without getting into nitty grittys, the SSD is *far* faster, and will lead to much quicker booting, as well as quicker application initialization.

[Rudi Fingers]

without getting into nitty grittys, the SSD is *far* faster, and will lead to much quicker booting, as well as quicker application initialization.

Also, if the laptop will be taking a lot of abuse, SSD's have no moving parts and are less prone to getting damaged in road warrior situations.

[FL4WL3SS]

What advantage does a SSD offer over a traditional hard drive? I've been looking into the purchase of a new laptop and am a little suprised at the difference in memory size between the two. For instance, I'm looking at Toshiba Porteges - two models are the exact same price, all most all of the other bells and whistles are the same but one has a 128 GB SSD while the other has a 640 GB hard drive. Are these somehow "equal"? What am I missing?

I'd advise getting the laptop with the SSD and then purchasing an external hard drive if you need the extra space - external HD's are pretty cheap these days. 128 GB is nothing to sneeze at, plus you can spend another $100 and get 1.5TB of storage if necessary.

[Blacken]

I'd advise getting the laptop with the SSD and then purchasing an external hard drive if you need the extra space - external HD's are pretty cheap these days. 128 GB is nothing to sneeze at, plus you can spend another $100 and get 1.5TB of storage if necessary.

If you're feeling adventurous, a lot of notebooks with an optical drive can be retrofitted with a second, internal hard disk. My Macbook Pro is getting one in the near future so I can have enough space to dual-boot Windows.

[Zomp]

So my vaio finally shit the bed after 5 years of heavy use. I'm in the market for a laptop and ideally would like to spend under $600.00. Nowadays I'll use it for multiple window internet browsing, iTunes, downloading a torrented soccer game here and there, and the thats about it.

I don't care about screen size, and I don't download a lot of music and files. In the 5 years I had my vaio I never needed an external hard drive.

So do I need to spend a lot? If those are my only reasons for getting a laptop do I really need something in the $600 range than the $300 range? I'd like it to last for another 5 years, but if thats unrealistic let me know.

Looking on Amazon, these get good reviews. Any opinions?

http://www.amazon.co...31318568&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.co...31318731&sr=1-3

[crow216]

It's probably unrealistic to get a $300 laptop to last you 5 years. It's realistic to get a $600 laptop to last you at least 2-3 though.

Take a look at the Acer Timeline X series and the HP Envy series. I've owned the past 2 timeline models and didn't pay more than $750 for them. INCREDIBLE value. (Although for some reason I'm only seeing 5400rpm hdd's on amazon). Switchable graphics and 9hrs battery come very handy very often.

That lenovo is not the choice for you. I don't see how you can rely on an 11.6 inch "laptop" for 5 years.

The asus also has a slow hdd and processor. Stay away.

http://www.amazon.co...31319291&sr=1-3

[FL4WL3SS]

It's probably unrealistic to get a $300 laptop to last you 5 years. It's realistic to get a $600 laptop to last you at least 2-3 though.

Uh, what?

I have two Toshiba laptops that I paid around $600 that I've had for 3 years respectively and run like new. If you take care of them, they'll take care of you. You can absolutely get a laptop of any price range to last you 5 years, you just need to take care of it and do some monthly maintenance. The main reason laptops don't last is because people stop taking care of the little things and the laptop starts to run hot from all of the extra processing it needs to do to run 'normally'.

If you go cheap, be willing to take care of it, that's all.

[The Four Peters]

I've had a $500 Toshiba for 4+ years and it's still working fine (albeit with a RAM upgrade in the middle).

[FL4WL3SS]

Also, Zomp, I would highly recommend an external HD for a number of reasons. They are pretty cheap nowadays, especially if you don't need a ton of space and you can use it to put all the extra crap you'd normally put on your laptop so you can keep your laptop running optimally at all times.

[crow216]

Uh, what?

I have two Toshiba laptops that I paid around $600 that I've had for 3 years respectively and run like new. If you take care of them, they'll take care of you. You can absolutely get a laptop of any price range to last you 5 years, you just need to take care of it and do some monthly maintenance. The main reason laptops don't last is because people stop taking care of the little things and the laptop starts to run hot from all of the extra processing it needs to do to run 'normally'.

If you go cheap, be willing to take care of it, that's all.

I don't disagree with any of this. The way I read his post was not about maintenance care, it was about hardware. Everyone has different needs. The best $300 laptop out there probably has a Core i3, 4gb of 1333 ddr3, on board graphics, and a 5400 rpm hdd. Those MIGHT be able to last until 2017 but the battery on a $300 laptop is likely to be complete crap, the screen is likely to be complete crap, the cooling system is most likely crap.

Of course, if you maintain the thing and only use it for general purpose stuff like browsing and aim, it'll be fine but so will pretty much any pc.

[teddykgb]

I'm with crow...you get what you pay for and a $300 laptop is the bottom of the barrell of today's computer parts. You might eke out 5 years, but you're probably not going to enjoy it.

I also think that if you're buying a laptop for the next 5 years, you should spend the money to get one with a solid state drive. Your laptop user experience improves tremendously. Zomp, if you're really doing what you're describing, a macbook Air is expensive but perfect for you. To bring the price down I'd look at one of the Air competitors but try to find something with a SDD.

[Zomp]

Thanks guys. FL4L, thats a good point about the hard drive, but in the 5 years with the vaio I used maybe 50% of the disk space on it. I suppose if an external one is cheap enough I'd get it to avoid hassles later on, but say I use the same amount of space over the lifetime of the laptop...will performance decline?

The only thing that noticeably went down in my vaio was battery life to the point that the battery would last maybe 20 minutes. I didn't care because I just always kept it plugged in.

[FL4WL3SS]

The external is nice just so you always have your shit, no matter which machine. Even if you don't use a ton of space, they are still nice to have and you can avoid cluttering up your machine.

Regarding the battery - a lot of people don't take care of their battery either, which is why they don't last long. Keeping your laptop plugged in with the battery still connected is the fastest way to destroy your battery. Either take the battery out or don't plug the laptop in until it absolutely needs it, then recharge it to 100% and disconnect again from the power source.

Like I said, if you take care of the machine it'll run like new for a long time. It's when you take it for granted that you start to have problems a couple years down the road.

[Blacken]

The main reason laptops don't last is because people stop taking care of the little things and the laptop starts to run hot from all of the extra processing it needs to do to run 'normally'.

I think you're significantly overestimating the potential for heat damage to main system components. You would have to exert significant effort to have enough shitware on a machine to cause it to run at damaging temperatures for long periods of time--we're talking linpacking or something equally wacky. Hardware isn't that fragile anymore; what goes is almost universally related to shitty builds (broken mainboards from poor cases, separating hinges, etc.).

The main reason laptops don't last is because people treat them like shit--and they buy cheap so it's not like they're designed to reasonable tolerances. Thinkpads cost more than your average Dell for a few reasons and none are related to the little numbers tied to the parts inside the case. Physical failure, not heat, is the death of most consumer laptops. And a $300 laptop is, by and large, going to be built like a $300 laptop, not a $1200 Thinkpad or even a $1000 Air. This is an area where you really do get what you pay for; personally, I'll pay more up front to know that it's not going to decide to shit out on me because of my usage patterns, but reasonable people can disagree.

Keeping your laptop plugged in with the battery still connected is the fastest way to destroy your battery.

I think you're misinformed. Damage to a laptop battery is caused by heat and cycling, not by being plugged in at all times. A trickle charge (which is all the laptop puts to the battery when it's near full charge) does not cause battery memory effects (inapplicable to lithium-ion) and isn't going to cause damage via cycling because the net charge won't significantly vary. Modern li-ion batteries are also significantly more cycling-resistant than older ones, though about the same in terms of heat resistance because there's only so much you can do to change battery chemistry.

A Vaio of that vintage is likely to have suffered from battery damage from heat and usage, not from battery memory or "overcharging" or anything like that.

Also, Zomp, I would highly recommend an external HD for a number of reasons. They are pretty cheap nowadays, especially if you don't need a ton of space and you can use it to put all the extra crap you'd normally put on your laptop so you can keep your laptop running optimally at all times.

OK, FL4W buddy--the battery thing is a common urban myth even among tech guys, but this is crazy talk. Having "extra crap" on a laptop doesn't slow it down. Hard drives do not get slower when they're more full and fragmentation in NTFS is marginal. Installing stupid shit on the computer will certainly slow it down, but that has nothing to do with how many photos or MP3s is on the hard drive (which is the stuff you'd reasonably put on an external HDD). An external hard disk is a good idea for backup purposes, but "store your stuff there to keep your laptop running optimally" is not true.


Though, in 2012, it's self-abuse not to get a SSD in whatever laptop anybody buys. Spindles are for desktops and servers. TBH, Zomp, I think that what you're describing is pretty close to a Macbook Air. It's not $300, but it's a ridiculously fast little machine. I've been thrilled with mine, and I use it harder than you're likely to with no problems.

Edited by Blacken, 09 March 2012 - 07:36 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

I think you're significantly overestimating the potential for heat damage to main system components. You would have to exert significant effort to have enough shitware on a machine to cause it to run at damaging temperatures for long periods of time--we're talking linpacking or something equally wacky. Hardware isn't that fragile anymore; what goes is almost universally related to shitty builds (broken mainboards from poor cases, separating hinges, etc.).

The main reason laptops don't last is because people treat them like shit--and they buy cheap so it's not like they're designed to reasonable tolerances. Thinkpads cost more than your average Dell for a few reasons and none are related to the little numbers tied to the parts inside the case. Physical failure, not heat, is the death of most consumer laptops. And a $300 laptop is, by and large, going to be built like a $300 laptop, not a $1200 Thinkpad or even a $1000 Air. This is an area where you really do get what you pay for; personally, I'll pay more up front to know that it's not going to decide to shit out on me because of my usage patterns, but reasonable people can disagree.


I think you're misinformed. Damage to a laptop battery is caused by heat and cycling, not by being plugged in at all times. A trickle charge (which is all the laptop puts to the battery when it's near full charge) does not cause battery memory effects (inapplicable to lithium-ion) and isn't going to cause damage via cycling because the net charge won't significantly vary. Modern li-ion batteries are also significantly more cycling-resistant than older ones, though about the same in terms of heat resistance because there's only so much you can do to change battery chemistry.

A Vaio of that vintage is likely to have suffered from battery damage from heat and usage, not from battery memory or "overcharging" or anything like that.



OK, FL4W buddy--the battery thing is a common urban myth even among tech guys, but this is crazy talk. Having "extra crap" on a laptop doesn't slow it down. Hard drives do not get slower when they're more full and fragmentation in NTFS is marginal. Installing stupid shit on the computer will certainly slow it down, but that has nothing to do with how many photos or MP3s is on the hard drive (which is the stuff you'd reasonably put on an external HDD). An external hard disk is a good idea for backup purposes, but "store your stuff there to keep your laptop running optimally" is not true.


Though, in 2012, it's self-abuse not to get a SSD in whatever laptop anybody buys. Spindles are for desktops and servers. TBH, Zomp, I think that what you're describing is pretty close to a Macbook Air. It's not $300, but it's a ridiculously fast little machine. I've been thrilled with mine, and I use it harder than you're likely to with no problems.

A battery will most definitely have a shorter life without proper care and to tell people otherwise is doing them a disservice. I've had to have my batter be replaced on my work laptop 3 times in the past year because I don't give a shit. You can call it heat and cycling, but I'll call it what it really is and that's being plugged in all the time.

I understand what you're saying about the HD and I completely agree. My point wasn't that the crap on the computer would cause his machine to slow down, my point was that it would be easier for him to maintain a healthy computer with all of his other crap in one place. I wasn't very clear about that.

Regardless, I think you're nitpicking here - of course you get what you pay for, I never said the contrary, but my main point was that taking care of the laptop, whether it's a $300 laptop or a $2500 laptop, is paramount to making it last.

[crow216]

Steal of a deal.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-57396065-58/get-a-15.6-inch-hp-laptop-for-$299.99/

[drbretto]

Anyone with any recommendations on a kick-ass gaming laptop?

I'm looking for topish of the lineish without being at the absolute top. Something in the $2500 range. Dual graphics cards, i7/A8 quad to six core processor, either 8 GB's of the fastest ram or 16 GB's of medium speed ram, 240ish GB SSD and 1-2TB 7200rpm data drive and an 18.4" screen. Any advice to give?

edit: Weight and battery life are 100% non-issues for me, but it DOES have to be a laptop.

Edited by drbretto, 14 March 2012 - 01:07 AM.

[BucketOBalls]

Anyone with any recommendations on a kick-ass gaming laptop?

I'm looking for topish of the lineish without being at the absolute top. Something in the $2500 range. Dual graphics cards, i7/A8 quad to six core processor, either 8 GB's of the fastest ram or 16 GB's of medium speed ram, 240ish GB SSD and 1-2TB 7200rpm data drive and an 18.4" screen. Any advice to give?

edit: Weight and battery life are 100% non-issues for me, but it DOES have to be a laptop.

Alienware I think is the "brand" here. I got a 17" one 2 years ago with pretty close to those stats. was about $2300. (use the graphics cards for something else). Still runs games quite well(can max out ME3) and the components seem to be decent quality. They only drawback was they are goofy looking. First experience with a "gaming" laptop, but it's been pretty good.

Edited by BucketOBalls, 14 March 2012 - 10:31 AM.

[HillysLastWalk]

Also, if the laptop will be taking a lot of abuse, SSD's have no moving parts and are less prone to getting damaged in road warrior situations.

Not specifically directed at you, but just talking SSD in general ...

As much as I want SSD for the speed of it all (*drool*), I'm not sure if I'd take the plunge. I only know what this guy is telling me -->
http://www.codinghor...rive-scale.html

But, it's a good opinion (smart, respected guy). And according to Jeff,

I feel ethically and morally obligated to let you in on a dirty little secret I've discovered in the last two years of full time SSD ownership. Solid state hard drives fail. A lot. And not just any fail. I'm talking about catastrophic, oh-my-God-what-just-happened-to-all-my-data instant gigafail. It's not pretty.

[teddykgb]

That article is a bit old, and the SSD space is a rapidly evolving space. Nonetheless, SSDs obviously are in their infancy in comparison to more traditional spinning storage. They will have a higher failure rate, but I think the danger is generally overstated. As with all computers, you should backup regularly to insulate yourself, but the difference in having a SSD versus not is probably the only meaningful and noticeable computer upgrade that has been available in the last 5 or 6 years that isn't related to graphics power.

[crow216]

Anyone with any recommendations on a kick-ass gaming laptop?

I'm looking for topish of the lineish without being at the absolute top. Something in the $2500 range. Dual graphics cards, i7/A8 quad to six core processor, either 8 GB's of the fastest ram or 16 GB's of medium speed ram, 240ish GB SSD and 1-2TB 7200rpm data drive and an 18.4" screen. Any advice to give?

edit: Weight and battery life are 100% non-issues for me, but it DOES have to be a laptop.

At the price range why would you buy something pre-built? Go to alienware.com and falconnorthwest.com and customize your laptop as you see fit.

Also, I'd buy the 8gb of ram, not the 16gb. Most of the benchmarks I've seen have shown no considerable difference in performance between 8 and 16 so if you're doing it with a decrease in speed, the difference is even smaller, if not negative. My understanding is that with the video cards offering 1gb of ram (and you'll have 2 most likely), there will not be any game anytime soon that can utilize another 16gb.

[BucketOBalls]

At the price range why would you buy something pre-built? Go to alienware.com and falconnorthwest.com and customize your laptop as you see fit.

Also, I'd buy the 8gb of ram, not the 16gb. Most of the benchmarks I've seen have shown no considerable difference in performance between 8 and 16 so if you're doing it with a decrease in speed, the difference is even smaller, if not negative. My understanding is that with the video cards offering 1gb of ram (and you'll have 2 most likely), there will not be any game anytime soon that can utilize another 16gb.

With 8G I've never run out of memory gaming or doing any sort of normal stuff. Probably the only advantage of the consolification of the gaming industry is that memory requirements havn't really gone up all that much.

[teddykgb]

if power and weight are of no concern to you, i have to ask why it absolutely has to be a laptop. A desktop is essentially a really heavy laptop with really stringent power requirements.

The specs you're looking for are obviously a pretty big ask, you're going to pay through the nose on some custom built laptop to get all of that.

[crow216]

I agree with teddy but primarily because you're gonna need a mouse and desktop-like setup anyway. In addition, cooling a laptop with 2 video cards is probably very difficult. Nevermind that the power requirements are probably approaching 700-800 watts, if not more.

[drbretto]

It has to be a laptop because I do need to bring it with me to a couple of places and I want to be able to bring it to the couch if I want to. I don't mind lugging around a beast every once in a while but I absolutely can't stand sitting at a desk.

I wanted to avoid alienware because it's part of Dell and my current Dell (XPS M1710 which I paid like 4 grand for a long time ago) has had NOTHING but problems. 5 graphics cards, two batteries, 4 power cords. Now if I want to run anything with any graphics, I have to put it on a window fan laying sideways because there aren't any cooling pads strong enough to keep the temp down during the summer time (I've even re-done the thermal with top-of-the-line paste). But looking at reviews and piecing together what I'd think I'd want, it's looking more and more like that may be an inevitability.

Crow, thanks for confirming my instincts that I should opt for 8GB of fastest ram over the 16GB. I think that's the way I should go. Especially the point about the dedicated video RAM.

I don't have to make an order today or anything, so there's time to research. Does anyone know of anything that's right on the horizon that's worth waiting for?

edit: Also, I was never planning to buy anything pre-built. I was just hoping someone had a well-kept secret for where to look (besides alienware).

Edited by drbretto, 14 March 2012 - 12:34 PM.

[drbretto]

I did see a couple of brands that were more or less miniturized desktops in that they use desktop-sized hard drives and processors. I'm thinking more along those lines. I just poked around with falconware though. Slower ram and higher prices and I'm not a fan of the design (and only 17" on the screen, but I could possibly go with that if I have to).

[crow216]

Just a link to a fun forum discussion. It's a little dated but it gets my point across better than I can.

http://www.tomshardw...16gb-ddr3-2500k

Keep in mind, if you were building a desktop, I'd say 16gb because ram is so cheap.

[jercra]

It has to be a laptop because I do need to bring it with me to a couple of places and I want to be able to bring it to the couch if I want to. I don't mind lugging around a beast every once in a while but I absolutely can't stand sitting at a desk.

I wanted to avoid alienware because it's part of Dell and my current Dell (XPS M1710 which I paid like 4 grand for a long time ago) has had NOTHING but problems. 5 graphics cards, two batteries, 4 power cords. Now if I want to run anything with any graphics, I have to put it on a window fan laying sideways because there aren't any cooling pads strong enough to keep the temp down during the summer time (I've even re-done the thermal with top-of-the-line paste). But looking at reviews and piecing together what I'd think I'd want, it's looking more and more like that may be an inevitability.

Crow, thanks for confirming my instincts that I should opt for 8GB of fastest ram over the 16GB. I think that's the way I should go. Especially the point about the dedicated video RAM.

I don't have to make an order today or anything, so there's time to research. Does anyone know of anything that's right on the horizon that's worth waiting for?

edit: Also, I was never planning to buy anything pre-built. I was just hoping someone had a well-kept secret for where to look (besides alienware).

Have you looked into the Razer Blade? They claim it's the first true laptop built specifically for gaming (whatever that means) and it does look to have some interesting features for gamers. Here is engadget's hands on review.

[drbretto]

Have you looked into the Razer Blade? They claim it's the first true laptop built specifically for gaming (whatever that means) and it does look to have some interesting features for gamers. Here is engadget's hands on review.

I guess they call it the first gaming laptop because it's the first one that's portable enough to be called a laptop, which isn't a priority for me.

However, that switchblade LCD touchpad thing is incredibly intriguing.

[drbretto]

Of all the places to "walk-in" and buy a laptop computer, which retailer would you recommend to treat the customer fairly, assuming the customer is essentially ignorant on what to buy as to Processor, Memory, Storage, security software recommendation, etc. This person is not buying an apple, is 75 years old, and will be buying a computer for the first time.

Staples. No commission and fairly well trained. Total packages including warranty, setup and software will kick the shit out of best buy and the help is infinitely better.



Anyway, this is what I've poked through with on the alienware website. Can anyone beat this (total package around $3500 including waranty)

Software & Services
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM (2.2GHz,3.1GHz,w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1866MHz (4DIMMS)
HARD DRIVE 1.5TB RAID 0 (2x 750GB) 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
VIDEO CARD Dual 1.5GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M – NVIDIA SLI Enabled
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 3.0
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
My Software & Accessories SYSTEM COLOR Space Black Anodized Aluminum
PERSONALIZED PLATE Personalized Plate (Biggs)
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue
WALLPAPER Alienhead Chrome Blue
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE DELL™ Stage and SyncUP by Nero
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE World of Warcraft Preinstall Edition
GEAR STORE HD3 Gaming Chill Mat - Black
GEAR STORE Alienware Orion M18x Backpack - TSA Friendly
GAMING MICE & CONTROLLERS Logitech Wireless Gamepad F710 w/USB Nano Receiver - Dual Vibration
My Accessories POWER PROTECTION & STORAGE Belkin 8-outlet Professional Surge Protector
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Basic Plan
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Anti-Virus Software Selected
WIRELESS DEVICES Netgear PUSH2TV HD
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM Accessories Alienware TactX Mouse LCD PANEL 18.4-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 WLED NAMEPLATE Thank you for Purchasing Alienware POWER ADAPTERS Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader

Edited by drbretto, 14 March 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[IpswichSox]

I’m in the market for a new laptop, but from a timing perspective I’m wondering whether it makes sense to wait because of next month’s release of Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processor (there are also reports about the MacBook Pro getting an April refresh, too). I get that innovation makes trying to time major purchases for things like laptops and TVs hard if not impossible. But because Intel’s new processor is apparently more than just an incremental change, does it make sense to delay purchasing for a couple months to see what shakes out?

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

I’m in the market for a new laptop, but from a timing perspective I’m wondering whether it makes sense to wait because of next month’s release of Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processor (there are also reports about the MacBook Pro getting an April refresh, too). I get that innovation makes trying to time major purchases for things like laptops and TVs hard if not impossible. But because Intel’s new processor is apparently more than just an incremental change, does it make sense to delay purchasing for a couple months to see what shakes out?

The leap of Ivy Bridge over Sandy Bridge does not appear to be that significant, does it? Certainly not the degree of a leap that Sandy Bridge had been last year.

[derekson]

If you're considering the MacBook Pro I'd definitely suggest waiting to see what they're coming out with. And if it's not a huge step forward, you'd at least be able to get the current generation model for cheap with it becoming obsolete.

[Adrian's Dome]

Good to know. I was just about to order a Pro. Guess I'll have to wait a couple months.

[crow216]

Staples. No commission and fairly well trained. Total packages including warranty, setup and software will kick the shit out of best buy and the help is infinitely better.



Anyway, this is what I've poked through with on the alienware website. Can anyone beat this (total package around $3500 including waranty)

Software & Services
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM (2.2GHz,3.1GHz,w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1866MHz (4DIMMS)
HARD DRIVE 1.5TB RAID 0 (2x 750GB) 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
VIDEO CARD Dual 1.5GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M – NVIDIA SLI Enabled
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 3.0
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
My Software & Accessories SYSTEM COLOR Space Black Anodized Aluminum
PERSONALIZED PLATE Personalized Plate (Biggs)
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue
WALLPAPER Alienhead Chrome Blue
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE DELL™ Stage and SyncUP by Nero
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE World of Warcraft Preinstall Edition
GEAR STORE HD3 Gaming Chill Mat - Black
GEAR STORE Alienware Orion M18x Backpack - TSA Friendly
GAMING MICE & CONTROLLERS Logitech Wireless Gamepad F710 w/USB Nano Receiver - Dual Vibration
My Accessories POWER PROTECTION & STORAGE Belkin 8-outlet Professional Surge Protector
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Basic Plan
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Anti-Virus Software Selected
WIRELESS DEVICES Netgear PUSH2TV HD
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM Accessories Alienware TactX Mouse LCD PANEL 18.4-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 WLED NAMEPLATE Thank you for Purchasing Alienware POWER ADAPTERS Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader

Didn't see your post. Get an SSD. For that much money, you'd be crazy to buy an HDD (sata 3 no less). Yes, you need more disk space but you can either use an external or use a secondary if it fits.

Edited by crow216, 20 March 2012 - 08:57 AM.

[drbretto]

Didn't see your post. Get an SSD. For that much money, you'd be crazy to buy an HDD (sata 3 no less). Yes, you need more disk space but you can either use an external or use a secondary if it fits.

Forgot about this thread.

I was completely sold on getting an SSD but this has two 750GB's using RAID 0 or however you're supposed to say it, so it should be twice as fast as a 7200 RPM drive. The site claimed 3Gb/s. Would the SSD really be that much faster? Because honestly it was the original plan. 240ish SSD, 500-1TB 7200 secondary drive and an external 3BG (I need a shit load of space).

[teddykgb]

Yes. I feel comfortable saying you have no need for RAID and you will absolutely without a doubt notice the difference with SSD. You'd have to be a complete idiot to spend 3 grand on a computer in 2012 and not get SSD

[drbretto]

What I'm more concerned about feeling stupid for is spending $500+ on a medium-large SSD when they're going to end up dropping drastically in price within the next couple of years. I could spend less on a smaller one but then I'd have enough space for the OS and a couple of programs, where I'd only notice the speed difference when starting those programs up. If I have to store most everything else on a secondary drive, it won't do me any good.

Like I said, it was still my default plan to go with SSD for the primary drive and a large secondary. It's just that the alienware didn't have that option (which is fine since I'm trying to avoid them anyway).

[crow216]

The speed difference is pretty drastic. Can't be underestimated. I have a 128gb ssd with a 1.5tb backup. I install everything on the ssd and put everything else on the backup. The only thing I don't install on the SSD are steam games. I put all of my steam stuff on the backup because those games total about 60gb and aren't fps hogs.

Edited by crow216, 26 March 2012 - 12:16 AM.

[drbretto]

Starting to consider a desktop. I guess with a wireless keyboard and mouse, I can make it work and if I have to bring it somewhere, I can just pack it up if I have to.

I was looking at Origin PC's site. They might be my favorite so far. Apparently it's from the founders of the original alienware before they were taken over by Dell.

The first configuration I went through got upwards of $9,000 goddamn dollars for a bunch of shit I'm sure I don't need, so I went back in an re-built with a somewhat more realistic approach. I guess dual video cards aren't as good as a single really good graphics card, so that saved a bunch. And I still haven't decided on the SSD issue, but more and more I lean towards RAID. For the same price as a single 320GB SSD I can have 12TB (4x3TB) 7200 RAID 0. This configuration is only using 6TB, but it's $192 each for up to two more 3TB drives.

(Ok, the 27" 3D capable monitor isn't entirely necessary, but I could see gaming in 3D being fun enough to say fuck it there)


DesktopTech: Intel Z68 $1,382.00 $1,382.00

Customizations:

Premium Case Charge: None

Case (Chassis): Silverstone Raven 2

CaseExteriors: Case Exterior: No Paint

CaseLighting: CaseLighting: No Lighting

The ORIGIN Difference: Truly Custom PCs. Want a component that is not on our site? Call or email us and we will include it in your system.

Included

CaseWindow: Case Window

Case Fans: None

Included

Processor: Overclocked Intel Core i7 2700K 4.7GHz - 5.2GHz LGA 1155 Quad-Core Processor (8MB L3 Cache)

$273.00

Graphics Card: Single 3GB GDDR5 EVGA GTX 580 CLASSIFIED

$557.00

ORIGIN Professional Graphics Card Overclocking: ORIGIN Professional Graphics Card Overclocking

$50.00

Memory: 8GB Mushkin Redline DDR3 2133Mhz (2x 4GB) Dual Channel Memory

$45.00

System Cooling: ORIGIN FROSTBYTE 360 Sealed Liquid Cooling Systems

$255.00

Power Supply: 1050 Watt Corsair HX1050 PSU

$163.00

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68 V (USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s,)

Included

RAID Configuration: RAID 0: For better speed and performance (2 or more identical drives needed) - ORIGIN Recommended

RAID Controllers: None

Included

Hard Drive One: 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache HDD

$150.00

Hard Drive Two: 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache HDD

$192.00

Hard Drive Three: None

Included

Hard Drive Four: None

Included

Optical Drive One: 12X Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD) No Blu-ray Playback Software Included

$53.00

Optical Drive Two: None

Included

Playback Software: None

Included

Media Card Reader: None

Included

Bay Devices: Aerocool Touch 2000 - Touch LCD, Temperature Display and Fan Controller

$66.00

Audio: 8-channel High Definition Surround Sound Support

Included

Networking: Onboard Network Port

Included

Operating System: Genuine MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition

Included

ORIGIN Maximum Protection Shipping Process: ORIGIN Wooden Crate Armor

Included

Warranty: 1 Year Part Replacement and 45 Day Free Shipping Warranty with DVD image and Lifetime Labor/24-7 Support

Included

Evolve Part Upgrade Service: No Part Upgrade Service

Included

Additional Charges:

Free ORIGIN T-shirt: ORIGIN T-shirt XXLarge

Primary Display: ASUS 27" VG278H 3D Monitor w/ Built-in Speakers and Nvidia 3D Vision 2 Kit

$735.00

Cloud Power: Steam (The Ultimate online game platform)

Cloud Power: Microsoft Windows Live Essentials 2011 - ORIGIN Recommended

Cloud Power: Dropbox - Online Storage

Extras: FREE Global Agenda

Extras: FREE Massive Multiplayer Online Game: World of Tanks

Extras: FREE Massive Multiplayer Online Game: Runes of Magic

Product Subtotal: $3,921.00