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Thread: Laptop buying Guide

  1. #41
    hellheaven1987's Avatar Comes Domesticorum
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    1) What is your budget?
    Below $800 USD

    2) What size notebook would you prefer?
    No prefer, 17" below is fine

    3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
    US

    4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
    No prefer brand

    5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
    Yes

    6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
    Document work, gaming

    7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
    Rarely, but yes

    8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
    Yes, FPS/RTS/Strategy

    9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
    At least one hour

    10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
    It is fine not seeing it before buying

    11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
    Windows 7

    12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.
    No prefer

    13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
    No prefer

    Build Quality and Design

    14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
    Nope

    15) When are you buying this laptop?
    Sometimes around next week to the end of May

    16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
    At least three years

    Notebook Components

    17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
    80 GB and beyond is fine, not necessary need to be SSD

    18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
    CDRW/DVD-ROM is fine, although DVD Burner would be good too; don't need Blu-Ray
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  2. #42
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    OK, I would say the upcoming y480 might be the sweet spot for you, it comes with a 640m or a 650m and ivy.

    You can already buy the 640m model in tigerdirect. However people usually get some discounts on lenovo configurable models via B&N, it can go to 10% + 5% if you opt to receive spam from B&N

    the y580 can be configured with the 660m, but should come as default with the 650m

    There is also the upcoming dv6, which should pack the same power.

    The problem is the budget limit, the closer you get to 1k, the better the performance you receive.

    On xoticpc, you can order the clevo w110er, which is a 11'' model that will come with a quad 35w ivy and a 650m it goes around your budget, there is also the np6165, which is the 15'' brother.

    Now if you go for almost double the budget, you can get the np9150 with the upcoming 7970m (which is basically a 7870 with 150mhz downclock in the core, so the performance, we guess, is around the 6950), basically a 3x performance over the mid range gpus.

    Unfortunetly AMD havent launched the 28nm gpus, except the 7970m, the upcoming 7750m should fit close to the 800-1k budget, with a good performance since its based, probably, on the 7700 series. Those 7700m and 7800m should come in the hp envy line.

    Those are the ones that I can think of right now, if I see some others will sure to pass to you, but basically this is a good time to wait a little bit and compare the models when they launch next week after the ivy release.

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  3. #43
    Derpy Hooves's Avatar Bombs for Muffins
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    1) What is your budget?
    Below $1500 USD
    2) What size notebook would you prefer?
    I don't really prefer a size. Under 17"
    3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
    US
    4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
    Family relations can get me a 10% discount on Dell computers

    5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
    No
    6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
    Gaming (Total War and FPS), Image editing, movies, word documents
    7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
    Both
    8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
    Yes. Total War games (newest), FPS games
    9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
    3
    10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
    Dont care
    11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
    Windows 7
    Screen Specifics

    12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

    13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
    Don't care
    Build Quality and Design

    14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
    No
    15) When are you buying this laptop?
    This summer
    16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
    As long as possible
    Notebook Components

    17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
    500 GB
    18 Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
    Yes. CDRW/DVD-ROM, a Blu ray would be nice



  4. #44
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    I would simply take the np9150 at its base config at some of the resellers like xoticpc, lpc digital, malibal, powernotebooks, gentechpc, rjtech...

    Basically forget about everything and get the 7970m it should be quite close to 1500, this should get you great gaming performance (basically a 7870 on a notebook)

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  5. #45
    Derpy Hooves's Avatar Bombs for Muffins
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr MM View Post
    I would simply take the np9150 at its base config at some of the resellers like xoticpc, lpc digital, malibal, powernotebooks, gentechpc, rjtech...

    Basically forget about everything and get the 7970m it should be quite close to 1500, this should get you great gaming performance (basically a 7870 on a notebook)
    What would be your answer if the budget was $1000USD?



  6. #46
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Quote Originally Posted by ΩDerpy HoovesΩ View Post
    What would be your answer if the budget was $1000USD?
    it would be wait a bit.

    the high end offerings are out, the mainstream ones arent.

    Another thing, narrow down what you want in terms of screen, for example, Im always carrying my notebook, so for me a 13-14 is the preferred size due to weight constrains, not to mention I dont like carrying anything as large as a 15''.

    Im currently looking for the thinkpad edge s430, it comes with a dual core (possible quad with the i7 3612qm [2ghz and turbo to 3.1 ghz] and 35w of tdp, the usual mobile quads come with 45w, except the extreme series that come with 55w), it will pack a dvd drive (Im going to put a caddy in there so I have another SSD), and an unnamed nvidia gpu (hoping for a gt 640m), in terms of ports it got it all, thunderbolt, usb3... quite thin, quite light, its just a little bit larger than my mbp 13 and lighter by 200g

    now if you go for a 15'' you can try the w150erq, the weight I dunno, but the gpu is a 650m with GDDR5, which means you can try to OC to the 660m levels, its the same chip. there is the hp dv6 that is also coming with the same gpu (dunno if its the DDR3 or GDDR5 model), also getting quads in there.

    if you want an ultraportable, you can try the w110er, its a 11'' packing the same guts as the 15'' the gpu however is DDR3.

    there are more models coming

    And if you want you can try to snatch a msi force 16 something something, it comes with a 670m, which is quite more powerful than those mid range gpus that I mentioned, although quite slower than the 7970m, much slower

    One more thing there are what we call dumb upgrades:

    RAM over 8gb and higher speed memory (higher than 1333mhz usually comes with a price jack from the builders)
    SSD are usually overpriced from what you get, sincerely SSDs make a difference, but get one yourself and install it yourself. it will be cheaper
    Vram upgrade, some manufacturers like to charge you for getting more Vram, it aint needed in the mobile sector.
    Windows ultimate, not worth the penny, not at all.

    there are more silly things, but those are the ones that I usually point out
    Last edited by karamazovmm; April 30, 2012 at 08:51 PM.

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  7. #47

    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    ) What is your budget?
    > 720 Euro
    2) What size notebook would you prefer?
    d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
    3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
    Holland.

    4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
    a. Like: Acer, Asus, Msi, Lenovo
    b. Dislike: Dell.

    5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
    No.

    6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
    Gaming and basic school work.

    7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
    Both.

    8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
    Skyrim, Total War series beneath Empire, Crusader Kings 2 (going to buy) M&B Warband

    9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
    I am happy with a 6-cell Li-ion battery
    10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
    I think I prefer the first.


    Build Quality and Design

    14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
    If it's black it's allright.

    15) When are you buying this laptop?
    In 2 months,
    16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
    2 years.

    Notebook Components

    17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
    640 GB is nice 500 GB is okay and 1 TB is a ''maybe''



    Deleted a few questions I didn't use.
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  8. #48
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    the hp dv6t should fit your budget, get the one with the 650m

    I dont know if there are clevo resellers in Holland, but the w150erq/np6165 can be had with the same specs as the dv6t

    aside that you may find the n56v with the, guess, same specs as well.

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  9. #49

    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr MM View Post
    the hp dv6t should fit your budget, get the one with the 650m

    I dont know if there are clevo resellers in Holland, but the w150erq/np6165 can be had with the same specs as the dv6t

    aside that you may find the n56v with the, guess, same specs as well.
    Is it the Dv6tq or just the plain Dvt6T?

    Also, do I need to get the 1 GB 650 or the 2 GB? I took sometime to find out were to buy it, and I still don't know the best place, the HP site or one of the sites you said in the first post?

    There are a few clevo resellers, but these are pretty high cost and I think I am going for the HP DV6T!

    But thanks for your advice!

    EDIT: Found a great one.. Too bad I couldn't ship it to Holland..
    Last edited by Xoxoman; May 17, 2012 at 10:44 AM.

  10. #50
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    you can only buy from hp in holland. The first post is very outdated, some basic info are still valid though.

    You dont need the higher 2gb of ram for anything.

    the w150erq is a very affordable model, there are common misconceptions, basically follies, done by the OEM, like hey we are giving you 16gb of RAM! no you probably dont need that much, 4gb is still good and 8gb is more than enough for most people, there are some cases where professional need outweigh that.

    But do check Mysn its a fairly renown clevo reseller from germany. if you look for there will be certainly some in holland, there are 3 in brazil, and we are a country where they ditch the old tech

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  11. #51

    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Thanks for your help!

    Yesterday, I found this pretty nice (I guess?) Lenovo on the run, it is a TP E530 with GT 630M 2 GB and an i5 Core 2.5 Mhz for 720 euro..

    Link: http://www.mycom.nl/Product/Notebook...pm-W7P/1354573

  12. #52
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    that is a thinkpad edge, a budget enterprise class notebook. For that price Im calling it expensive, but holland appears to have some issues when it comes to prices.

    the difference between that fermi card is going to be quite measurable from the kepler ones that I advised you.

    another thing, provantage will ship overseas, much like all the resellers in the US, and there is hidevolution

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  13. #53

    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr MM View Post
    that is a thinkpad edge, a budget enterprise class notebook. For that price Im calling it expensive, but holland appears to have some issues when it comes to prices.

    the difference between that fermi card is going to be quite measurable from the kepler ones that I advised you.

    another thing, provantage will ship overseas, much like all the resellers in the US, and there is hidevolution
    Found the DV6T Quadcore on HidEvolution, should I take the quadcore edition with the GeForce 650M 1 GB? Or just take the other one?

  14. #54
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    couldnt find the gt 650m at hidevolution, but yes get that one, the other that you might be mentioning is the one that comes with either the 6470m or the 6770m, right?

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  15. #55

    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr MM View Post
    couldnt find the gt 650m at hidevolution, but yes get that one, the other that you might be mentioning is the one that comes with either the 6470m or the 6770m, right?
    Yeah, you are totally right, thanks for your help.

    I am now waiting until Mid-June, the new Asus N series are then out and the Dell's then I will make my definite choise, but thanks for your help Mr.MM!

  16. #56
    Divided's Avatar Decanus
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Well, I was considering buying a Laptop, mainly for University purposes (C, Java programming etc). It's not an absolute need since my Desktop serves me fine for the moment but it will be a great help, especialy when I'm not on town and need to carry all the Uni data with me, do my homework, study etc. And I would prefer not to keep my fathers PC busy, since his is quite an old PC, for some programs I want to run. The plan was that I would buy a new Laptop (or a new Desktop) and my father would have my Desktop but things are pretty tight right now with money. So, a friend of my father told him that he's selling his Laptop for 200 euros. All I know is that it's an Acer 5530 and it has 4 GB of RAM. Since I dont know a lot about laptops, here I am asking for your opinion.

    1) What is your budget?
    Low.
    2) What size notebook would you prefer?
    a. Netbook; 10” screen or less
    b. Ultraportable; 11" - 12” screen
    c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
    d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
    e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
    Mainstream would be good.
    3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

    4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
    As I said, I don't know a lot about laptops. This one is an Acer.
    a. Like:
    b. Dislike:

    5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
    Yes.
    6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
    Programming, studying. Maybe some gaming.
    7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
    Taking it with me to different places most of the time.
    8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
    I would be happy if it plays Age of Empires II
    9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
    3-5 would be good.
    10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
    The 1st one.
    11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
    Windows XP or 7. Perhaps Linux.
    Screen Specifics

    12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.
    One comfortable for programming.
    13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
    One with pixels.
    Build Quality and Design

    14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
    No. I will love it even if its ugly.
    15) When are you buying this laptop?
    Any time in the next 2 months.
    16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
    For ever.
    Notebook Components

    17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
    200 GB and above.
    18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
    DVD RW.
    Last edited by Divided; May 22, 2012 at 02:04 PM.
    KM

  17. #57
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Just be because you have a tasty buttocks, Im going to do this

    You should try base enterprise class notebooks, its going to last you longer and will be built better, since you have your desktop for gaming already, the HD 3000 or 4000 should be enough for playing some games here and there. You know I can still kick you arse with it.

    The Dell Vostro line is usually cheap, very cheap, but it comes with a better than average build quality, here is brazil it can be found for as low as 1500, that means 750 U$, its a good price for place like yours that charge 2x as much as what the tech is worth.

    HP probook can be found dirty cheap as well, and the lenovo thinkpad edge can be had for reasonable prices some countries over your own, so I will expect that you can find one for 500 euros in there as well.

    The toshiba portege line is another good bet.

    The real enterprise class comes with 3 year warranty and usually on site repairs as standard, and you know now how that is convenient. even mandatory sometimes. Those would be, HP elitebook, Toshiba portegé, Dell latitude, Lenovo thinkpad T. Sometimes you can try to find those on sale at ebay, there is a authorized seller of thinkpads, called guess what? thinkpads, and since the warranty for those notebooks is international (and yes I had one repaired that was bought in NY, under warranty no cost), since euro is around 1.5 what dollar is worth, you should try that way.

    Why the enterprise class? better keyboard hands down, better build quality, and usually they have a higher res screen, the T520 can be found with a 1080p screen, the T420 with a 1600*900, and so does dell and hp.

    I still think that you should go for a lower model, like the HP folio, that is one sweet 13 that can usually be found for less than 800 bucks and comes with a i5 2637m, yes ULV cpu, but it should be enough for what you need it for. Its got the same power as the i3 from the second gen, being a ulv (17w tdp) cpu from the send gen as well, its quite a feat. The best is the standard 128gb SSD that comes with it.

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  18. #58
    Divided's Avatar Decanus
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Well, those are all very nice notebooks, but the problem is that I can't spend more than 300 euros and all of the above are over the price. I am looking for a temporary solution. What about that Acer I mentioned?
    KM

  19. #59
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    hummm it could play rtw, as I did play on a similar toshiba machine that my sister and mother had. However those are 2006 notebooks, I wouldnt buy it.

    They get really hot those AMD cpus, and while the hd 3200 aint the fastest kid in town, it can play something, something dark side.

    But sincerely its too old and the price is too high, he is asking around 1/3 of what he paid 6 years ago. The other problem is that most likely an old battery like that would only last 30min, that is if you are lucky enough, those batteries lasted less than 2h when they came out. Not to mention that the chassis must have taken a beating.

    And the cpu is quite slow by todays standards, sincerely it was slow when it was new.

    Sincerely it will be more of a headache than anything.

    I would actually suggest that you start on diet and drink less... basically save some money, around 600 euro you can buy a new one, that it will be more than 3x times faster and better build than that acer, not to mention have a battery life.

    For that price you can buy a t520 base config, or the folio 13 with some spare change left in your pocket, if you go the ebay route. The thinkpad edge are more budget conscious being found for a little more than 400 euro.

    I forgot to mention that you could go for llano and trinity, those AMD APUs are found dirty cheap, they can go as low as 300 U$, they are usually found on budget notebooks, but there are some models from the probook line that pack it. Those can play a game decently, though the cpu power closely resembles a core 2 duo/ 1st gen core series and the 1st gen core series, in order.

    There is a review on anandtech about it, I would check it out

    And you are Robin, Im BATMAN
    Last edited by karamazovmm; May 22, 2012 at 04:57 PM.

    The very ugly forgive, but beauty is essential - Vinicius de Moraes

  20. #60
    Divided's Avatar Decanus
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    Default Re: Laptop buying Guide

    Hmmm I didn't know that it was that old. They had 4 GB RAM on notebooks those days ? And the battery life thing is bad, perhaps he may have replaced it..? How much will it cost to replace it?

    Anyway, I'm quite short on options with only 300 to spare and I don't want to buy a netbook. I am corrently searching some ebay-like sites for good prices.

    By the way, I neither drink nor eat a lot! Some times I spend as low as 10 euros a week, excluding bills. I'm cost efficient, like those CPUs of yours. And, seriously, Robin? I mean Robin? I'M BATMAN! You are Rob(b)in (me). Silly joke anyway.
    Last edited by Divided; May 22, 2012 at 05:45 PM.
    KM

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