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Post by Consumptus on May 27, 2011 16:20:00 GMT -8
I'm going to be buying a laptop and I'd like some help.
Basically, what's good, what's worth the money, what's cheap and still great?
I'm not too interested in a Mac, and I'd like it to be relatively cheap, but I'll consider everything except very expensive stuff. Harddrive won't be an issue, as I have an external harddrive. Will I need a good USB cable to make sure the laptop is still fast? Do I need a lot of memory, or a lot of processing power? I'd like it to be very fast with the program I'm running and I probably won't run too many simultaneous programs.
Anyways, any tips is appreciated!
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Post by t3h Icy on May 27, 2011 16:50:40 GMT -8
If it's for gaming, you might want something a bit more powerful, but you'd probably just want a tower instead. If it's for general use, its specs don't matter too much. I think.
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Post by WaterWizard on May 27, 2011 20:08:18 GMT -8
With laptops, the higher the processor speed (gigahertz), the faster the battery dies. you need to find a happy medium there. You don't need a massive monitor; that drains a battery life, too. Opt out of all additional software, as it's just annoying and you won't use it. This includes anti-virus protection. You can get free (legal) stuff that's top of the line. You'll want at least 3 USB slots. Four is standard. USB 2.0 is kinda slow for transferring from your PC to your Hard Drive, so I'd recommend having a spot for FireWire 800 if it's available. While it's not a must, it's definitely something on which to spend a little extra. The speed is 480 (USB) vs 800 (FW) mbps, so it's obviously worth it. You'll want plenty of RAM; at least 2GB, though 4 or 8 is preferable. They just give away memory these days so that won't be a concern. You need a good graphics card. When looking at a potential computer to purchase, you should google each component and read the reviews about it. Graphics cards often perfect or ruin the experience/performance. What operating system are you getting? Windows 7, I'm assuming. It's nice. What maker? Avoid Dell and Toshiba... me know if you have any questions. I've helped many people customize PCs and I've never had a complaint yet
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Post by posthuman on May 27, 2011 23:05:29 GMT -8
Hard drives are cheap now, it won't cost much to have a good-sized one.
Don't get integrated graphics even if the lappy's not for gaming, it's terrible.
I'd say at least 4GB ram.
Win7, never mac
What screen size do you want? 14.1 or 15.4 are usually good bets. Check the resolution too (pixel size/detail in screen).
CPU... you should probably go with Intel, get at least a Core 2 Duo.
There are different battery types too. I'd say it's worth it to pay a bit more for a longer-lasting battery.
You don't really need firewire.
Like WW said, try to get no included software... though you'll usually get some stuff. It's best to simply install a clean version of windows, but uninstalling the crapware works too.
I'd recommend Lenovo laptops, mine's been good to me. Asus, Acer, Gateway, etc. are usually fine too. Sony and Dell are typically overpriced.
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Post by Consumptus on May 29, 2011 15:56:01 GMT -8
Thanks for the replies xD
I admit, I haven't actually looked for anything yet, but I'll start probably tonight and you've given me excellent guidelines.
@icy, Laptop will mainly be for schoolwork, my dad built me a tower that I like a lot, and that I currently use for just about everything.
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Post by garrinred on May 29, 2011 19:41:26 GMT -8
Depends on what you want in a laptop. For me it was size and battery life. So I got a really large(so big it has a num pad!) heavy Toshiba laptop with like 7 hours battery life. The feel of the keyboard and touch pad also really mattered to me. RAM and processing power are important, but most anything will be fine nowadays unless you're a gamer.
And definitely go with Windows 7.
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borat
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Post by borat on May 29, 2011 20:30:23 GMT -8
Couple of guidelines if you're not buying a Mac (if you're going with a Mac, you don't really have a choice anyway... money limits you there). 13.3 2.3 entry MBP with SSD is probably the go-to option.
No higher than 15.6 inch. Trust me. 17-inches are NOT mobile at all.
No smaller than 13. 12.1 is a joke. Anything lower... just get an iPad or something.
Sandy Bridge. Twice as quick as the previous 32nm architecture. Wait for refreshes if they're not available yet for the laptops you want.
4 GB RAM. No lower. Avoid paying premiums, don't upgrade unless it's under.
SSD for "everyday" performance "boost". It'll decrease access times for things like opening and closing programs, but nothing as far as actual gaming performance. If you're gaming, skip harddrive upgrades to save money.
Acer/ASUS/MSI are pretty cheap, with Acer probably being the cheapest performance-wise.
Either go dedicated or don't. Intel 3000 is plenty if you don't game, but you'd probably want at least a 540M performance wise if you do plan on gaming.
Don't expect reliability or anything though from a gaming notebook. Expect overheating, breakdowns, etc etc etc. You'll be using that 12 month warranty, guaranteed.
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Post by KiNGskruffi on May 30, 2011 11:54:03 GMT -8
If you want to use it for school, go for high battery life. About 2GB of RAM and a SSD (except you want to store a lot of data, then go for a HDD). As an OS I definitely would choose Linux (Debian or Ubuntu, don't be afraid, it's definitely not harder to use than Windows), except you want to play games on it. I got a netbook for the university with both Ubuntu and Windows XP. Windows 7 is stupid if you want high battery life.
EDIT: I had another "standard" Laptop, which just had about 2 hrs of battery life. Totally annoying.
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Post by posthuman on May 30, 2011 12:04:51 GMT -8
Vista is stupid if you want good battery life, win7 is fine.
I agree with borat on screen size, get something from 13 to 15.6. I don't think an SSD is necessary, but I've never had one. And sandy bridge (CPU) is fantastic.
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Nerd
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Post by Nerd on Jun 14, 2011 21:57:13 GMT -8
I'm getting a new laptop too. It's going to be mainly for schoolwork (at class and in my room). Help is appreciated.
I've basically narrowed my selection down to two. One option is the Asus K53E-B1; intel core I5-2410M (sandy bridge) processor and cool aluminum frame (pun intended). After shipping and tax, it costs about $815. The other is from Gateway; intel core I3-2310M (sandy bridge) processor and costs just $570 after shipping and tax. Both have 6GB RAM and other similar specifications; the Gateway has a USB 3.0 but that isn't a big deal, nor is the amount of ROM.
Is Gateway reliable? Is there a big difference between I3 and I5? Is it worth $250 for a better brand name, a cooler frame, and a better processor?
Also, both weigh around 5.8 pounds. Do you think the weight might be problematic? They both have 6-cell batteries; this should give me at least 4 hours to begin with, how quickly will battery life reduce?
Oh, and how does the AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N970 processor from last year compare to this years I3s?
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Post by WaterWizard on Jun 14, 2011 22:39:16 GMT -8
I'm anti-Gateway. We had numerous problems with our two Gateway computers (desktops), and several of my friends have as well (laptops). Lots of crashing and inefficiency. The jump from USB 2.0 to 3.0 is rather steep; I would get a computer that has 3.0... I'd abandon this false dichotomy and keep looking. someone contact me asking about this laptop the other day. it's a good one, and similar to your price range, nerd. one thing I suggest you always do when shopping for a laptop (or anything) is google each of the components and find out the reviews, the trouble shooting, etc. check the graphics card, the sound card, the processor, etc. you want to make sure that there are no weak links. i'll pass those two computer options along to a couple tech friends of mine and see if they have any additional info.
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borat
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Post by borat on Jun 14, 2011 23:05:14 GMT -8
Avoid Gateway, they blow. Avoid Acer too, and MSI if you can. I think Gateway came in dead last as far as manufacturing reliability goes. But that could've been HP. I just know Gateway wasn't sitting pretty, while Asus was way up there. Apple/IBM are about mid-ranger manufacturers, which is a pretty big step down. They use to dominate the market since the beginning of time. Gateway is NOT a better brand. EDIT: Ahh, here's the link to reliability: www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliability-survey-asus-and-toshiba-win-hp-fails/The ideal consumer PC laptop currently in my eyes is the Lenovo Y570/Y470 (15 inch and 14 inch). If you plan on doing any sort of gaming/multimedia stuff, this laptop's probably ideal. 14 inch comes with 550m GT and 15 inch comes with 555m GT. Two cards are pretty similar, but the 555m one comes with GDDR5 vs GDDR3 on the 550m. That leads to about a 15-20% difference in performance. Build quality is above average for a consumer PC, and "really fucking good" for its price. The Y470 is pretty unique in that it's one of the only (maybe... only?) 14-inch laptop with a Quad Core fitted in it. Difference between the 14 and the 15 inch is 0.1ghz, higher clocked probably because of slightly better cooling. Top of the line Y470/Y570 with 2630QM, 8GB 1333 RAM, and 550M/555M GT is priced around 850-900 with coupons/speaking to a sales rep. The performance is comparable to the most recent high-end 15 inch MBP with 2.2 ghz quad and 6750m. The 555M outperforms the 6750M, while the 550M is slightly worse. The biggest "flaw" is that they only come in 1366 x 768 resolution, which is decent on a 14-inch, but lacking on a 15. 1680 x 1050 is ideal on a 15 imo, but 1440 x 900 is minimum. There's no reason to go any lower. 1366 x 768 is 13 inch status imo, but not terrible on a 14 either. On the other hand, the speakers are AMAZING. Best in class, easily. JBL, good bass, no distortion, loud... just great stuff. A worse specc'd Dell XPS L502x (2630QM, 540M GT, 8GB) should set you back 1000-1100. 540M is about 10% slower than the 550M in the Y470, and about 25-30% behind the 555M. On the flip side, you have more room to configure; Dell has the full HD 1920 x 1080 screen as an option. My buddy got it, I didn't like it; it was TOO big for my liking. You also have the option of going up to a 2.2 or even a 2.3 quad. Now, moving to the $1200-$1400 range, you have a bit more options. Gaming, it's the Asus G53SW definitely, no questions. It's got the best gaming laptop cooling (pretty important, since high end chips are really made for desktops and run damn hot). 460M GTX is high-end stuff, quad core, pretty cool design, but it's like 8 - 9 lbs, not "class" material. On the more mobile end, the Sony Vaios are nice, the S-series are pretty damn sleek; macbook esque. Of course, spending this much on a PC you're paying either for reliability (business class) or design. Macs might be worth considering at this point. Don't buy AMD, they're about 2 generations behind Intel atm. The new still unreleased Llanos don't really bridge that gap, but their IGPs are a lot better than Intel's though (since it's being developed by ATI). Just posting a few. dealzon.com/deals/lenovo-ideapad-y470-coupondealzon.com/deals/lenovo-ideapad-y570-couponLenovo IdeaPad Y470 085526U Core i7-2630QM, GeForce GT 550M, Blu-ray, 8GB RAM List: $1,449.00 Sale: $1,099.00 $879.20 w/ Coupon Lenovo IdeaPad Y470 085523U Core i5-2410M, GeForce GT 550M List: $1,099.00 Sale: $849.00 $679.20 w/ Coupon Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 086226U Core i7-2630QM, GeForce GT 555M, 8GB RAM List: $1,449.00 Sale: $1,099.00 $879.20 w/ Coupon Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 086224U Core i5-2410M, GeForce GT 555M List: $1,099.00 Sale: $849.00 $764.10 w/ Coupon Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 086229U Core i3-2310M 2nd Gen, GeForce GT 555M List: $1,049.00 Sale: $799.00 $639.20 w/ Coupon If you just want a good deal, similarly specc'd HP (6770M is the same as 555M): dealzon.com/deals/hp-dv6-laptop#hp-dv6t-quad-edition-core-i7-blu-ray@ww: lol soundcard in a laptop. Any laptop that isn't a desktop replacement under 15 lbs and $3000 can forget about it. Processor and graphics are the main differences as far as specs are concerned; HDD... well you'll know. The prices between SSD and HDD are pretty fucking insane. If you're serious about SSD, I'd get the base HDD, make sure the laptop is SATA 6 compatible, and buy a Vertex 3. Whatever SSD ANY non-extreme manufacturer ships with WILL be SATA 3, aka very fucking old hardware. SATA 6, as the name implies, is twice as fast and brand-spanking new. They won't come out with a SATA 9 or SATA 12 for 5 years to come. It's not a piece of hardware frequently updated. When it comes to usability, screen resolution is very important to me. As aforementioned, ideally for a 15 inch, 1680 x 1050 is the sweet spot. For a 13, probably 1440 x 900. For a 17, go full HD. But don't get a 17. Contrast ratio too, and go for anti-glare if you have the option. There's matte screen protectors, but idk how well those work. Decent connectivity is nice. MBP has this thing where all the ports are on the left side. This looks nice, but it's an obvious case of form over function. Nice speakers are ok, but I have my own. It's no big deal, but might be for you. Battery life is another big one. But just know you can't have performance and longer battery life. Most of the fancy graphics switching non-sense going on, expect 5 hours minimum with IGP. Some have better battery obviously, but it's not a huge deal to me either. Heat is an issue. And obviously, higher specs = more heat = bad for components (the aforementioned Asus has wonderful cooling and is exempt from this rule). If you're decent with computers, reapply the thermal paste for instant 10-15 degree drop. Most of the i7s are probably pushing mid-high 80s under load, Macbooks probably in the 90s. The absolute "safe" limit Intel sets is about 105, so you can quite literally "cook" on these things. Build quality and design is the final thing to look for. And really, it's not even an option unless you're into the 1200+ range. You get what you pay for for the most part. "Business" class laptops are more durable and built better. Macbooks are solid in that regard as well. Stuff like Gateway blow and just feels cheap.
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Nerd
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Post by Nerd on Jun 14, 2011 23:11:49 GMT -8
Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure the Asus is fine if I do decide to get an I5, as I don't need a graphics card or USB 3.0. If I do decide to get an I3, I might have to do some more research; it's going to be hard to find something with an I3-2310 processor and 6GB of ram for that price, but I don't want something that breaks on me, either.
Regarding the components: is 5400 RPM for a hard drive considered slow, and would it affect my everyday use?
I'm going to look at the other components in more detail now, thanks.
EDIT: Thanks Borat, but those are kind of out of my price range (and I don't need gaming quality performance)...
re-edit: Just saw the coupons, NVM you're awesome
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borat
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Post by borat on Jun 14, 2011 23:36:23 GMT -8
Difference between i3 and i5 is the turboboost, which is Intel's automatic overclocking feature.
Difference between i5 and [most] i7 is 2 extra cores. I say most because there's a 2630 dual core 2.7ghz which is a complete waste of money. About $150-200 extra, plus a lot more heat, for very little performance.
There's a cache size bump for each step obviously. And do NOT underrate the importance of caches. If you walk into a Best Buy, Fry's etc, most of the reps will not even mention the cache sizes, just the clock speeds, but cache and FSB are two of the most important factors when considering real world performance.
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Post by posthuman on Jun 15, 2011 13:45:04 GMT -8
try to get a 7200rpm hard drive, 5400 definitely affects everyday use, as the hard drive rpm is the speed it accesses things. So like startup, running programs, accessing files, etc. are all affected by the hard drive speed.
or just get a solid state drive
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borat
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Post by borat on Jun 15, 2011 18:29:54 GMT -8
Questionable. The thing is, with larger capacities, you'll generally see improvements in access time. A 750 GB 5400 RPM vs a 320 7200 RPM will offer similar seek and read times.
And even if there is a difference, it's minuscule between the two. With 7200 vs 5400, you're looking at 50% improvement in best case scenarios, which may sound like a lot, but really isn't. Whereas with SSD, you'll actually notice the difference. Random read/writes are over 10000% faster... aka instant for the most part.
Oh and slower = less power = less heat. Also keep in mind, it's not just the speed the HD spins, but the number of platters play a big art too.
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Nerd
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Post by Nerd on Jun 20, 2011 11:38:40 GMT -8
Thanks everyone, I ended up going with the Gateway because I don't use my laptop for anything other than schoolwork and web browsing. I'll get the warranty for when it blows up.
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