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Laptop Suggestions

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Alex M

Fri Mar 23 2012, 09:02AM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

Asus or Toshiba.

For GPU intensive stuff I would go for a custom built desktop, you get much more for your money and you don't have to pay for an OS license if you know where to look.

I think the best thing would be for you to go down to a local big box store (like PC World/bestbuy/what ever you have where you live) and have a physical look at some of the machines on display. Make sure it feels sturdy and not made from cheap flexing soft plastic like 80% of laptops these days.

@HighVoltageChick Windows 8 sucks, its basically a tablet OS. Windows 7 is much better (that is my opinion from using the consumer preview anyway).

Legit_bacon

Fri Mar 23 2012, 11:30AM

Registered Member #4034 Joined: Thu Jul 28 2011, 10:41PM
Location: somewhere in the Southern hemisphere
Posts: 138

yea don't go windows 8 unless you want to pay a couple of grand for a glorified tablet that isn't even a tablet, and I'd tend to agree with the masses on Asus, theyre as reliable you get really, but if your on a budget get a Acer (the 5750 is a great choice) don't go near hp , friend has one and it's already got major issues (including intermittent blue screen of death)

Ash Small

Fri Mar 23 2012, 12:30PM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

I've never had a hardware problem with any of my Compaqs. I owned my first in the early '90s (a 386). I owned one Acer (an early pentium, I think) which died, but I managed to get the data off the hard drive by booting from a floppy in DOS.

Toshibas do have more features, but are more expensive.

I wasn't aware of the screen problems with the latest Compaqs/HPs. My current one is 2 1/2 years old now.

If you need processing power, build a desktop.

A cheap second hand laptop might even fit the bill. (Put the insurance money towards something else

)

Pinky's Brain

Fri Mar 23 2012, 04:53PM

Registered Member #2901 Joined: Thu Jun 03 2010, 01:25PM
Location:
Posts: 837

In my family we have had great Acer laptops and complete dogs ... luck of the draw, but I wouldn't reject them out of hand.

Any way, the right way to decide on a laptop on a budget is to first decide what size display you want (I think 14 inch is the best compromise between portability and ease of use) then find the best resolution screen in your budget ... only the higher end laptops have high resolution screens any way. You can get 14" HD+ laptops for below 1000$, that's a pretty nice amount of pixels.

Weston

Sat Mar 24 2012, 07:38AM

Registered Member #1316 Joined: Thu Feb 14 2008, 03:35AM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 365

So I have decided on a few criteria:

i7 processor and discrete graphics (I use my laptop for cad and have a dual monitor setup)
15" display or smaller
I am trying to keep this under $1000. Preferably in the $800 dollar range.

Looking around I found a few laptops that fit the bill:

Right now I am leaning towards the ASUS laptop. But before I make any rash decisions, I have a few questions:

Is it worth waiting for ivy bridge? Apparently the first few laptops to be released with it come out late this month. I would hate to have my laptop go out of date too quickly. However, ivy bridge seems to mostly focus on integrated graphics performance, so I don't think I would seen a significant performance improvement.

Is it worth getting an extended warranty? I am a student and my dad got extended warranties for my last two laptops. However we never ended up using the warranty. I live in California and I don't believe I can get standard extended warranties that cover accidents anyways...

Conundrum

Sat Mar 24 2012, 08:34AM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

Check the terms before signing up.
most warranties exclude screen damage even if this is accidental or design fault.

Also, most warranties do NOT cover for the data on the hard disk, if you want to claim the whole machine has to be sent back for assessment and they usually destroy the drive unless you specifically ask for it back!

Weston

Sun Mar 25 2012, 04:14AM

Registered Member #1316 Joined: Thu Feb 14 2008, 03:35AM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 365

I looked around a bit more. Found a better laptop (I think)

It has less ram, but 4 slots for a total possible of 16gb. The 8gb ram laptops only have 2 slots, which are maxed out.

It has a smaller hard drive, but its 7200 RPM. The other laptop has a slower 5400 RPM hard drive.

It also has a better benchmarked GPU.

It does not have a blueray drive, which the other one has. But I don't think I will use that much.

It also comes with a 1 year accidental warranty to keep my dad happy.

If no one has any objections or points out anything I overlooked, I plan to order the new laptop tomorrow night.

Legit_bacon

Sun Mar 25 2012, 10:08AM

Registered Member #4034 Joined: Thu Jul 28 2011, 10:41PM
Location: somewhere in the Southern hemisphere
Posts: 138

I'd say get it, looks like a bargin. check notebookcheck dot com they do the best and most comprehensive laptop reviews I've seen, would give you a link but on my phone and really it's a hassle to do on a phone.

Weston

Tue Mar 27 2012, 04:48AM

Registered Member #1316 Joined: Thu Feb 14 2008, 03:35AM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 365

Just an update, I ended up buying a thinkpad W520 based on advice I got on IRC.
Bought the base model with an i7 and 3 year insurance for a hefty $1300. I plan to upgrade the ram from 4gb to 16gb and pop in a mSATA SSD to run the OS off of.

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