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Forums > Hardware Forum

Laptop suggestions? (58 comments)

( Forum: HW)

Posted by usaisamonster @ 11:16 CST, 17 November 2009 - iMsg

Would appreciate any help you techies could offer with buying a new laptop...

Requirements..
Work: coding/office/light photoshop, nothing too heavy
Music: Have ~ 300GB mp3s so want lots of storage
Movies: dvd's/divx & 720/1080p rips on the laptop screen and for connecting to a TV sometimes to watch on big screen.
Games: No

Here is what I'm thinking:

O/S: Linux/Win7
CPU: some cheap dual-core
Mem: 3GB should cover it?
HD: 500GB
Screen: 17" (imo 15" is too skimpy for movies)
Now do I need WLED vs XGA? is there a huge difference in quality for movies or anything else?
gfx: cheap Integrated for VGA out. Modern tv's can stream from Wireless lan right? or is it worth forking out for a dedicated gfx card so I have hdmi out?

dell have quoted me this sys for €500 inc.
Inspiron Notebook 1750 Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T4300 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 1MB cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit
17.3" WLED High Definition + (1600 x 900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048] 1
500GB (5400RPM) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Intel Integrated GMA 4500MHD (no HDMI out)
Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)

Any help/advice would be appreciated

9579 Hits

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<< Comment #1 @ 11:54 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio :

That seems a pretty solid spec, but I would REALLY urge you to look for HDMI output.

I would also try and see if you can get a CORE 2 DUO deal.
They are slightly faster than the pentiums as I undertstand.
I not bought a laptop for a while so not 100% sure.

Don't be afraid to go down the AMD route either, they usually have a few more features because the CPU's are not quite as fast, but whatever laptop you get for that price, it will have BAD 3D capabilities, so its not worth worrying about.

I would not buy a new laptop without HDMI.

Edited by Jamerio at 11:56 CST, 17 November 2009

<< Comment #2 @ 19:14 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

usaisamonster - Reply to #1

thanks

why is HDMI so important?

<< Comment #3 @ 19:46 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #2

I guess its not so important for everyone.

With 500 gig drive you'll have tons of room for films/pictures, so being able to dump it onto a big tv to watch is nice.

You can do this with other conenctions I guess, I still think if you're going to buy a new laptop now it makes sense to get on with this connection, but upto you.

<< Comment #48 @ 15:46 CST, 19 November 2009 >>

By

mammon - Reply to #2

because it also says something about your graphics card. if it is too crappy to support 1080p then it is too crappy to support lots of other stuff

<< Comment #54 @ 04:44 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (v02-08.opera-mini.net) - Reply to #48

most people try to play games in 1600/1200

pc->tv, HD is nothing but a gimmick, 1080p is just for tv broadcaster to worry about

Ive understood why tv's arnt just monitors with extra pcb for channels, you could up scale 10 yrs ago

<< Comment #55 @ 04:45 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

netrex - Reply to #54

Where do you have it from that most people try to play at that resolution? I try to play at my monitors native resolution, and before LCD I tried to play at the highest resolution my monitor could handle at least 85Hz at (125Hz for Q3 of course).

Most people I know that play games on a PC today use wide screen monitors and play at 1920x1200 (the 24 inchers are really cheap).

<< Comment #53 @ 03:02 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (v02-02.opera-mini.net) - Reply to #2

its not, except on your tv, use usb wi-fi tv to stream without cables

<< Comment #4 @ 20:42 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (94-195-191-3.zone9.bethere.co.uk)

macbook pro

<< Comment #5 @ 21:16 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

Mitritch - Reply to #4

...and 3000 bucks will be wasted forever...

<< Comment #6 @ 21:32 CST, 17 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #5

Most MAC users are complete dicks, its more of an image thing for them. So its money well spent, because for them they get to feel good about themselves when they show the world they have an apple mac.

For those few seconds, they can be like the guys in the ads too!

To rest of us they're douche bags who pay 40 percent more.

<< Comment #7 @ 01:18 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Demiurge ' - Reply to #6

Most? And most cops are corrupt pigs. And most Americans are fat. And most immigrants are stealing your job. And most of all, most of your posts aren't hilariously retarded.

<< Comment #9 @ 02:57 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ambro - Reply to #7

http://www.abluestar.com/utilities/rndimages/img/acer.jpg

<< Comment #10 @ 04:21 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #9

Who takes a laptop to a lecture anyway...

<< Comment #12 @ 04:32 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ambro - Reply to #10

yeah, thats needless in first place, but a must to showoff for mac users :)

<< Comment #13 @ 04:38 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

spyteman - Reply to #12

depends, i've seen people writing their maths lectures in latex in realtime at uni... quite nice tbh. also some people tend to play need for speed and shit when lectures get boring :D

<< Comment #17 @ 05:42 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #13

People do work in your lectures??????

<< Comment #35 @ 12:50 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

spyteman - Reply to #17

? 95% of my lectures had no print-outs, so you always have to write down stuff yourself

<< Comment #36 @ 13:08 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #35

The lectures I have are barely worth attending :D
May as well be a self-taught degree :E

<< Comment #37 @ 13:42 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

spyteman - Reply to #36

really depends, some profs put in good effort to get a red line into their lectures and provide deeper insight in discussions. others merely write down their scripts so you pretty much just copy-paste. all in all there's not much of an option and usually it's fine, lazy/cuntish profs are a much bigger problem than having a written script or not :) I'm done with lectures anyway \o/

<< Comment #20 @ 06:57 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (94-195-191-3.zone9.bethere.co.uk) - Reply to #13

\latex ftw but realtime? ;-o

and the mactex package is really awesome.

<< Comment #34 @ 12:48 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

spyteman - Reply to #20

ye guy was fucking nuts, really really fast at typing + syntax completion :o

<< Comment #22 @ 08:32 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Demiurge ' - Reply to #12

yeah, and who goes to school anyway?

<< Comment #29 @ 09:24 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ambro - Reply to #22

most people :)

<< Comment #49 @ 02:36 CST, 20 November 2009 >>

By

link - Reply to #9

rofl!

<< Comment #19 @ 06:13 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

becks - Reply to #7

can't steal what isn't there ;(

<< Comment #23 @ 08:58 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #19

To me you're just another inaccuracte, dumb German on a game forum. It doesn't matter what you think, becaue you don't matter.

<< Comment #27 @ 09:22 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

becks - Reply to #23

you're afraid of foreigners.

I just having figured out if it's only because you're dumb, or if it's the reason why your statements are dumb.

But I'm gonna take the safe route and say it's because you're dumb and it makes your statements even dumber.

<< Comment #24 @ 09:01 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #7

Spot the Mac user.

P.S.
You're hardly a suitable candidate for disproving my theory.

Edited by Jamerio at 09:01 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #32 @ 11:07 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Demiurge ' - Reply to #24

Hahaha. You're so hilariously dumb. You don't have the slightest understanding of just about anything, do you? Like an adorable stupid animal standing in the middle of the road with those huge open eyes, not having any clue. Well, uh, graze on, keep up the entertainment.

<< Comment #33 @ 12:20 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #32

Hi,

its funny how you imply so much without actually defining it in any counterable way.

I deal with hundreds of PC users every year, face to face, so my opinion is stemmed from my own personal expereince.

So convince yourself of whatever you want. You're wrong.

<< Comment #43 @ 17:01 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Demiurge ' - Reply to #33

Aha, what's funny is you. You just read a post saying that you are not capable of understanding. A post above, you've read something any RETARD would understand. Yet, you come up with these fascinating responses, as if you're not even speaking the same language. So why would I seriously attempt to communicate with someone so beyond humanly stupid? Keep posting.

Edited by Demiurge at 19:47 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #11 @ 04:22 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #6

The current macbook pros are awesome.

<< Comment #25 @ 09:08 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #11

It doesn't change the fact that you can buy a non apple equiv for a few hundred less.

When that stops becoming a realty then maybe I'll show a bit more respect for Mac users, atm most of them are about the same as those chavs with a £9.99 tracksuit and a £200 pair of Rockports from the LittleWoods Catalougue.

<< Comment #30 @ 09:48 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #25

Bit over-priced yeah, but the build quality is generally way better (on the new metal ones, the plastic ones suck).

OSX is really nice too.

<< Comment #31 @ 11:06 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #25

Oh yeah and students can get a few hundred off too!

<< Comment #40 @ 15:09 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

frank_garrett - Reply to #25

Who cares about a couple of hundred.

If you're going to be using the thing for over 9000 hours, you might as well get the best all-round system.

<< Comment #44 @ 18:49 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ini - Reply to #40

Jamerio is quite poor having lost the millions he made as a Triple A game tester.

He has all his capital tied up running "two" businesses with thousands of employees each. So naturally a couple of hundred pounds is quite important.

<< Comment #21 @ 07:18 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (94-195-191-3.zone9.bethere.co.uk) - Reply to #6

http://esreality.hexus.net/files/inlineimages/2007/53847-1.jpg

<< Comment #26 @ 09:11 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Jamerio : - Reply to #21

Sign in with your account or jump in the Thames.

<< Comment #28 @ 09:24 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

becks - Reply to #21

Is that someone's monthly allowance or something?

<< Comment #38 @ 15:06 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Mitritch - Reply to #21

500£ on the table.

All in?

Edited by sk4ut at 15:07 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #41 @ 15:33 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (94-195-191-3.zone9.bethere.co.uk) - Reply to #38

can't gamble dole :/

<< Comment #8 @ 02:56 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

symbol - Reply to #4

MBP <3

<< Comment #16 @ 05:01 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

syanid

You'd better google for some previews and such, I don't think many ppl have so many different laptops of their own so that they could give you tips which one is the best. I myself just recently bought HP pavilion dv7-3013eo which I've been satisfied so far, but who knows what will happen in the future.

It has 17.3", dual core AMD Turion 2.2Ghz, 4GB / 640Gb / Radeon HD4650 + some junk that I don't have much use for. Atleast it has HDMI and it can read Blueray disks, so it's pretty well equipped. Win7 works fine too. Biggest plus was the prize, cos I got it really cheap via my work so can't complain.

<< Comment #14 @ 04:38 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ambro

i always prefered and owned HP laptops. robust, sturdy design, new ones with alu cover in front of keyboard are even better. no more abrasion due to extensive usage.

but i will never understand why 17" for a laptop. its meant to be portable ffs, its not meant for desktop use :)

Edited by ambro at 04:42 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #42 @ 16:35 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

cumrag - Reply to #14

those hp envy laptops look nice.

<< Comment #50 @ 08:51 CST, 20 November 2009 >>

By

ashr - Reply to #14

yea? i have 2 HP laptops and both have given me nothing but trouble.

<< Comment #57 @ 10:47 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

skint - Reply to #50

u had nothing but trouble and then bought another???

<< Comment #58 @ 10:56 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

ashr - Reply to #57

bought the 2nd one about 3 months after the first, before it began showing any signs of trouble.

<< Comment #15 @ 05:00 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

skint

ion based netbook with extra external hdd

they come in 10-12 inch screens now, really portable, light, batteries are lasting longer and longer (about 6-8 hours on the top ones) enough power for the tasks you mentioned and now with the ion chip can playback 1080p. which does actually work as ive tried it.
in terms of screen size for movies just hook it upto tv like you say.
if i didnt want a decent graphics card for new games id quite happily switch to ion+atom based computers completly and get rid of my main pc. i own a atom based netbook (acer aspire one) and an ion+atom based acer aspire revo and both have great performance.

Edited by skint at 05:08 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #18 @ 06:00 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

brz

alienware

<< Comment #39 @ 15:09 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

thanks for tips

Macs/Alienware are great, but can't afford or need this level of equipment

Small screens.. Living in temporary house share next few months and I won't be having a desktop or big tv in my room, so a decent screen is a must, but I want decent tv out to watch the odd movie on big tv in living room with housemates

<< Comment #45 @ 23:12 CST, 18 November 2009 >>

By

ia - Reply to #39

get an asus. for around $800 you can get a mid to lower end gaming series laptop and have a decent gfx card, processor and a few hundred gigs of space.

dell, acer, and the other generic brands usually have onboard graphics, which rules out anything beyond mindsweeper. avoid intel gma cards at all costs. the dell you quoted will really struggle on hl2 engine games or quake live.

macs and alienware are too expensive to be worthwhile.

just go to best buy, quickest solution and they have among the best deals now. this is the best i see on their site now, it's $1k.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+wit...&lp=14

you say "games: no" but are asking on esr, so we know you mean "yes".

Edited by ia_ at 23:19 CST, 18 November 2009

<< Comment #52 @ 13:18 CST, 20 November 2009 >>

By

usaisamonster - Reply to #45

:)

well I guess sc2 & hl2:ep3 would be nice, but I don't mind really don't have much time for games + I prefer social games these days (wii with friends round a tv)

thx for tips, I'm eu btw best buy doesn't open here till next year

<< Comment #46 @ 14:05 CST, 19 November 2009 >>

By

Carsomyr

I shudder knowing that many young people today use their laptops to listen to music.

<< Comment #56 @ 09:48 CST, 22 November 2009 >>

By

Anonymous (v03-10.opera-mini.net) - Reply to #46

its convienient to have a £250 to play tunes and nerd the net, if your main box has 1kw psu, a laptop pays for itself in a few months

<< Comment #47 @ 15:43 CST, 19 November 2009 >>

By

mammon

hdmi or die, friggin 200 quid nettops can have it why not your laptop. no idea why u ppl buy 17" surfboards so u can lug them around anyways =)

<< Comment #51 @ 13:18 CST, 20 November 2009 >>

By

no comments on WLED ??

Is it worth paying the extra € for ?

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