The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread

«‹›451 »

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

EDIT: This is the current advice.

Its that time again!

Disclaimer: I'm not the authority on laptops but I think this is a good general guide. We don't mind helping people choose the best laptop for them. Over the course of the last couple of threads there seem to be several questions that get answered over and over again. If this OP can help answer those questions before they're asked then I think it has done it's job.

Before we begin
This little blurb is being added a year and half after this OP and thread was originally created. In that time I've finally bought and have owned my own personal laptop for a year. Some insights I've gained from that ownership are:

The things you're comparing about a laptop may not actually be the most important things to consider
Let me explain. I feel by now even cheapy Core i3 processors or Amd A series processors will be good enough to meet basic computing needs. If you have more needs than basic laptop for college then you more than likely already have an idea of what you need. The things that really separate one laptop from another these days are:

How sturdy is the case? Can you pick up the laptop in one hand and not worry about the laptop breaking?
What is the screen quality like? Many new laptops have the poo poo TN panels with horrible viewing angles.
How is the keyboard and trackpad? I'm hearing many new laptops having frustrating touchpads to use. Two Finger Scroll is supposed to help with some trackpads. I've never used it, but I hear good things from this thread.

Now...

Maybe you want a netbook.
We get a lot of post from people who want a small and cheap laptop to do web browsing/word processing for school. Good news! Now is an exciting time to be shopping for this kind of machine as laptop manufacturers are pumping out new models of netbooks every few weeks that are perfect for this.

The line in the sand is:
-You want a laptop that has a screen that is less than 13" in size.
-You want a new laptop for under $500 and below.
-You want a lightweight machine with long battery life.
-You don't plan on using the machine for any thing more demanding than Firefox and office.

Then you want to head to the netbook thread.

Maybe you want a mac.
Apple makes a fine laptop. YES you will pay more but not as much as you might think. The machines are really attractive, plus you will get the flexibility of using OSX AND Windows using bootcamp. If you think you might want a Mac ask here or head to the Mac hardware megathread.

Maybe you want a desktop replacement/gaming pc.
If you want a gaming pc around the $900-$1200 range then you will have a lot of options. Brands to go to will be Asus, MSI, Sager, and Gateway. Once you start looking above the range of $1200 you will be getting into the range of diminishing returns. Something to keep in mind is that a laptop video card, like a GTX 260m, won't be nearly as powerful as its desktop counterpart, and you will pay more for the hardware. At the $1200 to $1500 range it begins to make more sense to build a $600 desktop that will be more powerful than a $1500 laptop and use the leftover money to get a cheap laptop or netbook.

But I want a big powerful $2000 laptop
No you don't. You think you do, but really, no. We know you're heading off to college or you go to really cool lan parties every weekend and you just need a big rear end Alienware. The thing about gaming laptops at this size and price range is that for all the power they pack they are horrible at being a... laptop. Gaming laptops are heavy, get crap battery life, and for the amount of power you get out of them, very very expensive. After the novelty of having a super powerful laptop wears off in 2 months you will not want to carry a 10lb brick with you everywhere you go. 9 times out of 10 if you ask about a gaming laptop in the $1500 to $2000 range we're going to recommend you get a desktop for $800 that will spank the pants off any laptop costing twice as much, and get a netbook or cheap laptop for your portable machine. If you're worried about your lan parties on the weekends don't despair, desktop can be made into tiny enclosures with built in handles that are pretty easy to carry.

If you insist that you will be happy with a gaming laptop then Asus, Sagers, and Alienware are good brands to check out. NOTE: Men and Women going overseas may be a special exception to this. In that case be sure to check out http://www.xoticpc.com as they offer military discounts.

I want a reliable, tough, no frills laptop.
You need to check out Lenovo. Who? Lenovo took over IBM's laptop business and is now the maker of Thinkpads. Thinkpads have been the laptop of choice for businessmen and travelers for years now. The laptops are tough, if a bit plain or dated looking. The keyboards are legendary in their stiffness. Plus I've heard that Lenovo's support won't treat you like a retard. The ordering website does suck though.

Help guys, I never shopped for/seen a laptop before so I don't know what's good, I just know I want to spend $$$ dollars, what should I get???
The first thing I would recommend is go to Newegg and look at all the laptops in your price range. Once you start to look through them you'll begin to notice the same handful of processors with various gpu's pop up again and again. THEN, go to http://www.notebookcheck.net and check to see where the processors and gpu come in on their comparison list. Notebookcheck is an excellent resource to familiarize yourself with how much processor or videocard you're actually getting.

I'm looking to get a laptop that can play this game:
First, if you want to play a game anymore demanding than simple flash or the sims you're going to need a dedicated card. Most laptops come with an Intel processor and gpu. The processor is fine but ALL of Intel's gpus are abysmal. Most won't even let a game boot up. Again I would recommend going to Notebookcheck's gpu list and see which gpu's can run your game comfortably. Then head over to Newegg and search by gpu to get a feel of the price range that much gaming horsepower will get you.

Tablet?
I think right now Hp makes a 12" model that will be your best bet.

Can I upgrade the video card in my laptop?
No. Well, the short answer is no. Get the gpu you want in the laptop when you get it because your upgrade options range from impossible to so expensive as to not be worth it. It is not easy to upgrade / replace the video card of a notebook. In case the notebook provides an upgrade possibility at all (in practice only, if the card is inserted in a MXM slot), buying the desired video card is an additional barrier. Sometimes, only looking at Ebay might help. Here's a link that will explain better: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Upgrad...ard.3236.0.html

Popular Brands
HP/Compaq http://www.hp.com

Godzilla07 posted:

HP: They make good business laptops. The consumer lines however are trash. The dv series is just plain unreliable. Then there's the Envy line. You may think to yourself, "hey it's a MacBook Pro running Windows." But no, it has a poor touchpad, flickering screen issues, poor battery life and overheating issues. The Envy series of laptops is the Chinese ripoff iPod of laptops.

Dell http://www.dell.com
Acer/Gateway http://www.acer.com http://www.gateway.com
Asus http://www.asus.com

rscott posted:

ASUS: They pretty much have a laptop that suits just about any person's needs, from a netbook, to a huge fuckoff gaming laptop. About the only negatives about their laptops involve the sub par LCDs on their value laptops, but that is an issue you will run into with with every laptop manufacturer these days. The UL series is great for people looking for general purpose laptops with great battery life, the G series are more of a gamer/power user series.

Apple http://www.apple.com
Toshiba http://www.toshiba.com
Lenovo http://www.lenovo.com
Sager http://www.sagernotebook.com
MSI http://www.msi.com

Places to shop
Newegg - http://www.newegg.com
Xotic Pc - http://www.xoticpc.com - Xotic Pc caters to selling highend Asus and Sager gaming notebooks.

Indepth Reviews
http://www.notebookreview.com

Processor/GPU benchmark list: These are some really good resources to help you figure out how one cpu or videocard compares to another.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile...List.844.0.html - GPU list
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile...ist.2436.0.html - CPU list

Thanks to Instant Infidel for this handy post! Can be found on page 300 to give you an idea of timelyness

InstantInfidel posted:

Barnes and Noble Gold link here, if you're buying a Lenovo make sure you use this.
http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...barnesnoblegold

Ultraportable: Lenovo X1 Carbon, Zenbook Prime, Apple Macbook Air

Tiny, very lightweight. Great for people who don't spend a lot of time at a single desk or who move around with their computer more than a few times a day.

Caveat of being light is that they aren't as powerful as machines in the same size bracket that utilize regular mobile processors. Some come with video cards, but performance is still going to be low.

Form factor commands a premium.

Regular Portable: Lenovo X230, Apple MBP 13"

Smaller laptops with a long battery life. Still very, very easy to take with you.

Especially for the X230, these are user-upgradeable, which is not necessarily true with the ultraportables.

These don't make the same concessions for weight that an ultraportable does. Their large form factor allows for better cooling, and therefor a better processor running at a higher clock. The idea might seem lackluster, but they are really, really good niche machines for people who need powerful portability, as oxymoronic as that sounds.

X230 has an IPS panel, that's the HD+ upgrade or whatever Lenovo calls it. You want this.

General Purpose Laptops: Lenovo T430, Lenovo T530, Apple Macbook Pro 15"

Larger laptops. Less portable, but that's a relative term: still very easy to throw in a bag and go to work/school/Starbucks.

Dedicated graphics cards become the rule rather than the exception in this tier. If you want to play video games/do CAD work, you probably want to look here. One of the big draws here is the increased feature set. More ports, better screens, optical drives, possibly numpads.

If you don't need the increased feature set, consider getting something smaller. Then again, if it'll rarely leave your nerdcave, you might want to stick with a larger machine.

Performance Laptops: Lenovo W530, Apple Retina Macbook Pro

Very good performance, less good at being a laptop. Still portable, but lessened battery life means that the charger might have to come with you if you're away from your desk for a while.

Offer CPU performance comparable to a desktop with GPU performance being more lackluster but still quite good.

Consider your situation here: would you benefit more from buying this, or spending 2/3 as much on a quite possibly superior desktop?

"Gaming" Laptops: Asus G75, MSi GE60, Lenovo Y580, Clevo's offerings (use XoticPC to look at these)

These are desktop replacements. These are good for marginal portability, but are severely lacking at actually being laptops: they have awful battery life, are very bulky, and are generally not much good at being a laptop. You might as well buy a desktop and a cheap notebook for the same price, you'll see better performance anyhow.

The Lenovo Y580 is definitely the smallest of the bunch, but it's also less powerful. Do your research on these, they all have pros and cons (the more lights on your laptop, the fewer friends you will inevitably have, etc etc)

Full disclaimer: I have a W530 and I'm fully a Lenovo fanboy. Thought this might help out.

Coredump fucked around with this message at Aug 7, 2012 around 21:18

# ? Dec 17, 2009 03:36

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 18, 2013 19:23

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

I pulled this from Notebook Check to help some of you make sense of the difference between all the new Intel cpus.

Intel Core i3/i5/i7-2xxx (2nd generation - Sandy Bridge)

Successor of the Clarksfield quad-core and arrandale dual-core processors. They are still called Core i3/i5/i7 and the model number is now preceded by a "2" for 2nd generation. Therefore the models are called Core ix-2xxx.

Sandy Bridge is the evolutionary successor of the Arrandale architecture. The most noteable improvements are the new 265Bit AVX instructions, the improved Turbo Boost 2.0 (automatic overclocking) and the integration of the graphics card into the 32nm CPU core.

Informations and performance charts on the Sandy Bridge Quad Core processors can be found in this article.

Example models: Core i7-2630QM, i5-2410M, i3-2310M

Intel Core i7 (Clarksfield)

The mobile Core i7 Processor has the Codename Clarksfield and stems from the Desktop Core i5/i7 CPUs but with a slower clock rate (and in exchange a higher maximum Turbo). The Core i7 are monolithic Quad Core CPUs with an integrated memory controller (DDR3) and a combined Level 3 cache. The ALUs haven't changed much since the Core 2 architecture (new SSE commands) but because of the monolithic design, the performance per MHz is a bit better than the Core 2 Quad. Because of the Turbo function (the CPU can overclock single cores, when not all are used and the power consumption stays in limits) the Core i7 can be as fast as high clocked Core 2 Duo Dual Core CPUs (e.g. in single threaded games) and has also the advantage of 4 cores.

Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 (Arrandale)

The Core i3/i5/i7 Dual-Core CPUs with the codename Arrandale offer two processing cores and are produced in 32nm. Due to Hyperthreading and Turbo Boost (only in the expensive models), the Arrandale CPUs are faster than a similar clocked Core 2 Duo. In the processor package a DDR3 memory controller and the Intel HD Graphics graphics card are included. The CPUs offer a good power efficiency but can use up their specified TDP because of the Turbo Boost.

Beware, the (U)LV versions called UM and LM offer a weaker performance than other models with a similar model number. Still the power consumption of these models is much lower.

Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom & Penryn)

The Intel Core 2 Duo processor class is the successor of the Core Duo with a longer pipeline, 64 Bit support, a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU). Because of these improvements the Core 2 Duo CPUs should be 5-20% faster than a evenly clocked Core Duo.

As the name suggests, the Core 2 Duo lineup consists out of CPUs with 2 cores. They feature 2, 3, 4 or 6 MB Level 2 Cache (2 and 4 for Merom CPUs, 3 and 6 for Penryn).

Each CPU features eX Bit (Execute Disable Bit) technology, SSSE3 (SSE4), Enhanced Speedstep support. Some models also feature virtualization support (VT or Vanderpool called).

The mobile Core 2 Duo is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors, but the core voltage of the mobile CPUs is lower (0.95 versus 1.188 V e.g.). Furthermore, a lower front side bus (FSB) is used to save power. Therefore, the laptop versions are a bit slower.

The energy need of the processors is marked by pre-set letters in front of the type designation (number).
X ... Extreme (fastest) version with the highest current consumption
E ... >= 55 Watt (Desktop PCs)
T ... 30-39 Watt (Standard laptop CPUs)
P ... max 25 Watt
L ... 12-19 Watt (Low Voltage)
U ... <11.9 Watt (Ultra Low Voltage)

The Core 2 Duo lineup was presented in July 2006 with the Merom core which is produced in 65nm for Socket P and Socket M. In Summer 2007, the Santa Rosa update has been published with minimal improvements (like the faster FSB 800 and Dynamic Acceleration - the overclocking of one core, when the other one is idle). In January 2008 Penryn and in late 2008 Penryn refresh cores where introduced in 45nm. Furthermore, the architecture was slightly enhanced for Penryn which leads to a lower power consumption and a slightly improved performance. For example, Penryn got a faster division unit and 47 new SSE orders (SSE4 called).

Intel Core 2 Extreme (Merom, Penryn)

The fastest Core 2 Duo variants of Intel are called Core 2 Extreme. Technically, these processors are based on a Merom/Penryn (X9000) core like all other Core 2 Duo processors, too. The two differences to the normal Core 2 Duo CPUs is the higher TDP (of 44W) and that the multiplicator is not fixed (for easy overclocking).

Intel Core 2 Solo (Merom, Penryn)

This is the successor of the Core Solo and technically a Core 2 Duo with only one core. It will be available for laptops starting with the 3. quarter 2007 and at the start only as an Ultra Low Voltage (ULV). In 2009 CULV Core Solo CPUs with low clock rates were launched for cheap and thin notebooks. The performance of these single core CPUs lies between the entry level Pentium Dual-Core and Intel Atom CPUs.
to top

Shout out to Filthee Fingas for the heads up on this particular deal. Looks pretty good if you're shopping for a Lenovo.

Filthee Fingas posted:

For Canadians looking for a deal(EDIT: USA has one too!), Lenovo has a deal right now where if you pay by Visa, you get 30% off your purchase (on top of their already 5% discount provided)...

http://visa.ca/visaperks/shopping/Lenovo/index.jsp (Canadians)

http://usa.visa.com/personal/discou...0282&pageId=197 (Americans)

I just bought a loaded W510.

Original Cost:$3,100
Actual Price Paid:$1,977.08
Savings: $1,122.92

Intel Quad Core i7-820QM
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
15.6" FHD LED w/WW Ant (1920 x 1080)
nVidia GLM DG 1GB, AMT
UltraNavFPR for Color Sensor
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 DIMM)
128GB Solid State Drive
DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Enhanced
9cell, LI Battery TWSL60
Integrated Bluetooth PAN 2
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 630010
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty

Checking the site says :

quote:

Save up to 35% on Lenovo PC's when you pay with your Visa� card.

Lenovo, a global leader in the PC market, invites you to take advantage of great deals across our entire line of cutting-edge, reliable, high-quality PC products. These include the award-winning ThinkPad� notebook, the highly acclaimed IdeaPad multimedia notebooks, innovative IdeaCentre & ThinkCentreTM desktops, along with a wide array of computing accessories.

As a valued Visa cardholder, here is how you can enjoy big savings with Lenovo:
Receive instant savings with discounted web pricing
FREE ground shipping available on all web orders

Remember to visit the website often, as special time limited eCoupons and offers are provided frequently!

To redeem this offer, click the link below or call 1-800-426-7235, Ext. 5438 to take advantage of discounts on select products.
Redeem Offer
Valid from 09/01/2011 to 02/29/2012

Hadlock posted:

This should probably be in the OP. Myself, and at least 10 other goons have used this to good effect

http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...barnesnoblegold

Coredump fucked around with this message at Aug 7, 2012 around 18:53

# ? Dec 17, 2009 03:51

ryanbruce: May 1, 2002; The "Dell Dude"

Coredump posted:

Placeholder for more content later.

You also forgot to add the URL to the Mac Hardware Megathread

http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=2676326

Check out my Dell Discounts thread in Coupons for savings on your laptops/desktops/servers/etc!

# ? Dec 17, 2009 04:21

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

shrughes posted:

Sony Vaio Z Trip Report

An SVZ13114GXX, configured with the following options:

an i7-3612QM (rPGA socket)

256 GB of SSD, internally two 128 GB drives in RAID 0.

a carbon fiber black color

for a total of $1999, with $150 more for a sheet battery, plus tax.

I received it on Tuesday afternoon.

Other general information:

8 GB of 1600MHz RAM

1920x1080 13.1" TN 96% Adobe RGB screen

Intel Advanced-N WiFi, Intel Wireless Display, Bluetooth

2xUSB 3.0, HDMI, 1GigE, headphones, SD card, memory stick, VGA

trackpad, fingerprint reader, webcam, backlit keyboard, stupid Sony capacitive touch buttons

removable battery

Notable differences from the previous version:

No hardware wireless switch

No 1600x900 option

Ivy Bridge

The dock is sold separately

The USB 2.0 port turned into a USB 3.0 port

No 3g or WWAN options? Something like that.

Build Quality

This laptop is floppy. The thing is too thin or too light to be rigid, so it survives by not trying to be rigid. You can comfortably twist the top corners of the display by more than half a centimeter each. Kind of like the way you could comfortably toss a 5.25" floppy disk onto a table, you could comfortably toss th... No. It also feels like the casing above the keyboard has room to flex if you apply some pressure, but... nope, the entire case flexes. Hold the other side still and it won't compress one bit. This is not "keyboard flex", just the fact that the case is not an ideal rigid body. (When typing, the keyboard feels like it's built atop a perfectly rigid body.)

You could also call it flat. It is not wedge shaped.

Here is a side view showing the headphones, ethernet, HDMI, a USB 3.0 charging port, a USB 3.0/docking port, and the power adapter hole. Also note the way the laptop rests on the bottom of the screen. This design leaves room for the ventilation fans underneath.

Size relative to a W520:

The lid can open to about 143 degrees.

The Keyboard and Trackpad
You can see the capacitive ASSIST, WEB, and VAIO buttons. They are hard to press accidentally, but they're still stupid. As for the keyboard itself, I have done some programming on the keyboard and it went well. Its A-' width is a millimeter or two less than that of a Thinkpad, its row heights are easily measurably less than those of a Thinkpad but perfectly satisfactory. The right shift key is fine. There is a second Fn key next to the arrow keys, which is essential for the convenience of PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End. Its backlight is appropriately dim.

The trackpad works and is not annoying. It lacks a middle button, but all the gestural features work fine, by Windows standards. I have not yet investigated how to get three-finger taps to act like a middle button, but allegedly something like that can be done with the right program.

Better keyboards include any Thinkpad keyboard, unless you're a trackpad user.

The Screen
The screen is covered by some solid plastic material that seems to do a great job of lacking glare and reflections but also being a thick but flexible layer of structural support. If you press your finger on it, you have to press particularly hard to see an effect, and the pressure gets spread out over a wider area than on, for example, Thinkpads. It also avoids fingerprints very well, it seems, but regardless, you could wipe it down with a wet cloth and it would behave like glass.

The screen itself is 96% Adobe RGB gamut TN screen, which is a bit less gamut than the 95% NTSC gamut 15.6" screens you see these days. The colors of YOSPOS don't hit that same fruity lime green color you used to get on CRT's. It feels more like the #00ff00 you get from say, a U2410 under the default profile. It's very bright, in all of the pictures I had to dial down the brightness. There are no dead pixels.

The Battery
With full screen brightness, WiFi, web browsing, and balanced power management, you will get around 4:10 of battery life on a full charge, it seems.

In "power saver mode", you'll get more like 5:30 or 6:00. The advertised time is 6:45 which is probably what you get in power saver mode when you turn off wifi.

The Sheet Battery
The sheet battery turns the laptop from a 2.58 lb machine to a 3.7 lb machine, and from one that's 5/8" thick to one that's 31/32" thick.

Just by adding a sheet battery, the laptop feels like a much sturdier machine. Under balanced max-brightness wifi web-browsing settings it seems you can get 7 hours of use with the addition of the sheet battery, and under power saver settings, about 9 hours. Apparently the laptop is not doing a good job of guessing, because the sheet battery adds 110% to the battery capacity.

One downside to the sheet battery is that to attach it, you have to pop out a plastic cover from the bottom of the laptop and stow it in a hidey-hole in the sheet battery itself. Also, some of its room for capacity is lost because it provides paths to the ventilation fans on the bottom of the laptop.

An advantage of the sheet battery is that you can use the laptop on carpet without the ventilation fans directly sucking dust from the carpet.

The Processor
The processor is a quad-core 35W TDP i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, the 3612QM. Its clock speed is 2.1GHz-3.1GHz If you look at Intel's website, you'll see that there are two of them! They have different sockets, and the only difference between them is that one lacks VT-d support. That affects the speed of some I/O operations of some kind when doing virtualization.

The limiting factor on the "experience index" is of course graphics.

If you want to run Ubuntu with Unity in VirtualBox, well, you'll have to first enable VT-x in the BIOS, in order for any VM to run. But then you'll have to cry because it'll be very very slow in a full-screen window (but perfectly responsive in a non-maximized window!). You'll have to use Unity 2D, and then it works great. I bet you the problem is mostly that Unity is just a lovely open source soft-ware that tries to run some feedback loop with the GPU or something.

Lacking VT-d isn't such an incongruity in a machine with 8 GB of memory anyway.

Here are some of its ventilation holes.

Hibernate & Sleep
The machine gives the impression of being completely turned off when you close the lid. It seems that it sleeps, and then after a certain timeout it'll hibernate. This seems sensible.

It takes around 18 seconds to hibernate and around the same time to wake up from hibernate. I didn't count out the Mississippi's though, so it's probably a bit shorter than that. There is no "sleep" button on the keyboard.

Software and the "Sony Experience"
The best manufacturer software I've seen on a laptop came from Panasonic, which were simple, no-nonsense Win32 programs designed to get poo poo done. Sony has all the stupid Sony poo poo, but at least very little of it runs at startup. Sony decided to provide "Vaio Gate" which is a dock at the top of your screen. You can disable it. There's also VAIO Messenger and VAIO Data Restore Tool and VAIO Transfer Support and VAIO Update and VAIO 3D Control, and some Anti-Virus program that asks you if you'd like to install it. Adobe Reader and Skype were installed, and EverNote for VAIO, and Cyberlink PowerDVD, and Sony Reader, ACID Studio, Sound Forge Studio, Roxio Creator LJ, ArcSoft Webcam Suite, a shortcut to Ebay, a shortcut "Music Unlimited", to Sony's online music store or something, and some stupid stuff like PlayMemories Home and Sony Media Gallery (one of which can be configured to open when you press the VAIO button on your keyboard), AuthenTec TrueSuite, Catalyst Control Center, Dolby, Sony DVD Architect Studio 5.0, Media Go, Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 11.0, TriDef 3D Ignition, TriDef 3D Photo Viewer.

WTF is that Bing stuff running for?

And loving VAIO Messenger is an actual goddamn program on the alt-tab list. You can alt-tab to it, it doesn't have any windows, and there's no way in the program itself to tell it not to start up on boot. Of course there are other ways to do that.

Also, in case you ever want to change your mind about uninstalling all this software, there' a factory recovery partition that takes up 47 GB of your disk space.

Heat
There is a nice friendly Japanese-style warning sticker on the bottom:

This machine stays cool and ultrasilent under normal use. Put infinite loops on 8 separate threads and it will run at 2.795 GHz, and the fan will spin up considerably (but not loud), and the battery life with the sheet battery would only last 3 hours. The bottom gets quite hot, and the left half of the keyboard gets detectably warm.

Headphones
The machine comes with rather nice in-ear noise canceling headphones, that are unfortunately controlled from the laptop. I don't think the noise canceling feature can be used from anything other than laptops with certain software installed. They do a great job (by my standards) of reducing noise, though. All the whomm air noise is blocked out, human speech is considerably well blocked, so that it's relegated to background noise. The fervor with which the sound is blocked can be tweaked, and it can be tweaked for the type of sound (train/plane/office) as well. I think this is the model that's included: > this < only without the remote control.

All the Bad Things

The VGA port sends out a subliminally grainy 1920x1080@60Hz signal, when rendered on a U2410.

Crapware

No sleep button on the keyboard

There's a useless Memory Stick slot.

When it's closed, the top of the lid and the bottom of the palmrest form a fairly sharp edge, and boo hoo it feels kind of pointy when carrying it.

Stupid Assist, Web, and Vaio buttons are stupid.

SD cards stick 1.5mm out of the SD card slot, but at least they don't stick out from underneath the palm rest if you drop a vertical line from the edge. I don't know if this is bad or good.

Of the 256 GB of storage, only 209 GB is available because the rest is used by the factory recovery partition.

The removable cover for the sheet battery.

Summary
It compiles code fast, it has a 1080 pixel screen, it doesn't weigh 6 lbs.

Edit: Oh, and apparently it's a Class 1 Laser Product.

Hadlock posted:

x230 trip report (the "I've been using it for 15 minutes so far" edition)

Keyboard feels really, really nice. Wow.

-IPS panel isn't much to write home about. I'm slightly curious if I didn't get a regular panel. Screen is super sharp though, 12.5" is the right size for a 1377x768 screen.
-6 cell battery isn't snug, it's actually rather loose. Loose enough as in, "I might wedge some folded up paper in there to keep it from moving". Yes, I double checked the slider locks.
-I'm going to have to rebind PgUp/PgDn to Left/Right arrow keys, that's annoying. Or just disable them outright. I'd much rather have Fn+Arrow Up = PgUp and Fn+Arrow Down = PgDn, like on one of my ancient macs.
-I'm going to have to rebind ctrl+Fn keys, swap them. gently caress putting the ctrl key not in the bottom left corner. What the hell, Lenovo?
-Trackpad is crap. All the reviews are correct about that one, too. I'm blown away that they would make the entire pad a physical click up and down surface. Probably going to wedge something under it to stabilize it.
-Fit and finish are great. Excellent build quality as expected.
-USB 3.0 ports are blue - the review units were black. It's a subtle blue though.
-PC Card door seems flappy and cheap

Noticing about 52-58c for mostly idle (5-25% usage @ 2.6ghz), laptop is pleasantly warm, but not alarmingly hot.

Coredump fucked around with this message at Jun 25, 2012 around 14:55

# ? Dec 17, 2009 04:27

mecca: Apr 26, 2007; jinkies!

I'm looking to buy a laptop for my parents that will remain stationary 80% of the time and be used for e-mail, excel, youtube and my budget is around $850 CAD.

I originally planned on buying them something like a Dell Inspiron 17 or this 17.3" HP Pavilion (DV7-3028CA).

The Inspiron 17s are fairly expensive, and I'm not sure how good AMD's mobile cpus are, so I had the idea of buying a nicer 15.6" laptop and a nice 22-24" LCD instead.

I don't mind spending closer to $1000 on this setup and was wondering if this would be a better solution. However, I was just wondering if the resolution listed on laptop spec pages is the highest resolution achievable on the laptop's display, or if that is also the highest resolution I would get on an attached LCD display?

Almost forgot, would I be alright with one of those integrated Intel solutions or would a Nvidia/ATI mobile gpu be required? and any recommendations on 15" laptop brands/models or even places to buy them?
As far as I can tell, Bestbuy.ca actually has the best prices for most laptops after checking Tigerdirect, Ncix, Newegg.ca, and CanadaComputers.com.

Thanks!

# ? Dec 17, 2009 05:47

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Thanks for making the new thread. I'll be refining the OP as I get time, and any suggestions are certainly welcome!

# ? Dec 17, 2009 06:04

rexelation: May 28, 2003

I posted in the old thread and nobody answered me. I'm looking at this one http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...718&catid=26917 and this one http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...714&catid=25314 as a desktop replacement. I'll mostly just use it to watch HD movies and probably only minimal gaming on this.

Which is the better option? How's MSI's service compare to Acer's?
Any other recommendations? basically I'm only looking for something with a big hard drive that can handle 1080p movies with HDMI output. Size doesn't matter because I'll plug it onto the big screen for movies.

And also like mecca posted earlier so far I found Futureshop and BestBuy actually have better prices than NCIX and other places I looked at. Is it wise to buy laptops from big retail chains like BestBuy?

rexelation fucked around with this message at Dec 17, 2009 around 08:34

# ? Dec 17, 2009 08:27

Bob Smith: Jan 5, 2006; Well Then, What Shall We Start With?

I'm looking for a new computer now my laptop died, and would like one which can handle some fairly recent games on low-medium settings (I am not interested in ultra-high performance at 1900x1200, I just care about being able to play them at a steady framerate with detail settings above Low at 1024x768 if needed.)

My old Inspiron laptop was showing its age by the time of its demise, and had an ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 256MB (which was revealed to actually only have 133MB of dedicated memory available), a 1.83GHz Pentium Dual Core and 1GB RAM. That could happily run nearly all the games I wanted it to (TF2, Counterstrike, Company of Heroes) at low-medium settings, but floundered a bit on others like Supreme Commander and Bioshock even on Very Low settings.

I'm looking for something that's a step up from that, and for various reasons (mostly that I've been told it's a Christmas present, and also that I live in the UK where PC parts are kinda pricey) scratchbuilding a super-powered desktop is right out. My budget is �550 ($900) at the absolute maximum.

I thus have a couple of questions. Firstly, do Dell laptops still have a reputation for poor quality? My family are continually telling me not to get a Dell again because "everyone I speak to says they're bad news and your old one only lasted 3 years." However, I'm not convinced about this.

Secondly, are Acers any good performance-wise? I'm looking at this:

Acer Aspire 5739G-654G32MN posted:

# Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 / 2.1 GHz ( Dual-Core )
# RAM - 4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
# Hard Drive - 320 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
# Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
# Screen - 15.6' TFT 1366 x 768 ( WXGA ) - CineCrystal
# Optical Drive - DVD�RW (�R DL) / DVD-RAM - integrated
# Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M

Thirdly, is there any chance of me finding a pre-assembled desktop with comparable specs at about the same price? And would this be a better option, bearing in mind I wouldn't be able to upgrade or custom-build it?

# ? Dec 17, 2009 11:59

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

mecca posted:

I'm looking to buy a laptop for my parents that will remain stationary 80% of the time and be used for e-mail, excel, youtube and my budget is around $850 CAD.

I originally planned on buying them something like a Dell Inspiron 17 or this 17.3" HP Pavilion (DV7-3028CA).

The Inspiron 17s are fairly expensive, and I'm not sure how good AMD's mobile cpus are, so I had the idea of buying a nicer 15.6" laptop and a nice 22-24" LCD instead.

I don't mind spending closer to $1000 on this setup and was wondering if this would be a better solution. However, I was just wondering if the resolution listed on laptop spec pages is the highest resolution achievable on the laptop's display, or if that is also the highest resolution I would get on an attached LCD display?

Almost forgot, would I be alright with one of those integrated Intel solutions or would a Nvidia/ATI mobile gpu be required? and any recommendations on 15" laptop brands/models or even places to buy them?
As far as I can tell, Bestbuy.ca actually has the best prices for most laptops after checking Tigerdirect, Ncix, Newegg.ca, and CanadaComputers.com.

Thanks!

For those requirements you could get away with just getting them a netbook. Really any laptop made right now can handle those requirements. Another option you could look into is getting a small nettop and mount it under a cabinet similar to this: http://lifehacker.com/5196069/build...m-an-old-laptop

If you want a large laptop for your folks what I did for my dad was I got a Toshiba with a celeron processor, a big 17" screen with a fairly low resolution. Those things combined to make the laptop really cheap, I got it for $350.

Also, I wouldn't have a problem with getting a laptop from Bestbuy or other retail places. They sometimes beat out the online retailers in price.

# ? Dec 17, 2009 16:34

FISHMANPET: Mar 3, 2007

I think I started a discussion about Celeron not sucking in the last thread, but now I can't find it, so I hope I posted it here and not the netbook thread...

This is the Celeron my girlfriend's laptop has right now, the M 350:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...age.2C_90_nm.29

I'm looking at a netbook with the SU2300:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...e.2C_45_nm.29_2

Now obviously I know that 1.3 Ghz 4 years ago is not comparable to 1.2 Ghz today, although that first Celeron isn't based on Netburst and is instead descended from the P3, which is the same lineage as the Core, so basically these 2 CPUs are distant cousins...

I don't know enough about CPUs anymore, someone make me feel better and tell me that I won't be buying my girlfriend a laptop that is less powerful than what she has now

# ? Dec 17, 2009 17:12

mecca: Apr 26, 2007; jinkies!

Coredump posted:

For those requirements you could get away with just getting them a netbook. Really any laptop made right now can handle those requirements. Another option you could look into is getting a small nettop and mount it under a cabinet similar to this: http://lifehacker.com/5196069/build...m-an-old-laptop

If you want a large laptop for your folks what I did for my dad was I got a Toshiba with a celeron processor, a big 17" screen with a fairly low resolution. Those things combined to make the laptop really cheap, I got it for $350.

My parents would be taking the laptop with them every now and then so mounting it to anything is probably not in their best interests.

Are netbooks fairly fast in regards to start up time, and able to have like firefox and word open at the same time without chugging?
Thanks for your input, and I've found that Futureshop generally costs $50+ more on the exact same products as Bestbuy.
You can always try to get them to price match but its been hit or miss in the past.

*Update*

Gonna go with the original plan of buying a nice 17" laptop. I've narrowed my two choices down to a Dell Inspiron 17 with a C2D T6500 or a Toshiba Satelite 16" (L500-02J) which I believe is the A505-S6980 in the US. I was going to also consider a Gateway NV Series 17.3" but I've read that Gateway's support has been abysmal since being acquired by Acer, can anyone confirm this?

The price breakdown is: Dell $749, Toshiba $699, Gateway $649. $50-100 isn't a big to me since the parts are virtually identical. Are there any intangibles like customer support, workmanship etc. that I should know of which would push me to one of these over the others?

mecca fucked around with this message at Dec 18, 2009 around 02:31

# ? Dec 17, 2009 20:02

Ziir: Nov 20, 2004; by Ozmaugh

My semi-new (1 year oldish) Dell Inspiron 13 laptop is starting to tell me that there is something wrong with my battery. It doesn't tell me what's wrong, just that something is wrong which may cause my laptop to shut off unexpectedly. I'm looking at my battery right now and I don't see any bulging or see anything physically wrong with it or the connectors. I've made sure to take good care of this laptop and not let it overheat/sit on fabric/etc.

Am I hosed or is there a way to salvage this? This laptop was pretty cheap at Best Buy after a discount so I didn't bother to get a warranty for this. Maybe I can let the battery drain and recharge it and hope for the best?

# ? Dec 17, 2009 20:30

PaulC: Oct 23, 2005

FISHMANPET posted:

I don't know enough about CPUs anymore, someone make me feel better and tell me that I won't be buying my girlfriend a laptop that is less powerful than what she has now

Read the freakin op dude. The Celeron M 350 1.3 ghz is number 287 on that list. The SU2300 is 178. The new one is much faster. It's got two cores and the architecture is totally different, the frequency can't be compared.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 01:26

FISHMANPET: Mar 3, 2007

PaulC posted:

Read the freakin op dude. The Celeron M 350 1.3 ghz is number 287 on that list. The SU2300 is 178. The new one is much faster. It's got two cores and the architecture is totally different, the frequency can't be compared.

I saw that after I posted, and then got confused because they didn't have any actual benchmarks on the M350, and only one on the SU2300. And then I had to run to work and forgot to edit

# ? Dec 18, 2009 01:42

PaulC: Oct 23, 2005

FISHMANPET posted:

I saw that after I posted, and then got confused because they didn't have any actual benchmarks on the M350, and only one on the SU2300. And then I had to run to work and forgot to edit

PassMark has the SU2300 at 925 marks and that Celeron M at 334.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 01:47

oblomov: Jun 20, 2002; So long and thanks for all the fish!

mecca posted:

*Update*

Gonna go with the original plan of buying a nice 17" laptop. I've narrowed my two choices down to a Dell Inspiron 17 with a C2D T6500 or a Toshiba Satelite 16" (L500-02J) which I believe is the A505-S6980 in the US. I was going to also consider a Gateway NV Series 17.3" but I've read that Gateway's support has been abysmal since being acquired by Acer, can anyone confirm this?

The price breakdown is: Dell $749, Toshiba $699, Gateway $649. $50-100 isn't a big to me since the parts are virtually identical. Are there any intangibles like customer support, workmanship etc. that I should know of which would push me to one of these over the others?

I recommend taking a look at some of the laptops Newegg has in that size:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...30%204021&name=$500%20-%20$750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...32%204021&name=$500%20-%20$750

Specifically, I like the following models for their discrete graphics:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16834152157
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16834220640

Awesome deal on Sony with discrete ATI 4650 GDDR3 model:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-FW51...61116135&sr=1-4

Otherwise, the two systems you have above (Dell and Toshiba, meh on Gateway) are very comparable in quality, support and pricing. It's really a tossup. I've had good luck with lower end Toshiba laptops and I like my new Studio 17, but I am not sure how good Inspiron 17 is now days.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 06:03

McSnatch: May 12, 2004

I have a question about laptop power supplies. I have a VAIO whose power supply just died. I have the power supply from my old VAIO laptop, but they're different by half a volt. Is that big enough to make a difference, or can I use the old one?

# ? Dec 18, 2009 07:44

Srebrenica Surprise: Aug 23, 2008; "L-O-V-E's just another word I never learned to pronounce."

mecca posted:

Are netbooks fairly fast in regards to start up time, and able to have like firefox and word open at the same time without chugging?

Even though you decided on a larger size, I thought I'd answer this anyway: anything I do on my E6400/2GB RAM desktop I can do on my Atom N270 netbook, except run games, with essentially the same usage patterns I have on the big machine. Photoshop is moderately slower, but I only go into Photoshop once in a while to do basic stuff like cropping images and adding borders, so that's not a big deal.

Right now I've got a disk analyzer open (deleting some old stuff), Firefox with 6 tabs, MSN, Excel with a small spreadsheet, seven Wordpad files, two Calc windows, a couple network browsing sessions in Explorer, and some tray poo poo all open and minimizing and multitasking between these things is pretty much no delay. Of course, that's the way it should be and isn't a surprise if you're familiar with these things (and Firefox is the only thing eating up a lot of memory), but by no means is your system going to drag to a halt if you have Word and Firefox open on a netbook.

I think a lot of people vastly overestimate their need for performance on laptops and buy Core 2 systems, but don't get as much out of it as they think. Having did some typical stuff on a pretty decent $850 Penryn-based laptop, the only noticeable difference for me was the keyboard. So if you're shopping for a laptop make sure to consider your performance needs: it's better to save money and battery life if at all possible. I certainly wouldn't be doing any real Photoshop or other graphical-suite sort of editing on this system though!

# ? Dec 18, 2009 08:23

norg: Jul 5, 2006

Hey goons,

I just bought a Sony Vaio VPC-CW1S1E/L and it has MacAfee AV pre-installed on it and probably a load of other lovely bloatware.

Presumably the best thing to do would be a clean installation of Windows 7? Is there a guide or something for that? I mean I don't appear to have a W7 disc or anything so is it even possible to do without buying a new copy of W7?

norg fucked around with this message at Dec 18, 2009 around 14:20

# ? Dec 18, 2009 14:16

Ensign Expendable: Nov 11, 2008; Родина слышит

^^^ Try the PC Decrapifier, it will clean up your install do you don't have to redo it, most likely.

Do they make laptops with decent graphics cards and without huge screens? I'd like something that I can play games on in the 14-15 inch range. If not, is the 4500 Intel integrated graphics card good enough to play recent titles? Doesn't necessarily have to be at the highest quality, I just want my laptop to be able to play games that came out after Half-Life 2.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 20:50

Weinertron: Jan 17, 2009

mecca posted:

Are netbooks fairly fast in regards to start up time, and able to have like firefox and word open at the same time without chugging?

I have a terrible first-gen netbook with a Celeron, and CPU power isn't a problem. I can run Office 07 stuff while browsing no problem. It boots XP fast as all hell, but that may be because i nLited it and this slow SSD is still faster than hard drives for random read.

It is rather humbling realizing that I can do everything I really NEED to be doing on a computer on a 630MHz Celeron.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 21:19

mecca: Apr 26, 2007; jinkies!

Srebrenica Surprise posted:

netbook stuff.

Thanks for the info. After spending a few days reading cnet reviews, I had the impression that netbooks weren't so hot with multitasking. By any chance, do you have a SSD hard drive in your netbook? If so I would have to guess that would be a big factor in helping it keep up with laptops and desktops.

Unfortunately I likely need to spend the extra cash on a 17" laptop because as it is, they want a screen bigger than 15", my mom needs a numeric keypad for accounting, and they don't always remember to turn off the monitor or printer when they're done using their current desktop PC, so it may be wise to minimize the amount of electronics they have to interact with. Although its good to know I won't need to get them a bunch of upgrades like the C2D cpus.

On a side note, is it just me or do netbooks generally not have CD/DVD drives?

Oblomov posted:

recommendations

Thanks for the recommendations, but those are all in USD prices and the Canadian equivalents are quite a bit higher.

mecca fucked around with this message at Dec 18, 2009 around 21:45

# ? Dec 18, 2009 21:23

Srebrenica Surprise: Aug 23, 2008; "L-O-V-E's just another word I never learned to pronounce."

mecca posted:

By any chance, do you have a SSD hard drive in your netbook? If so I would have to guess that would be a big factor in helping it keep up with laptops and desktops.

No - standard 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, everything's the same as it came from the factory. I was thinking about getting a SSD, but that was more because I knew I'd feel bad about not getting a really high-end one in my desktop whereas here I only use about 50GB of space and I wouldn't regret getting a cheaper one from my netbook.

And yeah, no CD drive. Never missed one. Windows boot stuff I can put on a USB drive, anything else I can rip to an ISO. Not a big deal.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 23:37

PaulC: Oct 23, 2005

Ensign Expendable posted:

Do they make laptops with decent graphics cards and without huge screens? I'd like something that I can play games on in the 14-15 inch range. If not, is the 4500 Intel integrated graphics card good enough to play recent titles? Doesn't necessarily have to be at the highest quality, I just want my laptop to be able to play games that came out after Half-Life 2.

No. The 4500 can't even handle HL2, let alone anything after. There are plenty of laptops with video cards in the 15" range. 14, the ASUS UL80vt is an option.

# ? Dec 18, 2009 23:43

Regicide: May 26, 2008

I want a gaming latop... yeah, I read the OP. I built a really good gaming desktop and loved it for the year I had it before I sold it and joined the Army. I am currently on leave looking to purchase a laptop before I go to Korea. I'm a whore for my PC games... I looked up a laptop on Newegg using one of the reccommended brands in the OP. What do y'all think of this? I know it's ridiciously expensive but it's got a lot of space, and although I don't know much about laptops looks as if it'd run anything I throw at it.

If y'all have better reccomendations, please tell me. I need to purchase a laptop before the 18th of January and I don't really want to go over $1500... hell under $1000 would be good but I don't mind. I just want something good.

# ? Dec 19, 2009 20:21

Weinertron: Jan 17, 2009

Regicide posted:

I want a gaming latop... yeah, I read the OP. I built a really good gaming desktop and loved it for the year I had it before I sold it and joined the Army. I am currently on leave looking to purchase a laptop before I go to Korea.

That is one of the few valid needs for a gaming laptop. You really want more GPU power than that GT220m can deliver.

This costs a hair less than the one you suggested: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16834220605

This laptop will be an absolutely lovely laptop. It will be big, heavy, hot, and have no battery life. It will also run games very well. Core i7 and GTX260m puts it far faster than the one you suggested.

# ? Dec 19, 2009 20:42

Thirst Mutilator: Dec 13, 2008

Does anyone know if other companies besides Mac and Sony manufacture laptops with the chiclet style keyboard? I'm currently using 18 month old VAIO SR, and I'm considering getting a new laptop in April, but I'm enjoying the chiclet style so much that I kind of don't want to buy a new laptop without the it, unless the new one is a crazy good upgrade.

Speaking of which, any suggestions for upgrades? I know it's kind of dumb to ask for suggestions when I don't plan on doing it for like 4-5 months, but here are my current specs:

Windows 7 Professional @ 1280x800 13.3in screen
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400 @ 2.26GHz
Memory (RAM) 3.00 GB
Graphics Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family

I'm primarily looking for something with a dedicated graphics option, equivalent RAM and processor power, runs at a 1440x900 resolution, and as above have a chiclet keyboard preferably. Yeah, weird criteria, I know.

A stock MacBook with additional RAM fits most these requirements (the resolution I can deal with, but anyone know laptops that do have that resolution?) but I'm worried about dual-booting - I hear driver support for Windows can be poor and what not, but mostly I'm worried that I'll be using OSX or Windows 7 much more than the other OS, and am wondering whether it would be a good purchase. On the other hand I figure it is a relatively good deal for all I'm getting - I'm willing to pay around $1100-1200, so without AppleCare this it's well within my price range.

Edit: probably good idea to describe my usage - I'm a student, but definitely more of a power user than most (Comp Sci major). I also like playing games - it would be nice to play, oh Dragon Age, even if it's on the lowest settings, but not necessary. I'd like to be able to play demanding games from 2007 and before relatively easily though, such as Company of Heroes.

Thirst Mutilator fucked around with this message at Dec 19, 2009 around 21:24

# ? Dec 19, 2009 21:17

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

Thirst Mutilator posted:

Does anyone know if other companies besides Mac and Sony manufacture laptops with the chiclet style keyboard? I'm currently using 18 month old VAIO SR, and I'm considering getting a new laptop in April, but I'm enjoying the chiclet style so much that I kind of don't want to buy a new laptop without the it, unless the new one is a crazy good upgrade.

I know some Hp Probook's use chiclet keyboards.

quote:

Speaking of which, any suggestions for upgrades? I know it's kind of dumb to ask for suggestions when I don't plan on doing it for like 4-5 months, but here are my current specs:

Windows 7 Professional @ 1280x800 13.3in screen
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400 @ 2.26GHz
Memory (RAM) 3.00 GB
Graphics Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family

I'm primarily looking for something with a dedicated graphics option, equivalent RAM and processor power, runs at a 1440x900 resolution, and as above have a chiclet keyboard preferably. Yeah, weird criteria, I know.

A stock MacBook with additional RAM fits most these requirements (the resolution I can deal with, but anyone know laptops that do have that resolution?) but I'm worried about dual-booting - I hear driver support for Windows can be poor and what not, but mostly I'm worried that I'll be using OSX or Windows 7 much more than the other OS, and am wondering whether it would be a good purchase. On the other hand I figure it is a relatively good deal for all I'm getting - I'm willing to pay around $1100-1200, so without AppleCare this it's well within my price range.

Edit: probably good idea to describe my usage - I'm a student, but definitely more of a power user than most (Comp Sci major). I also like playing games - it would be nice to play, oh Dragon Age, even if it's on the lowest settings, but not necessary. I'd like to be able to play demanding games from 2007 and before relatively easily though, such as Company of Heroes.

The thing I would caution about Apple's in this usage pattern is that they don't do well at keeping themselves cool, they overheat real easy, especially while playing games.

4 to 5 months from now core i7's are going to be a lot more prolific so its going to be hard to make suggestions for that far into the future.

# ? Dec 19, 2009 23:37

Thirst Mutilator: Dec 13, 2008

Coredump posted:

The thing I would caution about Apple's in this usage pattern is that they don't do well at keeping themselves cool, they overheat real easy, especially while playing games.

4 to 5 months from now core i7's are going to be a lot more prolific so its going to be hard to make suggestions for that far into the future.

I don't mind a laptop running hot, unless it runs hot enough to cripple performance and forces me to take a break from using it - is this the kind of overheating you're describing?

And yeah, I figured it would be hard to gauge an upgrade that far in the future. Do you think the MacBooks will have i7's incorporated by then?

# ? Dec 20, 2009 01:08

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Thirst Mutilator posted:

Do you think the MacBooks will have i7's incorporated by then?

I highly doubt it.

# ? Dec 20, 2009 04:36

Coredump: Dec 1, 2002

Thirst Mutilator posted:

I don't mind a laptop running hot, unless it runs hot enough to cripple performance and forces me to take a break from using it - is this the kind of overheating you're describing?

And yeah, I figured it would be hard to gauge an upgrade that far in the future. Do you think the MacBooks will have i7's incorporated by then?

I was playing Left 4 Dead and TF2 on the previous generation Macbook Pro before the Unibody design. I had the Macbook on a desk with the back the elevated and the machine got so hot I first got some weird video artifacts and then the machine crashed on me. I hear the unibody has the same problems with heat.

If gaming is a high priority on your list you might look at what Asus has available. But if you want a nice everyday computer with some occasional gaming then I would consider the Apple.

# ? Dec 20, 2009 18:36

InterceptorV8: Mar 9, 2004; Can't post for 10 hours!

Regicide posted:

If y'all have better reccomendations, please tell me. I need to purchase a laptop before the 18th of January and I don't really want to go over $1500... hell under $1000 would be good but I don't mind. I just want something good.

FYI get one of these.

http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1495

Pricy as gently caress, but if you want your laptop to work when you get there.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 00:26

Never Scroll: Aug 14, 2008

I received my Lenovo G450 last Thursday and I have a couple of observations:

First off, Lenovo's outlet is a piece of poo poo. Since ordering it on the Saturday after black Friday I received emails with different customer numbers, broken tracking numbers and ship dates changing from 12/7 to 1/11 back to 12/9. Trying to call Lenovo is a loving joke with all the 30 minute wait warnings. My emails to websales and PMs to the admin at the official forums were ignored. I was actually in the process of trying to cancel the order when I received the laptop.

All that being said I actually really like it. I got the model with the discrete 210M card and updating nvidia's drivers make hooking this up via HDMI to play 1080p video on an LCD TV nearly retard proof. Keyboard and screen are very good considering with coupons and discounts I spent about $630 shipped including tax and $25 on accident/onsite warranty. I have read a lot of complaints about the ALPS trackpad but I am having zero issues with the installed driver.

It came with a bunch of bundled software that pcdecrapifier took care of in about 30 minutes. Make sure you keep the Lenovo energy management software, it's actually really good surprisingly.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 01:12

oblomov: Jun 20, 2002; So long and thanks for all the fish!

PaulC posted:

No. The 4500 can't even handle HL2, let alone anything after. There are plenty of laptops with video cards in the 15" range. 14, the ASUS UL80vt is an option.

Sony CW can also be had with Geforce 230. For 15" laptops, there is a ton of options from Asus, Sager, Alienware, and others.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 01:56

oblomov: Jun 20, 2002; So long and thanks for all the fish!

Weinertron posted:

That is one of the few valid needs for a gaming laptop. You really want more GPU power than that GT220m can deliver.

This costs a hair less than the one you suggested: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16834220605

This laptop will be an absolutely lovely laptop. It will be big, heavy, hot, and have no battery life. It will also run games very well. Core i7 and GTX260m puts it far faster than the one you suggested.

Plus I believe Asus has worldwide warranty which is good in this case.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 01:58

oblomov: Jun 20, 2002; So long and thanks for all the fish!

Weinertron posted:

That is one of the few valid needs for a gaming laptop. You really want more GPU power than that GT220m can deliver.

This costs a hair less than the one you suggested: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16834220605

This laptop will be an absolutely lovely laptop. It will be big, heavy, hot, and have no battery life. It will also run games very well. Core i7 and GTX260m puts it far faster than the one you suggested.

Alienware m15x is another possibility but it's pricier. I doubt you will have time to get anything else in. Most custom shops won't get it to you by 18th, I believe.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 02:08

TheGreenBandit: Dec 22, 2006; President of the United States of Boogers

Thirst Mutilator posted:

Does anyone know if other companies besides Mac and Sony manufacture laptops with the chiclet style keyboard?

I know an Acer a friend just bought has one of these keyboards. Its quite nice except the numpad makes typing a little bit cramped.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 04:06

Nibbles141: Jun 26, 2008

Hi all, looking for some help buying a laptop, but finding my self lost as to what to get.

Really just need the basics, office, Firefox. Something that can play some older games would be nice too.

Do a lot of travelling so looking for something with decent battery life so I can rip a couple of movies to the HDD and watch on a plane. Will probably by a TV USB for it too.

Looking at this Dell 15.6" Notebook which seems cheap at $897(Australian).

Would that be a decent buy? Anything in this list look better

Links in the OP but the process at 80, although for my needs do I need anything higher?

Also there seems to be a lot of cheaper AMD's around. Looking at the processor list would you see much of a difference between them given basic operations?

# ? Dec 21, 2009 05:04

ReformedNiceGuy: Feb 12, 2008

Can you guys help me choose between the following;

Samsung R720-PS01UK

HP Pavilion DV6-2060EA

The Samsung seems to have a better graphics card and screen resolution, the HP a better processor.

It's going to be replacing my worn out desktop, I know the arguments against this however my wife is pregnant and we're converting the study into a nursery so we have nowhere to put a desktop

I'm in the UK and these seem to be the best value I can find however if anyone else has a better recommendation that would be welcome!

# ? Dec 21, 2009 14:06

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 18, 2013 19:23

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008; back to the future.

ReformedNiceGuy posted:

Can you guys help me choose between the following;

Samsung R720-PS01UK

HP Pavilion DV6-2060EA

The Samsung seems to have a better graphics card and screen resolution, the HP a better processor.

It's going to be replacing my worn out desktop, I know the arguments against this however my wife is pregnant and we're converting the study into a nursery so we have nowhere to put a desktop

I'm in the UK and these seem to be the best value I can find however if anyone else has a better recommendation that would be welcome!

I'd go with the Samsung. HP consumer laptops are a joke as far as reliability goes. If you do any gaming then the Samsung will be able to play games at a decent framerate. Also the Samsung has a Blu-Ray drive if that matters any to you.

# ? Dec 21, 2009 16:38

«‹›451 »

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread