What laptop should I buy?

[Sabzi]

I will be a university student soon and I am about to buy a new laptop, the problem is that I don't know which(there are too much).

I would like to hear your thoughts about this(as I am sure lots of you have laptop/notebook already): Do I need a 17" one or a smaller one is enough?
I will use it for programming/gaming mainly.

Budget: 950 - 1200 usd. Only if there is a laptop in that category that I shouldn't miss then I can go up to 1500 usd.(I have been saving for this for 3 years :()

I prefer Intel so I don't want one with AMD, I also prefer ATI, but that's not very important. I want a good brand that will survive for years and not only looks good at the beginning.

Any brand and/or series suggestion is also appreciated if you can't help more. I would like to hear as much suggestion/advice as you can give me :).(Not that I am not looking for a good one, but I am not really an expert and I don't want to make a mistake.)

Thanks in advance,
Sabzi

p.s.: Hopes this is a good section :p.

[Becks]

Asus is a good brand. Look on newegg.com

[Emaziz]

Agreed, Asus is great. And so is AMD! How can you turn down AMD :(

[ShowerThoughts]

Computers just suck.

[nielsie95]

17 inch: Dell Studio 17 or Sony Vaio VPCEB2Z1E/BQ (both Intel and Ati)
Thin & light: Asus UL30JT-RX008X (not really for gaming)

You shouldn't get one with a screen bigger than 17 inch, in my opinion. Although it shouldn't get any smaller either, because you want to use it for gaming too. I recommend you take a look at that Dell :)

[Becks]

Dells are good but you are paying for the name as-well.

[Sabzi]

The Dell look really nice, but it's too expensive for me.(and here, Hungary)
Others looks nice too, thanks again(rep++).
I don't want bigger than 17, but I am interested in your opinions about smaller ones.
Yeah, for gaming smaller may not fit I know, but they are cheaper :p.

@Hermen: Thanks for your nice post too.

[Wanted]

Get something like a dell 14m and load it up with the best processor/screen/memory

[Sabzi]

What you think about samsung? A friend of mine says they are not bad.
@IceFire: That's a good idea actually, but tbh I don't think I will do that.
Hmm, I will think about it more.

[tarajunky]

Laptop CPUs and video cards can't usually be upgraded, so getting those right the first time is important.

Make sure your laptop has 4 Gb RAM or is expandable to 4 Gb.

For best performance, you might want to upgrade to a nice SSD hard drive, but this can easily be done later on.

How the rest of the laptop looks or functions is really personal preference.

Having a CD/DVD burner is nice, but not as essential as it used to be now that flash drives are so common and external DVD drives are also available.

Screen size is definitely personal preference. Some like a big 17", some like a light and portable 12" netbook. I have never liked widescreen laptops, since most websites/documents require vertical scrolling, but they are the most common.

[anonymity]

Most people don't take this part into consideration, but 17 laptops generally tend to run hotter than their smaller cousins. What style of gaming are you referring to? Crisis or Oblivion on full graphics or less demanding games. It is super super important to take heat into consideration while working specs on a notebook/laptop. I did the same thing, saved up for a few years, bought a notebook, and played games on it. It could handle most games pretty well, but it got too hot and I ended up physically melting the video card on the machine. A good two hour long chat with support and they replaced it for me. Now I make sure the machine is properly raised and/or cooled to handle best airflow.

You can usually push out a good notebook for the price you are look at. Taking care of it will be one of the biggest factors in its lastativity (new word, oh yea). I can work on specing one out if you provides more detail and I have time. :)

[Nava2]

Do not go dell if you are considering upgrading later, it cannot be done.

I would suggest Asus though. I run an Asus laptop right now, and I love it. I *really* do not suggest getting a 17". Get a 14", its much more user friendly as far as carrying it and moving it around is concerned.

[Narcle]

Get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220696

ASUS N61JQ-X1 NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 16" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730

I wish I had your budget, that's what I'd get right now.

[Jmcver]

Agreed, Asus is great. And so is AMD! How can you turn down AMD :(

Asus is good brand but AMD sucks!!!!!!!!!

and didnt mention u want a laptop with windows? or Mac? personally i would go with mac, but i dont know what kind of preograms and games u would be running

[nielsie95]

Do not go dell if you are considering upgrading later, it cannot be done.

Depends on what you want to upgrade ;) As far as I know, you can just upgrade memory, hd and battery as good as any other laptop.

[i luffs yeww]

Asus is good brand but AMD sucks!!!!!!!!!

and didnt mention u want a laptop with windows? or Mac? personally i would go with mac, but i dont know what kind of preograms and games u would be running

wat

"Go with a Mac unless you want to play any game."

Or if you wanna be able to try it (Mac) out, go with an Intel processor.

[Cigue]

Asus is good brand but AMD sucks!!!!!!!!!

and didnt mention u want a laptop with windows? or Mac? personally i would go with mac, but i dont know what kind of preograms and games u would be running

I've been with AMD all my life, always got excellent results with their middle-range products :)

Also, gaming is pretty much a Windows thing. Even if it wasn't the choice of the OS (Windows/Mac's OS X) shouldn't matter when shopping for a laptop - Mac laptops suck for the bucks you put in them, so in the end you're just going to buy a regular brand laptop and put OS X on it if you swing that way...

[Smartzkid]

Advice:

Keep it at 17"; if you game or code, you're not going to be satisfied with anything smaller unless you get a larger monitor to connect to when you're in your dorm.

Buy one with 4gb of ram.

SSD's are wonderful, I just got a cheap one to try out and I love it!

Don't choose a laptop based on the brand of processor in it. They're both good - make your choice on speed and # of cores.

Only buy a laptop with a discrete graphics card (duh)

Check out Nvidia Optimus: http://www.nvidia.com/object/optimus_technology.html

[Capricorn]

I would advise against buying a laptop for any sort of serious gaming (3d games)

Edit:

Don't choose a laptop based on the brand of processor in it. They're both good - make your choice on speed and # of cores.

While you shouldn't buy computer products based on brand, you also shouldn't buy CPU's just because the number of cores and "speed" they are.

[anonymity]

These are good laptops. My friend has one. He and I both like it.

http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=9&id=217

[mrpickle]

You'll NEED the following minimum for any gaming laptop nowadays.

- 3g Ram with 1mb cashe
- 1g Video card (support 3d).
- 2.2 gHz

But then, gaming laptops aren't cheap. It's fitting hardware in less. I would personally get a dedicated Gaming PC (macs are too expensive for me), and get a laptop for working. [Also prevents my temptations to go off task while working on the go... which usually means I procrastinated xD].

[anonymity]

^ I covered that all in my post above. :)

[Nava2]

I really don't suggest getting a big laptop... Get a small laptop and a desktop. The desktop can have all its different needs for gaming etc, but the laptop is purely for bringing to class, libraries, etc.

I regret getting a 15.7" laptop, its too big, and a bitch to take to class.

[Nava2]

WOW. Just found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220717&Tpk=u30jc

[anonymity]

I really don't suggest getting a big laptop... Get a small laptop and a desktop. The desktop can have all its different needs for gaming etc, but the laptop is purely for bringing to class, libraries, etc.

I regret getting a 15.7" laptop, its too big, and a bitch to take to class.He holds a really really good point, and I agree. I wish I had a smaller laptop. But, I work with it. A 13-14 is much better. I was just specing out the other size kindof what you asked for.

basically it is a +1 for Nava2

[Capricorn]

Just to make my last post clearer, Nava2 basically outlined the reasons why you should not buy a gaming laptop.

[Neehosoft]

http://www.malibal.com/
http://www.xoticpc.com/ - Custom laptop skins
Ever looked at the toshiba quismos?

I have not made a decision yet, im getting another laptop in September and your looking for pretty much the same thing as me. Tell me what you decide on.

[Wanted]

I have a dell laptop 14m with a 900p 16:9 '1600:900px' screen, has a dual core intel 2.53GHz, 8 GB memory, 500gb HD, extended battery life (5-8 hours), windows 7 home premium 64bit, and dvd rewritable. All that it self came out to around 1200 then with added stuff like 3 year warranty, Microsoft office 2010, ect. ect. it came out to 1700, but this thing is lightweight, small, and super fast. I don't know why you would ever need to upgrade a laptop like that. Sure it's not as good as alienware, but what else do you really need? Most new HD TVs nowadays have the ability to connect a computer to them, as well as PiP (Picture in Picture).

[Sabzi]

Sorry, I just got home(long story) and I will respond asap.
(We have taken over my new flat, I'm so exited. My friend will probably buy a better laptop, but he doesn't have a house ^^(it was so dirty))
EDIT: Omg, one night and half day, so much comments. You are really helping me out! Thanks!(don't got enough time to respond good now)

[Sabzi]

Sorry for double post:

@everybody: I really understand how it would be better with a PC and a smaller laptop, but it's just not fine for me sadly. I don't think we got enough room for a PC.

@anonymity: No, not gaming like that. I just want to play most recent games on medium graphics with playable fps(I don't want 9001 fps, what I can see without lagg(24?) is enough). For 3-4 years this should stay.
Also if you have some spare time for me, it would be really cool. Add me on msn: samsib[at]gmail[dot]com

@Narcle: That laptop is like 1750 usd here, in Hungary in huf. I don't think Newegg ships to Europe. :( These are the times when I want to live in America.

@everybody: Nobody knows something like Newegg in europe(Hungary)?

I am so alone on this forum. Am I the only Hungarian here?

@Smartzkid: I am considering to upgrade with an SSD later on. Not now, not a priority, I think I can live without that now.

@everybody: Now that I have read all of the comments(and spoke to my friend(~15" laptop owner)), I am leaning to get a "smaller" one.

I will come back with a few laptops I have found, tomorrow. So far it seems Intel i5, ATI ~5650 ones would be good.

Okay, I think I have covered everything.

Oh, one more, sorry for long post. Can someone cover me nvidia vs ATI?
For example geforece GT330 is * in ATI. I will read a lot about this tomorrow, but it's 23:00 pm here and I can hardly write(god, thanks for grammar checker).

[anonymity]

Not gaming like I described or not gaming like the laptop that I referred you to?

And I think what you might come across is you can't always pick the best of both worlds. It is harder to find a 13-14" notebook that is i5 quality or supports many games. You give size for power and power for size. That is how that usually ends up working out. Now, this does not mean you can't play games. One of my best friends/instructors has a min 7'' laptop that he opens up and plays diablo 2 on all the time. It can play mini low end graphics games, but it can't push out much of anything else. Part of getting 'gaming' quality parts and such is that it speeds up other things. Faster code compiling and app running. The like. Best of luck on your machine.

oh, I am in the process of moving right now. I will add you when I get the chance. =]... also, I installed a couple of viruses and need to wipe the machine... so it will be a few days.

E: By "gaming quality" this usually includes a higher processor, more ram, and a better motherboard. But yes they are more taxing on the power and generate more heat.

[Sabzi]

Not gaming like you described. I don't want to play shitty Crisis on full graphics or anything like that sort of thing.

When I say smaller, I mean <17". I think a ~15" one will be good.

[Capricorn]

First thing ill say is, no, 24 FPS is not "fluid". But it largely depends on the game your playing. In a fast paced FPS, you notice a difference of FPS going from 30 to 40, from 40 to 50, etc etc all the way up to 90-100 FPS.

Likewise, if you have a slow rolling fog, that could be rendered at 2 FPS and still look fluid because fog moves slow as balls.


Part of getting 'gaming' quality parts and such is that it speeds up other things. Faster code compiling and app running.

The only thing that speeds up compiling and app running is a faster processor. OP can buy a laptop with any i3, i5 or i7 CPU without a beefy GPU. The thing with gaming any gaming laptop is, its that GPU's will suck your battery dry extremely fast. This is being fixed with some "fixes" like nvidia's way of building onboard GPU and not powering the dedicated GPU when its not being used.

I am still adamant that you should buy a 500$ range laptop and spend the rest on the desktop. I tell everybody this.

[Smartzkid]

+1 Capricorn.

Buy cheap laptops, and buy often. This keeps you at the forefront of technology and, if you buy a new one every year or less, allows you to sell your old machines while they're still worth a bit.

[Laimonas171]

I prefer netbook for university why?

Netbook is not have doesn't take so much space, notebook is not for games :D and for studying is enough netbook and it's quite cheap :) battery works ~6hours.

bad things only small keyboard and screen need to get used :) , but for studying its enough :)

[WhiteShadow]

If I were you I'd rather save most of that money and buy an OMEGA/EFFIN' AWESOME desktop computer... (Build it yourself? :D). Just imagine (2 TB HD/ 3+ GHz CPU/ 16gb RAM/ Sweet Graphics Card.../ with Windows 7 and Ubuntu) aww so lovely.

Because no matter how great a laptop is it's still uncomparable to what you could do with a desktop.
- Upgrade yourself (ram/cpu/hd space/graphic card)
- Any size Monitor. Do yourself a favor. Buy a large monitor. Trying to do graphic design, animation, 3D modeling, or just browsing the web with a tiny ass screen (15 in) after a while gets really annoying.
- Keyboard. (i hate laptop keyboards. They don't make that type sound I love :( )
- Etc.

Just take a little netbook ($200- 350 & up to 10 hours battery life!) to college. Esp, if you want it to take it to class they fit in your backpack just right or just hold it around.

But if you really must have a laptop like everyone else said use Asus.

Stray FAR AWAY from hp. I hate their laptops like damn... they come with so much unneeded shiz and lag because of that.

But don't just look at brands. I suggest you go to Best Buy and see their current deals. It's easy to buy a great laptop (2.0 + Ghz CPU, 320+ HD, 4gb ram) for around $600 or less nowadays, esp. since it's back to school time the prices are lower than usual.

I'm currently using a dell and it's been working pretty well for me (it's an xps.). So I don't know why some people are saying dell isn't great. :/

Don't be a brand person. Look at the specs! (STAY AWAY FROM HP THOUGH).

EDIT:

Desktops don't take much room at all nowadays. Place the PC case sideways and put the Monitor on top... cases keep getting smaller and smaller too while monitors are flatter/ but larger surface area.

I want to bring a desktop & netbook to college.

[ShowerThoughts]

Dell is freaking great.
My dell is like 6 years or more old and it can still run Call of Duty 4 great :).
At the time I bought it it was 800 euro's.

i have an 15,4 inch screen(acer sucks dont buy it) but I can play Modern Warfare 2 and p0wn the crap out of people, but I prefer a 17inch normal screen. I don't like Widescreens.

[noidea]

If I were you I'd rather save most of that money and buy an OMEGA/EFFIN' AWESOME desktop computer... (Build it yourself? :D). Just imagine (2 TB HD/ 3+ GHz CPU/ 16gb RAM/ Sweet Graphics Card.../ with Windows 7 and Ubuntu) aww so lovely.

I dont see how 2TB and 16GB of RAM makes it awesome.
When I built, I got a 640GB hdd for 50USD. So far I've got Windows 7, Arch linux, and ubuntu on it with no problems. I havent used > 2.5GB yet, I bought 4.

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.

[Sabzi]

Okay, after I decided to go with 15.x" Nielsie's suggestion of the Sony Vaio VPCEB2Z1E/BQ perfectly fits. Only problem is that it is sony -> more expensive.
This laptop, but cheaper not sony? Are there any?
Or I should simply go with this?

[Becks]

Do not go dell if you are considering upgrading later, it cannot be done.

I would suggest Asus though. I run an Asus laptop right now, and I love it. I *really* do not suggest getting a 17". Get a 14", its much more user friendly as far as carrying it and moving it around is concerned.

completely agree.

well.. if you didn't purchase... look here :)

http://www.newegg.com/Store/BrandSubCategory.aspx?Brand=1315&SubCategory=32&Tpk=asus%20laptop

[Capricorn]

I dont see how 2TB and 16GB of RAM makes it awesome.
When I built, I got a 640GB hdd for 50USD. So far I've got Windows 7, Arch linux, and ubuntu on it with no problems. I havent used > 2.5GB yet, I bought 4.

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.

People definitely use over 6 GB, but the very vast majority do not :).

But 2TB... I could download that much in a month.

[anonymity]

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.I take it you have never compiled any real large code, rendered large pictures or video clips. There is certainly reason and use for more than that. I would consider running 12 on my next machine I am saving up to build. This all comes in handy when doing media stuff or the like (processors too). And if you want to be fun and run a personal machine as a mini server... the same applies.
EX: Where I work, we just got a new server and it has 128GB of RAM... * mind I know that is a server.. but still.. for a personal use machine, there could certainly pose a usefulness to having more than 6-8GB RAM.

[Capricorn]

I take it you have never compiled any real large code, rendered large pictures or video clips. There is certainly reason and use for more than that. I would consider running 12 on my next machine I am saving up to build. This all comes in handy when doing media stuff or the like (processors too). And if you want to be fun and run a personal machine as a mini server... the same applies.

Most people don't render large pictures or movies or compile really large projects.

I would rather buy 4/6GB (depending if its a dual/triple channel mobo) and spend the extra money on a SSD.

[Smartzkid]

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.

I agree, many people have no use for more than 8gb; however, there is a huge list of software that benefits from lots of ram. Mostly Adobe, Autodesk, Massive, Dassault, etc, etc. Quite a few people here use software from at least one of those companies.


But 2TB... I could download that much in a month.

If not for comcast bandwidth caps :(

[mrpickle]

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.

x 2 monitors + 2 sets of mouse and keyboard for 1 computers. Play 2 HD games @ same time on comuter while initiating continuous Full system scanning.

I can easily go over 8 Gs of ram xD....

[noidea]

x 2 monitors + 2 sets of mouse and keyboard for 1 computers. Play 2 HD games @ same time on comuter while initiating continuous Full system scanning.

I can easily go over 8 Gs of ram xD....

.....

@ anonymity: Ok, lets say you turn on your computer. Windows loads up using 1GB of ram. You then start compiling this 'large project.' You will not use another 5GB compiling...
ALRIGHT FINE, you're using an IDE. Windows is using 1GB, your IDE is using 1GB, I still find it hard to fathom you're going to use 4GB compiling code.

[anonymity]

@ anonymity: Ok, lets say you turn on your computer. Windows loads up using 1GB of ram. You then start compiling this 'large project.' You will not use another 5GB compiling...
ALRIGHT FINE, you're using an IDE. Windows is using 1GB, your IDE is using 1GB, I still find it hard to fathom you're going to use 4GB compiling code.
^ not just code silly, larger projects, and I have watched people compile/export their code and utilize much more than 1G. The RAM also makes a difference to how many programs you are going to be running at one time.
EX: if I have my outlook, Open office Word, notepad++, gimp, firefox, itunes, and chat program all running at the same time. it is going to tax way hecka more than 4 GB especially if I am active in more than one window. yes it is possible and not all that too uncommon. see below too. v

I agree, many people have no use for more than 8gb; however, there is a huge list of software that benefits from lots of ram. Mostly Adobe, Autodesk, Massive, Dassault, etc, etc. Quite a few people here use software from at least one of those companies.

but hey, this is all offtopic anyhow :). Hey Sabzi, you should shows us a pic once you get it. =]

[Sabzi]

Hey Sabzi, you should shows us a pic once you get it. =]

Sure.

I'm not that fast thinker :D. I always think before things like this a lot because I don't want to regret my decision in the future.
Sometimes this is not good, but I can't decide quickly.
Still, the winner seems to be that sony so far.(even after so much research)

EDIT: This is my thread, right? So let's say I widen the topic so ram discussions(and things like this) fits in. I have read everything you all have written btw and it is a good read. This is the only thread I am reading since I got less time :p and I like discussions like this.

To join, I think for a regular user 4 GB is enough. And I don't know how you use those programs, anonymity, but even my 2 GB of RAM can pretty much handle a bunch of those programs at once.

[Smartzkid]

Firefox can easily draw 500mb for plugins + a lot of tabs.
Visual Studio 2010 generally hovers between 1gb and 1.5gb.
VLC is typically around 100mb.
Maya takes anywhere from 250mb to 2gb for large scenes.
Premiere Pro takes 250mb standing with no project.
Photoshop takes 250mb with one small image loaded.
After effects takes 120mb with no project.

That's about 4gb right there, and that's without any projects loaded in them.

[Capricorn]

Firefox can easily draw 500mb for plugins + a lot of tabs.
Visual Studio 2010 generally hovers between 1gb and 1.5gb.
VLC is typically around 100mb.
Maya takes anywhere from 250mb to 2gb for large scenes.
Premiere Pro takes 250mb standing with no project.
Photoshop takes 250mb with one small image loaded.
After effects takes 120mb with no project.

That's about 4gb right there, and that's without any projects loaded in them.

Why would you run Visual Studio, VLC, Maya and Photoshop all at once?

You can program, watch movies, model and do graphic design all at once? Holy crap man.

[WhiteShadow]

I dont see how 2TB and 16GB of RAM makes it awesome.
When I built, I got a 640GB hdd for 50USD. So far I've got Windows 7, Arch linux, and ubuntu on it with no problems. I havent used > 2.5GB yet, I bought 4.

I dont see why people put so much RAM in their computers.. You'll never use over 6 or 8GB.

I download tons of BlueRays/DVDs/Whole Albums all the time. My 500 gb external harddrive is all full. :( I keep a bunch of set up software and such too so I can take it around to help friends/family reformat their computer.

And about the RAM.

I do a lot of graphic design so I have to open (illustrator/photoshop) at the same time. Sometimes Flash is open at the same time too because I'll draw something and then move it over to the other programs. I do 3D modeling with Maya too so sometimes that's also open. Then for my animation I have to do video editing with Premiere Pro then render/export it with media encoders so easily that's 5 memory hogging items open... And of course while I'm working I need to look at my references so I'll need my firefox (which I add a ton of shit on) and have about 10 different tutorials open for a certain project I'm working on.

Then of course I'm torrenting something leaving Thunderbird on to get my e-mail instantly and I got my instant messaging going on.

I'm sure I could have found ways to shorten that list up but I like leaving things open and then switching it up so.

But yeah for an average computer user about 4gb (with a little bit of patience) is fine. :) You definitely have a point.

[Smartzkid]

Why would you run Visual Studio, VLC, Maya and Photoshop all at once?

You can program, watch movies, model and do graphic design all at once? Holy crap man.

Hahah, not quite. Often though, I'll find myself with boujou, maya, photoshop, premiere pro, and after effects all running at once.

And I do code to a movie every now and then :p

I'm not sure how much RAM P2P apps require. Does anyone have metrics there?

[Capricorn]

Hahah, not quite. Often though, I'll find myself with boujou, maya, photoshop, premiere pro, and after effects all running at once.

And I do code to a movie every now and then :p

I'm not sure how much RAM P2P apps require. Does anyone have metrics there?

uTorrent uses about 5 mB

[Heavenguard]

Ya know, me and my friend usually bring up computers now and then when were bored in class and at lunch. Usually it all results to: Make your own Computer. Coming from a lot of my friends who study this and save up for parts and make there own computers, it seems really easy and worth it if you take the time to carefully build the computer. Now the rest of the information im about to say may not be correct at all, but I think the parts all together would cost less and the perfomance would be much greater then spending X amount of money on a brand-name / alienware computer.

Now this is just from what I discuss with my friends :P [a Serious Old-School WoW Addict, a kid who did his research on computers before he built his own, and a couple of actors who also built there own for gaming needs].

:D Hope I helped.

[Smartzkid]

Has anyone here ever built their own laptop?