Question:
Hi, from a college student looking for a deal, and seeking your help.
Thanks for looking and reading my message, hopefully you have some helpful information for me. Here is the slate, and Ill add commentary to it, of course.
1) What is your budget?
$1500 and under
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
Honestly, doesn't matter, I'll take any, the smaller the better I guess. But Laptop quality over the screen size.
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Homework, picture editing, video capturing and possibly games (willing to play on low, since my budget doesn't allow me to grab the great hardware). Of course internet as well, and maybe even some programming
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it to different places
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
I own everything from Half Life 2 to Bf2, and know that I probably won't be able to play any of these on the laptop at reasonable settings, but gaming is not the priority, this is for college work
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Trying to stay away from HP, but if it's good, I don't mind. I like Asus, but I'll take anything. Bottom line, brands don't matter.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4+ would be great, but don't factor this in when recalling laptops in your memory.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Yes, as long as the laptop has some user reviews and opinions.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
I prefer widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
A.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
As far as widescreen goes, I love my monitor at home with a 1680 x 1050 resolution, but any will do for my laptop. I guess, D, since this is only a laptop, not a gaming best.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I prefer a matte, also a HD screen if possible.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
I'm buying this laptop asap, so any thoughtful and quick replies would be really appreciated. As far as durability, hopefully, it will last throughout my undergraduate program 4+.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
The more the merrier, but price is the biggest factor in this buy.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
It would be nice if it had a DVD-CD/RW
Well there are the answers, if you know of a good laptop, and are thinking in your mind "I don't want to post." Please do, I need all the help I can get. Hopefully I can get some responses soon, since College is around the corner:) Thank you all and everyone ready to help. I was referred here by someone on MaxPC who said you guys are the best and know your stuff concerning laptops. Thanks again.
- Michael
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
With your budget, it is definitely possible to build a solid machine that can game and last you through college.
I would suggest looking at Dell's E1505 for midlevel gaming at an incredibly cheap price, or the E1705 for highend gaming at a slightly higher, but still solid price.
Recently, for a friend I configured an E1505 with the X1400 GPU, which is a midlevel card, and with a 2 year limited warranty came out to be around $880 including shipping and crazy NJ tax (7% !!! AHHHH). If you choose to go this route, check out slickdeals.net forums as people post a large array of coupons for use at dell.com
Other options include the Acer 5672WLMi with x1600gpu, coming out to around $1200 shipped with a 1-year warranty, the Asus S96J with x1600gpu which costs around $1500 with a 3-year warranty, and the Dell E1705 which I haven't priced, but you can get for around $1500 or less and have the powerful 7900gs gpu, the only issue there is if you wanted a more portable machine. I personally own the E1705 and while it is amazing, would not want to be carrying around campus with me too often. Thankfully I'm a math major and plan to take all my notes on paper, so I won't be bringing it to class anyhow. But that's just me. And for reference, the 7900gs is about 2x as powerful as the x1600. Not sure where the x1400 stands though, but substantially lower than the x1600.
EDIT: I just priced the E1705 with some nice specs, and with a 1 year limited warranty and a 35% off coupon it comes out to be around $1200 shipped, so definitely the best bang for the buck. If you want it insured longer you can get 4 years with accident insurance and bring the price to around $1500.
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
the compal hel80 and hp nc8430 are worth a look. i know you don't like hp, but it is a business notebook built much better and with much better customer support than the consumer line. it will give you the best build quality of the ones mentioned so far.
good resellers for s96j/z96j/compal hel880: powernotebooks.com, xoticpc.com, geared2play.com, gentechpc.com, discountlaptops.com
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
Wow thank you so much both of you. Where did you find that E1705 35% off coupon? Included on the site?
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
dell coupons
i believe you will have to buy a 35% off code from ebay for a couple bucks if the ones given for free in the techbargains forum have been used up.
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
luckily my dad is in the epp program, so i get an added discount :)
Answer:
Re: Hi, another College student looking for a deal.
Awesome I bought the e1505 and what a steal!
1 gig of RAM
Intel Dual Core
Ati X1300
15.4 Inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WSXGA :)
Ati Radeon x1300
120 GB HD
Dell Support 3.0
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated High Definition Audio
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth
Network Associates McAfee 7.0 English, 2 Year Subscription
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
2 Year Limited Warranty
Warranty Support,1 Year Extended
Warranty Support,Initial Year
Dell Hardware Warranty PlusOnsite Service, Initial Year
Type 3- Third Party At HomeService, 24x7 TechnicalSupport
Dell Hardware Warranty PlusOnsite Service, Extended Year
Next Day Shipping (Free!)
Free 15 inch Skin
All for $1100! Thank you so much Final Spirit and ejl, now my laptop requirements are ready for college, and I didn't break the bank! Also that Next Day shipping is weird, because we selected 3-5 days, which was free, and we check the order, and it says Next Day shipping. God has blessed me, thank you everyone for all your help.