Question:
Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
Hi Everyone,
I'd love to know what opinions you guys have on what laptops I should look at. Thanks for your help!
1) What is your budget?
<$1500 CDN (Including Taxes, Warrenty, Shipping)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
School Work (Office Applications/Internet)and Multimedia (Movies and Music)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Commuting to school.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No. (However, would I not need a dedicated graphics card to run Vista Aero?)
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No. (Would prefer trusted brand with good support readily accesible in Canada)
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
3+
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No Preference (Would prefer, however, to purchase from a reliable source)
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Wide Screen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy/Reflective Preferred but not essential.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Expect to purchase laptop by mid August. Expect laptop to last 4+ years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
80-120GB 5400rpm or greater
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
A DVD-RW would be nice, but a DVD-CD/Rw would suffice.
I know a lot of these threads are posted, but thanks for reading mine and lending your imput.
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
no need for dedicated gfx card.
the only one that will do it is the Intel GMA 950 (or any onboard ati/nvidia)
my bro has the Dell e1405
he paid less than $800 US and it's spec'd out
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
Hey, I woud also suggest buying from Dell, easy to order from, ability to custimize (unlike hp in Canada). I would recommend either the dell 14" Insipiron or 15.4" Inspirion, depending on what screen size you prefer.
The only big difference between the 14 and 15.4 models, is the 15.4 has the option to a add a dedicated grpahics card. IMO, dedicated is a better choice to help future proof the laptop for 4 years and for Vista. rather then the integrated graphics of the 14".
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
Get an ASUS or IBM!! haha. better built quality than Dell.
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
The HP dv6000z seems like a nice choice - it has a great design and good keyboard.
Dell's Inspiron E1505 is also worth a look, although it will not have the quality or nice design of the HP.
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
Hi Chaz,
I can't seem to find the HP dv6000z @ www.hp.ca
Are you sure its available in Canada?
Cheers
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
IMO, dedicated is a better choice to help future proof the laptop for 4 years and for Vista. rather then the integrated graphics of the 14".
It seems this is a point of contention amongst people...will having a dedicating GPU really help future proof the computer? If it can run Vista Aero with the Intel 950 than why wouldnt it be able to still run vista based applications 3 or 4 years from now?
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
Hi Chaz,
I can't seem to find the HP dv6000z @ www.hp.ca
Are you sure its available in Canada?
Cheers
They hide it well ;)
BTW, the only model I've seen in Canada is the dv6058cl @ Costco.
Cheers.
Answer:
Re: Ideas for Quality Laptop for Student? (<$1500)
I strongly recommend avoiding buying a notebook with a GMA 900/950 in it, as these parts aren't the least bit futureproof and can't run Windows Vista in all its glory, much less play modern games. Understanding that these are the vast majority of parts in the market right now, they're still very hard to recommend.
from the 2006 notebook graphics card guide on this site.
I guess the GMA 950 is supposed to be able to run Aero Glass in Vista, but I don't know how smooth this would go.