Question:
Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
Hey, I'm a grad student in English Lit in NYC looking for a new laptop. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
1) What is your budget? I guess around $3000 or less. Can go higher if I need to, but there's no real need, right?
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Writing a lot of papers, editing a lot of papers, watching movies, listening to music, playing games
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? Mostly it'll stay at my desk, but at certain times I'll be running around the city a lot, for like a week at a time (when I have massive papers or conferences to prepare)
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? Yeah, games. Not sure which games right now, but I'd like to have the option to play pretty much what I want. I understand if I have to sacrifice a bit because a 17" might not be portable.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? No prefs.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need? Not too concerned with battery life; good battery life is gravy to me.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? Nope.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in? USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer? I'm not too sure about this; from the Screen Guide, I guess I should go with slightly lower resolutions for games?
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.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? I slightly prefer glossy, but can go either way
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? Not really, but all things equal, I'll go with the stylish one.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? Buying within the next couple weeks and I guess I'd like it to last as long as possible, like 3 years?
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB? 80-100GB should be good.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? DVD-RW
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
I'd say if you want to carry this around I would go smaller, 14" or under but thats me. The Fujitsu e8210 might be worth considering.
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
I have checked out some laptops and think I shouldn't have a problem with a 15.4".
I think I've narrowed it to the HP nc8430 or the Compal HEL80. Does anyone feel really strongly one way or another? Thanks!
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
The ThinkPad Z61 is something to look at.
I think I've narrowed it to the HP nc8430 or the Compal HEL80. Does anyone feel really strongly one way or another? Thanks!
The HP will have a better keyboard, but the Compal has a more interesting design. I'd probably go with the HP.
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
You probably have seen the HP NC8430 review that is up right now. Looks like a good choice to me.
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
The HP will have a better keyboard, but the Compal has a more interesting design. I'd probably go with the HP.
That's exactly the impression I got, reading reviews. Also, the HP seems a bit lighter? I'm not sure, I feel like I should, objectively, go for the HP; but, the Compal seems like a cooler computer :p
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
That's exactly the impression I got, reading reviews. Also, the HP seems a bit lighter? I'm not sure, I feel like I should, objectively, go for the HP; but, the Compal seems like a cooler computer
It really is. If you didn't already see our HEL80 review:
And also be sure to get other people's impressions in our Compal forum - the HEL80 Owner's Lounge:
I don't think you can go wrong with either machine - what I would do is put together an excel spreadsheet and compare the two.
Answer:
Re: Grad School/Gaming Laptop, No Real Budget
The NC8430 is going to have sturdier build quality and a more powerful X1600 over a more underclocked 7600.
The HEL80 (My 2nd or 3rd choice) has a lot of things going for it, but I never thought looks was one of them.