Question:
Final Decision (I hope...)
Hi, I'm a High School Grad looking for a good laptop for college. I've been working over the summer and have saved enough money now to bear some fruit for the labor. I really wanted to get a good deal for my first laptop and started researching and looking on the internet about two weeks ago. It's been a rather stressfull time so far; I've made several laptops my ideal champions for a couple days or hours only to find in later research some under-played and under-mentioned deficiency or a more competitive candidate.
Since I stumbled upon it, this site has been great for support, and best of all, info. Knowledge really is Power when buying laptops. Super kudos to you guys, your reviews are great.
I think I've finally found my ideal laptop for the price and balance of performance vs battery life. Yet, I can't quite get past the tormenting idea that I might still finding something better, as I have for the past two weeks.
Was interested in a 5256WLMi I read in a review but seemed to be a bit more expensive (from my guess of the Euro exchange rate) and Europe-centered.
Any help is appreciated in helping quell this issue once and for all. :cool:
1) What is your budget?
Max $2500, prefer $1000+/-. $1500 +/- if the value is there.
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 papers, web surfing, music/video's, light to occasionally hard sustained gaming. Will likely become 2nd extension of self.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? Transporting around with me. Weight is not an important factor but size perhaps if very large/bulky.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
I enjoy playing modern/semi-modern games like HL2, COD2, Halo. Interested in playing Oblivion soon.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
If the value and quality are there, I'll deal, though the inflated prices of most of the big brands has irked me.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2 hours minimum, 3+ greatly appreciated. Appreciation increases exponentially.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Makes me somewhat nervous but otherwise okay.
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?
Standard seems to be better for games but seeing as how it's getting to be a rather rare thing, I'll settle for wide as well.
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.
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'm not a fan of reflection but glossy seems to be the better option, not a deal-killer however.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Somewhat. Cosmetics was initially important to me but less so as I recognized it was a weak characterisitic vs value/price. :p
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? As soon as possible, would like 1-4 yrs.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
80Gb+
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? DL DVD-+RW preferred but as long as it remains both CD/DVD read/write capable.
OS) I initially really wanted either XPP or MCE XP but finally rationalized that while software is easy to replace, I'm generally going to be stuck with the hardware.
Another site I also found to be very helpful was...
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-...ist.844.0.html Helped me spot what made the reduction in price possible in many cheap deals.
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
check the dell outlet because they have good deals. The acer system you are looking at I got it for 900 from the dell outlet
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
Thanks for the reply!
From what I see of the Inspiron customization pages, going Dell would kick in a couple nice little extras (printer) and options (1.83Ghz Duo), however the best graphics card I can find in the x<$1200 range is the 256mb Radeon X1400 Hypermemory. I still think the 128mb x1600 outclasses this though and when I copied the specs over more or less, the price was about the same or slightly over.
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
Yes, the 128 MB x1600 should do a lot better than the x1400. As for Dell Outlet, since the e1705 is bulky and awkward, you're kind of limited to the x1400, unless you find a good Outlet deal on a Latitude D820, with the Quadro NVS 120M, say, which may not be to your liking since it's not really a gaming card. Anyway, for the specs, $1080 seems like a very good price. I've always thought you get a lot for the money with the 5672, especially with the X1600 for under $1200. My only other thought is that the Asus S96J looks like a good option too: better specs than the 5672 but still under $1500 ($1360 right now at newegg.com, after a $100 rebate, in its ibuypower incarnation.
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
A very respectable laptop indeed. A good find Hazel. However, I also found
I'm kind of drawn into a mini 3-sided civil war now :( . Satisfy the frugal, pragmatically battery-considering side with 5672WMLi, or let the Media gamer side play untethered with the S96J and MCE XP. Somewhat less influencing without a rebate to mitigate the cost, the TM4674 still catches a piece of the action with XP Pro and an extra 1Gb Ram over the others...
Since I live in CA, I still get to pay a wonderful extra 7% sales tax on all three options for final shipping too... :(
Decisions and more decisions... :confused:
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
Tough call. You obviously know what you're doing, so I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. If it were me, I'd probably go with Asus or maybe even consider the HP NC8430, since it also has the 256 MB x1600, plus it comes with a 3-year warranty. What makes the decision difficult, I guess, is your flexibility on price. There's a lot out there right now in the $1100 to $1600 range. My own bias is towards business-class machines with three-year warranties, thus the NC8430. Good luck.
Answer:
Re: Final Decision (I hope...)
NC8430 is really a great machine for the price. Has the build quality, graphics power and battery life your looking for.