Question:
$2000 budget for new laptop. Help please???
Hey everyone!
i really need help. My laptop finally gave out on me and I'm looking to buy a really great laptop. I've been saving for awhile and I'm looking to spend quite a bit of money for a laptop that has great speed for running multiple applications and doesn't lag if i run multiple programs. The thing that i find most annoying is lag time actually. I would be using the laptop for school work in college and doing some multimedia (since my laptop is my source of entertainment for music, movies, video, photoshop, developing newsletters and such).
I'd greatly appreciate your expertise! Thanks so much.
1) What is your budget? $1500-$2000ish
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen OR Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Lots of multimedia, running multiple programs!!! , adope photoshop/illustrator, watching movies, and needing it for class note taking and presentations. I don't really do gaming... but i don't know how much of a difference that will make. Basically, a powerful processor and a lot of RAM/memory and good graphics card.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? Definately needing it to be mobile, but i hate small screens... so compromising... 15in doesn't sound bad to me. Also, because i'm a student, i need to take it around to classes and library and such.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? NOt much into games, but i like to play the SIMS 2, Age of Empires 3, Civilization 3 from time to time.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? NOt really...
7) How many hours of battery life do you need? At least 3 hours (not gaming)
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? Thats fine, i jsut want to have assurance that it really is a great system.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in? San Francisco, CA, USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Doesn't matter
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
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.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
(Not sure)
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I don't have a preference. Both work fine with me.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? Somewhat. It has to be presentable, but then again, i don't mind my IBM haha.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? With $2000, i figured I could get a good laptop that is "ahead" of its time.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB? Somewhere above 80gb
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? Yes, i would need a DVD/RW-CD/RW drive.
Again, thanks so much. I'm just so lost out here.
Answer:
Re: $2000 budget for new laptop. Help please???
If you're going to be taking it around with you a lot, you may want to go with a 14.1" system for more portability but the tradeoff is they almost all come with a WXGA resolution (1280x800).
The Compal HGL30, ASUS A8Jm and W3J are all great choices. The Compal is customizable while the ASUS models mentioned are Ensemble systems (pre-configured). Some resellers will customize the Ensembles for you though.
In 15.4", you have some nice choices in the ASUS S96J/Z96J, Compal HEL80 and HP nc8430.
Answer:
Re: $2000 budget for new laptop. Help please???
You might also want to check out the Sony SZ series. There is a decent sale on the SZ260 right now for $1800. (about a $500 discount). You can always upgrade the relatively slow Core Duo chip later and have a pretty easy upgrade.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-SZ260...036629?ie=UTF8
This seems to meet all your objectives and also has a nice carbon cover, very light at 3.7 lbs. Good battery life (rated about 7 hours but realistically half that), excellent/bright screen, unique video card switching capability (more performance for gaming and longer battery life for standard use).
Or for this size factor, you can also check out the Asus W7J which has similar specs but not quite all the features of the Sony. It is a bit heavier and has a somewhat shorter battery life but it is also $300 less. They have the same Core Duo chip, both 1gb ram, sony has 120gb HD - Asus has 100gb. Overall, very similar. Sony also has fingerprint scanner and both have built-in cameras. Normally, I would probably give the edge to the Asus because of the large price difference but with the sale on the SZ260, the price is much closer and I would lean towards the Sony.