Question:
Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
I'm new to computer-notebook, and having a heck of a time wading through
online stores, google, and anywhere else I can try to find information
about purchasing an inexpensive notebook - from Ireland ! :mad:
Here is the general rundown:
==========
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
Ideally < 1000 Euro including VAT and Shipping, some +/- depending.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
Anything 14.1" or smaller - and preferably not with a giant
bezel around the screen either .. needs to be reasonably portable.
( i.e. as light as possible, < say 5lbs at least ? )
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Mostly work, some hobby coding, and gaming .. looking for a dual core
system, and *not* integrated intel graphics.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I need to be able to move it around relatively easily.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
GuildWars, (Casual play) and other mostly strategy types.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No preference.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
At least 2 hours, not a make or break factor.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
I don't mind not seeing it in person, or even doing barebones and
assembling the system myself if needed.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Ireland ! I need to be able to buy it physically, or online from Ireland.
(Assembled or in parts)
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Probably Widescreen.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
*not* XGA ! preferably WXGA or WXGA+ won't do better than that in
my budget I'm sure - but bigger is better.
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.
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.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter, not a make or break, although I suppose non-glossy if
possbile.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really, other than the system must be a good fit for the screen,
i.e. no wide casing around the screen itself.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Needs some longevity into 64 bit, a few years at least.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
60GB absolute minimum.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Not mandatory at all, doesn't matter.
==========
I'd be willing to buy, and use, it with only 512MB for a while, and buy
memory and upgrade it myself sometime later ( but obviously the more
I can get the better - goal to reach 2GB RAM ultimately )
Any opinions on the HP Pavilion dv2036ea ?
This seems to be pretty close to what I can manage in my budget ..
Help ! :)
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
I'm in Ireland as well, and am also driving myself insane with choices!
Anyway, here are two places I'm looking at to order it online (when I finally decide what 'it' is!)
http://uk.insight.com <-- deliver to Ireland, prices look good
http://www.elara.ie <-- Irish company, you can pick up the laptop from their offices in Dublin - cross-check the prices
By the way, so far I've been looking at Lenovo (IBM) Thinkpads (R60/T60/T42) and HP-Compaq nc6400 range.
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
Can anyone beat this ?!
FUJITSU - (LKN:GBR-102120-004) - Elara Code - (ECE1270650)
AMILO Pa 1510 AMD Turion TL-56 (1.86GHz), Windows XP Home, 2GB (2*1024MB), 120GB SATA, DVDRW, 15.4" TFT (CrystalView), ATI Radeon« Xpress 1100 (upto 256MB Shared) WLAN
This system looks pretty good for 1100 Euro ?! (Incl Vat & Shipping)
I really don't want a 15.4 .. but it's seems 14.1 or less is very hard to
find in my budget .. :(
How are Fujitsu systems in general, ok ?
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
just so you know, the xpress 1100 is an integrated gpu. you would probably better off with the dv2000t with the 7200go for gaming and portability. as for fujitsu siemens, it seem to be reading a good number of problems with customer support....but i don't think you can really beat their price for performance.
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
Hrm ok yea I don't really want 15.4 .. the HP 2000 series look decent !
It's 14.1, looks like the AMD system will be closer to my budget than an Intel based one .. how would you compare:
Intel Core Duo 1.66 (Not Core 2 Duo) vs. Turion 64 X2 TL-52 (1.6) ?
I am interested in system responsiveness, as I multitask like a fiend when
not gaming, or sometimes while gaming ;)
Also The Intel offering has 2GB Ram vs the 1GB with AMD :(
I'm thinking the graphics are comparable:
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7200 vs. NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6150
(I'm comparing HP Pavilion dv2058ea vs. HP Pavilion dv2036ea)
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
Go 6150 is an integrated card (just to know) but 7200 is dedicated and so much better for gaming.
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
Arg ok the T2300E Lappy is out - no 64bit, and no virtualization !
I may have to comprimise on the graphics, as these are a higher priority :o
Surely the 6150 is better than Intel graphics at least ?
The best price I've found so far on the HP Pavilion dv2036ea is almost 1200 euro :(
The search continues ..
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
anything is better then Intel's video cards
look for HP dv2000t with core 2 duo it should be in your price range
(dunno whether it's available in Ireland)
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
I haven't been able to find the HP dv2000t available in Ireland so far,
however it's appears to be a 15.4 which is a bit big for my needs.
I'm also interested in the MSI S271, it has a big bevel, but it's also
more compact and still has WXGA 1280x800. For example:
HP Pavilion dv2036ea........................MSI S271
Price: 1200 euro.............................800 pounds (~1200 euro)
CPU: AMD Mobile Turion 64X2 TL52....AMD Mobile Turion 64X2 TL52
RAM: 1024MB DDRII 533Mhz Memory..1024MB DDRII 533Mhz Memory
Screen: 14.1” WXGA 1280 x 800........12.1” WXGA 1280 x 800
HD: 100 GB EIDE hard drive, SATA......80GB PATA Hard Drive
Video: NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6150...128MB ATI Xpress 1150 Graphics
Wieght: 2.43 kg..............................Less than 1.95Kg
Size: 334mm(W)x 237mm(D)x 26-39mm(H)..303mm(W)x 225mm(D)x 26-28mm(H)
Misc: Super DVD Writer.....................Super DVD Writer
Wireless LAN...................................Wireless LAN
Not sure the formatting, couldn't get fixed width fonts to work,
Almost the only thing really differenciating these is the video ?
Although I'm not sure how HP vs MSI compare in terms of finish
and build quality .. if you had to choose between these two which
would you go for ?
Or if someone knows something better for 1000'ish euro I'm all ears :D
Answer:
Re: Can't decide/find a new laptop ?!
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie seems to be a pretty good source as well,
actually I found this system in my budget:
HP Compaq nx6325
* AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-60 2 GHz
* 1GB DDRII-667MHz SDRAM
* 80GB Hard Drive
* DVDRW Multi Drive
* 15" TFT Screen - 1400 x 1050 resolution
* ATI Radeon Xpress 1150
* Integrated gigabit LAN
* Integrated wireless 802.11a/b/g LAN
* Integrated Bluetooth
It's 15" but I think for the price and the increased 1400 x 1500,
this looks like the best deal I'm going to find. It's not ground breaking
in the graphics department, but it's not intel at least. :o
Opinions ?