Question:
Developer looking for a desktop replacement
[1) What is your budget?
$3200ish
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
development
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Travelling with it, but size, weight, and battery life are of tertiary importance. 95 percent of the time it operates on an umbillical cord anyway.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
RPGs, games based on Unreal Engine
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I don't particularly like Dell
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No, not a problem.
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?
I'd prefer standard, but at my required UXGA resolution, I'd settle for Widescreen.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
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?
Non-glossy I guess; of secondary importance
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?
3 years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
160 if possible, but must run at 7200rpm
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Yes, DVD-RW
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Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
Hmm... It seems as though the Sager 5760c looks to have what I'm interested in. Are there other manufacturers with a competitive configuration to consider?
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
Not too many. The Sager NP5760 (which I have, and which is awesome) is originally a Clevo, and other companies rebrand Clevos under different names (Rock, Alienware, Eurocom, etc.) Sager is usually the best choice. Now it's on sale at Power Notebooks until tomorrow.
The only problem is that the 7900GTX video card in the Sager may be overkill given your gaming needs. Look into the Sager NP5750, which has a slightly less powerful card (7800GTX) and a much lower price tag.
Edit: the NP5750, however, does not have WUXGA. Sorry about that.
C.
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
The HP nw9440 seems like a good candidate, but the WUXGA model is above your budget.
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
maybe the Dell e1705/9400 would do you good...you could fully load it up and it would be under $3200, i think....or you could get a XPS M1710
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
Are you interested in developing 64-bit software? If you are, you should make sure you get a Core 2 Duo.
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
Thanks all for your replies. claudione314, I'm not so worried about overkill on the graphics chip; I am going to be stuck with this laptop for three years.
The front-runner so-far is the Clevo M570U, and for price reasons I'm leaning towards xVxonline as the vendor, but I have about 60 days before I am going to pull the trigger;
The name brand models are nice, but they end up adding $700-800 or so to the configuration I'm looking for.
I will most definitely be doing 64bit development, which made me pause for a moment and consider AMD, since I've heard rumors that the 64bit implementation is faster. Alas, I think Core Duo 2 is the right choice for now (shame on AMD for cancelling both the K9 as well as K10 projects).
Answer:
Re: Developer looking for a desktop replacement
AMD's 64-bit implementation is faster: by about 5% or so - not enough to make up the difference between X2 and C2D.
Suggest you consider the Dell M90 - but with the lesser 1500M video card.