Question:
$1100-$1300 15.4" recommendations needed
1) What is your budget?
$1100-$1300
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Work, moderate gaming and video encoding (so a CD/C2D/TX2 would help)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I will be moving around the house with it and travel occasionally, anywhere from 5-8 pounds would be okay
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
The most demanding is probably BF2, X1400/GF7400 or X1600/GF7600/GF7700 would be fine
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?
3-4+ hours with brightness down and doing simple tasks, or only 2 hours if extra batteries are cheap
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No
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?
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Fairly important, and I don't like Dell Inspiron looks at all
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying soon; 2 years at most
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
100-120GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Yes, DVD-RW would be nice but not necessary
I am considering:
Alienware Area-51 m5550
HP Pavilion dv6000t
How are these laptops? Are there any others (ASUS, Acer, etc. - the ones I don't know about) that would fit my bill? There has to be others. And I like having the latest or new hardware.
Answer:
Re: $1100-$1300 15.4" recommendations needed
Asus S96J and Compal HEL80 can be configured within your budget and have powerful video cards.
For X1400/Go7400, you may try the Dell e1505 or the HP dv6000 you found.
C.
Answer:
Re: $1100-$1300 15.4" recommendations needed
The Alienware m5550 only has about 1.5 hours of battery life so I would not recommend it. Nice notebook otherwise.
I agree with claudione's recommendations of the Compal HEL80 and Asus S96J. I personall prefer the Compal, our review can be found here:
I would recommend the HP dv6000t over the Dell because it has a more pleasing design and better quality.