Question:
3 Choose 1, Need Help.
Hello everyone,
I intend to purchase a notebook in December, most likely before Christmas. I have looked all over and have rounded down all the possibilities down to the following three lappies (unless fellow forum crawlers can offer me better options for this price range). Also, would the market change dramatically before then with regards to notebook specs because of the release of Vista and DX10 cards? If so, how long should i wait til purchasing a notebook?
My three choices at the moment are:
Dell M1210
Acer Aspire 5594WXLMi
Asus A8js
all of these upgraded to my prefered specs.
1) What is your budget?
under US$1600
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Gaming, Multi-tasking (music, video, web, chatting), Engineering Software, Other Uni Things.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Yes, mostly to and from home to uni, when going overseas as well.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
MMORPGs, FPS, RTS (2004 onwards)
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Amongst or above the quality/standard of Acer, Asus, Dell
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Preferably above 6-cell batteries
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Nope, don't mind at all.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Taiwan
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter to me.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
OK importance, I like black/silver trims, so its pretty easy.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
preferably above 4 years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
80-120gb
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-RW
17) Processor?
Core 2 Duo 1.83ghz +
18) RAM?
Expandable to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, preferably stock 1GB
19) GPU?
above Geforce 7400 or Ati X1400
Thanks in advance.
Answer:
Re: 3 Choose 1, Need Help.
Regarding the Dx10 cards, i dont think the notebook market will be affected much in the early months of the release of Vista. Both ATi and Nvidia have just announced 80nm cards (X1700 and GO7700) for laptops, and according to reports Nvidia's current Dx10 cards (pre-production) produce a boatload of heat and require another boatload of power. Getting those down to laptop scale will take some time.
I think your best bet would be the A8Js. Its close to the XPS1210 in flashy looks and has a much better video card (Geforce GO 7700) than the others. It comes with an 8 or 6-cell battery that should last enough for your requirements and I think it has a standard 2GB of RAM and a 1440x900 widescreen display.
Answer:
Re: 3 Choose 1, Need Help.
Well...to the best of my knowledge, only Thinkpad x60 has 6+ battery life... I don't think the Asus machines can have that much battery life, but Ive only seem W7J and A8Jm so i wouldn't be too sure.
Of the 3, I think the best one would be the Asus A8js.
Answer:
Re: 3 Choose 1, Need Help.
from what i hear isnt the geforce 7700 chipset very demanding of power, is this true??
also, what is the performance difference between a 1.83ghz processor and 2ghz processor??
Answer:
Re: 3 Choose 1, Need Help.
Yes. You can however underclock it to preserve battery (just search the forums for the know-how). But the 7700 is in another league when compared to the 7400. Check out Chaz's well written guide for a better idea. My recommendation? Go with the A8js, the build quality should be about the same as the XPS. Doubt you'll get one under $1600 though :confused:
Answer:
Re: 3 Choose 1, Need Help.
price wise in Taiwan:
M1210 < a8js (and this M1210 is with 2ghz, 2GB RAM, 120gb HD.. etc)
I don't exactly like the silver/black trim of the Asus, seems somewhat bland, perhaps i could change it.