Question:
Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
Hello Everybody :)
I really need some help with decision to make about buying a laptop.
It is for my girlfriend and after buying Acer 'on sale' as my first one I don't want to spend my money carelessly.
Ok. So lets start with those questions and I will explain the rest at the end.
1) What is your budget?
600 punds, or if You like 1200$ but as far as I remember notebooks are much cheaper in USA.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
it would be best if it was 14", but I am considering 15" as well as You can hardly find anything within the budget and needs.
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
first of all general use, interenet, voip calls, dvd movies, dvd ripping, encoding, decoding, ripping movies from digital camcorders, maybe some photoshop, and as I will be using it as well, probably some games :) but nothing hard core ;)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
i've got Acer 3613WLMi 15.4" and this f****r s so heavy but I was carring it around few times. So if the chosen one will be 14" it should be fine. Actually it would be good if I could take it without the hassle.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
On my config Celeron M 1.6, 1GB ram, intel 910 integrated I am able to play Fifa 07 (minimum details, min resolution) and PES6 (800x600, low detail) without problems. Also C&C Generals run smoothly on 800x600 high det. So its not so bad. But if it could handle a bit more it would be great.
Mostly it would need to handle those 3 and pretty similar games, so some more RTS, but as I know new ones are getting pretty tough on graphics...
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No Acer please. :) Asus would be great as it has got 2 year warranty that will also be regarder in Poland, where I am from.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
anything over 2 is good. But more than 3 is awesome.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not at all.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Done :)
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen for movies please.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
I have no idea about the diferences.
On Acer I've got 1280x800 and is very satisfying.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I think glossy would be better.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
It has to be solid built. As the Acer already after 6 months has got small crack, erasions on LMB touchpad, and some scratches.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
In a week time probably. It should handle Vista and last for around 3 years or more.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
80 should be minimum, but with DVD-RW 6 is fine.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Of course :) DVD-RW, best if DL please :)
It would be very nice if the laptop has got either IR port or Bluetooth, firewire, and integrated camera.
So thats the questions done.
There is a few that I have found interesting, but when I started to go deeper into it become more confusing. And I cant make a good decision now.
The list:
HP Pavilion DV2104EU
AMD Turion 64 x2 Dual Core TL-50 1.6 GHz 2x256kb cache L2
14.1 inches Bright widescreen
120 GB HDD
1024 MB RAM
128MB Geforce Go 6150.
webcam, firewire, 3x usb, around 2:30 min running battery time, nice design, good speakers.
Price 560 pounds.
Toshiba A100-207
Intel Centrino Duo 1.73 GHz T2250
15.4 inches bright widescreen
120 GB HDD
1024 MB RAM
128MB Intel GMA950
firewire, 5in1 card reader, 4x usb, 3:30 battery life,
price 570 pounds.
Toshiba A100-147
Intel Core Duo T2050 Processor 1.6GHz
1024 MB RAM
60 GB HDD
15.4" Widescreen TruBrite
128mb Intel GMA 950
no extras, battery running time unknown
Price: even 450 pounds, but more likely 500 (depends if e-code will still be working:) ).
Asus A6F-AP033H
Intel Core Duo 1.6 GHz T2050
512 MB RAM
80.0 GB HDD
15.4" screen with ColorShine
fire wire, 4x usb, 4in1 card reader, webcam
Price 550 punds going up to 590 for the better model from this series (one with highest price has got bluetooth, CD T2300, but all of them have 512 MB Ram and 80GB HDD)
Asus F3F
Intel Core Duo 1.6 GHz T2050
1024 MB RAM
80.0 GB HDD
15.4 in Color Shine
Graphics Card Intel GMA 950
firewire, 4x usb, 4in1 card reader, webcam
Price 570 pounds
Asus A6M-Q033H
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile 1.6 GHz TL-50
1024 MB RAM
80.0 GB HDD
15.4 in Color Shine
Graphics Card Integrated 64MB shared, uknown :(
firewire, 4x usb, 4in1 card reader, webcam
Price 580 pounds
And I have a really big headache about it...
PLEASE HELP!!!
Thanks in advance
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
Come one, somebody please...
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
If I was you I would probably go for the Toshiba A100-207. Im getting the first one (the HP) in a month or so. But from my expierence Toshiba is a very reliable make plus it has a dual core intel which from what ive heard is better than the amd. But if you want something thats probably a bit more stylish and has a range of multimedia features then the HP would probably fulfill your needs. Plus you can watch dvds without booting. :rolleyes: Hope that helps!
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
The Toshiba A100-207 looks the best of what you've listed.. I agree with Steve_emb :)
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
Does anyone know any other 14in laptop within my price range??
And what about Asus? any users can tell me anything?
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
I'd take the HP for the go 6150 which would perform better for games than a GMA950.
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
Well, the graphic power is not the most importnant thing. So if You didn't have to go by this criterium what would You choose??
And is Core Duo more powerfull in overall use and application than Turion X2?? Im worried about only 2x256 kb cache in AMD processor.
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
jess_paws how big is the difference between GMA950 and Gf6150?
Answer:
Re: Hard decision... confused and can't make it...
the a6m must also have the same 6150 integrated unless it has ati 200
here in this round up the turion x2s will have better performance because the x2 actually has a better memory interface.
Its sort of like how a turtle wins a race with a snail though. all these machines are similar.
i recomend against the asus f3f though with no merom bios update.
Answer:
I would say that the Core Duo / Core 2 Duo completely outpaces ithe AMD in the mobile industry because of speed AND pwoer consumption. AMD had its time to shine, I hope they make their comeback soon with their 'Yokohoma' platform. If I were you, I'd get any of the Intel processors. I'm going to recommend the HP dv2000 series, in your budget with some money to spare, cool extras and a great design. Give it a look, seems worth your while, and I suppose the intel gma950 will work better because there is a lot more RAM.
Sorry for double posting, but even though the turion has a better memory interface (on the chip) which gives less latency as stamar said, it just can't beat the performance, power consumption and the raw 2mb of cache (1mb per core) in the Core Duo