Question:
Graduation Present
So, I'm graduating from college in a couple of weeks and it looks like I'll be getting a laptop as a present. Thought I'd post and see what kind of suggestions you guys could come up with. Thanks in advance!
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
~ $2000
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Anywhere between 14-17" would work.
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Internet, Office, Gaming.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Almost always at home. Maybe the occasional vacation.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Definitely. WoW, BF2, future stuff.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No real preference. Though I've been looking at Dell and Asus.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2-4 would work. It will be near an outlet most times anyway.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Online is fine. If I can see it beforehand, all the better.
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen works.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
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.
I'm used to lower resolutions, but I'm willing to try the higher ones as well.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy, if possible.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
As long as it doesn't look like it's going to fall apart, I'm good. :)
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Within the next week. 2+ years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
~ 100GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Please. DVD-ROM would be fine, RW is just a bonus.
Answer:
Re: Graduation Present
Look at the Asus S96J, Compal HEL80 and the HP nc8430, all being 15.4 inch notebooks with good graphics cards.
17 inch notebooks to consider are the HP Pavilion dv9000t and the Toshiba Satellite P100.
The Asus A8Js is an excellent 14 inch notebook with a very good graphics card.
Answer:
Re: Graduation Present
The Asus A8Js is a beautiful 14" choice. I would not recommend going above 14" if you want to retain practical portability. 15.4" is quite large and rather bulky in my opinion.
Answer:
Re: Graduation Present
I would recommend the A8Js for pure power, though the Macbook Pro is a more solid, good looking notebook with a better webcam and a whole lot of other stuf and you could bag one for around $2000 USD. Depends on what you value more, MBP also has a whole lot of great software bundled with it (not bloatware).
Answer:
Re: Graduation Present
Thank you for the suggestions. The A8Js is actually one of the laptops I'm considering, so it's good to see it up there.
Answer:
Re: Graduation Present
if you can wait til dec. the asus g1 is worth a look.