Question:
laptop for college student/gamer
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
$1200-1900
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I've been looking at the Dell 1520, Asus G1s, and Sager 2090, but I'm open to other suggestions.
5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Internet usage, word processing, gaming
6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Not sure just yet. I'll probably take it here and there, but probably not too much.
7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Warcraft 3, various Splinter Cells, elder scroll, and other games to be released in the future
8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
I'd like 3.
9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
As long as there are a decent amount of picture.
10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Vista I guess. Is it really as bad as I keep reading about?
Screen Specifics
11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen
12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Widescreen
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.
13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I don't really know too much about screens. From what I've read, I'd probably want the matte, but advice would be appreciated.
Build Quality and Design
14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
I'd like an attractive notebook. Does anyone know where I can find some more pictures of the 2090, besides those on powernotebooks and those posted by losthighwayblues? I can't decide if I like it, because I like the pictures posted by losthighwayblues, but the ones on powernotebooks makes it look so bland and unattractive.
15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Also somewhere I need a bit of advice. I'd like the laptop, at the latest, early August, but I don't go to school until September. Unless something significant is coming out mid August, I'd like to order soon.
Notebook Components
16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
At least 100 GB, preferably 120.
17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-RW
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
Rock Xtreme 770 - 8700M GT
Toshiba WXW - 8700M GT
You can buy Dell 1520 very cheap trough Dell University, but my advise is to wait and buy it in the autumn; you have a very limited offer on the market right now and the prices are still high.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
I can't wait that long. It has to be during the summer. The Rock is a bit too expensive and WXW isn't availiable in the US yet? I'm gonna wait until reviews have been released for the 2090 and 1520.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
if you want one of the better video cards you can get in a notebook within your budget, the alienware m9700 has the nVidia 7900GS. they come with amd processors though.
the upgrades through alienware generally are super inflated. if you would go with this brand and you wanted upgrades, say to 2 GB ram, it would be much more cost efficient to buy it and install yourself
super flashy computer though, so if you want to tone down the geekiness scale, dont go alienwares way, but if you want to stand out from the croud, this could be an option for you.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
It's not necessary to stand out of the crowd. Alienwares a bit too expensive for me as well. How are the Vaios? Do any of them come with decent gaming cards?
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
The m9700 is the best value gaming lappy out there, SLi for $2000 :)
The Sager and Prostar are also good value, VAIO is overpriced though.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
My advice is check out the Compal ILF90 alongside the Asus G1S. Alienware is flashy, nice, and performs well but it is also expensive and has iffy reliability/tech support issues from what I have heard.
So if you are on budget, consider those two computers.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
Look at the pricing of the m9700 before you say it is expensive, It's also very reliable, try looking up if anyone has had any bad experience with it. Of course you've heard that AW's support is bad, who's gonna post about their good experience, people tend to voice their complaints more. The Sager 2090 is the IFL 90
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
Crap. I've been looking at so many laptops lately I must've accidentally confused the m9700 with the m9750. My mistake. Sorry about that.
Good point with the customer service comment as well.
Answer:
Re: laptop for college student/gamer
Its ok lol, the 9750 is only worth it if you're looking at $3000+ but the m9700 is a very valid choice BUT it's processor is getting old so if you're going to do processor intensive things like video editing then the IFL90 is a better choice