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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:01 pm
by Malcolm
Laptop's hard disk died. After I grab the info from it, I'm going to look into purchasing a new machine.
Definitely going laptop & tablet PC. Early front-runners (after 15-20 minutes of looking) appear to be the Fujitsu Lifebook & the Lenovo Thinkpad. Thoughts?
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:04 pm
by TheCatt
I've always been intrigued by the tablet pc concept, but doesnt seem worth the extra cost.
I tend to focus on the specs, rather than the brands. How much are you looking to spend? What kind of graphics do you need?
Core i7 has quad cores, but i5 has more GHz for less cost (dual core). I just bought a laptop with the i5-520 ( Intel® Core™ i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz). Arrives tomorrow, according to FedEx.
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:39 pm
by Malcolm
The cost is pissing me off, but I can't tell you how many times I wished that I had a portable writing surface that didn't run out of space.
Graphics, I'll have to do a bit of thinking. If this is going to be a pseudo-desktop, I'd want something serious.
Basic reqs ... (about all I've decided on so far)
~2.X CPU, 2.5 or higher preferably
2-3 gigs of RAM
300+ gigs on the hard disk
64-bit duo- or quad-core CPU (the more cores the better, gives me excuses to screw w\ parallelism & hyperthreading)
Edited By Malcolm on 1267735172
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:59 pm
by Malcolm
As for cost, I'd hear an argument for $1500-2000, if it's bad-ass enough.
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:00 pm
by Malcolm
The overall shittiness of video processing in tablet PCs in general may force me into getting a normal laptop.
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:23 pm
by TheCatt
Yeah, tablets just have too many compromises, I just got the following laptop (arrives today): ($950 before tax)
HP Pavilion dv7t Entertainment PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel® Core™ i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
• 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
• 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
• LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
• Webcam Only
• Intel Wireless-N Card
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Have a 2nd HD I'll be adding on my own to get it to 1TB.
The graphics card is only OK, an upgrade was available for $100.
Edited By TheCatt on 1267813434
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:08 pm
by Cakedaddy
Didn't you just return an HP?
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:58 pm
by Malcolm
Cakedaddy wrote:Didn't you just return an HP?
I'm not a huge fan of HP or Dell, having been saddled with machines from both of them.
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 6:33 pm
by TheCatt
Cakedaddy wrote:Didn't you just return an HP?
Shhhhhhhhh.
Yeah, but this one's a little different. And they gave me a free power supply for my complaining. And I couldn't find anything similar feature-wise at the same price point.
And I'm tired of my Toshiba machine overheating, and having <1hr of battery life and crashing so much.
Edited By TheCatt on 1267832102
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:40 pm
by Malcolm
I'm still thinking Lenovo or Fujitsu. Maybe even Alienware as they tend to be more powerful in general. Overpriced as all hell, though, usually.
Need to do more research.
EDIT : Insanely overpriced.
Edited By Malcolm on 1267836178
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:02 pm
by TheCatt
Alienware is stupidly overpriced. I've never owned a Fujitsu. Lenovo's seem only somewhat overpriced.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 3:21 pm
by Malcolm
After further review ...
Fujitsu doesn't have anything that's powerful enough.
Lenovo is a shade overpriced.
It's down to a couple contenders ...
AVA Direct Clevo W765CUH, customized
- 15.6" display
- Radeon ATI HD 4570 512MB
- Intel i7-720QM quad-core, 1.6GHz
- 4GB Kingston DDR3 PC3-10666 SD 1333MHz (+$239 for 8GB total)
- 250GB Seagate
- built-in wireless, bluetooth
$1,186.87
... and ...
HP DV7T Quad Edition series, customized
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
- 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) (+$200 for 8GB total)
- 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M - For i7-720QM and i7-820QM Processors
- 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- Intel Wireless-N Card
$1399.99 ($1199.99 after rebate)
The extra display area + 512MB of vid memory is steering me towards the HP, Christ help me. Might even consider tossing in the extra $200 to get that extra 4 gigs of RAM.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:15 pm
by TheCatt
You can get that HP machine for around $1000. Try this coupon: NBPC223494
If it doesn't work, just be patient, another one will come up. Basically, on that dv7t model, they are offering about $400 off list price with a stackable coupon. They've been offering the stackable about every other week. If you want the quadcore, it's a great price. But if want a bit more performance (unless you really are running things that need the quadcores), go with the dual core i5. Same coupon works on it.
I got the following Windows Experience #s with my new HP:
Processor 6.7
RAM 6.7
Graphics - Aero: 4.9
Graphics - 3D 5.7
HD: 5.9
Not sure why Aero is so low, but dont really care. You should see better #s with that 320M.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:16 pm
by TheCatt
$250 off HP laptop over $1,349
Use coupon code NBPC223494 to get $250 off HP laptop over $1,349 at HP. Offer excludes HP Pavilion dv8t, HP ENVY 15, HP ENVY 15 Beats edition, HP Mini, and...
Coupon Code: NBPC223494
If it still works.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:58 pm
by GORDON
Have you gone to this month's PC Gamer, and checked out their entry level/midrange/dream system specs? They give you exact parts and prices for compatible parts right there. Midrange system is always less than $1500.
Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 6:54 pm
by Malcolm
Planning to place an order by the end of this week, so that's still a few days of thinking time.
Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:37 pm
by TheCatt
$450 off $1399 coupon: NBMY33241
I really like my HP laptop so far. Screen is quite bright and clear. Graphics are good enough (I didnt get the upgraded graphics). 6GB of RAM is nice, and the CPU flies relative to my old one.
MUCH quieter. MUCH cooler than my previous laptop. Battery runs about 2.5 hours as far as I can tel.
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:04 am
by Malcolm
Didn't order the machine yet, so this will help a bit. Had to pay off a few other things first.
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 10:21 pm
by Malcolm
Coupon code looks invalid.
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 10:40 pm
by Malcolm
Final verdict for the new machine ...
HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
# Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
# $50 OFF! 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M - For i7 Processors
# 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
# LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
# Webcam + Microphone
# Intel Wireless-N Card