Thoughts on a laptop

[naaberz3]

Hi,

I was thinking about getting a new laptop and wanted to hear some other opinions. I primarily use my laptop for watching shows but I do like to play games from time to time. I am not worried about running the games on high settings or anything, just to be able to play it on medium or so. One laptop I saw that I thought was a good deal was this:

Acer AS7551G-6477 17.3-Inch Laptop
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7551G-6477-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B0041RSFBY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295066821&sr=8-1

I was wondering how this laptop would preform. Games I tend to play are Sims, but lately have been playing dragon age (its a lot of fun ).

If you have any computers that you think are a better option too let me know. Id like to try and keep it around the $900 mark or less but if its close please post.

thank you for your time,

Ray

edit:
here is another laptop i found that is more in the size range I would like

Toshiba Satellite A665D-S6091
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-A665D-S6091-16-Inch-Charcoal/dp/B0041O5ZCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1295069374&sr=8-1

 

[naaberz3]

Hi
I am also looking for this kind of a laptop.
I like to play games.
Did you hear about other options than Acer?

I havent really heard anything. I dont quite know what exactly I should be looking for when looking at laptop stuff. One of the only things I didnt prefer about the laptop I put above was that it was 17 inches, id prefer something around 14-15.

You find anything you like so far?

 

[Klosteral]

That there Acer is really good for the money. It has a 2.2GHz tripple-core processor and an ATI 5650M graphics card - that will play most of the games on the market today on medium with good framrates. It also comes with a version of MS office. Battery life is also decent.

I take it that you want this as a desktop replacement and do not plan on taking it around? It has a shipping weight of 11.4lbs and behind a 17.3" screen that will not be easy to move.

As for alternatives, try this: http://www.xoticpc.com/force-nblb2-built-compal-nblb2-p-2813.html?wconfigure=yes
Bring it up to 4GB RAM and give it a 500GB, 7200RPM hdd and you are good to go. It weighs under 6lbs and it has a full HD 1920x1080 screen.

If you would rather not go into the $800 area, try these two:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157426R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220755

-Klosteral

 

[naaberz3]

wow thanks a lot for all the information and help. I really appriciate it I'll definitely take a look at those and decide which option I want to go with.

 

[Klosteral]

No problem, but remember I have only given you 3 options from 2 websites. There are many many websites out there across the world - hundreds of them. If you are flexible, then choose one of the above. If you are really picky about your price, performance, weight and other things, then keep searching.

Also - if you have the option - try and go to a local computer store and see one of these machines with your naked eye and judge them for yourself. Make sure they look and feel right before you buy. Admittedly, many laptops will not give you that luxury so you will have so suffice for photographs and other people's personal reviews.

-Klosteral

 

[naaberz3]

That is a very good idea. I'll have to see if I can find a store that has a bunch of laptops like these because the feel of it is pretty important too. My friend has a dell computer that I really like. It is pretty similar to the specs I have listed below. How would this computer below do? What are your opinions on it? Thanks

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i5-480M (2.66GHz, 4Threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 3M cache)

VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420M 1GB graphics with Optimus

MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory

HARD DRIVE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive

SERVICE PLAN 1 Year Basic Service Plan


Silver Anodized Aluminum 14.0" HD (720p) WLED Display with 2.0 MP webcam

8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Backlit Keyboard

JBL 2.0 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3

~$950

 

[naaberz3]

sorry i found one more that im also debating about, if you have time plz take a look:

Notebook: Compal PBL21 Notebook 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 Display w/ Built-in 2.0 MP Webcam, HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter
Notebook Color: Xplorer X6 Notebook Cover - Original Metallic Black
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Mobile Processor 2.00 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 2.80 GHz
Freebies: None
Motherboard: Intel HM65 Chipset Mainboard
Memory: 4GB (4GBx1) DDR3-1333 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 2GB PCIe Video
Hard Drive: 320GB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive [+10]
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive (PBL21)
Sound: Built-in 3D Premium Surround Sound
Speakers: Built-in Stereo Speakers System
Network: Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Card
Network Surge Protector: None
Keyboard: Built-in Keyboard
Mouse: BUILT-IN TOUCHPAD
Mouse Pad: None
Gaming Gear: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: MSI MN11BGN Wireless 802.11 b/g/n Range Network Card Adapter
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: Built-In 3in1 Media Reader
Battery: 6-cells Li-Ion Battery Pack 4800mAh (PBL21)
Carrying Bag: Free Deluxe Carrying Bag for 15.6 Inch Notebook
AC Adapter: Universal AC-DC Adapter (PBL21)
Car Adapter: None
Video Camera: Built-in 2.0 Mega Pixel Webcam
Headset: None
HDMI Output Port: Built-in HDMI Port
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
Surge Protector: None
IEEE1394 Card: Built-in IEEE-1394b Firewire Port
USB Port: Built-in 2x USB2.0 Ports + 1x USB3.0 Ports
Floppy: None
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: Free Microsoft® Office® 2010 STARTER EDITION (Reduced-Functionality versions of Word and Excel that include advertising)
Games: None
Service: STANDARD 1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Additional Warranty: None
Rush Service: 5% Instant Rebate for Non-Rush Delivery Order over $999 - Ships within 3 Weeks - Must Enter Coupon Code "NORUSH" during checkout


$965

 

[Klosteral]

The Compal is decent. The i7-2630 is a definete plus - I am going to get one of those in a high-end Sager gaming laptop. The GT 540M is also a good graphics card, it will beat the ATI 5650 in most areas (but not by much, maybe 5-10%). Free carry bag and MS Office is also good. The USB 3.0 port is good, but standard on the new Sandy Bridge notebooks.

If you can stretch your budget, the Compal has the best performance and will last you the longest. As a rule, I do not buy Dell because they are overpriced and can be dodgy. The laptop with the i5-480M and GT420M is a good example of that. The i5 is not stand out processor and the GT 420M is nothing against the ATI 5650M.

Now that you post that, the Compal has the best performance and will last the longest, though the other computers that are cheaper may better suit your budget and are still worthy machines.

 

[naaberz3]

thank you again for all the help

 

[naaberz3]

Best answer selected by naaberz3.