Need an advice for buying a laptop.

[hamza_93]

Hello friends.
i am a student of mechanical engg. my 4 year bsc engg is going to start from aug 2011.
i want to buy a laptop which is one of the top line model .these days im confused in following

SONY VAIO E series model
core i5 2.53
500 gb hdd
4 gb ram
1 gb ati card (5650)
15.5" (full hd;1920x1080)
blu ray combo drive
PRICE. 1300 US $

DELL XPS
core i7 (740Q) 1.7 ghz with turbo boost //// core i7 2620 2.7 ghz 2nd gen. currently not available.
640 gb hdd
ram 6gb
Nvidia 435m 2 gb
15.6" led
super drive
PRICE.1240 US $


HP new unibody desighned dv6t
core i7 (740Q) 1.7 ghz with turbo boost
500 gb hdd
6 gb ram
ati 1 gb 6570
15.6" led
super drive
PRICE . 1150 US $



plz give me authentic suggestion because im spending a lot of money so make sure any laptop u suggest should cover a min period of 4 years. u can also suggest other laptops than i mentioned above. CANT afford MACBOOK so suggest it.

 

[shwetanshu]

You didnt mention your usage but anyway the most performing laptop in that range is Sager NP8130.You can customize it further to your own requirements.


Its out of stock and ETA is mid-March but anyway
Sager NP8130
15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
Stock OEM Thermal Compound
nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)-
Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
Integrated Fingerprint Reader
3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
For $1172.73

Here is the link http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np813 [...] -2973.html

 

[hamza_93]

sorry sager not available in my country
i WILL BE USING LATEST MECHANICAL ENGG SOFTWARE ON LAPTOP

 

[WR2]

#1 Dell XPS
#2 HP dv6t

 

[randomstar]

I would head over to Dell, go to the Small business section, on the Outlet. you can get a good core i series Precision workstation for that money, with a CAD card in it. Just ordered a M6500 for a friend and it runs AutoCAD 2011 and Microstation fantastic.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=2801&c=us&cs=28&fid=1067&l=en&s=dfb
just found a core i7 with 8gb ram, 1gb Nvidia QUadro, 1920x1080 display under 1300.00.

 

[RetiredChief]

For reliability Ausu->Toshibia->Dell->Sony (added Dell bussiness mds better than consummer models.)
Food for thought since you are planning on keeping this for 4Yrs.
(1) Look for model with a 2nd HDD Bay. This is when you swap out the SLOW mechanical HDD for an SSD, you can move the HDD over to the 2nd bay for storage.
Alternative is when you replace the HDD with an SSD you can connect the HDD to esata port or USB3.
(2) If downstream you want to replace the DVDRW drive with a Blu-rayplayer/DVDRW drive, make sure it is user replacable. Even if you do not plan on this keep in mind that DVD drives do go bad.
(3) If possible select sandybridge processor - currently in short supply on laptops.

 

[hamza_93]

TO RETIREDCHIEF

i am down to two laptops now

1. DELL XPS
core i7 2620 2.7 ghz SANDYBRIDGE
640 gb hdd
ram 6gb
Nvidia 540m 2 gb
15.6" LED (1920x1080)
Blu ray combo drive
backlit keyboard
PRICE 1350 US $

2 SONY EB SERIES

core i5 580m 2.66ghz
ram 6gb
500gb
blu ray combo drive
ati 5650 1gb
15.5" led (1920x1080)

PRICE 1370 us $

 

[RetiredChief]

+1 for Dell
quad core sandy bridge vs older dual core and larger HDD in Dell
Not sure on GPU comparision, other than the Dell as 2 gb dedicaded Ram vs only 1 in the Sony. Plus Sony has a mark-up just because its a Sony

 

[randomstar]

+1 for Dell
quad core sandy bridge vs older dual core and larger HDD in Dell
Not sure on GPU comparision, other than the Dell as 2 gb dedicaded Ram vs only 1 in the Sony. Plus Sony has a mark-up just because its a Sony

agree with that although I would still look at at the outlet Precision..
the sony is not in the same performance class between the two.

 

[WR2]

The Dell option is much better. That dual core Core i7-2620M Sandy Bridge CPU is wicked fast.

Passmark CPU benchmark scores:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
Intel Core i5 580M @ 2.67GHz = 2597
Intel Core i7-2620M @ 2.70GHz = 3502

GT 540M is also more powerful than the HD 5650
The Dell can shut down the GT 540M when not needed to save battery life just using the HD 3000 graphics chip on the CPU.

 

[hamza_93]

TO RETIREDCHIEF
im sorry that im asking again and again but im afraid that my investment does not go waste so DELL OR HP .


1. DELL XPS
core i7 2620 2.7 ghz SANDYBRIDGE
640 gb hdd
ram 6gb
Nvidia 540m 2 gb
15.6" LED (1920x1080)
Blu ray combo drive
backlit keyboard
PRICE 1350 US $

HP DV6TQE new aluminium unibody design
2nd gen core i7 2630 2 ghz with turbo boost
ram 6gb
hdd 640 gb
blu ray combo drive
15.6 (1366x768)
ati 1 gb 6570
backlit keyboard
PRICE 1150 US $

 

[RetiredChief]

Based on the following quote, I'd probably still go with the Dell.
Quote
At the bottom of the pack this year is HP, with scores that run in tandem with Acer and Gateway. But HP's 7.7 out of 10 is considered significantly worse than average (SWA), whereas last year it was within in the average. For more information on how we measure these scores, see End Quote
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352798,00.asp
Cavet - some what dated (2009)

Are you buying this online, or thru a retail outlet? Also, is it possible to find these at a retail store, even if Buying on line. Reason - If you can, it is best to compare the screen and get a feel of the key board - Specs are not alway the only criteria you should use. Note the difference in resolution, The 1920x1080 will be much smaller print than the 1366x768. More a concern for Us "OLDER" Gentemen (term used loosly - I'm 68) than younger generation. On the plus side for the 1080 - it will play blu-ray in it's native reolution.

A 2nd question, will you be using this with an external large screen monitor or HDTV. If so Verify hdmi output. I have a Dell 15" @ work, But it is alway hooked up to a 20" monitor. Does it have USB3 and/or esata connectors? What about an expressSlot for expanability?

In all honesty, I think you will be happy with either, I'm just leaning toward the Dell.

 

[hamza_93]

to Retiredchief

SIR Im really confused now because i went to market today and about 80% of shopkeapers preffered SONY VAIO they were saying that its top of line model and it competes with APPLE . i was really going for DELL but IM confused in between SONY and DELL here is a link for SONY


http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921666285882&categoryId=8198552921644772003


and dell XPS link

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndodq4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&model_id=xps-l502x

 

[WR2]

Shopkeepers make more money if you buy Sony. That's why they prefer you buy Sony over Dell.

Shopkeepers do not care if you get the best option for your money as long as they can make more money selling you a laptop that isn't as powerful.

 

[RetiredChief]

Concur - (1) they market what makes them the most money (2) Salespersons seldom have the knowledge base to provide proper guidance. Had a "discussion" with the sales manager at Best buy on this very topic.

 

[randomstar]

There is a higher margin in Sony- also, as stated above, the last person I would trust is a shopkeeper or salesman as far as what to buy.. especially in this case where the two units are not even the same class of unit.

 

[hamza_93]

ok i am going to buy DELL 1 more thing i want to ask hows the exhaust system in dell xps

 

[WR2]

It works very well.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
from Dell XPS 15 Review @ Notebook Review that model has a different CPU but everything else is the same in the chassis.

Dell XPS 15 FHD Notebook review @ Notebookcheck also different CPU but same GPU and chassis.

Review Sony Vaio VPC-EB1S1E/BJ Notebook probably not the model you were considering but it should be a close cousin.

 

[hamza_93]

thankx
1 more thing should i go with gt 525m 1gb or gt540m 2gb .there is a news that gt540 cause overheating .is that true?

 

[hamza_93]

2. should i use core i7 2620Q 2.7 ghz with turbo boost up to 3.4ghz (dual core )35w

core i7 2720QM 2.2 ghz with turbo boost up to 3.3ghz (quad core) 45W

2720 is just 30 $ expensive than 2620
MY USAGE
i will be making presentations , printing out my research work and also surfing reserch topics 10+ tabs and also a university authorized software to design 3D models of machines etc and other engg related software.

also tell which processer will emit more heat?

 

[cadder]

If you buy something with SandyBridge, make sure it has been fixed. Everything SandyBridge got a big recall last month because of a flaw in the chips.

I run AutoCAD and various engineering software. It doesn't need anything special to run but usually the fastest processor you can get the better, and if you are using a 32-bit OS then get 4GB of ram. The video card doesn't matter at all, at least with 32-bit operating system. If you get a machine with 64-bit operating system then you may have problems with drivers for the video card.

 

[hamza_93]

actually in my country sandybridge is not lauched so should i go with core i7 740qm and im going to keep it for min 4 years . waiting for ur reply

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Take reliability recommendations with the proverbial "grain of salt". I have oft seen peeps rate one brand high and another low when in fact both were made by the same ODM (original design manufacturer). Most brands you'd recognize don't actually make laptops....they have them designed and built by 3rd parties and just slap their name / logo on them.

The vast majority of laptops on the market are manufactured by a small handful of Original Design Manufacturers (ODM). Major relationships include:

* Quanta sells to (among others) HP/Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Fujitsu, Acer, NEC, Gateway and Lenovo/IBM - note that Quanta is currently (as of August, 2007) the largest manufacturer of notebook computers in the world.
* Compal sells to Toshiba, HP/Compaq, Acer, and Dell.
* Positivo Informatica sells to Samsung, Sony, Siragon, Toshiba, HP
* Wistron (former manufacturing & design division of Acer) sells to HP/Compaq, Dell, IBM, NEC, Acer, and Lenovo/IBM.
* Flextronics (former Arima Computer Corporation notebook division) sells to HP/Compaq, NEC, and Dell.
* Itautec sells to Siragon, LG, Samsung, Sony
* ECS sells to IBM, Fujitsu, and Dell.
* Asus sells to Apple (iBook), Sony, and Samsung.
* Inventec sells to HP/Compaq, Toshiba, and BenQ.
* Lanix sells to Sony, Compaq, Toshiba, Siragon, Itautec
* Uniwill sells to Lenovo/IBM and Fujitsu & PC World UK own brand Advent.
* Clevo sells to Sager and many other boutique brands.

The recommendation for the Sager which is just a "branded" version of the Clevo P151HM is reasonable. You can read up about Clevo and who is selling them in your country here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/91510-clevo-guide-v2-0-faq-reseller-info.html

As far as the SB defect, it's not quite as critical w/ laptops as it was w/ desktops, reason being the defect affected 2 out of the 6 SATA ports. Given the limited expandability of laptops, a vendor could simply build the machine and not use the two affected ports. Still, it's worth asking how your vendor addresses the issue and you should be comfortable with that answer.

Here in the US, the P151HM "starts" at $1,172 US. You can have it customized to your liking. What GFX you choose will depend upon what you are doing. If a lot is 3D rendering, a Quadro card should be considered.

However, as a college student, personally I'd be looking for a bigger screen and Optimus video technology so that when you don't need that big GFX power it's not sucking your battery dry. As far as choices, when I write specs for CAD kaptops for municipalities, I write them with the specic intent to eliminate many of the brand names mentioned here from consideration.

I own an engineering consulting firm and this is what I'd buy for use by office field crews needing extended battery life.

http://www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=productdetail&model=W170HN

17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED Backlit Glare Type Display
Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor, 2.2 GHz, 6MB Smart Cache
8GB, PC3-10600/1333Mhz DDR3 - 2 x 4GB
Switchable! nVidia GeForce GT 540M 1GB GDDR3 with Optimus Technology
500 GB / 7200rpm GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid Drive w/4G SSD
8X Max. DVD±R/RW Writer/Reader / 4X Max. +DL Super-Mulit Drive
Windows 7 Professional Edition 64-bit
6 Cells 62.16WH Li-ION Battery
Integrated 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth V3.0 Combo
1 Year Premium Parts Warranty + 3 Year Labor
# Built-In 2.0M Pixel Digital Video Camera
# Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN Card
# Built-In 3-IN-1 Flash Memory Reader(SD/Mini-SD/SDHC)
# 2 USB 3.0 Ports
# 2 USB 2.0 Ports
# 1 eSATA Port
# 1 HDMI Output
# 1 CRT port
# 1 Kensington Lock Port
# Built-in Microphone and 2 Speakers
# 3 Audio Jacks for Line-Out, Microphone-In, and S/PDIF-Out
# 100/240V Autoswitch AC Adapter
# Standard Carrying Bag with Strap

$1,384 here in US .... I can't determine who the Clevo dealers are in your country as I don't know where you live.

 

[spidy]

Does Asus not use their own product? i'm sure it's assumed that asus being an ADM and a brand that they would use their own parts.

 

[hamza_93]

i live in Pakistan and sager and clevo is not available .please suggest some other