Need help choosing laptop

[whizkidcat]

Your help is needed!
I am not tech savvy with computers, I only know what people tell me I need to have!!


Can you help me find a model for under $800?

I am looking for something similar to the following:

At least Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
second generation i7/i5 (or comparable AMD)
at least 6GB Ram memory upgradeable
larger than 500GB HD
Graphics card (dedicated?) good for gaming
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth
Built-in HD webcam and microphone
as many as I can get USB 3.0 port
Memory card reader
HDMI port
Backlit Keyboard
Great battery life

Will use computer in the home mostly and a few trips a year.

HP, Toshiba?? Something I can get in the store and not wait to be shipped!!

 

[Pyree]

Country? Preferred shop?

 

[whizkidcat]

USA.
Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot??

 

[SpoiledQueen]

Would you be willing to purchase online? Or do you need to go out and buy one at a store like today?

 

[Pyree]

@SpoiledQueen

Would you be willing to purchase online? Or do you need to go out and buy one at a store like today?

Here's the answer:

HP, Toshiba?? Something I can get in the store and not wait to be shipped!!

 

[gondo]

Buy a sager. Buy it online. They are the absolulte greatest laptops available and better prices than similar speced brand names such as Dell, HP, Acer, etc...

 

[WR2]

That backlit keyboard requirement is tricky. Only one I've found so far is @ Staples for $849.
Dell XPS 14z-2308ELS 14" Laptop
Core i5-2430M 2.4Ghz, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 14" 1366x768 LCD w/ HD Graphics 3000.

 

[WR2]

@ BestBuy $742
Toshiba Satellite M645-S4118X 14" notebook
Core i5 i5-2410M 2.30 GHz, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 14" 1366x768 LCD w/ GT 525M graphics card.

 

[whizkidcat]

What do you think of this one??

$749.99
Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 6GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Platinum

Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i7 2.2GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz)
Battery 6-cell lithium-ion
High-definition widescreen LED-backlit TFT-LCD with TruBrite technology (1600 x 900)
17.3"
6GB
750GB
Graphics Card Intel® HD ( NOT sure which one?)
Video Memory 64 - 1696MB (shared)
DVD±RW/Blu-ray Disc/CD-RW
Digital Media Reader
Built-in Webcam
Built-in facial recognition
Wireless-B+G+N
USB 2.0 Ports 1 USB 3.0; 3 USB 2.0
HDMI Output
Windows 7 Home Premium System Version 64-bit
Wireless 4G WiMAX

NO bluetooth

 

[WR2]

That's one I might have listed if you hadn't had BlueTooth and Backlit Keyboard in your list of requirements.

 

[WR2]

The only option listed so far that has anything more than the most basic gaming ability is the Toshiba Satellite M645 and it's GT 525M graphics card.

 

[WR2]

If you could restrain your need for instant gratification you could get some like:
Dell XPS 17 Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 2.3GHz Laptop (Quickship) w/2-year warranty $700
Core i5-2410M 2.30 CPU, 17.3" 1600x900 LCD w/ GT 550M graphics.
The optional backlit keyboard and Bluetooth are not included in the QuickShip option.

 

[whizkidcat]

I forgot to ask what screen resolution is needed to support FULL HD playback?

 

[WR2]

you mean 1080P HD? That would be a 1920x1080 resolution screen.

 

[WR2]

You'd probably want a Blu-Ray optical drive in place of the DVD drive too.

 

[whizkidcat]

Ok I can wait for this laptop now
I think I really want the Blu-Ray, backlit keyboard, bluetooth, 1920x1080 screen, and a graphic card with some decent gaming ability ( not too intensive games mostly Nancy Drew for the kids, Syberia and some older games like Myst and maybe a few new games. )

In addition to the above mentioned requirements of course!

So with these new requirements and the option to customize, which models do you recommend??

Thank you all so much!!

 

[WR2]

Dell XPS 15 or XPS 17 with the backlit keyboard, Blu-Ray, 1920x1080 and Bluetooth options.
You can stick with the Core i5 CPU if you need to keep costs down a bit.

 

[WR2]

NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M graphics card review
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics card review

 

[WR2]

For the XPS 15 graphics cards:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M graphics card review this is probably all you need for the games you mentioned. And maybe a few news ones on low settings.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics card review

 

[whizkidcat]

Is Dell the only brand you would recommend? Thanks! You have been so helpful!

 

[whizkidcat]

What is the difference between the above mentioned graphics cards?
Which is more powerful?
I'm sorry I did go to the links but I could not tell what the major differences were!

I should have mentioned that I use 5 programs pretty much on a daily basis at the same time (Inkscape, Adobe Photoshop, Silhouette America's Silhouette Studio, Make the Cut, and Word. These are programs working with graphics for a cutting machine.), all while the internet is at my disposal to use frequently.

So the type of graphics card I choose will need to accommodate having all these programs open at the same time and maybe a few more like windows snipping tool and iTunes!

 

[WR2]

It's the one I can recommend with all your options. And you can get it at a competitive price.

 

[WR2]

The higher the model number the higher the performance.
The 144 shader cores and 192 bit memory bus make the GT 555M the highest performing graphics card listed.