Tell me what Laptop to buy!

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sirugh

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1. What is your budget?
$1500 Max. I'd prefer to be under $1000 though. I'd like to put $500 down and pay the rest over a couple months.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
15". Had a 17" (old Alienware) and it was huge. I need something portable but with enough screen real estate to be viable.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1920x1080 or the next best.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Not sure what this is asking. I have a desktop which works fine. Just need a good work/school laptop.

5. How much battery life do you need?
Average? Can I get a day of use without charging?

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
I'd like to play games if possible: League of Legends. Battlefield 3/MW3.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Will be doing programming, program testing, VPN, RDP, Logmein Remote. Will need ability to run several virtual machines (VMWare) simultaneously. Basically I want some kicking RAM.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
To cut costs I'm willing to have a smaller HDD now while I wait for SSD prices to drop. I'd like to have 250 GB min HDD to start. Unless there is a laptop with a negligible cost SSD that comes stock.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Just looking for a reputable place (Newegg, Alienware, Manufacturer, etc.) No shady places.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible. 3-5 years of solid use if that isn't too much to ask.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
DVD Writer at a minimum. Bluray would be good but only if cost is negligible.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I wanted to get a Thinkpad because of their claimed durability/reliability, but they cost a good buck. I just want a brand that is known for reliability. When I got that Alienware many years ago (pre-Dell) their customer support was horrible and the laptop had many issues out the door. I've also heard some good things about this 'sager' brand, who I never heard of before. I want something made for a real computer person, not some HP, chromed out junk. Another note, I prefer nVidia in games. I've had an ATI before and was not impressed. Tell me why I should get ATI over nVidia and I'll spring.

13. What country do you live in?
US

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
My plan was to purchase a laptop with the best specs in stuff that is not really upgradeable. For example, I can upgrade RAM or HDD on my own but I cannot change the screen that comes with the laptop. I consider myself pretty technical, but I built my last PC 3 years ago and I know things change. I really just want some of you experts on the newest stuff to tell me what fits my needs best :D I trust you!
 
Hello sirugh;
Does that mean you won't be using a credit card? And you need 'store credit'?
Most of the time that 'store credit' is like applying for a credit card, only with higher interest rates.
 

sirugh

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Well I have a credit card with a $1000 limit and 0% for 11 more months. I don't think places let you use two methods to pay for one item, but I could be wrong. I thought I saw Dell or Newegg offer the "store credit" method.
 

sirugh

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Wow that seems like a good deal. My only concern is the HP brand. While I haven't owned an HP laptop, I've seen (and dislike) their desktops. Also, I'm pretty sure they recently stopped production of desktop PC's and I'd be worried laptops would follow.
 
At no time did HP ever stop production of its desktop PCs.
They were exploring the possibility of selling or spinning off the Consumer division (like IBM sold it's PCs & Notebook operation to Lenovo).
But that idea pretty much flew out the window with the ex-CEO that got fired a while back.
 

sirugh

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You win :D Any other suggestions as far as laptops go? I'm currently seeing how much a comparable Sager would cost me with the same specs, not sure about other brands.
 
I like the Sager custom laptops a lot.
If you can get the options and price to match the HP DV6 or Dell XPS 15 it's a good option. The free shipping and no-taxes can bring the custom build close to the OEM Big Brands.
Are you looking @ XoticPC?
 

sirugh

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I will check that out right now. I saw on this thread that HP's are rated pretty low. It only reinforced my doubts, which is why I'm being a bit skeptical of your original suggestion. I do, however, really appreciate all your help so far. Just fyi.
 
We know a LOT about how older model laptops hold up over time.
And almost nothing about how the current models will.

When all the different brands are using the same parts internally, how much difference if reliability over time would you suspect there would be?

 
Clevo 150HM or 170HM ..... Clevo made Alienware laptops pre-Dell

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

CLEVO is a large Taiwanese computer company specializing in laptops. While the Clevo brand name is perhaps not widely known, their products are re-branded and sold by known boutique brand OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)… notably Sager, VoodooPC, Falcon Northwest, Eurocom, etc. They are also considered (by whoever knows about notebooks) to design and manufacturer the best of the best notebooks in terms of superior build quality and innovative designs.

 
Did you remember to add the cost of the OS into the final price?

GeForce GTX 560M is a real step up in GPU performance over the Radeon HD 7690 / Geforce GT 555M.
I think that gives you better 'gaming longevity' in over the next couple of years you'll be using your new notebook.
It IS a custom built, made for gaming notebook. And you can 'have it your way'.
 

sirugh

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I actually have Windows 7 Pro x64 already. Again I'm looking to cut back on costs up front on stuff I can upgrade later. For example I lowered the RAM to 8 GB (4 SODIMM) to knock off $50. Will that work with the i7-2670 and will it decrease the performance from running 8 GB (2 SODIMM?)
 

sirugh

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Why would that limit me?
 

sirugh

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Alright, I appreciate all your help so far guys!

I've come down to a decision. If I decide to go for a gaming laptop, it will be the np8130 and cost me ~1150.

Another idea I've been entertaining is going with a less expensive laptop and saving the extra money for gaming upgrades (GPU/Memory) to my desktop. Currently I don't play that many games, and the real reason I need this laptop is for work/virtualization/programming. For that matter, can you recommend a laptop that has ~6-8 GB RAM (and can expand further), ~i7 2670QM, and a 15" 1920x1080?
 
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