Getting a laptop...need some suggestions

I am going back to school in october and i am gonna need a laptop since ill be sharing my desktop. i have a HP desktop now but i am really considering a mac book.. price is not really a problem...and i want a pretty powerful notebook so what do you guys suggest...? MAc or something else..i have knowledge on the topic but i need people that have more then i do

macbook pro FTW

Save yourself some money and get yourself a more powerful non-Mac computer.

ASUS UL80VT has more RAM, a bigger hard drive, and a more modern CPU than a Mac for $729.99

ASUS K40 has more Ram, Better graphics capabilities, Bigger hard drive, same CPU as a Mac for $799.99

But nobody but you can pick out what is best for you and what fits your budget. Just be warned that Macs are severely overpriced, and that you can find equal or better hardware for much less.

thanks for the info..i did some research and i think i will go with something other then a mac. Im used to using PC's so i think i will keep that idea and get something like you mentioned. seems there are cheaper laptops with way more power ram and hard drive space for hundreds less then the barebone mac's. dont get me wrong i like macs but i think for school and personal use itll be a better to go with something i am used to and something that i will not be dissappointed with in the long run.

Avoid HP/Compaq like a plague!

If you ever want to play a game not made by blizzard entertainment, get a pc.

Spend a minimum of $600 on a desktop, $700 on a notebook. Anything under that, and you're going to get a product that they took some nasty shortcuts to reduce costs.

Get a computer with 4GB of RAM or more.

Go 64 bit if possible(not very important).

Lower frequency quad core is better than higher frequency dual core.

Dedicated memory for the graphics card is a must for smooth performance.

Avoid intel graphics cards like a plague!

Edited by wappaap, 16 September 2010 - 04:56 AM.

Avoid HP/Compaq like a plague!

If you ever want to play a game not made by blizzard entertainment, get a pc.

Spend a minimum of $600 on a desktop, $700 on a notebook. Anything under that, and you're going to get a product that they took some nasty shortcuts to reduce costs.

Get a computer with 4GB of RAM or more.

Go 64 bit if possible(not very important).

Lower frequency quad core is better than higher frequency dual core.

Dedicated memory for the graphics card is a must for smooth performance.

Avoid intel graphics cards like a plague!

This. Listen to the dude!

Avoid HP/Compaq like a plague!

If you ever want to play a game not made by blizzard entertainment, get a pc.

Spend a minimum of $600 on a desktop, $700 on a notebook. Anything under that, and you're going to get a product that they took some nasty shortcuts to reduce costs.

Get a computer with 4GB of RAM or more.

Go 64 bit if possible(not very important).

Lower frequency quad core is better than higher frequency dual core.

Dedicated memory for the graphics card is a must for smooth performance.

Avoid intel graphics cards like a plague!

off the to of your head you have any brand suggestions for what you described?

Avoid HP/Compaq like a plague!

If you ever want to play a game not made by blizzard entertainment, get a pc.

Spend a minimum of $600 on a desktop, $700 on a notebook. Anything under that, and you're going to get a product that they took some nasty shortcuts to reduce costs.

Get a computer with 4GB of RAM or more.

Go 64 bit if possible(not very important).

Lower frequency quad core is better than higher frequency dual core.

Dedicated memory for the graphics card is a must for smooth performance.

Avoid intel graphics cards like a plague!

He is 100 percent correct.

try to have a good amount of memory as well

the smaller the screen the better! this may seem contradictory, but trust me its much easier and convenient to walk around with a 14' instead of a 17'

i just got a sony viao for around 730 and im in love

As Gooseman pointed out Asus has some damn nice laptops.

I went with the Asus UL80VT and I love it.

It's got a dedicated graphics card AND an onboard graphics card. This is rare in laptops and allows you to game pretty decently and be able to run your laptop for 8 hours when on power save.

The only thing I dislike is how there is no dedicated volume controls, you have to press the function key.

avoid HP/compaq like above poster said. avoid Gateway and IMO avoid Dell.

Asus and Acer are nice, Sony as well. Alienware is going to be overpriced so don't bother.

I would also say that if you you're using it for school work and not storing hundreds of movies then a faster hard drive (7200rpm) is better than a bigger hard drive.

(for me 7200rpm 320gb > 5400rpm 500gb)

EDIT: 4GB RAM and Core i3 are things you should look for.

Edited by ChronicBxR, 16 September 2010 - 03:57 PM.

off the to of your head you have any brand suggestions for what you described?

ASUS, Sony, Samsung, Lenovo, and if you're looking for real power, Alienware.

SSD > hard drive.

If you can afford SSD, get it. You wont regret it.

SSD > hard drive.

If you can afford SSD, get it. You wont regret it.

That would depend on how much storage space you want and how much money you'd be willing to pay. I would honestly stick with the disc based hard drives for now until storage goes up and price goes down for SSD.

He is 100 percent correct.

try to have a good amount of memory as well

the smaller the screen the better! this may seem contradictory, but trust me its much easier and convenient to walk around with a 14' instead of a 17'

i just got a sony viao for around 730 and im in love

Um...didn't he mention 4 gigs ? If you mean HD space, that is not memory (sorry, one of my pet peeves).

To purchase a decent laptop with non-integrated graphics, that is, a separate graphics card, you're going to be into more than $600. IMHO, anything less than 512 megs on a vid card is a waste of time, and these tend to be pricy for notebooks. A possible trade off is to make sure you can add extra system ram (most systems max out the available DIM slots, as 2 x 1 gig sticks are cheaper than 1 x 2 gig hunk-o-ram). If you can pick up something with 6-8 gigs, then integrated graphics, assuming the on-board chip is decent, will be adequate for most usage. Just don't plan on playing any 3D real-time games!

I'd go for a system with a good sized monitor/screen (17inch), a comfortable keyboard, and of course dual-core. 64 bit is the way to go! Good luck.

Get a computer with 4GB of RAM or more.

Go 64 bit if possible(not very important).

32-bit operating systems only address 3GB RAM. Getting 4GB or more makes 64-bit a necessity.

I'm a fan of ASUS but there are some decent laptops out there. The UL80Vt is a good machine for the price. To summarize the recommendations for best performance, get a good gaming laptop and install an SSD. If you still want space you can still put the old hard drive in an enclosure and use it for storage.

Newegg.com - MSI GX640-260US NoteBook Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz) 15.4" Wide SXGA+ 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850

Newegg.com - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - SSD

Windows 7 can use all 4 GB. 4 GB and over and windows dedicated 1 GB to the kernel with 32 bit and 64 bit.

samsung r580
im likin mine so far

im impresseed with what you guys know about laptops. whats an SSD? i have a ps3 and a 360 so gaming will not be done on the laptop. i need something with storage since it will come with me where ever i go. i do like fasssst computers though, and i wouldnt get anything but 4g of ram at 64 bit. like i said earlier money isnt really the problem ill go up to about 1500 but i also wants something that wont be obsolete in a month..even though the minute i buy it it will be already.

^^SSD - Solid State Drive. Instead of standard hard drives that use magnetized platters, the space is stored as flash memory. This translates to no moving parts and much faster access time, but the price premium is much higher for less space.

If gaming performance isn't an issue I'd go with the UL80Vt at most.

Save yourself some money and get yourself a more powerful non-Mac computer.

ASUS UL80VT has more RAM, a bigger hard drive, and a more modern CPU than a Mac for $729.99

ASUS K40 has more Ram, Better graphics capabilities, Bigger hard drive, same CPU as a Mac for $799.99

But nobody but you can pick out what is best for you and what fits your budget. Just be warned that Macs are severely overpriced, and that you can find equal or better hardware for much less.

what mini notebook would you recommend?

does ASUS have any good ones?

I was doing some research myself, and I was looking into the MacBook or the Sony Vaio series EB or EA. I forget.
Anyways get something that looks,feels,and preforms well. Sony and Apple both have good customer support. What are you going to use the laptop for? Strictly school? Games?
If your only going to use it for basic tasks like word processing, web surfing, exc and you know a thing or two about computers look into ubuntu. It's secure and hassle free if you know how to use a terminal (and if not theres a huge support forum dedicated to helping people). Not only is ubuntu better than windows IMO, it has less problems (assuming you know what your doing with the terminal commands and everything) there are no viruses or any bloatware that will screw up your PC in the future. Really worth looking into.
thats my 2 cents.