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Thread: Laptop hunting

  1. #1
    TheSexKitten
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    Laptop hunting

    I'm looking to get a laptop within the month, and after a trip to Fry's there were two which caught my eye.

    The Fujitsu Lifebook A3120 ($1,100)


    And the Sony Vaio FZ ($1,450)


    Choosing is hard.

    I will mostly be using the computer at home, and I don't give two shits about movies and sound capabilities. I want the computer to run fast and smooth, and I want to be able to play games that are fast and with nice visuals. Other than that, I'll just be typing and surfing the internet.

    Any recommendations? I'm pretty clueless!

  2. #2
    God/dess virgoamm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    I think what you need is a fast processor, decently sized hard-drive and a really good graphics card.

    Oh, and whatever you do DO NOT buy a Dell. I skimped when I bought mine and it crapped out on me after 2 years

    ETA-And a good bit of RAM. 500 m.b.-1 gig would be ideal
    Last edited by virgoamm; 06-13-2007 at 02:44 PM.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Well, gameing wise there isnt that much to choose from. Graphics card is the number one thing to look at. 2 gigs of ram or MORE for gaming. 512megs will never cut it. 1 gig is too little to run a few new games smooth. I would stay away from the vaio as much as possible. FOr the price you dont get much. But neither on your list is going to run new games all of that well. If you want eye candy you gotta pay. check out notebookforums.com for some help there. Most laptops you buy at a store will have integrated graphics. This is a major no no if you really want to play games. you will want a gforce 7600 or more zippy vid card. There are a couple 17inch screen HP's that come that way. Otherwise you are looking at companies like sager, alienware, dell xPS, etc. If you only want to game a little and not worry about cutting edge stuff you will prob be ok with most intigrated graphics that have 128 megs or better.
    (can you tell i am a computer game geek)
    anymore questions let me know.

  4. #4
    Member ARCOR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    I know these are more than your picks but if you want to play games you will need fast processor and graphics card. The Asus has 512MB dedicated.
    Asus is a Taiwanese company and is the largest motherboard manufacture. I have never had a Asus but hear good things about them.

    I have the Toshiba and I have not had any problems. The MS software is another story.

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1166236337555

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1168045345063

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    If you want something that can play games with nice visuals you can't go wrong with an Alienware. They make amazing machines and I haven't had any problem with the few laptops the boy and I have both had from them.

    If you want something nice I'd just get the fastest dual core processor you can afford (2.0 GHz was sufficient for me), the largest harddrive that spins at 7200RPM (fuck the 5400s) --I got a 100GB because the prices go up a lot from there and I can always replace it on my own with a cheaper one later, you want at least a 256MB graphics card bare minimum --if you can get one thats a 512MB and it will be "top of the line" a bit longer plus look bitchin, memory should be at least 1GB DDR2 (512mb is NOT enough these days by any means) and that should be a sufficient amount --you can always add more later which is actually a cheaper route. Depending on the games you play you might want 2GB. You should be able to get all of this in the under 2k range. This would be definitely sufficient for gaming and surfing the internet at lightening speeds. It would be able to handle movies if you added at DVD drive which shouldn't be expensive at all.

    I'd recommend this one: http://www.alienware.com/configurato...de=SKU-DEFAULT

    I use that as my little road warrior. Its a 15.4 like the others you posted. Keep in mind though that its battery life is a little under 2 hours but if you are mostly keeping it at home it will be perfect. Alienware also makes some larger laptops if you want to go bigger than that. I know they sound like nerd machines but I like them because they are so durable and well made since they have geeks in mind as their consumers. You can only order them online and they are not availible in stores. Also, you can customize the living crap out of them.

    I'm wary of Fry's personally. It seems like a lot of their equipment is dated and they usually are behind on the latest technology --but that comes with the territory of being the cheapest.

    If you care about gaming look for the graphics card first. The Vaio you posted only has an Intel x3100 which is kind of a weak graphics card. It could handle older games though. Depends on what you play. Its an on board graphics card and you'll want one thats dedicated if you want any sort of power (Intel and Vaio both blow anyways from my experience).

    The Fujitsu is pretty weak too. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131631/article.html. I think that says it all.

    Sorry I'm such a laptop geek. I could ramble on forever. I think you could get a really bitchin one for under 2k since it sounds like you don't need all the bells and whistles but just some power decent behind it.

    I love talking about this stuff if you have any other questions.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Heh, I was wondering if someone would post about alienware. I have also had a few of them (started with their original area51 laptop) and am now using a dell XPS 1710. The alienware is a more powerfull machine (comparing current models) if you go big. I promise you will find the alienware to be far less durable than you want if you travel with it a lot. For leaving it on a desk or occasional moving around its plenty tough. Though the finish always wears out around the palm rests. (saucer silver holds up best) I did manage to configure a 9700 for under 2100 that had decent specs.

    But why did we skip by sager? Sager is an alienware in sheeps clothing. Its a professional looking alienware. I never thought professional looking would matter but REcently had a chance to build some stuff for a company and only had my XPS to show them on. Kinda kid looking if you know what i mean.

    Edit
    Gretchen, after playing on alienwares site a little the best vid card you can get in a 5550 is still a 7600. That will infact run games fairly well, however you wont be running new stuff on high settings. Not sure if that matters in this case but is something to think about.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Check out the BestBuy weekly ad. I went in and got a raincheck for a nice-ish laptop on sale for $600. I happened to know that that laptop had been discontinued, so a week later I went back and demanded something equal or better for the same money (it says right on the raincheck you can). They tried to give me a compaq and I threw a small fit and ended up with a Gateway ($1200 store price, $600 for me! Woohoo!)



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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    ResQ --I am running the 7600 in my laptop and it works just fine for at least TBC and CS Source. Sure, its only 256 but a laptop isn't a hardcore gaming machine when its only a 15.4". I prefer my desktop for that. I wonder what kind of games SexKitten intends to run?

    To solve the problem of any finish wearing off (which in 2 years hasn't happened to any of my babies) I suppose you could just connect another keyboard and mouse to it. If shes using it primarily at home I think it should be fine.

    I have no personal experience with Sager so I won't comment on them. I can't vouch for them myself but they sound good. I do understand what you mean about the professional look though. I'm still in college and only take it with me for fairly artistic jobs so the look sometimes gets me a thumbs up or a "way cool". My next laptop, once I'm in graduate school and traveling more for research will have to be more professional and durable. I like my Alienware for now though. I'm pretty easy on it since I have my other editing station/ gaming computer which is a beast.

    I went with my alienware because I got a free upgrade to the 7600 since I bought it during an anniversary sale as well. So of course that knocked the price down on what I configured a few hundred.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Sager makes killer gaming laptops. They're not built as well as a Lenovo, but they're pretty good. If you really care about performance and gaming, check them out.

    I'll also agree that Sony and Fujitsu systems aren't for gaming, unless you just play FreeCell. They also don't travel well...at all.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    I recently bought a Toshi, & luv it so far!
    Can I/should I look into an extended warranty?


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

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  11. #11
    Veteran Member Ferret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    The graphics capabilities of a laptop is limited from the start. There are not any graphic card upgrades for laptops. So, what to do ehh?

    Personally I'd go with the Lenovo Thinkpad series and just blow everybody away when they come to understand the smoothness of that machine. What the hell, most people would not know what they are looking at anyway.

    But laptop for heavy duty gaming? It ain't happening unless your heavy duty gaming is mah jong or solitaire.

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    Veteran Member Sultry Siren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Since my hubby's a tech I can give you a "professional" insight

    Toshiba is among the best out there...good warranty too...what my hubby has (notebook)
    Fujitsu is fu-shit-su...they break down more than they boot up
    Dell is Hell...we have so many Dell laptops and desktops in the shop it is insane
    Sony not much info on them

    End vote go Toshiba they make great electronics and the laptops have made all my hubby's customers and himself happy.
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    But laptop for heavy duty gaming? It ain't happening unless your heavy duty gaming is mah jong or solitaire.
    Sager laptops have nVidia 7950GT graphics; oh, let me tell you, you can game like a motherfucker on that GPU--like STALKER and Oblivion, not FreeCell.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

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  14. #14
    Featured Member DJ Machismo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Quote Originally Posted by Gretchen View Post
    If you want something that can play games with nice visuals you can't go wrong with an Alienware. They make amazing machines and I haven't had any problem with the few laptops the boy and I have both had from them.

    If you want something nice I'd just get the fastest dual core processor you can afford (2.0 GHz was sufficient for me), the largest harddrive that spins at 7200RPM (fuck the 5400s) --I got a 100GB because the prices go up a lot from there and I can always replace it on my own with a cheaper one later, you want at least a 256MB graphics card bare minimum --if you can get one thats a 512MB and it will be "top of the line" a bit longer plus look bitchin, memory should be at least 1GB DDR2 (512mb is NOT enough these days by any means) and that should be a sufficient amount --you can always add more later which is actually a cheaper route. Depending on the games you play you might want 2GB. You should be able to get all of this in the under 2k range. This would be definitely sufficient for gaming and surfing the internet at lightening speeds. It would be able to handle movies if you added at DVD drive which shouldn't be expensive at all.

    I'd recommend this one: http://www.alienware.com/configurato...de=SKU-DEFAULT

    I use that as my little road warrior. Its a 15.4 like the others you posted. Keep in mind though that its battery life is a little under 2 hours but if you are mostly keeping it at home it will be perfect. Alienware also makes some larger laptops if you want to go bigger than that. I know they sound like nerd machines but I like them because they are so durable and well made since they have geeks in mind as their consumers. You can only order them online and they are not availible in stores. Also, you can customize the living crap out of them.

    I'm wary of Fry's personally. It seems like a lot of their equipment is dated and they usually are behind on the latest technology --but that comes with the territory of being the cheapest.

    If you care about gaming look for the graphics card first. The Vaio you posted only has an Intel x3100 which is kind of a weak graphics card. It could handle older games though. Depends on what you play. Its an on board graphics card and you'll want one thats dedicated if you want any sort of power (Intel and Vaio both blow anyways from my experience).

    The Fujitsu is pretty weak too. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131631/article.html. I think that says it all.

    Sorry I'm such a laptop geek. I could ramble on forever. I think you could get a really bitchin one for under 2k since it sounds like you don't need all the bells and whistles but just some power decent behind it.

    I love talking about this stuff if you have any other questions.
    Have to echo this. I bought a m9700 with a 17" screen running at 1900x1200 with w video cards in SLI mode. Runs like a dream and outperforms most desktops that my friends have just upgraded for games. Plus its Alienware, so good support all around. They may be owned by Dell, but they still do things there way. Plus right now the m9700 has 12 months no interest financing, could be a plus for you. They can get expensive, but you'll have that with any laptop you need to run ACTUAL games. You can still get a good laptop for a decent price though. Just stay away from Vista if you have an SLI setup as nVidia (yes, not Microsofts fault) has yet to release the proper drivers for it in Vista setups.
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    You can absolutely get a laptop these days that will game like a beast. Sure its true they are a little behind desktops but not so much as to effect things badly.
    some of the alienware machines are from the same company that makes sager (clevo) Some are not. In otherwords you can buy a sager that is internaly identical to an alienware without the flashy outside. Most companies are being nice enough to offer XP with their machines still so get that if you want SLI for now. Heh, get it anyway for now

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    I only buy Sagers/Clevos these days.



    For one retailer.

    Alienwares are for the stupid.

    You can get desktop equiv vidcards in laptops without problem.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Thats a fairly intresting statement seeing as how many of the alienware machines are infact made by clevo who also makes sager.

    That being said I have yet to see an 8000 series vid card in a laptop, so they are behind, just not so much that its going to make things un playable

  18. #18
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Every PC I've ever had has been a piece of shit (and I've had several). I bought a MacBook in February and love it to death! They're sturdy, they last for many years, they have great features like iSight and iTunes, and they don't have all that random shit that PC's are loaded up with so they run faster. A Mac is a little more expensive than a PC but totally worth it. I got the most basic MacBook for about $1100.

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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Quote Originally Posted by Lady Jade View Post
    I've had good luck with Toshiba. I'm on my 3rd one, and I've abused the hell out of them. No matter where you're getting your laptop from and what kind you get, I suggest getting the extended warranty. Things like keyboard and screens tend to blow pretty easily and can get super expensive to replace without the warranty. The screen went on my old laptop right after my warranty ran out, and it would have run me $800 to replace. I ended up just spending $1100 on a brand new laptop instead. However, my first laptop required 3 keyboard replacements (my freshman year college roommate had a habit of "accidentally" spilling things in my laptop!) and I always got a new keyboard for free.
    Agreed. I got my Toshiba at Comp USA and they knocked down the price of the comp AND gave me a deal on a 3 year warranty. I dropped it out the back of my SUV onto concrete and it is fine for the most part, minus a few scratches. My next laptop will most likely be a Toshiba.

  20. #20
    Featured Member DJ Machismo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Laptop hunting

    Quote Originally Posted by Yekhefah View Post
    Every PC I've ever had has been a piece of shit (and I've had several). I bought a MacBook in February and love it to death! They're sturdy, they last for many years, they have great features like iSight and iTunes, and they don't have all that random shit that PC's are loaded up with so they run faster. A Mac is a little more expensive than a PC but totally worth it. I got the most basic MacBook for about $1100.
    Though if they are into gaming most games hit for MAC well over a year or two later than PC if at all.

    Not to mention that Alienware seems to leave their systems relatively bare out of the factory, which is nice.
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