Help regarding laptop choice

[kendman19]

Im really confused as to which laptop i would be getting. The choices are as follows:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...ertainment+powerhouse&series_name=dv7z_series

For the first choice, im gonna upgrade it to 3GB RAM (w/c is free), upgrade the processor to
AMD Turion(TM) X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-70 (2.0GHz), the video card to 256MB ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3450 Graphics, and the battery to 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery totalling $988.99.

The other option is:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...ainment+powerhouse&series_name=dv9700t_series

As for the second choice, im considering to order it on its base configuration (plus the 3GB RAM upgrade) for a total of $949.99 since i am on a budget of under $1000K..

I intend to use the laptop to make case presentations in med school, and also would like to play games on it. I've heard constatly that ATI Radeon and AMD are better than Nvidia and Intel chips, respectively, in desktop PCs. Does it apply to notebook computers as well? Suggestions other than these 2 HP notebooks? I would really appreciate help on this one. Thanks.

 

[frozenlead]

You're a tad misinformed. Intel CPU's rock both the desktop and laptop markets, I wouldn't buy AMD at this point - they're just not fast enough. As far as GPU's go, Nvidia is the most powerful in each, but ATI cards have domain in the desktop market because they're significantly cheaper, and only perform a little less than the Nvidia cards. In the mobile world, you get little choice with ATI cards, and even then, I wouldn't recommend them, the Nvidia ones are just that much better.

Niether of those notebooks are gaming material. The most I would do with them is watch HD movies. With a budget of under $1000 (BTW, $1000k would mean your budget is 1,000,000 - 'kilo' is one thousand in addition to whatever is stated - but I know what you mean) gaming notebooks are a no-show.

What games are you going to play? What settings? What resolutions do you want? Filling out Maziar's sticky helps a lot with questions like this.

 

[Maziar]

Agreed getting an Intel CPU is a wiser choice,alos plz fill out the FAQ:
http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/50797-20-read-buying-laptop

 

[kendman19]

Thanx for the reply guys. Yeah, sorry bout the typo, i meant, the budget is only $1K. I kinda changed my mind with HP, im opting for dell instead. the specs are listed below:


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5750 (2.00GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
HD DISPLAY Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
MEMORY 3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2
HARD DRIVE Size: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell 1397 Wireless-G Card
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
KEYBOARD Standard Keyboard (included in the price)
FINGERPRINT SCANNER Integrated Finger Print Reader

Well, i think a "medium"/1027x768 resolution would be fine with me on Sims 2 and Command and Conquer 3. Im planning to order the dell laptop by wednesday, but that can still change. Any of you guys can advise me regarding w/c laptop to get?

 

[kendman19]

now im confused.. found this one on the net:

http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4023065&sku=G180-15007

I need your opinion on this one guys... The Dell or the Gateway laptop? Please help.

 

[Maziar]

Plz fill the FAQ completely

 

[dwellman]

At the mid to low range, it doesn't matter: AMD / Intel or AMD(ATI) / Nvidia.

I think, at the low and mid range, AMD graphics hold a slight edge over Nvidia. Also, AMD integrated graphics are pretty much the cat's meow when compared to Intel or Nvidia, currently-- if you ever have the choice (especially with media applications).

With processors, though you can almost always upgrade the Celeron or lesser Core2 with a better or faster one (provided you stay within the thermal budget), not so with Turion.

Of course the following is beyond mobile computing, but at the HPC (High Performance Computing) level AMD (Opteron) holds a significant lead over Intel (Xeon / Itanium) when things get massively parallel.

 

[kendman19]

1_What is your budget? <$1K

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.4" screen

3_What screen resolution: >1024x768

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement desktop? desktop replacement

5_How much battery life do you need? 2-4 hours would be fine

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)? Sims 2 - Medium, Command and Conquer 3 - Medium, Command and Conquer: Generals Zero Hour - Medium

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing , surfing the web, playing music, watching movies, Etc.) - Photoshop, some video editing using ulead, wifi web surfing, music, movies, case presentations, med school stuff

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need? >200GB

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.
http://www.dell.com-Studio 15 ($849)
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4023065&sku=G180-15007 - Gateway

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
3-4 years

11_If you would like to mention some other things about purchasing your ideal laptop, post them.
Best value i can get for my buck.

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.
Any brand will do as long as they are of quality.

13_What country do you live in?
Med student in the Philippines, but gonna buy a laptop from the states to be hand carried by my uncle back here on Oct. 30.

 

[Maziar]

DELL VOSTRO 1500