Looking for laptop need advice

jon freestar

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Aug 3, 2010
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1_What is your budget? around $800. can go up to $900 but dont want to exceed that

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
15 - 17" screen

3_What screen resolution do you want?
not picky

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
more a desktop replacement than portable

5_How much battery life do you need?
a 2-3 hours if I am just surfing the web or watching a movie

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 dont play the high end FPS ( Crysis, Farcry 2, DiRT etc)anymore most RTS or RPGS ( Civilization, Ufo Extreterrestrials,
Oblivion, etc) I would like to play older games like Battlefront 1 / 2, Halo nothing brand new. The MMO I play now is EVE online. I would like in the future to start playing Dragon Age, Diablo 3 if / when its done, The new Star Wars MMO. Would like to play on meduim setting for new games but I am not critical playing everying on max setting with all the eye candy

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop, Etc.)

web surf , watch movies from time to time, putz around

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

320gb should be more that enough for me

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

I have been shopping on Tigerdirect, Amazon, Costco, XOTICPC, New Egg

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
2-3 year


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?

a DVD combo drive

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 have been mainly looking at ASUS based on my research and pretty sold of them

I have been looking at various models of K52 series, N61JV , K72 series. Their are some many variations of those its very confusing plus each supplier has a different setup. I am thinking an I3 processor with a better video card would be better than an i5 with a lesser video card

dont think I want at HP or Dell based on friends past experiences. Sony I am not really liking so far
Acer and Toshiba maybe

13_What country do you live in?
United State


14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.
Semi gaming laptop. Mostly for older games and MMO's would like to be able to play newer games but understand some FPS may not play or in low setting ( not a biggie). The laptop will mostly be at home downstairs and connect thru wireless. I will be stand alone ( no pluggin into a TV or anything for a better screen) will have access to a outlet of course. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thank you

 

jon freestar

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found this on new egg
its an open box not sure if its worth it for
is for $820.00

ASUS N61JQ-X1 NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 16" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
 

toolinthemist

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Here is a new Asus from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/K52JK-A1-15-6-Inch-Versatile-Entertainment-Laptop/dp/B003BEDRVG/ref=sr_1_47?s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1280896965&sr=1-47

its a packing a good mid-range cpu with an entry level gpu (still beats integrated)

If you're open to open box or refurb units, that really opens a lot of possibilities cause you can really get some good deals.
The open box Asus you posted is good but honestly a faster clocked i5 will provide better gaming performance than a slower quad i7
 

jon freestar

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also the more I think about to looking at another brand whether it be HP, Dell , Samsung, Sony might be worth while since I do want to get the best bang for my buck I just havent done alot of research on those brands and the though of it all makes my head hurt.

any thoughts or suggestions with some other brands
 

jon freestar

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okay found some options and want to get some opiniosn

HP dv7T
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11542868&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4017745%204294967277&Mo=11&No=4&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

HPdv6
http://www.frys.com/product/6274990?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Asus K52
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220726

Asus K72
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220734

Asus G60jx Ref not sure about this one due to how warranty would work
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-G60JX-RBBX05-Notebook-Manufacturer-Refurbished/dp/B003WUXMVY/ref=sr_1_10?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1280989369&sr=1-10

thats should open up my choices.

anything else let me know
 

jon freestar

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ya I dont think I will consider G60jx since it only comes with a 90 day warranty.

I guess now I need to decide whether 15 or a 17"

the reason I was looking at the DV7 HP was the better video card ATI 5650 compared to the 5145

also would an i3 350M with a ati 5470 be better than a i5 450M with a ati 5145
 

Phi62

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Aug 17, 2010
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Just ordered this from HP direct, Grand total $1,041.24 tax & shipping:

HP Pavilion dv7t Select Edition customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz)
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (320GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
• 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Wireless-N Card
• Standard Keyboard