Purchasing a Laptop, please help for I know not what to do.

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manimalofnature

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May 8, 2006
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Ok...here is my situation.

I am in the USA and I plan to move to Thailand. I will be teaching English, playing World of Warcraft, and I am a Photographer. I have apx $2000 to invest in this, not a penny more.

Basically, what I need is a Laptop that will run WoW very well(settings on high while being graphically intense), be able to do general things such as run MS Office Suite programs, be able to handle Photo editing and do -minor- video editing & such w/o problems.

I would like to have the longest lasting investment I can with the most versatility, portability, and the ability to use the laptop internationally online. I know the people that frequent these forums are far more intelligent than I, especially in the field of computers. So I would love to hear suggestions on a place to purchase such a laptop, and advice on what I should look for.

In advance I thank you for your time and thought on this.

mon
 
What does anyone think about ABSpc.com?

Are "Rock" laptops shipped to the US? If so...what do you think about them?

ABS is seemingly the best deal I have seen so far...
 
I've also notice that some companies, like Velocity, charge incredible amounts for RAM upgrades. Such as moving from 512 RAM = 2gb = $265, where companies like ABS charge apx $150 for the 2gb RAM of quality(Kingston) upgrades. Why is this?

I realize that there are many similar posts to this one, as it seems is often the case in such a populated forum. However, I still seek advice on this post.

Are there any genuinely good manufacturers who do not charge astounding prices for the upgrades and systems?

I looked at Falcon, but couldnt find a price nor did the configuration screen work.
I saw Monarch, but they are really -not- a laptop company it seems.
I've of course seen Dell, and I havent really given Gateway a chance yet with the type of machine I'm looking for.
Velocity has really turned me off with their high component upgrade prices...it takes a moderate computer to expencive in no time flat.
Alienware is simply expencive, and Dell XPS has been marked up comparably with the Dell-Alien buyout it seems.

Who else is their?

So far ABS is the best in my opinion.

But, what is your opinion on Manufacturers?
What do you think of Intel vs AMD?
Nvidia GeForce 6600 vs the higher end GeForce?
Radeon X700 vs higher Radeon and GeForce cards?
 
I just realized that I should have put this in the Mobile Computing Forum...would a Mod please move this for me?
 
After further though I decided to put some specs that I would like:

15.4-17" WUXGA Screen (Highest quality possible preferably for photo editing.)
20-60gb 7200rpm SATA (Fast for gaming & access times)
256mb Dedicated RAM GeForce 6600+ (does it have 24 pixel pipelines?, 7200 if not.)
2gb RAM
SBL-pro sound card (I dont care about speakers, will be using headphones or portable speakers)
For some reason I like AMD 64...so = 2ghz AMD 64 chip.

Preferably under $2000.

That make sense?
 
Not too crazy about the gateway, but thank you for the time to check it out! It seems quite pricey & under equipped really. As far as the Macbook's arent out of the question...I've seen a few & they look very crisp.

ABSpc, what do you think?

Or this one with an AMD & Radeon?

Still ABS seems the best price. My friend has one & he's very satisfied...but again, I respect many opinions here.

Let me know?
 
I checked out Dell b/c I found out that I can get a 15% discount on their computers through a cousin.

I pimped out a Dell Inspiron E1705, its about $2005ish after the discount.
I'm comparing it to the Dell XPS M1710 which starts at $2600 alone, and it isnt anywhere near as well nice as the E1705.

Is there something that makes the XPS special, or is it just the GeForce 7900 & the name that puts the price tag so high?

I hope people actually start reading this & make some posts like the gentleman above did!

Thanks
 
I just got a new laptop, heres what i piked out. Wish the options were avail on 15inch but they werent.

I got 1/3 off and 12% epp discount with 150 rebates below as u can see. Not bad in my opinion.


Inspiron E1705, Intel Core DuoProcessor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB) Qty: 1 Unit Price: $1,682.05
[222-1022] Inspiron E1705, Intel Core DuoProcessor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
[320-4559] 17 inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WUXGA, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[464-9485] 1GB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[320-4562] 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[341-2943] 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[412-0689] Image Restore
[420-5755] Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, English without Media, for Inspiron
[420-4830] DELL SUPPORT 3.0
[420-4928] Windows Media Player 10
[463-2282] Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
[420-5460] Complimentary courses: Look for EU icon
[420-5476] Dell Direct Download
[420-5924] Icon Consolidation Application
[430-0493] Integrated 10/100 Network Cardand Modem, for Inspiron
[430-1048] Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, for Inspiron
[313-3865] 24X Combo CD-RW/DVD, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[420-5775] CyberLink PowerDVD v5.7 Decoding Sofware for DVD Drives
[313-4218] SoundBlaster Advanced Audio for XPS M1710
[430-1516] Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[462-3905] I chose the promotional security package with service
[312-0374] 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
[420-3224] Broadband Icon for Inspiron
[412-0787] AOL for Broadband
[412-0687] NETZERO ISP
[420-5256] Netscape ISP
[412-0861] MS Worksuite 2006
[412-0359] Soft Contracts - Qualxserve
[900-4333] Type 15- Third Party At Home Service with Nights and Week ends, 24x7 Technical Support, 3 Year Extended
[900-9753] Warranty Support,3 Year Extended
[950-7447] 4 Year Limited Warranty
[960-6520] Type 15- Third Party At Home Service with Nights and Week ends, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
[960-6910] Warranty Support,Initial Year
[982-1628] Dell On Call, 30 Days, Getting Started Assistance, Unlimited Incidents
[983-8638] Dell Education Services - QuickHelp Kit with Live Expertand Online Learning PC Intro ,Play Connect and Work Edition
[412-0358] Soft Contracts - Consumer Complete Care
[960-9189] CompleteCare Accidental DamageProtection, Inspiron, 4 Year
[983-2207] Thank You for buying Dell
[983-2217] Please visit WWW.Dell.COM
[983-4327] $150 SERVICE REBATE 72205. Redeem within 30 days of ship date at: www.dell.com/epprebates
[464-7866] Network Associates McAfee 7.0 English, 2 Year Subscription
[310-7166] Dell PC Quick Guide (Included in your Dell on Call Contract or Warranty Support)
[430-1468] Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR), for Inspiron9400/E1705
[465-0505] No Broadband Expresscard technology currently available
[412-0856] Paint Shop Pro Standard
[412-0865] Basic digital Music,Photo and Game experience
[310-7149] Backup media for XP Media Center,Inspiron

Subtotal: $1,682.05
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
 
Sager notebooks are a tad too high for me, but the Asus in NewEgg looks pretty nice!

TurboCache, isnt that memory that is shared with the computer? How does that work? A Computer has 1gb RAM, a video card has 512RAM-TurboCache...does that mean that 512 comes from the 1gb?

Forgive my ignorance.
 
I believe the 7400go in the V6J has 128MB of dedicated video ram, and Turbocache can dynamically use 384MB of system ram (that's where the up to 512MB comes from) if it thinks it'll improve performance.

Another option would be the 15.4" MSI MS-1039 , $1,802.00 gets you:
AMD Turion64 MT40 2.2GHz
WSXGA+ resolution matte screen
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB
2GB DDR ram
80GB 7200rpm Hitachi
802.11b/g and Bluetooth
8x DVDRW DL
Windows XP Home

You may also take a look at the business Dell Latitude D820. Another 15.4", it can be configured with a WUXGA screen and Nvidia NVS 120m (7400go based card). Build quality is suppose to be quite good. Comes standard with a 3-year warranty that you may be able to transfer to Thailand.
 
manimalofnature said:
that looks pretty nice...
How'd you get 1/3rd off??
Click to expand...

I get weekly emails from dell, about current promos etc.. Last weeks was a 1/3rd off coupon.
 
Cyber Power PC has limited customization but seemingly the best deals so far. They were on Nvidia's "where to buy" section. Does anyone here have experience with them?

I still have a while before I can buy it, so I'm researching like crazy...

Has anyone build a laptop from parts, like people do with desktops all the time?
 
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