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Another "need help deciding on a laptop" thread...

R

rage4order

Gawd
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Oct 4, 2004
Messages
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It's about time to search for a new laptop. I built my current one from an ASUS barebones system and am thinking about going that route again. I have a few questions though since I've been out of the loop for a while now as far as laptops go. I'm looking to go with at least an i5 cpu and would definitely prefer dedicated video card. Now, if I decide to go the AMD route, what cpu would be comparable or better than an i5? Which cpu is better when it comes to power consumption? Where is a good web site to purchase barebones systems? Would I be better off just buying a pre-built one?
BTW, I will be using my laptop for watching HD videos/movies, some video editing, web surfing and possibly even use it for gaming if I can get one to handle it. It must be at least a 15" screen.
 
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Anybody?
How does the AMD Phenom series compare to the core i series? I'm an AMD guy when it comes to desktops, but have always been under the impression that Intel is the way to go with laptop cpu's. Also, how good is the AMD Vision technology?
 
The Phenom II is roughly competitive, although it's definitely an apples-to-oranges comparison in some areas. I would still give the nod to Intel for raw performance and battery life, although AMD Vision (which is really just a way of branding CPU and graphics combos) is definitely faster for video if the Core i5 doesn't have a dedicated video chipset.

What's your budget? That will open up the possibilities for your system, especially if you're willing to go over $1,500.
 
$1500 is way over my budget. If I had that kinda cash I'd go for an Alienware! :D I'd like to keep it around $800-900. I did just see this HP at Office Depot for $700- AMD Phenom II triple core N830 @ 2.1 GHz, 17.3" screen(1600 X 900 res.), 4Gb DDR3, 500 Gb HDD, and ATI 5650 w/1Gb dedicated memory. This one looks like it could cover all my needs. I'm kinda leaning towards AMD because it seems like if I want dedicated graphics with a core i, I'm gonna have to spend at least $900-1000.
That Asus is pretty sweet but like I said, it's a little more $$$ than I wanna spend.
 
I would go with something that has a smaller screen and possibly better build quality or performance. The newest HP dv series notebooks should be alright, but I would gravitate towards Lenovo ThinkPads if you can.
 
If you can spring for a bit more, then get my laptop MSI GX640. I am super happy with it.

That is the minimum I would go for if I really wanted to game on it.

If gaming is not that important or you are only playing WOW or stuff like that, then that HP looks like a good deal.

Or this one with Optimus: ASUS K52 Series K52JC-X2 NoteBook Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 310M

Oh btw, I dont think any Alienware can even come close to that G73.
 
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How about the Lenovo Ideapad Y560? Comes with a i5 460M processor and a solid 5730 graphic card for just $949.
 
That ASUS looks great and right in my price range. My current laptop is an ASUS and I have had ZERO problems with it! As for that Lenovo, I was looking at that exact one just today. It actually has an i7 in it and Fry's has it for $849 right now.
 
Ok I've still been looking around and just came across this laptop- HP DV7-4060 at Newegg for $640 dlvd. It's a Phenom II tri-core with an ATI 5650 gpu. Any opinions on it? It's a bit larger than I really want but I just can't get that price out of my head!
 
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