laptops

by **thekman** on Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:18 pm ([msg=40624]see laptops[/msg])

can someone recommend a laptop for me. i need to pick one up for the fall and know almost nothing about laptops. i am going to be majoring in computer science but i am also going to be doing a lot with photoshop and flash animating. but i need to keep the price down around 1200.

i have been looking at a lenovo ideapad (y560) but read that the only levovo laptops that are worth buying are the thinkpads so now i am looking around again. i figured that this would be the best place to start and any input as to which company and series you would choose would be greatly appreciated.

by **Vulpine** on Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:50 pm ([msg=40628]see Re: laptops[/msg])

I've had pretty solid luck using Dell and HP laptops, despite some of the negativity that they get. I've been using a Latitude 1525 for the last year and a half, and it's worked just perfect for all of my needs. I don't mess with photos or videos though, so you'll probably want something with a faster processor and a better graphics card. Dell's Studio line, maybe? I haven't messed with one myself, but they look pretty decent, if not a bit pricey.

by **thekman** on Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:42 pm ([msg=40701]see Re: laptops[/msg])

thanks i will keep looking

-- Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:06 pm --

i think i am going to go with an asus n61 i found on newegg (i7, 320 @7200, 4 gigs, Raedon hd 5740) which came out to about $1070

thanks again

Well The Laptop i am using has lasted me over 2 years and is still in great working order. Its a Gateway M-series with windows 7. If your interested i can grab you the full code so you can look it up yourself.

An i7 will be good for video and photo editing. Go for it. HP is always good too. Personally, I've had bad luck with gateway.

by **Monica** on Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:33 am ([msg=44966]see Re: laptops[/msg])

To be honest, I wouldn't focus on the manufacturer too much. However, I do believe there are some horrible manufacturers out there who make systems with just paper and glue. Because the applications you will be utilizing, requires a lot of RAM and decent graphic rendering, I'd recommend a system with plethora of RAM, decent CPU and of course -- decent video card.

I'm a graphics designer, programmer and gamer, so I understand the necessity of a decent, yet, affordable system. If I were you, I'd do some major research on CPU - between AMD and Intel. Ask yourself questions, for example, "Why should I pick AMD over Intel?" or vise versa. Ask yourself, "How much RAM is required to run Maya, and what are system requirements?" Or "Why should I pick ATI Radeons over NVidia?" Reading reviews help. However, below is a list of "good" manufacturers with some who earned praises from Better Business Bureaus:

- CyberPower
- ibuypower
- Dell
- Digital STORM
- VooDoo

*FYI: These kids in this thread don't know what they're talking about. All you're getting are useless opinions...

Monica wrote:*FYI: These kids in this thread don't know what they're talking about. All you're getting are useless opinions...

I'm guessing the kid asking the question doesn't know what YOU are talking about. He said he doesn't know much. I doubt he will want to read up on the differences between AMD and Intel. He wants a machine he can order off the webs, get shipped to him, open up, and mess with flash. Hell, I can do what he wants on my 3/4 yo HP Pavillion.

by **acilikola** on Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:20 am ([msg=47795]see Re: laptops[/msg])

Hi there!

Below I will give you the system summary of the laptop I am going to buy with %90 certainty. I must warn you though, I believe one must go for it as much as one can when spending money on a desktop or laptop computer since it will be worth it in the long run:

DELL Studio XPS 16 Laptop--Premium Package with a little customization = $1550

SYSTEM COLOR Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (changed this from 4GB to 6GB--for an additional $100 you can get 8GB too)
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner + Roxio Creator 10 Premier - Ultimate Burn/Authoring
VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5730 - 1GB
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card
BATTERY OPTIONS 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 with SRS Premium Sound
HD DISPLAY HD+ Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1600x900) W/2.0 MP, XPS 1647
BLUETOOTH Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)

Yes it is a bit more expensive than what you bargained for. Depending on which display settings you want to play your games or which applications you will run, you may go for other package other than premium and customize them. Also
take a look at HP they also have some miraculous systems. Do not buy ASUS is my only warning since it is very very problematic.

P.S: do not forget to get a good laptop cooler whatever laptop you choose..

just like acilikola said, i recently did the same thing for a fairly good price. but i purchased form where monica mentioned, cyberpowerpc. i had the same budget as you, and made off with :

CD: 8X DVD Rewritable Drive (NB-348-DVDRW)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor 1.73 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache PGA988
HDD: 500GB 5400RPM SATA300 Hard Drive
HDMI: Built-in HDMI Port
MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-1333 SODIMM Memory
MOTHERBOARD: Intel HM55 Chipset Mainboard
NOTEBOOK: Compal NBLB5 Notebook 15.6" W-LED 1366x768 Display w/ Built-in 1.3 MP Webcam
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
VIDEO: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 GDDR3 1GB PCIe 3D Video
and of course ..wifi

total price is $1,213 before tax and shipping. obviously i changed ram to 8gigs like acilikola. as you can see, what you need is basically what youre given for the dollar amount. just my two cents. good luck and happy hunting heheh

I only have 2 GB of RAM, and although I don't do heavy photo/video editing, I've done some for school/friends. It's not blazingly fast, but neither is it at a standstill pace. 4GB should be more than enough, and 6 will definetly be more than adequate. I'd say you can safely pocket the $100 for the other 2 and take your girlfriend out on a nice date or something.