I need to buy a new laptop and am looking for suggestions. The system will be used for gaming purposes as well as to manage our growing iTunes collection. I'll need it for work as well - primarily office-related programs (such as Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc.).
I am looking for suggestions regarding memory, video cards, PC vendors (Dell has been good to me but I haven't bought a new system in 5 years - is there someone better?), etc. I don't care about weight or aesthetics. The screen has to be nice, as I will not be plugging it into a monitor.
I'd prefer to keep everything under $3k if possible - my goal is $2k.
Thanks in advance,
Lyn/Sam
preferably, the best bang for your buck is to construct your own computer with the help of a tech-savy friend. but being a laptop you may feel more comfortable buying from a company, if thats the case:
Dell uses priority hardware, but have decent support and good prices (comparatively) as long as you dont plan on upgrading the laptop, i always suggest Dells. (they are also VERY friendly to the growing open-source community)
stay away from emachines
dont waste the money on an apple or viao
you might also want to look into a shuttle computer, easily portable and easily upgradable, but wont break the bank
(just my 2 copper!)
My recent laptop purchase (in late spring):
Toshiba Satellite P100- ST9772
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200, 2048MB DDR2 667MHz SDRAM, 160GB HDD (5400RPM). 17†WSXGA+ TruBriteâ,,¢, DVD SuperMulti DL, Intel 802.11a/b/g, NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7900GTX w/512MB GDDR3 VRAM, 5-in-1 Card reader, Fingerprint reader, Bluetooth v2.0+EDR, Dual-mode Pad
I replaced the factory installed drive with a 100GB 7200RPM hard drive and installed my OS of choice rather than the Vista it came with, but you can do as you please there. I highly recommend something in the 7200RPM range as it makes a noticable difference in speed, I've seen (at least for both WoW and my work).
With this machine, I have all the graphic options in WoW turned to it's max and it runs just fine with no graphic lag at all.
Hope this helps you make an inf
I'm also in the process of looking for a laptop Lyn, and I've found a couple of things:
Toshibas are great laptops, aside from an annoying heat distribution issue (my last laptop was a Toshiba Satellite and its integrated memory card fried because it was overheating)... but that was also because I was overstressing the system by using it as a faux-router >.< Long story.
Anywho, looking at the Toshiba site I found a very good basic PC for under $1k - and it's customizable to the point that it can become a very good gaming machine. I think mine leveled out at a little over $1030 with the HD and RAM upgrades.
As far as Apple goes, their Macbook prices are comperable to the options available on the Toshiba site (haven't checked into the latest Dell stock yet) - base hardware is just a bit better and the prices are a bit more expensive than the PC versions. Only reason I'm considering one is because there's Mac-only software that I would verymuch like to be able to use for work. That and I want to finally figure the damned things out - getting tired of being surprised when I press a button and something silly happens =P
i can second (third actually) toshibas. they are great systems, my household has 2.
two downsides,
they are pricey
ive also had heating issues (we've already had to replace one via warranty for frying its own video card)
</3 Dell. I got mine on sale but the hardward seems to be mismatched a bit. graphics underpowered compared to processor and uber 17in widescreen at 1680x1050. Mondo heavy too. Only reason I bought it was that it was a killer sale and the wife needed a comp.
I've heard good things about Asus brand laptops from newegg.com too. Anyone else able to validate that?
asus, yes good
acer, no bad
Do not buy Alienware. They are kickass machines but...only when they work. I had so many hassles with my Alienware laptop that I wont ever buy from them again. Atop waiting 4 months to get it after I ordered it, when I got it, it had severe technical hardware issues where I had to send it back 2 times to get it fixed. Now its about 1yr old and im told by them they refuse to support Windows Vista on it meaning they wont release any drivers for Vista for that model. I can run it, I have run it, its a pain to have to make my own drivers but I did and can, its simply the fact that the customer support is so god awful that I just dont want to deal with it.
Ive heard many good things about WidowPC's for high end gaming laptops.
Heh, BTW, Acer is Dell, its just remodeled and higher end =)
Acer brands the low end stuff Acer and Dell takes the higher end stuff.
Oh yeah, definitely have to say "no" about Alienware laptops. I ordered from them even after all the horror stories about their bad service (and even first hand experience from 2 years prior) in the hopes their recent buy out changed their customer service department for the better. I received defective hardware and fter returning the laptop twice to their repair shop, they just sat on it for weeks and still failed to fix anything. Customer Service is the worst I've ever had to deal with. Never again will I buy from them.
Isn't Alienware Dell too now?
GB
Yea, they make Dell's high end gaming platforms, the XPS stuff, but they kept the Alienware brand a separate entity for whatever reason. Unfortunately all prior Alienware customers dont get grandfathered in to the new support systems or anything, we get stuck with the old.
ouch.
good to know about acer, dell, and alienware. not surprising though :(
So it seems to me that Toshiba is the safest choice, based on the experiences some of you have had. Interesting, as I am also in the market for a new 52" LCD TV & a HD DVD player, and Toshiba is my leading choice atm.
For this laptop, my thoughts are to max out memory & get the best graphics card that is offered (I might just copy Koth's config). Any opinions? Would heat be a concern (seems like it is)? I plan to use MS Vista.
My knowledge of heating issues is three years old - and my toshiba was bought at Best Buy >.< Even with that being the case it was an excellent machine. Running WoW was painful in cities, but even though the 'puter was never meant to be a gaming machine, it did well.
With that in mind, the issues I had were due to the fact that:
- the main ventilation fan was on the bottom of the unit. It just pushed heat into my lap and didn't dissipate it at all.
- the side ventilation fans were woefully inadequate to handle the amount of heat that needed to be moved off the motherboard
(As far as I can tell - friend of mine has a new toshiba laptop - those issues have undergone design changes and the box handles heat much more efficiently)
- Leaving it on for weeks (yes weeks... this is part of that faux-router thing) didn't do the motherboard any favors, and in its last days, my laptop was prone to shutting down after an hour or three if it wasn't propped in such a way that the main fan had plenty of space to move heat to.
All that aside, it took me about four months to finally kill the integrated memory on the thing, after which it became a $1000 door-stop since the warantee had expired. In your case, Lyn - in building your own machine and ordering it direct from the manufacturer, you shouldn't have any issues =) Mine was not equipped for gaming, nor was it at all high-end, and it still lasted me three years.
Hope this helps!
-Fi
my heat related problems were also due to keeping it on too long on the lap :(
it doesnt let the vents breath
The only heat problem I have with my laptop is the wrist rest area for my left wrist gets unbearably hot while playing WoW. To protect myself so that I don't develop blisters from the hot case, I use the anti-static cloth that came with the laptop folded up and placed over the hot area. This is enough to protect myself from the hot graphics card (it sits right under that spot) and not get in the way of my using the laptop. I've not had any other heat related issues with this model in about 8 months of near continuous use in a variety of environments.
I've been playing WoW on a Dell Inspiron 9300 for a couple of years now that originally cost about $1400. I've had no issues other than some low framerates in shatt and a few other places. Here's a couple of things I recommend:
Get the 17" widescreen. Worth every penny.
A top-end graphics card is not necessary unless you like all the pretty bells-and-whistles turned on.
Get at least 2gigs of ram. Upgrading from 1gig to 2 in my laptop made a huge difference, particularly with my slower HD. Zoning is much faster, framerate is better, etc. Also, since Laptop ram is generally more expensive to upgrade, you're better off getting the max from the outset.
The Keyboard is important. I have big hands and the Dell for me fit better than others. If you use the ctrl, shift, ALT and function keys, make sure you can reach them on the laptop since they are small on many models. Touch and feel will take some getting used to. Also, check the prices of replacement keyboards - Between hammering keys, spilling wine, and two toddlers, I've gone through 3 keyboards already.
You should be able to get a decent laptop that will run WoW easily for well under 2k.
I never bought a laptop - now looking at a desktop unit instead.
The XPS line from Dell seems to be going away & the high end gaming systems are too pricey for me (HP Blackbird is $6k).
Any suggestions for desktops these days?
Well, I just change my computer. I have no more lag (in Shat too :o).
There is some characteristics:
4Go of memory
641Go of hard drive
graphic card : Geforce 9500 GT
Windows Vista
this is not a laptop but that work pretty well
oh yeah and this is an HP that cost under 1000$CAN ;)
Quotemy heat related problems were also due to keeping it on too long on the lap Sad
it doesnt let the vents breath
Gentlemen of twilight, I would HIGHLY advise against this if you are ever planning on children. The extreme heat that the bottomsides of laptops can give off and the high sensitivity of nearby hardware to extreme temperatures (especially for prolonged periods of time) could adversely effect your capabilities of "data transfer" in the long run. It's essentially the same reason why boxers are a better (for people trying to have kids) choice than briefs... heat control.
Anyways, I'm also running a dell 9300 series laptop and after upgrading to 2g of memory, I run WoW with no problems as a result of my computer... my shared internet network is another story sometimes though. I run a 350gig external harddrive as well for my all to large music collection in order to keep as much free space as possible on the machine as well. The only complaint I have is that my audio plug in jack is FUBAR and I have no sound at all unless I use a USB headphone.
I got the Imac around two weeks ago and I can say that it's like playing a new game! If you don't mind using mac that is :)
I play on a Toshiba Satellite P200. Its a desktop replacement model, 17inch screen. It has a good gfx card in it (Nvidia 7600 256MB), and it came custom-made and new from China. I <3 Toshibas, I've had 3 and my old-old one (its pushing 7years now) is still working well and is now a Light board for a theater company.
When I had some issues (all things break), never had any problems that couldn't be fixed in < 1-2 days. Most Warranty service centers have 1-2 day turnaround for any hardware issues, parts in stock, and some even have a "while you wait" service. I highly recommend Toshibas.
Well well..... I don't know if its an affordable suggestion, but I play on a Macbook pro laptop, 17 inches, 2,4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo (u can run windows if u prefer.... yuk! heheh)
I never have any problems with the game, actually its really fluid.
On another hand, macs laptop have the tendacy of getting really really really really hot, i can't play with my laptop on my knees because i'm going to burn myself...
Still, if you have 2k $, mac are good machine, very efficient, good quality and very durable. We even have a field mac book :P that doesnt give up ! hehe
Or as I saw in suggestion, u can go with the Imac, very good machine to keep at home ! You'll be surprise how Mac screens are relaxing for the eyes! They have the new technology in it that is brighter and relax the eye (many ppl spend hours on their mac non stop, so u gotta love that :P) and which makes that when u are on the side of the screen and try to look its not all black-darkish so u cant see. I don't recall the name of that technology tho, sorry about that.
But if you are looking for a lower price / quality item, I would recommand any toshiba Laptop. Marklor used his toshiba for very very very long time and never brought it to a technicial and it never broke... We even resold it 800 $.... thought he paid $1800 for it 3 years ago. Again, very efficient machine, good quality and lots of fluidity for games (even if its not built for games, it gives a very good result). If i was still on PC, I wouldn't mind using a second hand Toshiba Laptop as a new laptop to play WoW.
Hope that helps !
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20040703
Edit: continuing the hatefest.
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEAGmBRC1dc[/youtube]
Mild profanity.
While my prior Toshiba laptop was good (though it was too underpowered to run TBC well at all), this last one I bought was a lemon. It overheated two weeks ago, so I started dismantling it trying to find out the cause and see if it was repairable. The P100-ST9772 has two fans, one for CPU and one for GPU, I know this because I've taken it apart a couple of times before to clean out the accumulated dust and hair from the fans and heatsinks. What I realized after taking it apart this last time is that while there are two separate fans requiring two separate intake vents, the intake vent for the CPU fan was sealed shut instead of covered with a wire mesh like the GPU fan intake. Not only that but a couple other vents over hot areas were also sealed shut. WTF?
Anyway, enough about a bricked laptop.
Thanks to having just enough room on my Best Buy credit card and their special this month of 2 years 0% interest on any purchases over $1k, I now have a shiny new HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8907962&type=product&id=1213046785760) (literally shiny). It's hard to find a good laptop at places like Best Buy since they either sell crap for too much or grandiose machines that are insanely expensive - not to mention it's nigh impossible to customize. I was quite surprised to find this HP there as the other machines I was looking at in this price range didn't come close to all the features this had. I don't care for the chrome touchpad as my finger tends to stutter across it rather than glide, but since I use a corded USB mouse, I don't have to care about it. The discrete vidcard used is faster (http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GT.9449.0.html) than what my old Toshiba had, the 4gig RAM is very nice, Vista64 is... meh, the wireless n card is great, and what really surprised me was that it had 2 bays for hard drives! I now have a total of just over 500gig of space on it. =) WoW ran well last night with no lockups, no disconnects, no slowdowns, and the lowest frame rate I got in Hijal last night was 22fps. Normally it fluctuated between 40 and 60 fps.
It's good to be back and I look forward to playing again as I've not had a stable gaming platform all year. Now that I have WoW installed and running, time to install all my career related software and get back to work. ]:D Priorities!
Quote from: Kothnok on August 17, 2008, 09:01:11 AM
While my prior Toshiba laptop was good (though it was too underpowered to run TBC well at all), this last one I bought was a lemon. It overheated two weeks ago, so I started dismantling it trying to find out the cause and see if it was repairable. The P100-ST9772 has two fans, one for CPU and one for GPU, I know this because I've taken it apart a couple of times before to clean out the accumulated dust and hair from the fans and heatsinks. What I realized after taking it apart this last time is that while there are two separate fans requiring two separate intake vents, the intake vent for the CPU fan was sealed shut instead of covered with a wire mesh like the GPU fan intake. Not only that but a couple other vents over hot areas were also sealed shut. WTF?
Anyway, enough about a bricked laptop.
Thanks to having just enough room on my Best Buy credit card and their special this month of 2 years 0% interest on any purchases over $1k, I now have a shiny new HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8907962&type=product&id=1213046785760) (literally shiny). It's hard to find a good laptop at places like Best Buy since they either sell crap for too much or grandiose machines that are insanely expensive - not to mention it's nigh impossible to customize. I was quite surprised to find this HP there as the other machines I was looking at in this price range didn't come close to all the features this had. I don't care for the chrome touchpad as my finger tends to stutter across it rather than glide, but since I use a corded USB mouse, I don't have to care about it. The discrete vidcard used is faster (http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GT.9449.0.html) than what my old Toshiba had, the 4gig RAM is very nice, Vista64 is... meh, the wireless n card is great, and what really surprised me was that it had 2 bays for hard drives! I now have a total of just over 500gig of space on it. =) WoW ran well last night with no lockups, no disconnects, no slowdowns, and the lowest frame rate I got in Hijal last night was 22fps. Normally it fluctuated between 40 and 60 fps.
It's good to be back and I look forward to playing again as I've not had a stable gaming platform all year. Now that I have WoW installed and running, time to install all my career related software and get back to work. ]:D Priorities!
wb Koth, looking forward to raiding with you:)