In the laptop market~

[Mogi]

So my wealthy grandfather has decided to pop up out of nowhere and offer a laptop to me for Christmas in preparation for college next year. The only issue is that I've never researched laptops at all and I don't know exactly for what to look, so I was hoping if you'd give me your opinions, EoFF :</>D

Like I said, it's for college, first of all. I've never used Mac and I don't think the stresses of starting college are a wonderful time to get over the learning curve of the platform swap, so I'll only go Windows at the moment. I'm a music lover and listen to it constantly. I have lots and lots of music. I'd love something that could handle games properly, as I've never actually owned anything that could, but that's not really a priority. I do use a lot of graphical-interfaced programs though, so I need something able to deal with multiple graphic stresses, that on top of a music player, of course. I'm not very worried about storage space, because my external hard drive is wonderful in that regard. A big concern I have is the fact that I'm going to be needing this laptop for a long time, so I need one that will last. I'd also love some customer support.

The last problem is that I need my answer by tomorrow night, so I'm pressed for time. Like I said, he came out of nowhere with this.

My last note is a query as to whether to go Windows7 or XP. I'd love some thoughts weighing on both of them. Have any of you tried 7 yet?

Thanks for anyone's help, and if no one has anything to say that's fine too. :</>D
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[Rye]

I personally really love my laptop (a Yellow Inspiron 1420), though the Dell customer service is a huge point against it. The pluses though are that it was cheap ($600) as a base, and you can customize it really well to play games well, or whatever you want. I'm sure you can find better if you look, but it's a good option.

[Endless]

I have only good things to say about my samsung R710 (nVIDIA GeForce Go 9600M GT model). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be sold in the US >.>


Currently, a good "cheap for performance" laptop might be:
Newegg.com - MSI GX630-001US NoteBook AMD Athlon X2 QL-62&#40;2.00GHz&#41; 15.4&#34; Wide XGA 4GB Memory 320GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - Laptops / Notebooks

Sony's Vaios might be worth checking, too:
Newegg.com - PCs & Laptops,Laptops, Notebooks & Netbooks,Laptops / Notebooks,Sony VAIO,Intel Core 2 Duo,Windows 7 Home Premium,$750 - $1000

[Mogi]

I'm really liking the Inspiron 15, almost to the point that I think I've settled on it.

Wait, how is Dell's customer service?

EDIT: Also, Endless, I really like the first one but the laptop that my grandfather originally suggested was in the $400-$500 range and I'd feel rude if I asked for anything too expensive x.x

[o_O]

If you get a Dell, people will say to you "Dude.... you got a Dell?" when it breaks down. Dell's customer service is notoriously crap and I strongly recommend to avoid them unless you're going to get a Dell XPS system, which are very high-end laptops. I've been on the wrong side of their customer service and if I recall correctly, Rye had mega problems with them as well.

I'm currently using an HP Pavilion dv6... It's ok I guess. My Acer Aspire was very good before that, but be warned that many people will tell you to stay away from Acers. My Toshiba Satellite is just an all-round solid machine. Of them all I'm probably enjoying the dv6 the most and I'd recommend it. Perhaps you'd want to look at a dv7 though, since the graphics card in this one (GeForce 9200Go) is pretty average.

Don't get a Dell.

[Raistlin]

I've actually never had problems with Dell's customer service, though I take good care of my laptops and have not had to use it for anything very significant. My last laptop was a Dell Latitude I got through my college, and it was a workhorse for over 4 years. It's still perfectly serviceable now, and I gave it to my mom when I got my current laptop, a Dell Studio XPS 16, which I've been happy with so far. I'm planning on keeping it for the next 3-4+ years and it's my only computer, so I wanted something fairly powerful, though I only really researched Dell laptops because my dad receives a good discount through his work. I heard good things about the XPS laptops in general, but of course they do cost more, and if you're looking in the $500 range it's really out of the question.

For gaming, I'm not sure how well an Inspiron 15 would handle current-generation computer games. Just be sure to read reviews about the computer's performance and the available graphics cards (which you'll probably want to upgrade).

Regarding your last question, I'd definitely recommend getting Windows 7 unless you're really strapped for cash. It is fairly good for Windows and it'll maximize your computer's performance (which will presumably have 4 GB of RAM). At least according to my comp sci major friend.

[Endless]

This one's got pretty positive reviews and is in your price range:
Newegg.com - HP G61-320US NoteBook AMD Athlon II M300&#40;2.0GHz&#41; 15.6&#34; 3GB Memory 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Radeon HD 4200 - Laptops / Notebooks

Keep in mind that gaming on laptop is more limited than on desktops, and this kind of performance can really drive the price up. There are very few sub-$700 laptops that are good for gaming, not that many more sub-$800.
Last, the Inspiron 15 uses an intel video card, which I would personally stay far away from. Ati? Not a fan but they do make good performance cards. Nvidia? Sign me up. Intel? Nowai.

[Rye]

I'm really liking the Inspiron 15, almost to the point that I think I've settled on it.

Wait, how is Dell's customer service?

EDIT: Also, Endless, I really like the first one but the laptop that my grandfather originally suggested was in the $400-$500 range and I'd feel rude if I asked for anything too expensive x.x

If you get a Dell, people will say to you "Dude.... you got a Dell?" when it breaks down. Dell's customer service is notoriously crap and I strongly recommend to avoid them unless you're going to get a Dell XPS system, which are very high-end laptops. I've been on the wrong side of their customer service and if I recall correctly, Rye had mega problems with them as well.

I'm currently using an HP Pavilion dv6... It's ok I guess. My Acer Aspire was very good before that, but be warned that many people will tell you to stay away from Acers. My Toshiba Satellite is just an all-round solid machine. Of them all I'm probably enjoying the dv6 the most and I'd recommend it. Perhaps you'd want to look at a dv7 though, since the graphics card in this one (GeForce 9200Go) is pretty average.

Don't get a Dell.

Basically, the model of laptop I have has the singular fault of getting to hot and basically "fizzing" out with the motherboard, Momiji has had the same problem with his model. Relatively easy to fix, and it should be free with warranty. I love the laptop itself. It plays pretty much any game that I want, though I do admit I don't play any really new heavy games.

The main problem with Dell is that they are dirty liars. I sent my computer in for when it fizzed, and they refused to put it on warranty for "water damage" (since I didn't have accidentally coverage on the fact that I never take the computer outside and I don't eat/drink around it really) that had never existed. I ended up having to pay $400 dollars, and then having to get a very expensive accidental coverage. It was an infuriating experience, the one that Mr. Face mentioned. xD

So yeah. But to be honest, if you get a good warrenty deal for accidental coverage for a few years at the start, I literally cannot think of a problem you'll have. Dell may be horrible -faced liars, but as soon as I paid my "water damage" fees, they had my laptop back to me super fast. Pros: A good computer, pretty cheap, very little faults, does just about anything. Cons: Dell.

[Mogi]

Yeah, now that I'm doing research on it, Dell's customer service doesn't seem to have anything good going for it at all. I really like that HP that you linked me to, Endless, and I'm completely hooked on Windows7.

I've decided on the HP dv6t. It's got everything that I need and I haven't found a bad review yet. It's a little big, but I'm not worried about that.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! You all helped a lot :3

[Raistlin]

That looks like a decent value. But if you are really interested in playing games, you should probably upgrade the graphics card. The default is an integrated card without any dedicated memory (as Endless said, stay away from Intels), but you can upgrade to a dedicated ATI.

[o_O]

That looks like a decent value. But if you are really interested in playing games, you should probably upgrade the graphics card. The default is an integrated card without any dedicated memory (as Endless said, stay away from Intels), but you can upgrade to a dedicated ATI.

Yes, definitely upgrade the graphics. That Intel chip won't handle any new games... It might play something like Gothic 1/2 ok, but don't expect to be able to play Half Life 2 or Fallout 3 etc. Honestly, you won't regret going for the 1GB card. Also, if you have a look at the special offers on <a href="http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Brand&v1=HP+Pavilion&series_na me=dv6t_series">this page</a>, then you might notice a free upgrade from 2GB of RAM to 4GB and a free hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB.

[Mogi]

Yeah, I'm going for the free hard drive and RAM upgrades, and I'll be upgrading the graphics card as soon as I can, but the graphics cards upped the price too much and I wanted to sell this laptop to my grandfather. It worked just fine, but I think the extra cost would have made it harder.

I was really liking this laptop and really planning on it. Then I realized that it had a number pad and I tweaked.

[Shadowdust]

This site has some interesting details on mobile video cards: Notebookcheck: Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards . Please keep in mind, this information could differ if your laptop's CPU is bottlenecking video performance. The Intel 4500, as previously stated, is just horrible for games.

If you haven't purchased a laptop yet, I strongly recommend this one: Newegg.com - ASUS K50 Series K50AB-X2A NoteBook AMD Turion X2 RM-75&#40;2.20GHz&#41; 15.6&#34; 4GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 - Laptops / Notebooks . It doesn't have mind blowing speed, but it is a "balanced" system. The reason I post it is because even though it won't play the latest and greatest games, it is still a much more powerful GPU than what the DV6t offers at the same price point.

The graphics card is dedicated with video that should perform at twice the speed of ATI's onboard 4200 graphics, and probably several times faster than the Intel solution. What you're sacrificing here is a slightly slower CPU since it is a hybrid of AMD's older K8 and K10 architecture. In other words, it runs at the speed of the older architecture (that's been used since 2006) but makes use of the newer Phenom style power saving. Not to mention it already comes with 4 GB of memory as well as a 320 GB hard drive which is more than sufficient for most laptop users.

[Mogi]

Oh wow, that's pretty amazing. How much slower would that be than the dv6t?

[Shadowdust]

Based on benchmarks, I'm guessing on average the RM-75 is about 20% or more slower than the T6600. The trade off is the faster video card in the Asus laptop I posted.

Again, neither the DV6T nor the system I posted will blow you away, but both have their purposes. On the other hand, a fast CPU is only good if the rest of the system isn't holding it back. All in all, it just really depends where you want to make sacrifices. And at the $500-600 price point, there's always a sacrifice to be made. If you do more CPU intensive activities, the HP Pavillion DV6T is a great buy but if you want a low end gamer that can play a few new games at low settings, then the ASUS K50 Series K50AB-X2A is a great buy as well.