23 replies to this topic

[dodgem]

I'm buying a laptop soon, for uni. Can't be a desktop, so don't say, "for that money you could build your own kick ass machine". I have roughly £1250 to spend. Exchange rate says that is around $1900.

Need for gaming and work

I have looked around for a while, and am thinking about one of these two:

A Sony VGN FW 35 X




* Configured
o Intel® Core™2 Duo 2.66 GHz
o 500 GB Serial ATA (4200 rpm)
o 4 GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
o Blu-ray Disc™ Combo-drive
o 16.4" LCD, 1920x1080 + webcam
o ATI MobilityRadeonHD3650 512MB
o Vista® Home Premium - (64 bit)
* Also Included
o English QWERTY keyboard
o SD and MS card slot
o AC Adapter
o 3 USB 2.0
o Wireless LAN + Bluetooth®
o Colour: Silver
o Battery life up to 3 hours

OR

The soon to be released Acer 5935:



Stock due May 2009

* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600
* RAM: 4GB
* Hard Drive: 500GB
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
* Screen: 15.6" HD Screen
* Optical Drive: Blu-ray
* Graphics: nVidia GF GT 130M
* Bluetooth: Yes
* Notebook Camera: HD Intergrated Webcam
* Warranty: 1 year warranty

More specs here

Personal Pros of the Sony:

Nicer keyboard, better looking, can have Vista x64 to take advantage of all 4GB of RAM, think it has Full HD screen, it's Sony.

Personal Pros of the Acer:

Fingerprint scanner, better graphics card(?), think it has a better webcam?, Backlit keyboard.


I was thinking about the Acer 8935, but 18.4" is freakin huge. Portability isn't essential, but I'd like it to fit in my outstretched arms

Is there a better deal out there? I was thinking Acer or Sony, but any suggestions appreciated!

Thanks.

[PerfectSilence]

I'd recommend Asus. I got one, a G2Sg, for college last summer and have been very happy with it. It's exceptionally reliable and Asus's customer support is fantastic (I'll delve into my experience with them if you want to know more about their laptops). I should have waited though and gone through freshmen year without a laptop, because now they're producing ones that cost less than I paid, have considerably more and look much sicker. So is the computer market though.

In regards to battery life, which everyone seems to whine about when they buy a laptop, I never really concerned myself with it. The people who tend to need long battery life are the ones sitting in coffee shops or other places continuously typing away emails and financial reports, or those who just grab their laptop and throw it in their backpack and dont want to have to worry about the power adapter. I don't think we're either of those people. Let's be honest here, there are power plugs almost everywhere on campus's, and the main reason for having a laptop is so you can bring your computer with you if you need to, not so that it can be brought with you and run on a battery. Plus, we tend to pack up our laptops carefully in fitted bags, so there's usually a spot for the power adapter (Asus throws in a nice fitted backpack). I dunno, maybe that's odd logic but it's why I never concerned myself with battery life. And to be blunt, you're either gonna get battery life or performance on a laptop, and I'd always go with performance anyway.

Anyhow, I've found that since Asus is still getting into the laptop market and hasn't made a name for themselves yet (in the laptop market), you'll get a very good product for considerably less. Take this laptop for instance ($1,900), you'd pay probably $2,500 if it was name brand...

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834220516

[UnDead]

Nice looking Asus! But I think I would carry my Desk top for that price.


But its really a good price , listening to PerfectSilence.

[dodgem]

Wow, thanks for the info PerfectSilence. I'll definitely have to look into it some more, since I barely even glanced at Asus in my research. The only thing I can see so far is that not all of them are the prettiest of beasts. Also, I have only found 2 with Full HD screens. Apart from that, they definitely have some very nice specs and some very decent prices.

Battery Life is irrelevant for me as well. 2-3 hours is good enough.

I forgot to mention before that although I wasn't looking for a laptop with HD capabilities, I suppose it would be nice to have a Blue-Ray player and a Full HD screen =)

[PerfectSilence]

The only thing I can see so far is that not all of them are the prettiest of beasts. Also, I have only found 2 with Full HD screens. Apart from that, they definitely have some very nice specs and some very decent prices.

I forgot to mention before that although I wasn't looking for a laptop with HD capabilities, I suppose it would be nice to have a Blue-Ray player and a Full HD screen =)

Well, appearance is subjective I suppose. I dunno if they're still doing it, but my Asus Laptop has the trim that surrounds the keyboard modeled after carbon fiber (the lightweight material they use on ferrari's, lambo's etc.). The top is stenciled after stainless steal. IMO it looks sick.

Regarding HD, are you sure there's only two? I'd suppose they're more. Mine is full HD I believe (spec listing as well as a sticker on the keyboard, "Full HD 1080"), although I've never played an HD video on it. A lot of them have blueray players too, I remember that when looking at their lineup.

But yeah, consider Asus. Great laptop.

[No_Nickname]

I was thinking of buying this ASUS laptop for gaming on when I'm on trips or what not. Though it's sold at best buy, I'm sure you could find it online somewhere

http://www.bestbuy.c...d=1218044029168

[PerfectSilence]

I was thinking of buying this ASUS laptop for gaming on when I'm on trips or what not. Though it's sold at best buy, I'm sure you could find it online somewhere

http://www.bestbuy.c...d=1218044029168

http://rentourlaptop...s-g50vt-x5.html
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834220479
http://www.ecomelect...amp;ref=froogle

[dodgem]

Lol, I was almost decided today, on the Acer 8935....even tho it is huge, it has everything I want.

But I just checked Engadget, and saw this:

http://www.engadget....d-for-computex/

http://www.computex....amp;pcode=A2100

Engadget's last Asus news was this:

http://www.engadget....s-raises-the-b/

Considering the review of that ^, the G51 should be something freaking special! I might have to wait a little longer and see if there's a release date in the next few months. And yes, I am prepared to spend some more now lol. Especially as I've now got my old job back!!

[No_Nickname]

Lol, I was almost decided today, on the Acer 8935....even tho it is huge, it has everything I want.

But I just checked Engadget, and saw this:

http://www.engadget....d-for-computex/

http://www.computex....amp;pcode=A2100

Engadget's last Asus news was this:

http://www.engadget....s-raises-the-b/

Considering the review of that ^, the G51 should be something freaking special! I might have to wait a little longer and see if there's a release date in the next few months. And yes, I am prepared to spend some more now lol. Especially as I've now got my old job back!!

So which one is better and what will the G51 cost when it comes out in July(exact month???)

[PerfectSilence]

Damn that Asus G51 is sexy. Looks like they improved the speaker design (my model has them located underneath).

However, I'd go ahead and buy an Asus now, no use in waiting. The way I see it, once that G51 comes out, there will be some other new model just a few months down the road. If you keep waiting for the new models, you'll never get one. I knew about the new line that Asus was pushing in the last quarter of 2008, and I could have waited, but I figured what the hell. Don't forget btw, you'll want a few months to set up your new laptop before school starts up, and getting it in July is cutting it close.

Whatever you do, stick with Newegg.

Just my .02

[dodgem]

So which one is better and what will the G51 cost when it comes out in July(exact month???)

I don't know, they'll probably be fairly similar, but the G51 has a smaller screen, which is what I want. I just want to see if they're gonna offer a Full HD screen with either the 15.6 or 16" models. That will probably be the decider on whether I buy the G51 or the Acer 8935, and hopefully, from what I've read, that information is likely to be released sometime next week.

But I really want to see some more photos, because there's only one so far

It says on the original news article:

"The laptop will be available in major U.S. retailers such as Best Buy in July and it will be priced between US$1,300 and $1,500"

but that seems quite cheap for what you get. We'll have to see. I would expect after being given some options on the specs, I would start adding some of the more expensive hardware on, making that price shoot. The article did say Blue Ray was optional, and a "choice between a Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Duo processor.

However, I'd go ahead and buy an Asus now, no use in waiting. The way I see it, once that G51 comes out, there will be some other new model just a few months down the road.

True, but once September comes, I'll have no choice but to buy one anyway. I start uni in late September, so even late July will give me a couple of months for setup.

Whatever you do, stick with Newegg.

I don't think they deliver to the UK


EDIT: I just read on some website about the screens and it says the G51 has these options:
Display :

* 15.6" FHD/HD LED LCD
* 15.6" HD LED 3D Panel
* 16" HD LED/CCFL LCD

So I guess 1920*1080 will be the resolution on the first option? Unless I'm missing something

[Rick]

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834152112

Those are good laptops, dependng on if size is a factor, it has 4GB DDR3, QUAD CORE, 4850/9800(two great cards) Plenty of space.

[TheOriginalEnder]

If you still haven't decided take a look at the msi laptops, they mostly run $800-$1500 but they give you a lot for what you pay, also they are not super flashy, but they do have a pretty sleek looking design. I just ordered one really close to this for one of my friends, and it runs great, even with vista XD

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834152106

[dodgem]

I just ordered:

Dell Studio XPS 16 -

3.06GHz (T9900)
256GB SSD
4GB RAM
Full HD RGB LED Screen
Blu-Ray player
512mb ATI Radeon HD 3670
Intel WiFi Link 5100
Dell Bluetooth 370 Card
TV Tuner
2.0 Mega Pixel Camera with Facial Recognition Software
and a 4 year Premium warranty

for......£1737.20

I was trying to go for £1600 with the rep over the phone, and I'm sure I coulda got it for like £1450 if I'd gone down a processor speed option, but then he told me he'd give me it for the price above and get the T9900 and a 4 year warranty (like £160+ on its own) as well, and what can I say. I'll probably need the 4 years anyway since Dell doesn't exactly have perfect reviews.

Delivery Latest is 28th July. I can't wait.

I spent a long time scouring the net, and reading all the latest news on all different laptops. The Asus G51 has overheating problems, and the decent versions (not best buy) won't come out in the UK until September. I can't wait that long. I made a topic on notebookreview.com asking for help on deciding on a laptop, and I was suggested a Dell SXPS 16, a Sony FW series and an HP HDX 16. After a lot more reading, I went with the Dell, primarily because the looks are better than the others, because it is more customizable and because soo many people have gone on about how freakin amazing the RGB LED screen is. (and yes, they overheat some as well, but I'll probably invest in a notebook cooler before I buy any heavy duty games.....BF1942 FTW

Thanks everyone for their input. I'm sure I'll be a proud owner very shortly. And yeah, I know, I spent a lot more than I originally said I would, but I have some savings in the bank, and as my birthday/university present, my dad said he would pay £1000

[Comet]

Holy crap, isn't that over $3000 this side of the pond.

I guess you pay a lot more for a 3.06GHz, high end vid card, and blu-ray capability. I'll assume it's native resolution is 1920 x 1080?

Enjoy your new laptop Dodgem, I wish I could see a movie on it. :


I'm waiting on the new releases by Lenovo and Samsung, both have new netbooks with atom 280 processors combined with a Nvidia 9400m graphics card. I want something portable but not too small, the most important aspect is picture quality, it will replace my Panasonic DVD L86 portable player for movies.

Not that expensive either, ~$599-$699

[Murphyslaw4267]

This thing is sexy:
http://www.malibal.c...asp?idproduct=1

[dodgem]

This thing is sexy:
http://www.malibal.c...asp?idproduct=1

lol, I customized that to $8000, not including accessories


@ Dan - yeah. But £s don't go very far in the electronics industry over here compared to in the U.S/Canada. I customized it on the U.S. website to almost the same specs, and it came out at $3000, but if you order over the phone (like I did), you could definitely get that down to at least $2700, if not less. And yeah, 1080p That was one of my minimum requirements.

I never thought Netbooks would catch on when they first came out, but now I really do see why they are so appealing. Good luck on that purchase. Will they run Linux or Windows.....7?

Another reason I could spend more that I originally thought is because a little over a month ago my house was burgled. Not good at all for my jewellery bearing family members (ze vimin), but I only had electronics stolen, and my Ray Bans. All of which I bought on Ebay pretty cheap (1 camera pre-owned, and I think my Ray Bans may have been stolen off the back of a lorry or summin, or very good quality fakes. Our home insurance pays out the cost it takes to replace the items, so I'm getting £750 for 3 stolen cameras, an SD card and my Ray Bans. Plus some more money hopefully for the Potrable DVD player they stole which I didn't realise until after we made our claim. So yeah, pretty good deal for me =)
Whatsmore, so far since I got my old job back (about 7 weeks ago), I've been taxed on my earnings, which I shouldn't have been, since I don't earn enough. I filled out a tax return form today, so next Friday I'll get back all the money I lost out on from the past 7 weeks.

[Jaime]

For uni: think SMALLER. You want something you can use in class. Personally I have an Eee PC. Small, light, netbook. 9" screen. But it's portable, and the battery lasts over 9 hours. With a screen over 15", you're talking 2 hours of battery life, max.

[dodgem]

I doubt I'll be taking my laptop to classes, not because it's too big, just because I'd rather write/draw, and type it up later. Just personal preference I think. If I do decide to take it on some occasions, then my tonkness will make carrying a heavy laptop easy

[No_Nickname]

So the G51 was found out to overheat????

I was thinking about getting one