Hardware Laptop to buy

[Dark Blade]

Birthday coming up and I'm going to buy a laptop.
Now the question is - which one?

I'm not really into computer gaming and I basically want a cool laptop which can be used for both fun and school work when necessary.
I don't have a fixed budget as yet.
The Macbook Pro caught my eye, but of course...it costs a lot so I'll have to really look into it carefully.

Suggestions?

 

[Originality]

Cool laptop? Well there are any number of decals and stickers that you can use to "pimp up your ride", so to speak. Fun and schoolwork and not necessarily gaming? Sounds like any standard laptop would suit you. Look into Core i3 or i5 laptops if you want decent power (potentially with 4h battery life too) or any of the CULV CPUs if you want 8+ hours of battery. Either way, you'll have no problems doing your schoolwork, browsing the internet, using IM programs and/or listening to music. If you want it to have any chance at gaming (even if you're not serious in gaming) then don't look at CULV laptops and stick to the Core i series - they come with built in graphics that can at least play some games (like Borderlands), and if it comes with discreet graphics like the GT330M or the HD5650, it'll be able to play them quite well (whilst having less than 2h battery life).

If budget really is limitless, look into a laptop with Nvidia Optimus technology - it provides a perfect mix of graphical power (using a GT330M) and battery life (by switching to the APU in the Core i3/5 to handle graphics). They cost a lil bit more than regular laptops (not excessively more) but tend to fill in the gap between performance and battery life.

EDIT: The reason I've not mentioned AMD CPUs in laptops is because from experience, they should be avoided. AMD CPUs are much weaker than Intel CPUs and don't have the advantage of the APU built into Core i3/5 (Lynnfield) CPUs... AMD don't even save you much money when trying to pick out a laptop.

 

[saxamo]

I say go for the Macbook Pro. They're solidly built, and have excellent support behind them. Haters gunna hate but in the end you'll have a very nice piece of hardware.

 

[Jasper07]

I say don't go for a Macbook Pro. The price/quality ratio is just too low. Also if you see an Acer, it's probably bad either. I suggest you search for something like a Dell with an i3 or i5. That should be quite good.

 

[pizzahutmaster]

Alienware M11x

 

[Originality]

...Why are Acer bad? My dad's Acer Aspire 5740 has served him (and me) well since we got it. Core i5 with integrated GMA HD4500 and 4.5h battery life, perfect for his chess and battery life for me in University.

Also, +1 on the M11x. I personally prefer larger laptops, but the M11x is definitely a good laptop (from the little I got to play with it).

 

[takaneko]

MSI A6200-220US

I just bought this baby for college and I absolutely love it. $35 shipping, I received it in less than 24 hours after it was put in the mail. There's a $10 shipping option too if you want to save $25.

It's really the best bang for the buck. You will not find a better deal, unless you buy a refurbished laptop which will cripple your warranty. I've never had a problem with MSI products either, I've used their motherboards to build a few desktops.

15.6" 16:9 LED screen, 4GB DDR3 RAM, Core i3 @ 2.26Ghz, 500GB HDD, and it only weighs about 5lbs! It has a nice finish too. I strongly recommend. :3

 

[Deleted User]

I think the M11x definitely has a nice marketed audience these days. Definitely look into a laptop with nVidia Optimus technology if having a "mobile" laptop is important to you. Battery life can be really important for school use if you plan to lug it around everywhere with ya (or transport it at all). Then weight, too, becomes a concern. One thing that might be worth mentioning, though, is that other than the M11x most of the laptops that I've seen that use Optimus are significantly larger in size (i.e., I haven't really seen a similar sized laptop that can compete with the M11x's unique size/power ratio).

 

[murkurie]

HP envy

Link

 

[Joe88]

It's really the best bang for the buck. You will not find a better deal, unless you buy a refurbished laptop which will cripple your warranty. I've never had a problem with MSI products either, I've used their motherboards to build a few desktops.

15.6" 16:9 LED screen, 4GB DDR3 RAM, Core i3 @ 2.26Ghz, 500GB HDD, and it only weighs about 5lbs! It has a nice finish too. I strongly recommend. :3

my $350 laptop came with a better gfx card, same size screen

it beats me in ram and cpu though and hdd

 

[Originality]

my $350 laptop came with a better gfx card, same size screen

it doesnt beat me in ram and cpu though and hdd

I assume then your laptop came with a graphics card. The MSI just uses the APU in the Core i3, just like how the Acer I mentioned uses the APU in the Core i5. It's how they get such good battery life.

 

[Joe88]

it seems to be using the intel 4500HD

 

[Originality]

Then it's exactly the same. Intel Graphics Media Accellerator HD4500, found in most Core i3s and Core i5s.

 

[Joe88]

that was the MSI one, mine came with a radeon 4100

 

[Tokiopop]

If you can, get the MacBook. They're great (don't listen to idiots going on about how they suck when they've never even used one

).

Very well built, very good battery life, can easily install Windows or Linux and have a nice multiboot selection upon boot (rEFIt, again, easy to install). Of course, if you were to install 2 or more operating systems I'd recommend a 500GB HDD (if you're like me and fill up space pretty fast with stuff like CS5 Master Collection).

I've got the 2009 model and if I boot into Windows I can still play new PC games just fine at low to mid settings. By fine I mean, it looks perfectly normal, not choppy (might not be 60FPS but still smooth). I'm no massive PC gamer, but still playing my favourites like Borderlands, L4D2, Battlefield etc on outdated hardware.

OSX is great for work and stuff like videos/photos (doing my film studies work right now

or at least I'm supposed to be...). Fast, effortless and beautiful would sum it up best. With lots of awesome features to boot!

Of course, there are plenty of other laptops out there that (specification wise) are better for the same price. But for quality, I've yet to see something to top my MBP. This thing feels like it can last decades of use.

 

[Dark Blade]

If you can, get the MacBook. They're great (don't listen to idiots going on about how they suck when they've never even used one

).

Very well built, very good battery life, can easily install Windows or Linux and have a nice multiboot selection upon boot (rEFIt, again, easy to install). Of course, if you were to install 2 or more operating systems I'd recommend a 500GB HDD (if you're like me and fill up space pretty fast with stuff like CS5 Master Collection).

I've got the 2009 model and if I boot into Windows I can still play new PC games just fine at low to mid settings. By fine I mean, it looks perfectly normal, not choppy (might not be 60FPS but still smooth). I'm no massive PC gamer, but still playing my favourites like Borderlands, L4D2, Battlefield etc on outdated hardware.

OSX is great for work and stuff like videos/photos (doing my film studies work right now

or at least I'm supposed to be...). Fast, effortless and beautiful would sum it up best. With lots of awesome features to boot!

Of course, there are plenty of other laptops out there that (specification wise) are better for the same price. But for quality, I've yet to see something to top my MBP. This thing feels like it can last decades of use.

In the end I DID buy a Macbook Pro, and I have to admit, it's a beauty.
Smooth, easy to use and just plain cool.

Thanks to all of you for all the advice, and specially all the MBP fans.

 

[darknessblade]

if you travel a lot i sugest a laptop
if it is only for at home i sugest a up to date pc
i'm going to buy later a ne w pc for myself on my room
maby a ps3 or ps4 too

 

[imshortandrad]

Macbook Pro was a good choice

 

[Originality]

Dead topic is old.

 

[Sausage Head]

Fourth today, Alex.

Fourth revival of an old thread.