Need a laptop for school

Discussion in 'Computer Hardware, Devices and Accessories' started by chuckstudios, Jun 4, 2008.

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  1. chuckstudios
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    chuckstudios Putting the pro in procrastination

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    OK, I'll be going away for school in August and I'm gonna need a new laptop. I can spend up to about $1000 on any laptop my heart desires, but it has to meet these requirements set by the school:
    • Core 2 Duo processor
    • At least 2GB of RAM
    • WiFi with a/b/g
    • At least 160GB hard drive
    Aside from that, I'd also like a decent discrete video card so that I can play games, and good battery life for notetaking. I obviously don't want a monster either, since I need to carry it around.

    I've found these two on Newegg:

    Lenovo IdeaPad Y510
    • 15.4" screen
    • 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo
    • 4GB RAM
    • 250GB HDD
    • 256MB GeForce 8600M GS
    • 3 hours battery life advertised, users report about 2.5 hours on battery saving settings
    ASUS F8 Series F8Sn-D1
    • 14" screen
    • 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo
    • 3GB RAM
    • 250GB HDD
    • 512MB GeForce 9500M GS
    • Tests show battery life ranges from 1.75 (DVD playback) to 2.5 (Internet browsing) hours on battery saving settings
    The only issues I have with these two are battery life... To be honest, if the second one got 3 hours or more I'd buy it in a heartbeat. So anyway, does anyone know a good laptop that fits these criteria? If not, which would you buy?
     
    #1 Jun 4, 2008
  2. Beware

    Beware GBAtemp Maniac

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    Couldn't you just get the ASUS F8 and a spare battery? It's a little more to carry around, but it will at least double your note taking time. And if you're only taking notes, you don't need WiFi on all the time, so you could probably get away with about 3 hours on a single battery.

    I say go with the ASUS as you get a better graphics card and it will be a little less cumbersome to carry. I had an old 15.4" (before it crapped out) and it was really nothing but a pain in the ass to carry around everywhere.
     
    #2 Jun 4, 2008
  3. Linkiboy

    Linkiboy GBAtemp Testing Area

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    #3 Jun 4, 2008
  4. SavageWaffle

    SavageWaffle GBAtemp Maniac

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    Are you going to use the laptop for note taking, AND some gaming? Or just full note taking? Give us some more information of what your going to use the laptop for.
     
    #4 Jun 4, 2008
  5. chuckstudios
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    chuckstudios Putting the pro in procrastination

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    Note taking, Internet-based stuff, and programming mostly. Gaming is not number one priority, but my last laptop had an integrated card, and it was absolutely horrid.
     
    #5 Jun 4, 2008
  6. arctic_flame

    arctic_flame GBAtemp ATMEGA8 Fan

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    I still say the Lenovo.
     
    #6 Jun 4, 2008
  7. juggernaut911

    juggernaut911 GBAtemp Slut!

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    just stay away from apple and your set!

    build one?
     
    #7 Jun 4, 2008
  8. Mewgia

    Mewgia drifter

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    It's difficult and generally not cost effective to build laptops.

    And saying "just stay away from apple and your set!" is really, really stupid, because you're saying that he could buy a bad $500 laptop with almost no graphics capabilities or anything he needs and he will be good to go. Shut up.
     
    #8 Jun 6, 2008
  9. chuckstudios
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    chuckstudios Putting the pro in procrastination

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    I went with the Lenovo, by the way. It should arrive either tomorrow or Monday.
     
    #9 Jun 6, 2008
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