Who Knows About Laptops? I need Suggestions.

[JJ]

In the <$850 range, Windows only.

I need fast processing speeds (Intel Core iX? Is that the best one?), at least 4GB RAM, and 500GB hard drive; so I can do my architectural renderings/drawings on it at a decent pace - my current 2007 Vaio (man, this thing was a beast when it first came out) is slowing me down.

I don't know anything about processors, and I barely know anything about brands (what's this Acer/Asus company?) - so any help/advice/suggestions is welcomed.

Toshiba? HP? Dell? Sony?

Help!

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by JJ

In the <$850 range, Windows only.

I need fast processing speeds (Intel Core iX? Is that the best one?), at least 4GB RAM, and 500GB hard drive; so I can do my architectural renderings/drawings on it at a decent pace - my current 2007 Vaio (man, this thing was a beast when it first came out) is slowing me down.

I don't know anything about processors, and I barely know anything about brands (what's this Acer/Asus company?) - so any help/advice/suggestions is welcomed.

Toshiba? HP? Dell? Sony?

Help!

All I can say is DO NOT buy a Toshiba. I did and regretted it ever since. It was complete crap, the HDD crashed within 3 weeks of using it. I sent it in for repair (3 weeks away) and got it back seemed fine. Month later the NEW HDD crashed.

Try Lenovo.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I have a Toshiba (going on 4 years now) and it has served me well, although the battery died awhile ago. I'm hearing a good amount of satisfaction from people with HP laptops, and that's probably what I'll buy next time.

John

[JJ]

My first laptop was a Toshiba, and it had its ups and downs for the year and a half I owned it.

My second, my current one, was a Sony Vaio. The battery and charger don't work, the mouse pad doesn't, the CD drive only works when I'm holding it down, and its slower than Jebus when I'm doing CAD work nowadays.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by JJ

In the <$850 range, Windows only.

I need fast processing speeds (Intel Core iX? Is that the best one?), at least 4GB RAM, and 500GB hard drive; so I can do my architectural renderings/drawings on it at a decent pace - my current 2007 Vaio (man, this thing was a beast when it first came out) is slowing me down.

I don't know anything about processors, and I barely know anything about brands (what's this Acer/Asus company?) - so any help/advice/suggestions is welcomed.

Toshiba? HP? Dell? Sony?

Help!

The best processor out there is the Intel i7. You might hear some arguments from AMD fans that their quad is better, but I think it's pretty clear that Intel is best here. I'm not looking to get into fight or anything, so if you're an AMD fan it's all good.

Most laptops that have ix processors come with the "mobile" version of that processor, which doesn't have the quite the same performance of the corresponding ix desktop processor; but at the same time they still outperform anything that's out there now. All chip manufacturers do this if I'm not mistaken (meaning they have a laptop version and a desktop version of the same processor).

There are **a few** laptops that come with the desktop version of a processor, but the caveat with those is they suck power like crazy and as such they're generally not used in laptops that are intended to be incredibly mobile. They do scream, though. One reason those laptops don't last long on their battery life is because the processors don't handle the graphics, which means the laptops usually come with a dedicated video card — and video cards are power hogs to the max. The standard Intel mobile processors come with Intel HD Graphics, which is a pretty sweet technology that gives you the best combination of performance and battery life. The desktop ix processors do not utilize this graphics technology (to my understanding).

If you want a desktop version of the i7, look for any of the following processors: i7-840QM, i7-820QM, i7-740QM, i7-720QM when shopping. Click here for a complete matrix of Intel i7 mobile processors. You can just Google "intel i3 mobile specs" or "intel i5 mobile specs" to find the same thing for i3 or i5 processors. I've got the i7-620M on my new rig, which was the best of the standard (non-desktop-like) mobile processors when I bought it, and most likely the one you'll be seeing on most of maxed-out option laptops. I'm more than satisfied with its performance, and I do a lot of work that demands high performance.

I don't know which version of AutoCAD you're running, but we've got 2009 at work running on an older Sony Vaio desktop featuring a 2.4GHz (ish) Pentium 4, and it runs pretty well. I could only imagine how well it would run on one of these new ix chips.

As far as your other requirements (4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive), you won't have trouble finding that as standard on nice laptops nowadays. You might consider seeing if your computer can come with a 7200RPM hard drive, as you will like the read/write speed advantage over a 5400RPM drive. An SSD drive would be sick, but nothing in a laptop in that price range will come with an SSD drive.

[JJ]

Brett, what do you think of this one?

Dell I17R-2950MRB - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....egories&ks=960

I have my eyes on it for the time being.

[Moefiz]

Here ya go JJ...should suit your needs...Has the new I7...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...&skuId=1260852

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by JJ

Brett, what do you think of this one?

Dell I17R-2950MRB - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....egories&ks=960

I have my eyes on it for the time being.

Are you using autocad? I'm a 3D artist and use my laptop to make renders on 3DSmax / blender. I'm not sure how much power you need to make your renders but I'm glad I have an i7. I have a Sony Vaio , 4gb of RAM and a i7 with a great video card. I paid more than your budget though.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by JJ

Brett, what do you think of this one?

Dell I17R-2950MRB - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....egories&ks=960

I have my eyes on it for the time being.

Nice...but check out the one from Moefiz. I think that one has the 740QM, which is one with four ACTUAL cores. That thing will blow your mind.

Originally Posted by Moefiz

Here ya go JJ...should suit your needs...Has the new I7...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...&skuId=1260852

[JJ]

Originally Posted by brettallica

Nice...but check out the one from Moefiz. I think that one has the 740QM, which is one with four ACTUAL cores. That thing will blow your mind.

See, but that's a Toshiba, and already a few less than happy customers.

I think I read too much into reviews, but I've already had issues with Toshiba myself.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by JJ

See, but that's a Toshiba, and already a few less than happy customers.

I think I read too much into reviews, but I've already had issues with Toshiba myself.

True. Toshiba is not a favorite laptop, so yeah you have to consider the reviews and testimonials of those who've used them. I prefer HP to Toshiba for sure. I could go either way when comparing Toshiba to Dell, though. In this case I might give the edge to Toshiba for the CPU that's in it (if it's the one I'm thinking it is).

[Icecoldblue]

Originally Posted by JJ

See, but that's a Toshiba, and already a few less than happy customers.

I think I read too much into reviews, but I've already had issues with Toshiba myself.

It's all the same hardware with a different name. Even then, ALL companies have some bad eggs, it's unavoidable. So, I wouldn't pay much attention to brand names.

Cheers.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

I like HP better. How about this: -

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-dv...1610308&sr=8-2

[Deadset]

I've had very good luck with Sony and HP. Acer's are pretty good as well. The ones I'd avoid would be Dell and Toshiba. That's just my personal perfecence based upon the ones I've owned for my personal use and ones I've used in business.

Remember to make sure to limit exposure to setting the laptop on your lap...especially if you have the wireless adapter switch ON. (I work with this stuff and have seen the meter levels when they are right next to the notebook) They emit high levels of RF...which is probably why nomenclature is going more towards Notebook vs. Laptops.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Deadset

I've had very good luck with Sony and HP. Acer's are pretty good as well. The ones I'd avoid would be Dell and Toshiba. That's just my personal perfecence based upon the ones I've owned for my personal use and ones I've used in business.

Remember to make sure to limit exposure to setting the laptop on your lap...especially if you have the wireless adapter switch ON. (I work with this stuff and have seen the meter levels when they are right next to the notebook) They emit high levels of RF...which is probably why nomenclature is going more towards Notebook vs. Laptops.

See and I'm the opposite I've had bad luck with Sony's and great success with Dell and HP.

Like someone else said all these companies have bad eggs that can send someone off to the internet raving about how you should never buy their product again, but all and all I think the numbers of defective or bad units would probably be pretty close for all those big companies.

My advice: Pick the body style, and features you like and don't look back, and hopefully you get a comp that works for years and not one that needs to be repaired within 1 or 2.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Originally Posted by Deadset

I've had very good luck with Sony and HP. Acer's are pretty good as well. The ones I'd avoid would be Dell and Toshiba. That's just my personal perfecence based upon the ones I've owned for my personal use and ones I've used in business.

Remember to make sure to limit exposure to setting the laptop on your lap...especially if you have the wireless adapter switch ON. (I work with this stuff and have seen the meter levels when they are right next to the notebook) They emit high levels of RF...which is probably why nomenclature is going more towards Notebook vs. Laptops.

Wait, what do you mean? RF?

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

Wait, what do you mean? RF?

Radio frequencies.

Too many of these while on your lap could make some things shrivel up... If you know what I mean.

BTW, I have had good luck with Dell Inspiron and XPS models. The Latitude models I have used were nothing more than paper weights.

My last Sony computer was maybe 12 years ago and sucked. I was glad when it finally died and I got a new one. The Toshiba laptop I had worked great until the warranty ended and then it seemed everything failed. I have also had good luck with HP computers.

You can get a lot more computer in a desktop. I'm not sure how much mobility you really want/need, but you can build a kickass one with parts acquired at computer shows in your area.

[PrivatePixel]

Time for a thread resurrection. I'm in the market for a laptop.

I thought about getting a netbook originally, but the market has dropped on these and now I want something with a bit more ooomph. Basically, I need something to use while I'm in the living room (my house is Cat 6-wired, so wireless matters only while I'm travelling). I don't need a gaming or multimedia laptop (I have a couple of desktop PCs for that), as it will be used primarily for web surfing and work-related apps (e.g. MS Office).

Criteria:
My budget is < $600 (w/ shipping and tax included). 4GB of RAM seems to be the standard configuration; HDD size is unimportant (I think 320/500GB is fairly standard on basic models). Must be Core i3 (2nd gen) or i5-based. A minimum of 5 hours of battery life would be ideal, but I can live with 4 1/2 if need be. I'll probably wipe the onboard OS (which seems to be W7 Home Premium) with a fresh copy of W7 Professional (or XP SP3, if there are compatibility issues with work apps in W7). Time frame for purchase: mid-September at the latest.

The floor is open to recommendations.

[Almadacr]

I have this Gateway 17" in red and BR drive it works without no hiccups till now . I got it on promotion for 549$ + tax , at Bestbuy Canada .If you are in the US check BB you might find a sweet deal

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Almadacr

I have this Gateway 17" in red and BR drive it works without no hiccups till now . I got it on promotion for 549$ + tax , at Bestbuy Canada .If you are in the US check BB you might find a sweet deal

It's a very nice-looking laptop, but user reviews put this somewhere in the middle (major criticisms seem to be the battery life and customer service), plus, having a second-gen i3 processor (as a minimum) matters to me.