Laptop

[IslandBoy77]

QUOTE (Timmo @ Sep 11 2010, 01:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Im in the same boat and want to buy a decently powerful laptop before the GST rise at the end of the month

I wanting to go with either Asus or Toshiba due to the higher quality in my experience (and warranty return info that I've dug out)....but could be persuaded to something else (i.e. HP) if I can be convinced that the quality is ok

some requirements:

4+ GB RAM
Dedicated graphics 512MB +
Something of at least i5 grunt (what are some other good options from AMD?)
500 GB + harddrive (although probably easier/cheaper to store externally)


So, potentially something like the Asus G51 or N61?

Any other ideas?

Your call on Asus - I wouldn't: their after-sales is c r a p. I swore off selling Asus after my run-in with them - I'll not sell Asus again.

I sell HP & Toshiba regularly - they're both good. crapware is always an issue (no matter who it is). Basically, you need to spend enough so you don't get caught short. So, you need the most powerful chipset / CPU you can possibly afford, 8GB DDR3 RAM (with an option for 16GB if at all poss), HD 5000 series 1GB GDDR5 dedicate vid card, USB 3 if you can (but obviously optional). When it comes to laptops, more is always better (remember that you can't change your CPU or vid later unless you are the complete geek) - so be prepared to spend between $2k & $3k.

Some of the things that most affect laptops is the crapware: all the big brands load them up with all sorts of c r a p. e.g. Norton, McAfee, Office 60-day trial. The first thing I do for my clients is spend 4 hours taking all the crapware off, updating all the drivers, and streamlining the laptop's operation: THAT'S why it's always better to buy from a specialist like me than the people who also sell fridges and TVs...

[Timmo]

hmm checking on pricespy, I'm not sure that 2-3k will get close to the specs you've posted though? Ill investigate the HP option a bit more....the Envy any good?

Agree with the crapware though- I've built my desktops in the past to avoid that, but it's a bit harder with a laptop.

[IslandBoy77]

QUOTE (Timmo @ Sep 11 2010, 02:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hmm checking on pricespy, I'm not sure that 2-3k will get close to the specs you've posted though? Ill investigate the HP option a bit more....the Envy any good?

Agree with the crapware though- I've built my desktops in the past to avoid that, but it's a bit harder with a laptop.

Might be the RAM pushing the price past the $3k, as the 4GB chips are around $280-$300 each (not that one has 2 buy those "on top" of a system that already has 8GB, but the value to the manufacturer is around that, whereas the 2GB chips are fairly cheap by comparison).

I'm not familiar with the HP laptops that are specifically branded "Envy", but the dv6-3074tx I'm working on for a customer today did have an Envy Document Reader in it that I uninstalled.

You might find that if you poke about you'll get close to the $3k mark. Part of the prob is that as one goes higher up the specs, many models have extra "toys" that may not be relevant or especially useful. It's a shame one can't just order a "grunter" with no toys and crapware...

You're right that it is harder to get a "clean" laptop than it is a desktop (largely due to those blasted pre-activated licenses), but if you could get your hands on the right version of a Win 7 generic Microsoft DVD, you'd be set. I'm looking into this at the moment, so hopefully will be able to spend less time uninstalling rubbish & just being able to install from the ground up.