Help needed for College Laptop!

[itspb]

Hey! After a long period of over three years, i've decided to get the geek on and start searching for my new laptop.

Basically, i need a laptop for college. Details:

What is your budget?
~$1250

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Thin and Light (13 - 14-inch screen)
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)

What brands do you like or dislike?
Dislike: Apple

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
No

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Listening to Music, Photo Editing, Video Editing, Video Chat and Conference, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Output Video to TV or Large Monitor, Graphic Intense 3D Gaming

Basic College Use, Gaming and MUSIC.

What games will you be playing?
FPS (COD, BF, CS)

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places and Will stay on desk

How many hours of battery life do you need?
6

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
High Resolution (1600 x 900)
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Glossy or Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes. It has to look SEXY

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 08/25/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
4 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
500 GB, can negotiate on this if i get a SSD

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Yes! VERY MUCH!

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
No

Few More Details:

The laptop has to have i7 or atleast i5, 3rd gen goes without saying.
The sound quality and the screen MUST BE AWESOME.
I would love to have a possibility for overclocking , though I probably won't do it, but it is good to know that I can.
The laptop should be portable, because i will be carrying it around a lot, so Ultrabook or "sleekbook" probably?
A physical laptop lock feature would be appreciated.
I would do a lot of Multitasking too.
I can go for a Mac if it can run Windows properly.

I think this should cover everything. And is there anywhere which provides special student discounts and offers?

PS: Should i wait a little bit longer because new models are coming at an alarming rate?

Thanks!

 

[itspb]

Bump!!!!

 

[ProdigyForce]

Ultrabook? not that good for gaming. looking at HP envy 4 ultrabook , i would get the AMD 'SLeekbook'

 

[hpfreak]

Agreed with ProdigyForce.. If you're going to be playing BF3 on a laptop you're probably going to be looking at something a little thicker than an ultrabook....

Also, you won't find a laptop with 6 hours battery life (realisticly or on specs) with a Core i7...


My selections:

MSI G Series GE60 0NC-006US Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
$1099
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152339

Con: 5lbs / 3 hour battery (realistic)


ASUS G55VW-ES71 Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory 500GB HDD 7200rpm DL DVD+/-RW/CD-RW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
$1219
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230404

Better GPU than MSI laptop (above)
Cons: 3 hour battery life, still weights a bit.

lenovo IdeaPad Y580 (209942U) Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 1TB HDD 5400rpm Blu-ray RAMBO (Re-writeable) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
$1099
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246630
Rated to run at 4 hours on battery, but one review stated Windows detected it to last 5 hours 50 minutes, and that "that was about right".
Cons: 6lbs

 

[itspb]

Ultrabook? not that good for gaming. looking at HP envy 4 ultrabook , i would get the AMD 'SLeekbook'

Others have been suggesting me the AMD as well. But is it really good and comparable to i series? Also, i've noticed that clock speeds are lower on the AMD processors.

Agreed with ProdigyForce.. If you're going to be playing BF3 on a laptop you're probably going to be looking at something a little thicker than an ultrabook....

Also, you won't find a laptop with 6 hours battery life (realisticly or on specs) with a Core i7...


My selections:

MSI G Series GE60 0NC-006US Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
$1099
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152339

Con: 5lbs / 3 hour battery (realistic)


ASUS G55VW-ES71 Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory 500GB HDD 7200rpm DL DVD+/-RW/CD-RW NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
$1219
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230404

Better GPU than MSI laptop (above)
Cons: 3 hour battery life, still weights a bit.

lenovo IdeaPad Y580 (209942U) Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 1TB HDD 5400rpm Blu-ray RAMBO (Re-writeable) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M
$1099
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246630
Rated to run at 4 hours on battery, but one review stated Windows detected it to last 5 hours 50 minutes, and that "that was about right".
Cons: 6lbs

Good laptops there but I think i will drop the gaming because portability is more important. So I guess, an ultrabook or sleekbook it is. Can you recommend something in that line which is sexy, good battery, SSD, and capable of running photoshop and coutner strike without any issues?

 

[ushotkennyx]

you want and asus, they tend to have blu-ray sound and full hd at that price, try a g53sx or n56vz

 

[hpfreak]

When it comes to Ultrabooks, you will not find a dedicated graphics card- because of that. Gaming performance will be low. So don't plan on playing games on high settings.

But you can't go wrong with getting the Asus Zenbook.
Looks sick
7 hours battery life
128 GB SSD
13.3" -1920x1080p
Core i5
2.8 lbs
$1079.99

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230468

 

[itspb]

you want and asus, they tend to have blu-ray sound and full hd at that price, try a g53sx or n56vz

G53SX is amazing but it is too mainstream gaming. I want something portable and battery friendly too. N56VZ looks pretty decent though. I'm putting that on my shortlist.

When it comes to Ultrabooks, you will not find a dedicated graphics card- because of that. Gaming performance will be low. So don't plan on playing games on high settings.

But you can't go wrong with getting the Asus Zenbook.
Looks sick
7 hours battery life
128 GB SSD
13.3" -1920x1080p
Core i5
2.8 lbs
$1079.99

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230468

I'm totally aware of that, so it is fine as long as i'm able to run counter strike and Photoshop.

I've been fancying that laptop for quite a while. And the HP Envy Spectre XT too. Which one do you think is better? Spectre XT has i7.

And can you also tell me how well the AMD processors stand against the Intel's i series. AMD tend to be a lot cheaper.

 

[hpfreak]

AMD tends to be a lot cheaper, but Intel performs faster. If you wanted to go with a budget friendly gaming machine, graphics performance will be better on an AMD chip- they tend to have better integrated graphics.

Asus is hands down better than the Spectre. You'll have a lot less headaches if you go with a reputable brand like Asus, trust me.

HP tends to be cheaper compared to a lot of other manufacturers, but the quality is very low. On average HP laptops don't last long at all (2 years is what I've seen to be about average). There are actually a few tests/surveys that have been done to try and figure out which brands builds computers that last the longest.. And Asus came up on top with their laptops having the least problems thought-out a 3-year period.
It's a good thing to keep in mind whenever you buy laptops, especially if you plan to keep it for an extended amount of time, like for your college career.

Anyways, in terms of Ultrabooks, Asus is probably your best bet, and safest... their default warranty is a feature you'd have to pay extra for if you were buying a laptop from a different manufacturer. I am not an Asus fanboy But I do find that they currently have the best stuff around (besides custom mnfs like Sager), and they aren't charging an arm and a leg for either.

Good luck,

 

[itspb]

AMD tends to be a lot cheaper, but Intel performs faster. If you wanted to go with a budget friendly gaming machine, graphics performance will be better on an AMD chip- they tend to have better integrated graphics.

Asus is hands down better than the Spectre. You'll have a lot less headaches if you go with a reputable brand like Asus, trust me.

HP tends to be cheaper compared to a lot of other manufacturers, but the quality is very low. On average HP laptops don't last long at all (2 years is what I've seen to be about average). There are actually a few tests/surveys that have been done to try and figure out which brands builds computers that last the longest.. And Asus came up on top with their laptops having the least problems thought-out a 3-year period.
It's a good thing to keep in mind whenever you buy laptops, especially if you plan to keep it for an extended amount of time, like for your college career.

Anyways, in terms of Ultrabooks, Asus is probably your best bet, and safest... their default warranty is a feature you'd have to pay extra for if you were buying a laptop from a different manufacturer. I am not an Asus fanboy But I do find that they currently have the best stuff around (besides custom mnfs like Sager), and they aren't charging an arm and a leg for either.

Good luck,

Well, my PC runs AMD, it isn't the fastest thing but gaming performance is good.

HP laptops aren't built that great but i've been using one from 5 years and only now has a problem come up. I've checked out the Spectre XT in the shop and the built quality seemed really good. Not that i'm a HP fanboy but, i just love the way it looks

I was suggested Sager too but they need to work on their looks.

So, Asus UX31A is on my final list.

 

[hpfreak]

Great, here is something you can do if you have some spare time, search on google for "Asus Zenbook Issues" and "HP Spectre issues" etc.. Just look at the different forum results- that's what I do when I'm searching for a laptop, really helps you know what others are experiencing with their laptops. Considering "bugs" doesn't normally get on the spec list.

Oh.. and might I add.. that on the malfunction rate test.. HP came up with having the most issues with their notebooks throughout a 3 year period. I'm not trying to scare you away from HP.b It's just to let you know what is out there, and how well they work.

Good luck,