Help picking Laptop

[mjsusa]

Hi All,

I hope you can help me. I have been searching and searching and just cant find exactly what i am looking for. I am looking for a new Laptop, and need it to do many things. I will be using it to take to Work, School. It also needs to be able to handle graphic intense programs and I would like to be able to play some games on it, if i so choose. I prefer the Core i7 or i5. Thought i would get i7, but it is hard to find light weight units with the core i7 that have decent battery life.

I this unit will be traveling with me a lot, so i prefer a light unit, with good battery life 6-8 hours. However i also want it to be able to perform, Core i7/i5 with a dedicated Video Card. looking for 13-14 inch.

The only ones i found so far is the hp 14 Envy and 14 dell Studio (not sure how heavy the studio is). I also found a really nice Sony Viao 13 inch unit but it started at 1999.00 which is out of my price range.

Thanks in Advance




General Questions

1) What is your budget

$1000 - 1400.00

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Dont Care, But will need Windows so no Apple

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

NEW

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

School, Work, Photo Manipulation (photoshop...) - Light Gaming

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Needs to be Portable and as light as possible while cramming all these goodies into it. Will be taking to Class, Work, Customer Sites...

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

Light Gaming, L4D2, RTS games, Nothing extreme, i do not want a Gaming PC, but i would like one that I can play on if i would like. Don't need to be able to run Crysis at 1920x1080 at 120 fps...

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Would Love to Have MINIMUM of 5 hours battery would Prefer More. 6-8 hours

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

either or, like anyone it is nice to touch and see first. But more important i get the laptop i need

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows 7


Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like. You may also wish to take a look at the notebook screen guide for more information.

around 720P or Better


13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Prefer Glossy, but this is not a deal breaker item


Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Sure, but not a deal breaker. Functionality is #1

15) When are you buying this laptop?

ASAP

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

As long as possible i Guess... Not like I want to get rid of it in a year.


Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

Min. of 320GB More is better. SD would be Awesome but probably to expensive

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

CDRW

 

[buwish]

I really couldn't find much either. Out of the two that you have found, i think that you will be happy with the Dell in terms of reliability, i.e. it will last longer.

 

[sidewinderx2]

Hi All,

I hope you can help me. I have been searching and searching and just cant find exactly what i am looking for. I am looking for a new Laptop, and need it to do many things. I will be using it to take to Work, School. It also needs to be able to handle graphic intense programs and I would like to be able to play some games on it, if i so choose. I prefer the Core i7 or i5. Thought i would get i7, but it is hard to find light weight units with the core i7 that have decent battery life.

I this unit will be traveling with me a lot, so i prefer a light unit, with good battery life 6-8 hours. However i also want it to be able to perform, Core i7/i5 with a dedicated Video Card. looking for 13-14 inch.

The only ones i found so far is the hp 14 Envy and 14 dell Studio (not sure how heavy the studio is). I also found a really nice Sony Viao 13 inch unit but it started at 1999.00 which is out of my price range.

Thanks in Advance




General Questions

1) What is your budget

$1000 - 1400.00

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Dont Care, But will need Windows so no Apple

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

NEW

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

School, Work, Photo Manipulation (photoshop...) - Light Gaming

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Needs to be Portable and as light as possible while cramming all these goodies into it. Will be taking to Class, Work, Customer Sites...

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

Light Gaming, L4D2, RTS games, Nothing extreme, i do not want a Gaming PC, but i would like one that I can play on if i would like. Don't need to be able to run Crysis at 1920x1080 at 120 fps...

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Would Love to Have MINIMUM of 5 hours battery would Prefer More. 6-8 hours

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

either or, like anyone it is nice to touch and see first. But more important i get the laptop i need

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows 7


Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like. You may also wish to take a look at the notebook screen guide for more information.

around 720P or Better


13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Prefer Glossy, but this is not a deal breaker item


Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Sure, but not a deal breaker. Functionality is #1

15) When are you buying this laptop?

ASAP

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

As long as possible i Guess... Not like I want to get rid of it in a year.


Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

Min. of 320GB More is better. SD would be Awesome but probably to expensive

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

CDRW

If you dont mind carrying 6 or 7 lbs around, the ENVY 14 with the Slate Battery will get you what you need very nicely, look very very nice while doing it, and includes a high res screen that's unmatched by anything else i'm going to recommend.
If you want something that weighs about half that much, the Acer TimelineX AS4820TG will get you the same thing, for about $900 for the core i5 model ($800 for the i3 model), but much less sexiness.
http/www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0340080
Another choice if you want more connectivity options (an ExpressCard slot and an eSATA port), you can try the Lenovo IdeaPad Y460, which is pretty much the same as the Acer model, but costs about $1000.

All three have the same graphics card, the Radeon HD 5650, which should perform better in games than the 5450 found in the Dell.


As for core i7s having bad battery life, it's because they don't come with a on-chip GPU like the i3 and i5, which means it uses more power for the off-chip integrated graphics card. If you want long battery life, you pretty much have to stick to the i5s.

 

[mjsusa]

Thanks i did not consider the Acer TimelineX AS4820TG. I did look at the Envy and found it very nice. I am still Struggling between picking the core i5 -520m or the i7-720qm. I will be running programs like quickbooks, photoshop, word, webpages at the same time. So needs to be able to handle multitasking. But granted i am not running CAD. I understand the Core i5 for the envy has switchable video card settings to save on battery. But I would like to know the battery life of the envy 14 with Core i7. The reason i need the battery life is when i go to class i will be there for about 3-4 hours per day and i prefer not to have to charge the battery. And i cant find anything the suggest the battery life on battery saving mode on the envy core i7. when i am running programs like photoshop, quickbooks etc.. i will be near an outlet and just want to have a powerhouse of a machine. The weight configuration for the eveny is about 5.15 pounds. How heavy is the slice battery and where can i get it? i did not see it on the HP website.

Thanks again for your response!
Michael

 

[sidewinderx2]

Thanks i did not consider the Acer TimelineX AS4820TG. I did look at the Envy and found it very nice. I am still Struggling between picking the core i5 -520m or the i7-720qm. I will be running programs like quickbooks, photoshop, word, webpages at the same time. So needs to be able to handle multitasking. But granted i am not running CAD. I understand the Core i5 for the envy has switchable video card settings to save on battery. But I would like to know the battery life of the envy 14 with Core i7. The reason i need the battery life is when i go to class i will be there for about 3-4 hours per day and i prefer not to have to charge the battery. And i cant find anything the suggest the battery life on battery saving mode on the envy core i7. when i am running programs like photoshop, quickbooks etc.. i will be near an outlet and just want to have a powerhouse of a machine. The weight configuration for the eveny is about 5.15 pounds. How heavy is the slice battery and where can i get it? i did not see it on the HP website.

Thanks again for your response!
Michael

I don't think the Core i7 has the switchable graphics, because it doesn't have the integrated graphics on chip. As for the slice battery, it's under the battery section as: One 8 Cell Lithium Ion (standard) + HP ENVY 6-cell Slim Fit Extended-Life Battery (over-sized) , which costs $200, and weighs 1.5 lbs (source: http/www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/hp-envy-14.aspx?page=4 )

 

[mjsusa]

thanks. Does anyone know how long the 14 envy core i7 will run on its standard battery.. Just so i have an idea... 2 hours? 4 Hours.... (during light work)

 

[mjsusa]

Anyone know wheer you can buy the new AS4820TG-524G50Mn. The Acer Timeline core i5. I cant find anyone sellers of it.

 

[sidewinderx2]

Anyone know wheer you can buy the new AS4820TG-524G50Mn. The Acer Timeline core i5. I cant find anyone sellers of it.

the 524G50Mn model is not available in the States. The equivalent model here is the AS4820TG-3195.

Currently the only place where i can find it is Microcenter: http/www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0340080 , so i hope you have one of those near you... Alternatively, you can buy the core i3 version on amazon: http/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-TimelineX-AS4820TG-5637-14-Inch/dp/B003VTZPQ6

 

[mjsusa]

bummer the AS4820TG-3195 is the core it-450 and not the 520... hmmm.... thanks for the help... i cant stop waisting my time searching

 

[mjsusa]

does anyone know if and when AS4820TG-524G50Mn will come to the US?

 

[sidewinderx2]

does anyone know if and when AS4820TG-524G50Mn will come to the US?

That model will never come to the states. The only practical difference between the core i5 450 and the core i5 520 is hardware AES encryption, and a hardware virtualization component. Their other details are identical.

If you really need those two components that badly, you can actually buy the core i5 520m on amazon for about $200, and swap it in yourself, but i suspect in most cases you would never even know that they were missing.

 

[mjsusa]

Acer laptops allow you to replace the CPU? is it easy to get at...
Looks the two units i am deciding between are:

Acer TimelineX AS4820TG - If i can find it... Only Microcenter sells it? Not many reviews on it... does it have a 6 or 9 cell battery? And how long is the battery life on it? Also is ram easy to upgrade on this unit? how much can it hold?


Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 - looks good. can get it down to about 850.00 Great Price. Just worried about the week Battery... 6 cell battery and cant find a larger battery for it. Also is ram easy to upgrade on this unit? how much can it hold?

Any Suggestions... need some coercion so i can pick one

 

[sidewinderx2]

Acer laptops allow you to replace the CPU? is it easy to get at...
Looks the two units i am deciding between are:

Acer TimelineX AS4820TG - If i can find it... Only Microcenter sells it? Not many reviews on it... does it have a 6 or 9 cell battery? And how long is the battery life on it? Also is ram easy to upgrade on this unit? how much can it hold?


Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 - looks good. can get it down to about 850.00 Great Price. Just worried about the week Battery... 6 cell battery and cant find a larger battery for it. Also is ram easy to upgrade on this unit? how much can it hold?

Any Suggestions... need some coercion so i can pick one

Yeah so far i can only find the i5 model of the 4820TG at Microcenter. It has a 6 cell battery, but lasts 5 hours with wifi on while doing regular web viewing, including an hour of constant 30% cpu stressing. You can upgrade the ram up to 8GB (2x 4GB sticks)

I have not tested the Lenovo Y460, but it should be about the same battery-wise. It does have an extra Express Card slot, and an eSATA port, so if those are important to you, the Lenovo might be a better idea.

 

[mjsusa]

Thanks.. I think i will go with the ideaPad espcially since i get it for 850.00

 

[mjsusa]

do you know if there are is a place to buy Y640 8 cell, or 9 Cell battery