Need Help Choosing a Mid to High End Laptop

[krjcook]

I will be attending college in a month or so and need a good laptop. I want something that can play HD videos and most of today's demanding games. I'm not look for a giant, fully game oriented laptop like a Asus G70 or Alienware M17x just something decent. Also I want something that looks nice and doesn't look like a Toshiba.

Here's My System Requirements:
■Under $1,400 USD
■Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz or faster (No AMD)
■1366x768 HD Screen (1600x900,1600x1050, or 1080p resolution preferred)
■2GB or more Ram
■Nvidia 9300M/ATi Mobility 4330 or higher
■250GB HDD or Bigger
■B/G/N Wifi, (Bluetooth is Optional)
■(Optional) Blu-Ray
■(Optional) HDMI, DVI, VGA, ESATA Ports

My Preferred Picks:

Sony Vaio FW (Comes with Blu-Ray, 1080p, up to 3.06Ghz cpu)
http/www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644564390

Acer Aspire AS6930-6073
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115540

HP HDX 16t Premium (1080p Screen, Up to 3.06Ghz cpu)
http/www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/HDX16t_series/3/computer_store?jumpid=in_r329_personalization/browse3/SDP_SDP

HP Pavilion dv6t (Up To 3.06Ghz CPU)
http/www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/dv6t_series/3/computer_store?jumpid=in_r329_personalization/browse1/SDP_SDP

Dell Studio XPS 16
http/www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-studio-xps-16/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-xps-16&s=dhs&cs=19

Dell Studio 15
http/www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-studio-1555/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-1555&s=dhs&cs=19&ref=lthp

If you can't recommend any other laptops, which one should I pick?

 

[Maziar]

Have u looked @ SAGER NP8662,it beats all of those laptop:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8662-built-clevo-m860tu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2564.html

 

[frozenlead]

^+1

I love when vote threads show up like this and someone suggests a Sager, which is ultimately not in the voting breakdown.

 

[krjcook]

Have u looked @ SAGER NP8662,it beats all of those laptop:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8662-built-clevo-m860tu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2564.html

Sager is out of the picture. It's Big, heavy ugly, and above $1400 for the same specs as the ones above.

 

[lostandwandering]

Sager is out of the picture. It's Big, heavy ugly, and above $1400 for the same specs as the ones above.

Your choice is your choice but I would like to point out a few things:
1) it is styled much like the two Dell's you have selected, so if you think the Sager is ugly, why are those there?
2)HP HDX16: 7 lbs
HP DV6: 6.3 lbs
Dell XPS: 6.5lbs
Acer Aspire: 7.1lbs
Sony: 6.7 lbs
NP8662: 7 lbs
3) If you want to play demanding games, which you said you do, the GTX260M will beat the GPUs in any of the other laptops. And that is regardless if the CPU isn't as faster as the others.

Can I ask what you need a 3ghz CPU for?

edit: just so we are clear and you don't get mad at me. I am not trying to push you towards the Sager, just clearing some stuff up. Like I said, it is ultimately going to be your choice, we are just here for input.

 

[frozenlead]

I should also add to lostandwandering's post that the Sager is also smaller than some of the notebooks you put on your list - for example, the HP and the Acer.

 

[Maziar]

Also the SAGER NP 8662 has GTX 260M which beats all of those notebooks with ease in gaming benchmarks

 

[mike pyne]

According to me Acer and Dell are recommendable brand for buying laptops. They cost comparatively less and perform better with good configuration.

Regards,
Mike
Laptop PC Rentals

 

[Maziar]

If u read some reviews u can judge better Acer and Dell are good too but for that price range,the best notebook would be the Sager NP8662

 

[krjcook]

Your choice is your choice but I would like to point out a few things:
1) it is styled much like the two Dell's you have selected, so if you think the Sager is ugly, why are those there?
2)HP HDX16: 7 lbs
HP DV6: 6.3 lbs
Dell XPS: 6.5lbs
Acer Aspire: 7.1lbs
Sony: 6.7 lbs
NP8662: 7 lbs
3) If you want to play demanding games, which you said you do, the GTX260M will beat the GPUs in any of the other laptops. And that is regardless if the CPU isn't as faster as the others.

Can I ask what you need a 3ghz CPU for?

edit: just so we are clear and you don't get mad at me. I am not trying to push you towards the Sager, just clearing some stuff up. Like I said, it is ultimately going to be your choice, we are just here for input.

I'm not mad that your specs are correct, but my problem is that i can't go over $1400, and the base model starts @ $1499. I also own a lot of blu ray media, and putting it in that beast would throw me well over my budget. The reason i placed 3Ghz cpu specs there was to show the flexibility of the configuration, I kno i don't need it, will settle with 2.53ghz or 2.66ghz

 

[lostandwandering]

I'm not mad that your specs are correct, but my problem is that i can't go over $1400, and the base model starts @ $1499. I also own a lot of blu ray media, and putting it in that beast would throw me well over my budget. The reason i placed 3Ghz cpu specs there was to show the flexibility of the configuration, I kno i don't need it, will settle with 2.53ghz or 2.66ghz

Your reasoning makes sense then. I see the starting config at $1392, but either way it is either over your budget or at the very end of it. We usually get people that say a certain price but end up having some flexibility. Given the upgrades you want, you are correct, it's not going to be feasible.

Opinions on your selections: I think I would go with the Dell XPS 16. It looks nice and has a solid configuration for a respectable price. I personally have also had good experience with Dell in the past.