Solved! Need help choosing laptop - build quality, cooling etc

[own1221]

1. What is your budget?
$1, 000-$1, 500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
17" and up

3. What screen resolution do you want?
not critical

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
desktop replacement

5. How much battery life do you need?
not critical

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
sometimes, but not critical

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)
Adobe products - Photoshop, Illustrator etc. Modelling on Revit, Rhino, 3dsmax and sketchup. Rendering on Revit, V-Ray and 3ds. So need lots of RAM - atleast over 8gb and fast processor

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible - I'd like my new laptop to be around for quite awhile. Possibly around 3 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Don't really have a preference.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
not critical

Current options I'm looking at:
HP / Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv7-4295us Entertainment 17.3"
• 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core
• 8GB (2x4GB) RAM
• 1TB 5400rpm Hard Drive
• Blu-ray ROM with LightScribe DVD Burning
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6570 1GB GPU
• 17.3" LED Backlit Widescreen Display
$1099
Asus G73Sw-BT Notebook - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 8GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Black
$1,299.99

As you can see, the HP and ASUS have similar specs but very different costs, does this reflect a much better build quality? Also it seems that the Asus G73 has a better cooling system? - I will be doing alot of long rendering [3ds Max] so heating will be an important concern.

refer to photos of the Asus here: http/www.btotech.com/_e/17_Notebook/product/asus_g73sw-bt/Asus_G73Sw_BT_Notebook.htm

Please feel free to offer any other notebook options and any advice on selection!

 

[warlord1609]

Go with the Asus. Dual heat skins, sleek design, backlit, not to mention the GPU being a gtx 460m. Definitely more powerful than the HP edition.

 

[own1221]

Hey thanks for the comments above!

@warlord1609 - the Asus does seem to have a better cooling system - hopefully this is partly the reason for the additional $$ - cooling is really important because I'll be using this machine for rendering jobs that may mean continuous use at max. for overnighters!!

@lovelycat - .... ?? - the link seems to dodgy to click

@cloudy2010 - according to [http/www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q8200+%40+2.33GHz] the i7-2620QM is twice as fast as the i7-740QM??? am I wrong? - this will be primarily a 3ds Max rendering machine, consequently the processor speed is most critical

Please keep on commenting!! Particularly the reliability and build quality and hardware quality ... I've heard from many people that says HP computers break down easily?!

 

[SteveKeen]

With my recent experience with the Hp above the one you're looking at--an 18.4 inch "envy"--I'd recommend the Asus instead. Less than a week after it arrived, the HP is lost in BSOD land! It crashes even before I get a chance to login now. I have arranged a refund and will be buying Asus very soon--or Sony.

1. What is your budget?
$1, 000-$1, 500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
17" and up

3. What screen resolution do you want?
not critical

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
desktop replacement

5. How much battery life do you need?
not critical

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
sometimes, but not critical

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)
Adobe products - Photoshop, Illustrator etc. Modelling on Revit, Rhino, 3dsmax and sketchup. Rendering on Revit, V-Ray and 3ds. So need lots of RAM - atleast over 8gb and fast processor

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible - I'd like my new laptop to be around for quite awhile. Possibly around 3 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Don't really have a preference.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
not critical

Current options I'm looking at:
HP / Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv7-4295us Entertainment 17.3"
• 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core
• 8GB (2x4GB) RAM
• 1TB 5400rpm Hard Drive
• Blu-ray ROM with LightScribe DVD Burning
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6570 1GB GPU
• 17.3" LED Backlit Widescreen Display
$1099
Asus G73Sw-BT Notebook - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 8GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Black
$1,299.99

As you can see, the HP and ASUS have similar specs but very different costs, does this reflect a much better build quality? Also it seems that the Asus G73 has a better cooling system? - I will be doing alot of long rendering [3ds Max] so heating will be an important concern.

refer to photos of the Asus here: http/www.btotech.com/_e/17_Notebook/product/asus_g73sw-bt/Asus_G73Sw_BT_Notebook.htm

Please feel free to offer any other notebook options and any advice on selection!