Alright guys and gals, I posted a while ago for input on my desktop and now I've come back to ask for input for my laptop. Here it is...
Looking for a new laptop for college! Budget caps out at preferred $1200 but might be able to raise $1300 by the end of August (although college starts August 26th)!
Uses will include:
-Anything school related (Microsoft Office, Web Surfing, Pictures, and anything Computer Science Related)
-Gaming: This is the only system I will have Vista installed on for a while so maybe Halo 2 for PC or other games for Windows would be nice to run. World of Warcraft is a must have but I am sure it will run fine on what I have configured.
Here are the likely candidates...
Dell #1
Dell Vostro 1500-2 Year Warranty
PROCESSOR Core%u2122 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista%u2122 Home Basic
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife%u2122
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce%u2122 8600M GT
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
SOUND OPTION High Definition Audio 2.0
for ~1300 after taxes (but not including that nice discount)
Dell #2
Dell 1520 (More Expensive One)--3 Year DellCare Value Warranty
SYSTEM COLOR Midnight Blue
PROCESSOR Intel® Core%u2122 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista%u2122 Home Premium ion
DISPLAY Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GS
MEMORY FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
HARD DRIVE FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
WIRELESS NETWORKING Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Card
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
Total Estimated: ~$1185 US Dollars (price after $273 dollars off and a hopeful combination with friend's 15% company discount).
HP
HP dv6500t Series--1 Year Standard Warranty
Operating System FREE Upgrade from Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic (32-bit) to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium!
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Display 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Memory 75% OFF upgrade to 2GB DDR2 (2 Dimm)!!
Graphics Card 50% OFF!! 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS!!
Personalization HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
Hard Drive FREE Upgrade from 120GB 5400RPM to 160GB 5400RPM!!
Primary CD/DVD Drive FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Primary Battery High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
OS and Recovery Media System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
Total Estimated: ~$1300 (after all deals and taxes included).
Dell's have 2 more years of warranty and cheaper, especially if my friend's employee discount can come into play.
I am open for suggestions for anything that will satisfy my needs for a first laptop for college, but these are the two I have narrowed it down to and will probably stick with. My budget is $1200 but its obvious that these laptops have taken it to the limit. Anything with 2GB of ram, 100+GB of storage, decent CPU, and preferable DX10 dedicated GPU would be preferable. I am not too crazy about high-res LCD becuz I will hook up my monitor to play. The looks of the laptop are up there with my other favorable wants along with a preference to not get too hot to the touch.
If I am able to gather some extra bucks, I might be able to get the HP, but at the same time upgrade to a possible Nvidia 8600 with the Dell's.
One more question is whether or not I should wait a few weeks for the back-to-school sales, although the current ones are pretty nice.
I have never bought from either company and past experience with them might be helpful in making my decision.
Also, if anyone knows of any way to save a few bucks, I would greatly appreciate enlightenment in that subject area
Thanks in advanced!
Looking for a new laptop for college! Budget caps out at preferred $1200 but might be able to raise $1300 by the end of August (although college starts August 26th)!
Uses will include:
-Anything school related (Microsoft Office, Web Surfing, Pictures, and anything Computer Science Related)
-Gaming: This is the only system I will have Vista installed on for a while so maybe Halo 2 for PC or other games for Windows would be nice to run. World of Warcraft is a must have but I am sure it will run fine on what I have configured.
Here are the likely candidates...
Dell #1
Dell Vostro 1500-2 Year Warranty
PROCESSOR Core%u2122 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista%u2122 Home Basic
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife%u2122
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce%u2122 8600M GT
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
SOUND OPTION High Definition Audio 2.0
for ~1300 after taxes (but not including that nice discount)
Dell #2
Dell 1520 (More Expensive One)--3 Year DellCare Value Warranty
SYSTEM COLOR Midnight Blue
PROCESSOR Intel® Core%u2122 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista%u2122 Home Premium ion
DISPLAY Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GS
MEMORY FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
HARD DRIVE FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
WIRELESS NETWORKING Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Card
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
Total Estimated: ~$1185 US Dollars (price after $273 dollars off and a hopeful combination with friend's 15% company discount).
HP
HP dv6500t Series--1 Year Standard Warranty
Operating System FREE Upgrade from Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic (32-bit) to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium!
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Display 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Memory 75% OFF upgrade to 2GB DDR2 (2 Dimm)!!
Graphics Card 50% OFF!! 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS!!
Personalization HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
Hard Drive FREE Upgrade from 120GB 5400RPM to 160GB 5400RPM!!
Primary CD/DVD Drive FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Primary Battery High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
OS and Recovery Media System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
Total Estimated: ~$1300 (after all deals and taxes included).
Dell's have 2 more years of warranty and cheaper, especially if my friend's employee discount can come into play.
I am open for suggestions for anything that will satisfy my needs for a first laptop for college, but these are the two I have narrowed it down to and will probably stick with. My budget is $1200 but its obvious that these laptops have taken it to the limit. Anything with 2GB of ram, 100+GB of storage, decent CPU, and preferable DX10 dedicated GPU would be preferable. I am not too crazy about high-res LCD becuz I will hook up my monitor to play. The looks of the laptop are up there with my other favorable wants along with a preference to not get too hot to the touch.
If I am able to gather some extra bucks, I might be able to get the HP, but at the same time upgrade to a possible Nvidia 8600 with the Dell's.
One more question is whether or not I should wait a few weeks for the back-to-school sales, although the current ones are pretty nice.
I have never bought from either company and past experience with them might be helpful in making my decision.
Also, if anyone knows of any way to save a few bucks, I would greatly appreciate enlightenment in that subject area
Thanks in advanced!