Selecting a laptop

[Neel t]

Hi i am thinking of buying a laptop that i can take to my university for computer eng/robotics and i would have to install some professional softwares like photoshop, adobe flash, and other enginering related soft... I prefer Hp, Toshiba and dell and would reallly like to have a LONG battery life and good body structure (as in the heat can easily get out and i m not blocking any heat vents when i put it on my lap...) as i have an hp laptop and the vent is right under near the battery area so if i put the laptop on a table it gets heated up quickly... and ya i would casually be playing some games on it too.. SO I WOULD REALLY APRECIATE IF SOMEONE CAN SUGGEST WHICH PROCESSOR SHOULD I GET , INTEL 13 OR AMD QUAD CORE OR ANYTHING ELSE......AND WHICH COMPANY LAPTOP IS OPTIMUM FOR ME (AS IN PRICE AND PERFORMANCE)
Oh i also wouldnot mind if there are other cool looking features coming with it like keyboard backlight and bluetooth and/or fingerprnt reader (i guess only for hp) if they are in my price range.

PRICE RANGE : 400- 700 CAD or US $ (doesnt matter a lot almost same right now )

 

[chippies]

As for HP, don't know, haven't looked at them since getting my Dell Vostro laptop.

I think one of the Inspirons should provide everything at an ok price. I'd advise getting a Core i5 or i7 if you can afford it. Depending on how long you plan on keeping the laptop, you could find the extra processing power handy as the maths simulations get more intense. I think the turbo core on the i5 will also be worth the extra cost compared to an i3.

Dell laptops have their vent on the side with an inlet underneath. When gaming though, I'd recommend a notebook cooler.

 

[chippies]

One thing - long battery life and powerful GPUs don't go together. I'm not sure how effective NVidia's Optimus technology is for switching between the Sandy Bridge and NVidia graphics. That may give you a long battery life when not gaming. Guess the best is to check the review first, as always.

 

[Neel t]

As for HP, don't know, haven't looked at them since getting my Dell Vostro laptop.

I think one of the Inspirons should provide everything at an ok price. I'd advise getting a Core i5 or i7 if you can afford it. Depending on how long you plan on keeping the laptop, you could find the extra processing power handy as the maths simulations get more intense. I think the turbo core on the i5 will also be worth the extra cost compared to an i3.

Dell laptops have their vent on the side with an inlet underneath. When gaming though, I'd recommend a notebook cooler.

Hmmm i heard some dell laptops have a really bad battery life... wht do u think about it.....

 

[Neel t]

How do u think about this Dell 14z Laptop: i5 2430M 2.4GHz CPU, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, 14" LED (1366x768) w/ Camera, WiFi N, 6 Cell, Win 7 + $625.00?
http/www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?type=id&q=d299991&ru=28908976
It's still within your budget, right? Hope u find the best bet. Good luck.

Ya seems preety gud . not too sure about the batterly life though....

 

[Neel t]

One thing - long battery life and powerful GPUs don't go together. I'm not sure how effective NVidia's Optimus technology is for switching between the Sandy Bridge and NVidia graphics. That may give you a long battery life when not gaming. Guess the best is to check the review first, as always.

k... as per u knw, can u suggest one laptop from dell, toshiba and hp (one from each) which has a gud 6 or 6+ hours of battery when not playing games and as has enough power to suite my need. I REALLY, REALLY appreciate it.... oh and ya i would like to keep it for some years... so i wouldn't mind spending a few more dollars if i can get something worth it which can last longer.

 

[chippies]

Dell Vostro is pretty well built and should last. Suggestion that's nearly in budget: Vostro 3450 (Core i5) with the AMD graphics - $719. Claims good battery life.

Toshiba - never had any experience with them, don't know anyone who has. Maybe not the best to go with?

HP: dv6t Select Edition: slightly more expensive if you go for the Radeon 6770 with 1GB RAM. They claim upto 6.5 hours battery life. Drawbacks: of my friends who've owned HP laptops, I think they all ended up being replaced after about 3 years.

Another option might be to look at Asus. Their new gaming laptops seem to have a better cooling design that avoids having vents underneath the laptop. They might be out of your price range though.

 

[Neel t]

Best answer selected by neel t.