Toshiba i7, Acer i7 or Dell Vostro 3700 i7 more $$

[PonyGirl]

I like the Dell, but more money $400 - for better parts/better warranty ??
I like the Toshiba - I hear good things, but one friend says wife hates hers at work and he says pass.
I like hard drive protection like Dell and Toshiba and keyboards both good for me.
Acer recommended for AMD to save $$ but looks like i7 has a few better things in it with Acer.
Keyboards made me have to pass on MSI, ASUS and Lenova and another one if I remember right.
Thanks for your help.

 

[WR2]

What model of Toshiba?
What model of Acer?

Dell Vostro 3700 review
http/computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/dell-vostro-3700

 

[PonyGirl]

Toshiba A660-ST2GX1 (Toshiba website) or A665-S6092 (newegg) -- Acer Aspire AS7745G-9823 (newegg) or AS7552G-6061 (AMD newegg)

 

[WR2]

Part of that $400 gets you the hi-res 1600x900 screen and anti-glare LCD.
To narrow the price gap choose a Vostro 3700 with a Core i5 560M CPU - $993.

 

[PonyGirl]

OK The Toshiba does not have that resolution because it is only a 16" while the others are 17.3". However, both acers are also large and have the 1600x900. True only the Dell has the anti glare and that is helpful for working outside. I will be doing some limited video editing and was advised to go with the i7 vs i5 - especially for down the road. Example, the acer laptop celery I have now is only 4 years old and outdated so much it will not do any of this. I had been thinking about the Dell 3700 with the upgraded i5 and 7200 hard drive and maybe 6gb instead of 4gb ram. Get 4gb with the Toshiba but from toshiba I get 7200rpm hd while newegg has only 5400rpm. Dell has been annoying - a couple of weeks ago they had instant savings of $250 - been going down ever since while today is only $50. Am hoping after the Christmas panic is over, they will go back up with their savings.

 

[WR2]

Dell has been annoying - a couple of weeks ago they had instant savings of $250 - been going down ever since while today is only $50. Am hoping after the Christmas panic is over, they will go back up with their savings.

They will. Also a new crop of laptop CPUs are due out shortly - the Sandy Bridge i3/i5/i7's. That will put additional downward pressure on the price of the current versions.
There are plenty of 16" LCDs that have 1600x900 (and higher) resolution. Dell Studio XPS 16 is one example @ 1920x1080
http/configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dydmft4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&model_id=studio-xps-1647

For your 'limited limited video editing' you can easily sub in a fast dual core i5 and not give up too much performance.
A Core i5 540M probably has 5x the CPU power of a four year old Celeron M. Skip the RAM upgrade to 6GB too.
As far as I can tell, based on what that Motion Pro website is offering for a packaged system, that software won't take advantage of the extra cores of an i7m CPU.

 

[PonyGirl]

Well, the Dell does give me the 3.0 USB if I remember correctly. The vostro I was leaning toward because of the business model has better components inside and out and that Pro Support for 1 yr. OK skip the 6GB ram, but the 7200rpm hd is better to go with than 5400 - yes ?? I started out looking at XPS, but after learning about the better build from a couple of sources, kept looking at the Vostro. Someone said the XPS was more $$ - I forget but think it was true - probably the screen there. The laptop I have turned up to max resolution. This 19" desktop screen I turned down as things got too small for these old eyes. That's why I was leaning toward the 17.3" screen - easier to see. Eventually it should be my desktop replacement. Going to agility class now - back this evening. Sure do appreciate all your help. truly Is sandy bridge something I need to know about ?? Happy to hear prices will be coming down. Do you think I would be better off with the higher resolution ?? While I do tend to have several windows open at a time and the internet on - when I'm working with the video - most likely it will be the only thing running. Less pressure you mentioned if I understand correctly.

 

[WR2]

Yes, I definitely agree with the 7200 HDD.
1600x900 and 17" LCD are probably a good compromise. You can always choose the larger font & icons or make text larger in your browser. Worst case scenario is using reading glasses which is a pretty good bet in any case. I keep mine next to the PC and a pair in my laptop case.
Fast dual core CPUs really are quite good at multi-tasking.
If you do upgrade your video software there's a fair chance it will be able to use that Nvidia video card to help process/encode the video.

Sandy Bridge CPUs are the next upgrade to the Core i3/i5/i7 line. The four core models are due to start showing up in January and the dual core models in February.
http/www.anandtech.com/show/3876/intels-core-2011-mobile-roadmap-revealed-sandy-bridge-part-ii

 

[PonyGirl]

Ah yes, glasses. Have had to wear them forever - since 6th grade. My eye Dr put me onto what he calls "computer glasses" several years back. Basically reading glasses, but the focal point is set at the distance of your eyes to the monitor rather than your eyes to where you would be holding a book. In my case it is 30" instead of the standard something like 20" or maybe more. I just get a pair of single lense glasses all at that reading. Cheaper than bifocals that still have your head cocked back in your neck. -- Yes probably upgrade the video software at some point to have more to play with. -- If I drag my feet long enough the Sandy Bridge coming out in January should help my cause or not. -- Apparently I need to go back and read more about resolution since I assumed when I lowered it on the desktop to make the icons larger I thought I was setting it back to pretty much what the laptop is now. Rt click on screen is way I went. I do know how to make the text larger. grin. Was able to really pick up an HP 17.3 last night at Sam's. Other places only an inch so was surprised at how heavy and awkward it was without a battery. The hp 15.6 was much better. I need a 16.5 ha ha. But seem to have it narrowed to Dell and Toshiba - both got good ratings in that test website linked to here. in a hurry and forget the name. hp also has a bad keyboard for me.

 

[PonyGirl]

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