Which Laptop to Buy?

[Klosteral]

Hey there,

I need a laptop, here is my criteria:
Country - Australia
Budget - $1600 (flexible)
Resolution - Any
Use - Music, internet browsing, college stuff, gaming
Games - SC2, GTA4, MW2, BOps, Crysis, Crysis 2,
Brand - not Dell.
Preferences - ATI 5730M minimum (higher is prefered)
Note - I do not want crap about getting a standard laptop and gaming desktop. I have my reasons for wanting this.

So, hit me.
-Klosteral

 

[WR2]

One option: IdeaPad Y560 (model 0646MXM) AU$1,529
Core i7 740QM 6GB RAM 15.6" 1366x768 LCD and Radeon Mobility HD 5730

 

[dominatorix]

Hey there,

I need a laptop, here is my criteria:
Country - Australia
Budget - $1600 (flexible)
Resolution - Any
Use - Music, internet browsing, college stuff, gaming
Games - SC2, GTA4, MW2, BOps, Crysis, Crysis 2,
Brand - not Dell.
Preferences - ATI 5730M minimum (higher is prefered)
Note - I do not want crap about getting a standard laptop and gaming desktop. I have my reasons for wanting this.

So, hit me.
-Klosteral

hi
hp envy 15, 14, or 17

 

[WR2]

Might bust his budget just a bit.

 

[Klosteral]

Yes, I have already checked out the Envy series. They have terrible heating issues and they blow my budget.

Please do not tell me what I can't buy, tell me what I should.

 

[dominatorix]

Yes, I have already checked out the Envy series. They have terrible heating issues and they blow my budget.

Please do not tell me what I can't buy, tell me what I should.

I have a hp envy 15 gen 2(ati 5830m i7-920) no heating issue, only issue was the hdd toshiba .
also you have to consider Acer Aspire 5739G 15.6" with p8700 ore more Cpu, gtx 240m video card or the version with I3/i5 with ati video card.

 

[Klosteral]

They sound alright, can I get some links?

I heard some of the envy models come with no optical drive (there is a hdd in the optical bay). And I have read places about such heating issues. I saw an Envy 15 with 8GB RAM, i7-820QM, 2x500GB 7200RPM hdds for $1300. I asked if it was worth it and everyone said "NO".

Maybe the new models are better but idk.

 

[dominatorix]

http/mobiletech.knguyentu.com/2010/03/hp-envy-15-2nd-generation-impression.html
http/mobiletech.knguyentu.com/2010/03/hp-envy-15-2nd-generation.html
the are 2 version: first ver. has ati hd 4830M Gpu end the second gen. has 5830M gpu, no heat problem in gen. 2. I own myself the second gen, with I7 720 also for I7 generation you have also usb 3.0!!!, end yes the laptop come with an external BD or DVD/Rw player, because is slim in not heave, go to the local store to feel end try one.
also the 5830M gpu is very, very fast!

 

[Klosteral]

It is crap. It does not have RAM expansion capabilities, only has a small hard drive (even if some is solid state) and it has no optical drive.

Somebody please recommend something other than a HP!!
I would prefer Sager, Lenovo, ASUS or MSI.

 

[dominatorix]

It is crap. It does not have RAM expansion capabilities, only has a small hard drive (even if some is solid state) and it has no optical drive.

Somebody please recommend something other than a HP!!
I would prefer Sager, Lenovo, ASUS or MSI.

it is your money sow it is your choice, but the hp envy has 4 slot for RAM sow it has expansion capabilities.I' replace my hdd with a WD caviar (500 hdd)+ 64 hdd ssd for windows.
Also i' don't use optical drive for sometime, sow you will have a lighter laptop
Depend for what you use the laptop, I wanted a fast, lighter with a big resolution display, off-course sony vaio , asus or msi are a good option too

 

[one-shot]

I would personally wait for Sandy Bridge based laptops to come out in the next month or two.

Here is a link from Anandtech reviewing a 17" with a mobile quad core getting almost 7 hours of battery life. While it isn't a gaming laptop, the CPU is faster and paired with a disrete GPU, the battery life will also be more impressive.

http/www.anandtech.com/show/4084/intels-sandy-bridge-upheaval-in-the-mobile-landscape/9

You can buy now, but it would be smarter to wait. I'm waiting for them to come out this spring or late winter.

 

[Klosteral]

I am looking at a Clevo W860CU (PM55), normally $1900 now $1499AUD because they are having a clearence sale for the new SandyBridge stuff. They have an ASUS G53JW with SB cores for $1869. I want to get the Clevo.
i7-740
8GB DDR3
500GB 7200RPM
15.6" FHD 1920x1080
Blu-Ray combo
Win 7 x64

Its a bargain, the only problem is the 2hr battery life but that is to be expected from a gaming laptop.

I want something that is portable AND powerful. 3.3kgs is heavy but not impossible and for the specs, I like what I get out of it. It lets me run all the games I want to run on high, not low like you can expect from most laptops.

The alternative is a Lenovo Y560 with i7-720, 5730M and 4GB RAM at 2.7kgs. This, however, will cost $1099AUD.


Which is best for my dollar?

 

[WR2]

The Lenovo battery would last a bit longer too.

It's not even a question of what is best for your AU$$. No question that the lower priced laptop is 'best for the dollar'.

It's just a question of how much you really want to spend to get a higher level of gaming performance?
And then what type of gaming experience will you be satisfied with?
The Clevo will get you a better gaming experience and that comes with higher weight, shorter battery life and higher price.

What price do you put on gaming on high settings?
With the Clevo that cost is $400 vs the Lenovo which would get you a middle range gaming experience.

 

[Klosteral]

I do not need a desktop replacement; I have a reasonable gaming desktop that I plan to upgrade in the near future (when desktop CPUs become cheaper/AM3+ is released).

I need the laptop for travel, college, music production and gaming when I am not at home.

It is not essential that I get a really high-performance beast but I would like something with better performance than my current desktop (2.8GHz dual core, nVidea 9600GT) because laptops are not easily upgradeable and I want to be able to keep this for as long as I can.

 

[Klosteral]

So are there really no other options? What about the Sager NP8130, for high performance, or the Sager NP5160 for mid-ranged performance and good battery life?
http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

-Klosteral