Which one should I choose?

[CJZ]

Hi,

Im about to buy a new laptop which is supposed to replace my desktop. I want to be able to run games on it, and as such I need a pretty good one. I also intend to hook it up with my tv. My budget is about 2700$. Ive found two options which Im now considering and would appreciate some input and help in choosing.

1, Dell XPS M1710 with a Intel® Core™ 2 Duo-processor T7200 (2,0 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB), 2 GB ram, geforce 7900GS, 100 GB harddrive (7200rpm), bluetooth, Intel next gen wireless-n mini-card, dvi, display resolution 1920x1200.

2, HP dv9200 with Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache), 2 GB RAM, geforce go 7600, 200 GB (7200 rpm) harddrive, HD DVD ROM, Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth , tv-tuner, remote control, camera, hdmi, display resolution 1440x900.

Might be forgetting something important, am not exactly an expert on this kind of stuff. But my impression is that the Dell is a more powerful machine in several ways, but with the HP I get more for the money..? Im undecided...

Thanks for your help.

 

[chikit]

to game you want nothing less than a 7900 class card. so for nvidia you have 7900gs, 7900gtx, 7950gtx.

You might want to check out killernotebooks.com they make kickass notebooks, they've been reviewed and compared to many others.. coming out on top.

 

[lostandwandering]

Out of those the Dell is better. If you can extend your budget do one of two things:
1) upgrade the 7900GS to a 7950GTX
2) look at the killer notebooks Executioner.It will be better than the Dell.

My other suggestion is to check out the Sager 5760. It is the base of the Executioner without K|N's incredible support. The 5760 starts around 1800 and is about $2500 when similarly configured. link

 

[CJZ]

Hmm that Sager one looks very interesting indeed. Good price too. Personally I havent heard of Sager before though, are they any good? Its a rather small company from what I can gather... Im from Sweden and am unsure whether or not its a smart choice to purchase a computer from a company which is fairly unknown and especially without any local representation in my home country.. What if it breaks down, what do I do then.. Will it be possible to get it with a keyboard of swedish standards with the letters åäö, etc.. Im raising these issues because Im hoping to be proven wrong, seeing as this sounds like a sweet deal

 

[lostandwandering]

um... let me put it another way. You know all of those high-end 17'' laptops from companies like Widow and Viscious and Hypersonic? They are the sager notebook. Sager builds the laptops and ships them off to other companies that re-brand them as their own. Only a few companies actually build their own laptops, everything els is a re-branded system. In Europe there is a laptop company called Clevo who is a rather big name I believe. Anyway, Clevo = Sager. They are the same company. The laptop you may want to look for by you is the Clevo M570U (I am pretty sure that is the model). It is the same exact notebook.

Again, if you could swing the money for the Executioner (Sager 5760) from K|N, He ships overseas and can equip the laptop with the keyboard you want.

 

[CJZ]

Thanks, Im learning a lot here I wouldnt mind going for the executioner, but what I cant really get is why it is that much more expensive than the sager? If its virtually the same cpr..?

From what Ive understood after reading up on the sager and clevo is that they are slightly unreliable, because of the power packed into them, and that one because of it wants to have support and warranties close to home.. Crappy swedish companies who dont sell them..

 

[lostandwandering]

The Executioner costs more because Mark at K|N will give you THE best support available and he is re-branding it and needs to make a profit somewhere. If something doesn't work, he'll fix it with out the run-around. You don't like the laptop, he'll refund you no questions asked. If you can't get the Executioner, the Dell would be my next choice because they have reps by you (I'm assuming). If you go the Dell route, get the 7950GTX. It will outperform the 7900GS by quite a bit.