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New laptop suggestions please?

tHe_sTiG

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Hi folks,

I'll be getting a new laptop soon, but my knowledge on computers and understanding of what I really need is limited. I'm a bit lost and don't know which laptop I should get, could use some help.

I'll be going to college soon, so first and foremost, I'm looking for something that's reliable and built well. I'm really into gaming, so as far as I understand, I need a good graphics card, fast processor tons of RAM. That's about all I know. Can someone please recommend a laptop that would suit my needs as a student and gamer?

Since we're talking electronics here, can you also recommend a good racing wheel that wont cost me an arm and a leg?

Thanks in advance guys.
 

TrikkBen

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Definately look at an i series processor, they are leading the market with the hyperthreading technology. You will pay more but the AMD processors don't even stack up.

Also if you're asking for suggestions maybe a roundabout budget would help.
 

DAKSTER

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Buy a netbook for school, cheap as chips, and get a desktop for games at home. A good gaming laptop is a myth.
A basic netbook with an atom ion setup will be less than 400 bucks, strong and portable, and will play most games. You can use it at school, bring it home and transfer stuff into a desktop.

Whats your budget?

A basic gaming desktop, capable of playing any modern game but not about to win any competitions regarding frame rates etc, can be put together for about 400 bucks, then you will need a screen as well. Depending on how much you want to spend, and just how well you want the game to play, this can blow out to a couple grand or more.

Or.. you could buy a cheap laptop and just stick to PS3...
 

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Go with an Intel i5 or i7 (7 is better than 5) with 6-8gb of ram and one of those fancy onboard 1gb-2gb graphics cards, it wont stack up to anywhere near as good as a gaming desktop pc but it will be pretty fast but heavy and expensive.
 

tHe_sTiG

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Thanks for the replies, I forgot to mention my budget is about $800 at max. In my opinion, it's a rather impractical idea to have 2 computers, a netbook and a gaming desktop.

A basic netbook is not enough for me. I do almost everything on the current family laptop, cost $1000 back in 07. Lots of web-surfing, many open windows, demanding games, movies, heavy video and photo-editing (Sony Vegas, Photoshop etc.). I'm thinking, since I'll be spending a decent amount of money on a good laptop, why not pay a bit extra for some gaming performance? ATI 5000+, i5 processor and at least 2 GB RAM.

Haven't got a PS3 or 360, and neither will be coming for a while. Long story short, the parents think games are completely useless and do nothing but kill brains. Once I'm in college, I'll have the freedom to get one... still a long way though. The reason I've got the chance to get a gaming laptop is they see a laptop as a useful investment.

To give yee an idea of what I'm looking for; I'm interested in the HP Envy, Dell XPS and Studio, and ASUS G-series laptops.
 

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Ok, here's the rundown. This is my advice copied and pasted from another thread.

Macs are a rock solid laptop, they are made from good hardware with a good OS, however, you pay for the "top-of-the-line" mentality. It is overpriced for what it is, but none the less, good at what it is designed to do. I really do recommend Mac's to people going into any sort of creative environment. Not exclusively mind you, but it IS what they are built for.

PCs, I am going to split into two categories, then further down into which models I recommend.

PC-Windows is the widest used OS in the world, and something everyone knows how to use. It will come stock on most laptops. Avoid a netbook. Seriously. The screen is too small, the keyboard is too small, they don't hold #### all in terms of data. Get a laptop, something with a bit of grunt.
My personal laptop is an Asus. They are cheap, reliable and wonderfully middle-of-the-line. Don't expect fantastic things out of it, because you won't get it. **** heat management combined with middle of the line hardware will be your boon, however, they are very reasonably priced and will still "get the job done". Mine's been soldiering on for years, still a rock solid performer.

HP, a good brand also. You pay a little more for them, but they seem to come with better hardware. They are also loaded with ALOT of **** software, so uninstall that with something like PCDeCrapifier straight away. The built quality of HP is a little higher too, so they tend to be alot sturdier also.

Avoid Acer like the ####ing plague. They tend to be over priced and like HP, come loaded with alot of **** you don't need. Their customer support is run by goons, their hardware breaks like my mates sister when she see's me walk through the door, and well, they're ****. The only positive I can really add here is "impressive battery life" considering they're running windows by default and considering well, they really are ****.

Lenovo, formerly IBM, make a series of business laptops. My ####ing god, some of the best pieces of equipment you can buy...provided you are strong enough to lug them around. They will NEVER fail on you, and if they do, Lenovo customer support is run by the swiss. Or some ****. They will literally courier you out a whole new laptop if you know how to ask them right. Their hardware is rock solid, their software is reasonable, the drivers are strong, the customer support is good and even the battery life is a solid performer. The reason they make such good laptops is because they aim their services at rich executives with expensive suits, fast cars and (probably) small penises. Expect professionalism out of this company, but expect to PAY for it. The lenovo's usually sit around 300-700 dollars above most laptops, but it's a cost you will appreciate down the line. Also, they tend to pay maybe 500g-1kg more too, I would estimate. Just keep that in mind.

Now I'm going to have a plug for Ubuntu. Consider NOT using Windows on your PC. Seriously.

Ubuntu is a free linux distro which comes Jam-Packed full of fun **** which spans right across from hacking tools all the way to free photoshop alternatives. It sports longer battery like than Windows and well, with Gnome desktop installed, is really, really pretty. Got some cool features with facebook integration and automatic teaming up with windows.

Comes pre-installed with OpenOffice, a MSOffice style alternative. Can also rip songs right off ipods, recovery data off damaged hard drives or USB sticks.

Maybe dual-boot it, maybe run it exclusively, just give it a thought, it's a worthwhile OS, I run it in 3/4 of my computers.

Also, try NOT to buy from places like Harvey Norman or Clive Peters or something. Go to wholesale computer stores like MSY or Scorptech. (Avoid Centrecom). You will usually get a better deal. Less service, but a better deal.


I also hear good things about Toshiba, but have never dealt with them personally.

Also, there is some mention above of specs, which I didn't read.

Anyone who says you need 6-8gb is living in 2015. You can happily run Windows 7 along with photoshop and other movie editing software on a Dual-Core processor with 4gb of ram. Unless you KNOW exactly what specs you need for a particular program (Say, you're doing university and you use a particular modelling program or something) then you should stick to something like:

Processor: i3, i5 or the AMD Athlon or Turion.
Memory: For future sake, insist on at least 4gb, but there's not much point going above 6gb.
HDD: Aim for at least 500gb. Unless you are playing hard core high end games and hate loading screens, avoid Solid State Drives (SSD). They are too expensive right now.
Video card: It's not NEEDED, but my advice would be to insist on discreet graphics. Ask for a Nvidia card in your laptop, as in my experience they out-perform most, and are much more reliable. Try for something with about 1gb or ram on the card.
OS: Avoid Vista, it's very ****. Avoid XP, it's coming to the end of it's life cycle. Go for Windows 7, but try to get Professional or Ultimate edition. Might cost a few extra bickies, but it has features which will save your sanity later, like the ability to turn off UAC (Annoying black "DO YOU WANT TO RUN THIS PROGRAM" screen".

Aside from that, I have a system I will suggest to you.

Available from MSY (http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdf) is a Lenovo laptop.

CPU: Intel Core i5 480
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
RAM: 4GB DDR3
HDD: 500GB SATA
Graphic:Nvidia G310M
1GB Dedicated VGA
Screen: 15.6” (1366x768)
WXGA Led Glossy
* 1yr Warranty * DVD Burner * USB2.0
* WiFi * Bluetooth * 6 Cell Battery * Web Cam

It's $749 before cashback, with a $50 cash back incentive.

I highly recommend this laptop.
 

tHe_sTiG

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Thanks a lot mate! That's some seriously good information! From which thread did you get this?? I didn't know much about Lenovo laptops at all, but from what I've read seems they're very solidly built and made to last, which is a first on my priority list. I'm not sure about the Nvidea graphics card, I heard ATI is a better performer. If I can find one with an ATI graphics card I'd definetely consider it.

Tell me fellas, Nvidea or ATI and why?? Also, size isn't all that matters, the newer the better, so I heard. The graphics card is probably the most important when taking high-end games into consideration, so I need a laptop with a really decent one!
 

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Without a decent graphics card in that laptop, it won't play any games bar flash based games. You will struggle to find a gaming laptop below $800, but bargains can be found, really for gaming on a budget a desktop is needed.

As far as Nvidia vs ATI, it's mostly down to preference. It's like arguing Ford vs Holden lol. I like Nvidia cause I have always used them, that's all.

ASUS would be my recommendation of laptop if you can afford it (I can't lol). I have a HP running Pentium D @ 2.13Ghz cost me $530 4 months ago.
 

tHe_sTiG

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Without a decent graphics card in that laptop, it won't play any games bar flash based games. You will struggle to find a gaming laptop below $800, but bargains can be found, really for gaming on a budget a desktop is needed.

As far as Nvidia vs ATI, it's mostly down to preference. It's like arguing Ford vs Holden lol. I like Nvidia cause I have always used them, that's all.

ASUS would be my recommendation of laptop if you can afford it (I can't lol). I have a HP running Pentium D @ 2.13Ghz cost me $530 4 months ago.

Hi mate, I know that a desktop is better (and cheaper) than a laptop for gaming. But in my case, its very impractical to have a desktop. I'm always moving around the house and go out quite a lot. I'm practically stuck without a laptop. There are a few ASUS G51 J's lying around at my local electronics store, $750. No idea how much it should actually cost. Is this a bargain or is it over-priced??

I know that when comparing similar ATI and Nvidea cards, the ATI wins in performance, but the Nvidea excels in operating temperatures. Well, what the heck? What's wrong with burning my balls off for some good gaming experience haha! :p
 

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