Lap Top Shopping

[Murr1525]

I know there has to be some lap top experts here, and I may have to make a purchase ASAP, and not loads of research time.

I was kind of looking at Toshiba A500, HP, maybe Asus if I can figure them out. Thinking about ~15-16" range, Intel i5 or i7 chip, Nvidia 330ish card, 4GB Ram. Kind of thinking about a Blue Ray player, since it may be traveling, etc, and could use the TV hook up/HDMI out.

Would be for general use, and AoE, C&C, Civ type games.

Its just like for every good review, there is a bad review.... Dont mind spending a bit extra if its worth it, but the bad reviews always make you nervous.

Any ideas guys?

[Murr1525]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

And can anyone explain Asus products... their website is horrendous....

[Bill Davidson]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

If you decide to go with Apple and want recommendations let me know. I specialize in the Mac mini, but I'm familiar with all Apple products. I have over 4000 posts on a Mac mini site.

I do have an Asus netbook and I like it. It's underpowered, but it works for my limited use. The quality is very good. I really can't comment on the new models.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

I just received an email from my nephew for advice on a laptop purchase that my neighbor was asking me about. My nephew is 28 years old, and is graduating in May with a degree in computer animation and is already receiving job offers from some of the major gaming studios in SoCal, so I trust his judgement on computer hardware more than my own.

Hope his answer helps:

Your neighbor's old XP software should run just fine on Windows 7 as Windows 7 has a far more robust compatibility mode. Even if the software won't run natively in Windows 7, your neighbor can right-click the shortcut, hit Properties, and click the Compatibility tab. There he can define what operating system environment works best. Windows 7 will even auto-detect this option for him if he so chooses.


I'm very happy with HP and am glad I made them my choice for my first laptop. I went with their HDX line of laptops, which were designed for content creation, gaming, and multimedia and it ended up costing my under a grand. The HDX line was just discontinued last month and they've expanded their Pavilion series in that line's place.

I definitely would recommend an HP over Dell. It's not that Dell's a bad manufacturer or anything, but HP seems to have far more robust features for the price. Dell is good to go with for an affordable all-purpose machine. Mom is really happy with her sub-$500 Inspiron. I was never a huge fan of the Sony Vaio series, but they are really nice. I just find their designs tread a little too close to the form over function persuasion.


The best laptop based CPU's that are out now are the Intel Core i3 330's. They're quad-core CPU's with the technology of a full fledged Core i7 and they can generally be found for under a grand. If he has a bit more flexibility in the pricing area, there's no beating a Core i7 equipped laptop. Generally those can be found for a grand or more. For a Core i3 system, I highly recommend the HP Pavilion dv7t series laptops.

This series is really customizable and for a few extra clams you can equip it with a Core i5, which is an obvious mid-chip between the i3 and the i7. This series also comes with a dedicated 3D graphics processor and you can generally choose between and ATI or Nvidia based GPU. All of HP's laptops can be configured with a 500GB hard drive, which I believe is the current max for laptops today.

With the way hard drive manufacturers are perfecting perpendicular recording techniques and areal density, it won't be long before we start seeing terabyte drives. I'm not sure if HP offers these, but I'm not completely onboard with SSD drives. They're price doesn't justify the comparably smaller capacities and they come with their own set of limitations.

If your neighbor wants to go with something a bit more powerful, point them towards the HP Pavilion dv8t's. These come equipped with Core i7 CPU's, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drives, and full HD 1080p screens as well as a Blu-ray drive to take advantage of them. All of HP's laptops come with an HDMI port, which has come into a lot of use when we want to watch movies off my laptop at Lisa's house as well as an eSATA port. Mine came with a Windows Media Center compatible remote control that stows away inside the mini-PCI slot.

I looked at the specs for both of the laptops I recommended, but the specs didn't seem to mention a remote control. These laptops also come standard with a built-in low light capable web cam, a subwoofer equipped audio system by Altec Lansing, full number pad on the keyboard,


HP Pavilion dv7t Series



HP Pavilion dv8t Series

[Murr1525]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

My fiance has an Apple, one of the newer ones.... seems nice, but not sure if I want to go that way.

Looks like I was at least leaning the right way at HP...

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

About 2 months ago, we bought a laptop. We went with the HP G60-635DX. Very good machine.
It is a 15.6 screen, with the 16:9 widescreen display. Great to playback video, or hd tv. Built in webcam. Has Intel chip.

Overall it is fast, user friendly and very good. We like it a lot.

[roushstage2]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

ASUS, IMO, is more for gaming/performance applications. That being said, in my case, ASUS would be my next laptop. For a general, do-it-all laptop, I love HP. Mine is still going strong after 5 years, and I helped my aunt pick out an HP just a bit ago. She got the 17"-ish screen with the HDMI/Blu-Ray DVD player, loads of RAM, a 500GB (?) HD and so on. Obviously, for general, everyday use, I prefer HP. I say find what features and specs you are looking for, find the HP that has them or at least something close that you would consider, and get it.

[Murr1525]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

I think I would like an Asus 15" gaming one with the above specs and a Blue-Ray, which of course they say is an option, but no one seems to sell.

Then the Hp's have a 15" and a 17" for about the same price, specs as above. The 17" would ship sooner also.... but it just sounds huge, and has to wear on the battery quicker I would think. Going to go to Best Buy to at least see them in person, if I buy there or not.

Nothing wrong with overkill around here.....

[fullbirdmusic]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

When buying a computer, the first thing you should do is make a comprehensive list of what you will be doing with it. Try to think about things you might expand into as well, such as photo editing, gaming, or music creation.

I'm using a Mac, but I am a PC tech - I will probably not use another PC in my music studio ever again. That being said, PCs are VERY fast nowadays and they are pretty much dirt cheap. Look for features in your area of interest, such as the Blu-Ray player, graphics card, and processor.

The folks at Best Buy will be able to help you with the basics. I've read very good things about HP and would recommend them over Dell. To me, Dell's have a "cheaper" feel to them, with matching performance. We use Dell in the government and they're reliable, but somewhat cumbersome. Asus is just another manufacturer. Research them as much as you would any other.

In the end, it's all about what you will be doing with it and your budget. I know this doesn't give you a definitive answer, but I hope this helps anyway. I'm probably going to be buying a MacBook Pro in the future, but I make and record music! To each his own. And opinions on computers or Mac vs. PC abound. Listen to your instinct. Cheers

[roushstage2]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

I think I would like an Asus 15" gaming one with the above specs and a Blue-Ray, which of course they say is an option, but no one seems to sell.

Then the Hp's have a 15" and a 17" for about the same price, specs as above. The 17" would ship sooner also.... but it just sounds huge, and has to wear on the battery quicker I would think. Going to go to Best Buy to at least see them in person, if I buy there or not.

Nothing wrong with overkill around here.....

My aunt's new 17" HP doesn't have a long life at all, compared to some others. I never found the ASUS combo I liked at a Best Buy either. One had a video card, but a much slower processor and vice versa. Are you buying online? Have you checked Tiger Direct and Newegg?

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

Do you have a budget in mind? A lot of things depend on that...

[Murr1525]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

Seems like about $1500 with Office, etc will be the target to get the Blue Ray and an i5 or i7.

Havent checked much online yet, other than HP, etc.

Went to Best Buy, they had an interesting 17" Sony VAIO, same specs, better monitor than HP. But VAIO's dont seem as popular, any problems with them?

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

I am using a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 for my home and work comuter. Althogh my home one has a lot more "under the hood", both are great computers. Seems like you want a PC, so I wouldn't recommend a Mac, but those are nice too. Having Windows 7 improves the handling of the computer as well. A lot of nice advances have been made for small performance increases that add up to a lot.

[Murr1525]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

Well, seems hard to get blu ray and a good screen on the same comp for a good price at the moment, so will probably drop that, and go back into a HP dv6 type model, still with the i7.

It'll save me enough to just buy a blu ray player.... maybe I'll spend a little on extra RAM...

[fullbirdmusic]

Re: Lap Top Shopping

VAIO's are overrated, IMO. They're expensive and they don't do much more, if anything, than any other laptop in its performance class. I say skip it.

HP seems like your best bet. Remember, the disc drives in most laptops are swappable, so you could upgrade to a Blu-Ray in the future if you don't get one now. Just make sure your monitor can handle it. I'm not sure what BR specs are, just throwing that out there. Good luck!