New Laptop

Technology and Gaming
#1

Hey all,

I’m a new member, but I have been a creeper to this site for a while reading the forums and such.

I am in need of a new laptop for school this year as I sold my old one for a desktop a few years back.

-My budget will run around $700-1000.
-I would like the 2nd gen i5 processor.
-At least 6gb of ram
-HDD does not really matter to me but I’d prefer 7200 rpm if possible
-GPU is not a main concern, but would like to have a mid-grade dedicated card or higher

I will be using the computer mainly for heavy programming so the keyboard must be comfortable. I will game on it occasionally. Some minecraft here and there and would like to be able to run source games on a decent setting.

This may sound picky, but I will be using this laptop a lot so I kind of have to be.

I have looked at the hp DV6T Select Edition and it fits my needs just about right at about $850. Only thing is buying HP hardware does not seem to be very prospective at the moment. I have no grudge against any company so all suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks.

#2

Try this: https://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=32&name=Laptops-Notebooks

Edit: a quick search, this is what I found, the best bang for your buck you can get.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111

#3

My laptop is an HP Pavilion dv8000, and it’s a great laptop. I’m just about to retire it after six years of heavy use, and nothing major has gone wrong aside from the battery dying. I heard about HP shutting down their hardware division, but as long as their existing stuff remains supported, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to recommend them.

#4

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246152

Found this one but I don’t know anything about Lenovo. I’m still leaning for the hp but really wanna know my options.

#5

isnt the one I linked better alot better that that though, itel core i7, 7200rpm hdd, gtx 460m, longer battery, 8 gigs of ram, etc.

#6

If your going to use it a lot, go Asus. Someone earlier posted an Asus, and its great. My friend bought that very one just a few weeks ago, and its fantastic. He uses it for gaming, and image editing.

#7

Asus are a great brand

#8

I liked the one above, but it was at the very tip of my price range and it was a re-certified model.

https://www.logicbuy.com/deals/coupon-hp-pavilion-dv6t-16-inch-quad-edition-laptop/15717.aspx

I got this deal from hp. Still the Pavilion dv6t, but I got the quad core cheaper than what I would have gotten the select edition for.

Instead of the 774.99 though I upgraded the GPU to the 1gb 6770 for 25 bucks and went with the 7200 rpm 640gb drive instead of the 750 5200 rpm.

#9

Get a Mac.

Jk! Only if you want. Most people reject it out of hand because its more expensive, has a different operating system and/or they don’t like the Aluminium Unibody design. I only wanted to suggest it because I personally like it, and you might too. Or not. Either way, just putting it out there. If all you want to do is play Minecraft and Source games, then you can do that all natively; the new MBP range should be able to do it pretty well (from what I can see from the specs).

You might also be able to get an academic discount, which makes the hardware a bit cheaper (and the software, but that goes for Windows too), but above all else; don’t shoot the messenger.

Moving back to PCs, I can’t comment too much on the specs of the machines currently on the market, only since I’ve been out of the marketplace for a few years and haven’t been keeping up to date. I can only say that I’ve had superb experiences with HP in terms of service, even when longevity was in serious question. IBM and Toshibas are higher end and will have better longevity, but at a (massive) cost.

I think one aspect you should consider that you may not have is that of weight; one advantage that the ultra-portable ranges of laptops have is that they literally weigh nothing in comparison to other laptops. Carrying around a 5kg behemoth gets old really fast, but weight comes at a premium, either in terms of specs or cost. So consider the fact that, as you are going to be using this for school, you will likely need to lug it around quite a lot, and keeping the weight down to around 2kg is probably optimal. My Macbook (for comparison) weighs exactly 2kg, and my old HP 6910p weighs about 2.5kg, and I’d say that’s even erring on the heavy side.

Bear in mind that making a good investment now will probably keep you set for 3 years, but that an unwise one may only last 6 months. Getting a laptop that you hate and is entirely unsuitable for your needs is a complete waste, and so even if you end up paying a few extra hundred dollars to get the machine that actually suits your needs is the best option you can pick.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.