ASUS S96J notebook

[Phew]

My sister is heading off to an internship where she has a very small living space, so she can't take her desktop. She plays Oblivion (I raised her to be the little brother I never had), and would like to continue doing so. So I am thinking x1600/7600 or better video is a must (she has played on a 9800 pro; this sucked, currently on an x800xl).

Other requirements:
14" or 15.4" WXGA screen and <6.5 lbs (she is weak)
Processor speed isn't critical (low power consumption is nice though)
Dual core isn't required
2x512 RAM
80 GB+ 5400 RPM+ HDD
Windows XP home
<$1200

I have found it nearly impossible to get x1600/7600 or better video without getting a dual core CPU, but this is the best I could come up with (from btotech.com, aka geared2play.com):

LINK
ASUS S96J (15.4" WXGA)
Merom (Core 2 Duo) 1.66GHz
2x512 RAM
100 gb 5400 RPM HDD
ATI Radeon x1600 256mb
PRICE:$1152

Could I do better?

Thanks

 

[HamSupLo]

Check out the Asus lineup at C9tech. I bought mine from them and they're reputable and top notch. There's also a student discount.

C9tech

 

[Phew]

Thanks Ham. I didn't see any <=15.4" ASUS notebooks on C9tech with x1600/7600 or better graphics for under $1200. They do have a nice selection and prices though.

 

[HamSupLo]

those are some tough constraints you have there with the graphics and the price. You're gonna have to make some compromises or go with a dell (yuck).

 

[Phew]

Most Dells seem to have x1300/7300 or worse graphics, until you start paying $1500+.

I am still leaning toward the link I posted, definitely seems like the cheapest notebook that could play Oblivion comfortably.

 

[c9tech]

We currently do not have all the ASUS BTO notebooks [Z62J, Z96J, etc] on our site, but you can always e-mail with questions.

 

[Ayah]

The A8Js or something like that name has a 7700 in it.

 

[imported_kenyee]

The A8Js also is unfortunately $1500 at least...and is more like $1800 after you add more memory, bluetooth, etc.

 

[Megamixman]

Is it just me or does the S96J seem like it is similar to the MBP in terms of specs?
Personally i think that is one hell of a laptop for the money

 

[mattBR]

you could get an e1705 with 7900gs for like $1100 after coupons, of course it wouldn't be mobile, but its nice to game and the screen is nice to watch movies
just go on dell.com and select the e1705 built by you
and change graphic card, dvdrw, it will get close to 1400 and there is a 25% discount coupon

 

[cheesehead]

Oy vey.

I would get her a thin-and-light laptop - I swear by my 2.7 pound X40.

Perhaps the Asus A8J? 14" screen, Core Duo, and Nvidia 7600 graphics.

A reasonably light 15.4" laptop is the MacBook Pro. It's pretty light, and although not cheap, a MacBook Pro running windows has decent graphics performance (x1600), does'nt weigh too much, has excellent battery life, and the CPU is a monster.

 

[Ayah]

There's an A8J for $1600cdn with the Core Duo, 14" screen and a 7600 in it. I'm betting it'd be cheaper in the states.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: Ayah
There's an A8J for $1600cdn with the Core Duo, 14" screen and a 7600 in it. I'm betting it'd be cheaper in the states.

$1600 CDN is about $1500 USD, nowadays. The dollar has lost a good bit of value.