College laptop

[neutralizer]

I'm heading to college this fall and I need a laptop. It'll be a secondary comp as I will have a primary comp (see sig), but I'll be lugging it around campus so it has to be light. Although I know I'll get bored so I'd want to game, so it has to have a decent video card either ti4200go or mobility 9600 or something similar to that. On top of that, my budget is $1500.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

you want performance but small size, and you also want a low price. thats pretty high standards. if you want a 9600 mobility it will probably have a P4M or a PM with a large case and cost $1500 or more. dell has it but the radeon seems to be a $200 upgrade by itself.

 

[Eug]

Are you planning on gaming?

If not, I'd suggest an iBook G4 12". It's inexpensive, light, and there is an educational discount.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Eug
Are you planning on gaming?

If not, I'd suggest an iBook G4 12". It's inexpensive, light, and there is an educational discount.

Seconded.

 

[neutralizer]

Yeah, I plan on gaming...

 

[Pete84]

Gaming on a laptop can be an interesting experiance. I was using a friends HP or Compaq, can't remember which, to play a LAN Halo game on, graphics were ok, but it got REALLY hot, so much that unless I put it on risers of some sort(used pencils) that it would overheat and crash. Add the fact that the price for a laptop decent enought to game with for several years is far to high in comparison to a mobil only laptop, throw in the upgrade issues with laptops, and I didn't get a gaming laptop for college. Enough ram and a decent GPU will run a lot more than a desktop.
So, here is another vote for the G4 12": light, mobile, good deals can be found.
IF you are wanting to get a better gaming setup, a new video card is all that you would really require. Dual channel ram and a nicely OCed processor are not holding you back.
My two bits.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: neutralizer
Yeah, I plan on gaming...

Well, if you REALLY want to game on your laptop, then a G4 iBook isn't for you.

However, you already (effectively) have a 3 GHz HT. I'd suggest just getting a non-gaming laptop and upgrade your desktop's video card. Small and light and hardcore gaming don't really go together, unless you spend $$$$$$$.

EDIT: It sounds like Pete and I think alike.

 

[neutralizer]

Yeah, I guess I could go with a decent laptop that's small and hopefully long battery life and maybe just play some light gaming like RTS's or something. I'd rather go with a WinXP machine than a G4 iBook (I'm not too much of a fan of Macs). So are there any specific good laptops?

 

[acebake]

I would also go with the iBook. However, if you're trying to stay on the PC side, I recommend either the Dell Inspiron 600m or the Gateway 200. Both are very lightweight, and very nice to use.

 

[jimmyl930]

The Thinkpad T and X series are both very good. The newer models in those series all have Pentium-M processors.

T40
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.30GHz
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256 MB
30 GB
14.1" XGA
32MB ATI Mobility RADEON 7500
DVD-ROM
One year parts and labor (system battery: one year)
10/100 Ethernet
56K V.92 designed modem
Wi-Fi wireless upgradable
4.5-4.91 lbs.
$1499

X31
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.40GHz
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256 MB
20 GB
12.1" XGA
16MB ATI Mobility RADEON
10/100 Ethernet
56K V.92 designed modem
Wi-Fi wireless upgradable
IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0
3.6 lbs
$1499

X40
Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.00GHz
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256 MB
20 GB
12.1" XGA
Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
56K V.92 designed modem
Intel PRO/Wireless Network Connection 802.11b
IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0
2.7 lbs.
$1499



I'd go with the X40 as a secondary pc.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

I was thinking about getting a laptop for college next year too. However, I'm not buying one till I'm feeling a genuine need for one. I fear I could end up with an expensive paperweight if I'm not sure I actually need one.

If you leave that laptop somewhere on accident odds are it's gone too =/.

EDIT: Try to find out which laptop brands can be serviced on-campus at the school you're going to. Otherwise you may be faced with waiting weeks as you ship the laptop off for repair and then they have to ship it back. This is bad news if you have papers due or critical data in the laptop (backing up to desktop frequently would be good).

 

[Mik3y]

go emachines. they have a a64 3000+ with 512 pc3200 ram, radeon 9600 64mb, and etc for $1400 after $100 mail in rebate. in my opinion, thats a pretty damn good deal.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
go emachines. they have a a64 3000+ with 512 pc3200 ram, radeon 9600 64mb, and etc for $1400 after $100 mail in rebate. in my opinion, thats a pretty damn good deal.

It's MONSTROUSLY heavy. One wonders what the battery life is too, considering the CPU is a desktop chip. Not a good deal at all, for someone planning on carrying it around.

 

[Kaylya]

You might be interested in this thread with some talk about gaming (and my list of games that I know for a fact are playable on my laptop, with intel extreme crap graphics).

Next year I will have a Dell D600 (apparently it's pretty much the same as the 600m, but it's a Latitude not an Inspirion); I get my laptop through school, and they've just changed from IBM to Dell. It will be SUCH an improvement going from Extreme Crap to Radeon 9000

 

[neutralizer]

right now im browsing dell factory outlet... any other good sites for cheap laptops?

 

[neutralizer]

How's this look?

For the lazy:

Dell Inspiron 600m Notebook
Centrino 1.4
14.1 XGA
ATi 64MB Video
30 GB 5400 rpm hdd
256mb ddr
2x cd/dvd+rw drive
$1177

Same as above but SXGA+ for $1323

 

[Mik3y]

no opinion, but eww...

 

[Arcanedeath]

The Emachines M6805 laptop is an awesome gaming laptop, it's got a 15.4" WXGA+ (1280x800) screen, an A64 3000+ mobile CPU, 60Gig HDD, Mobility Raedon 9600 w/ 64mb, the battery life is 2.5-3 hrs depending on what your doing and how bright you keep the screen. it does weigh around 7.5 lbs so it's not the lightest of notebooks, but it only costs 1400 after rebate and bestbuy sometimes has it on sale for 1250 - 1300. This laptop has and does everything, check it out, there is a large thread in the mobile section about it, I have one and I just can't rec. it enough, one of the best purchases I've ever made. Hope this helps... for the money nothing else realy comes close to this performance wise.

 

[neutralizer]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
The Emachines M6805 laptop is an awesome gaming laptop, it's got a 15.4" WXGA+ (1280x800) screen, an A64 3000+ mobile CPU, 60Gig HDD, Mobility Raedon 9600 w/ 64mb, the battery life is 2.5-3 hrs depending on what your doing and how bright you keep the screen. it does weigh around 7.5 lbs so it's not the lightest of notebooks, but it only costs 1400 after rebate and bestbuy sometimes has it on sale for 1250 - 1300. This laptop has and does everything, check it out, there is a large thread in the mobile section about it, I have one and I just can't rec. it enough, one of the best purchases I've ever made. Hope this helps... for the money nothing else realy comes close to this performance wise.

true but its heavy as hell... which is a big turn off as i'll be using it as a student laptop. only light gaming will be involved and as you can see my desktop still beats it performance wise.

 

[Arcanedeath]

It's not realy that heavy at lease for me, I'm a PC Field repair tech and I lug this thing around w/ me all the time, doesn't bother me much, then again I've got a nice Targus case w/ paded shoulder strap, so to each his own A gaming and an thin and light laptop just don't go together in your price range, your call, you can either get a decent gaming laptop in that range or go for something thin and light, based on what your saying, I'd prob. forget gaming on the laptop and just try and find a cheap thin and light unit.

 

[magomago]

my friend has a thinkpad...its a 1.6 centrino witth a 9000 in it....

what i think is that if you get a laptop don't bother gaming save for lite things

i mean he played and beat halo, plays gunbound, Diablo2, GTA vice city and it all is ncie and everything...

but the big draw is the SIZE. Its insane how its like 1/2 the thickness of other people's p4 2.66Ghz pcs and is nearly as powerful. I just find it so amazing how its totally silent while other people's laptops have their fans whirring at mach3 speed


But if you get a laptop....don't put gaming first. put portability and quietness (Which usually means centrino since they don't need uber fans) first b/c in the end you'll want to listen during lectures rather than play games if you plan on doing well


that and just for a "wow" factor....having a thing laptop that is nearly dead silent so owns everything


and dude....you got a 3.0Ghz p4....game on that

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: neutralizer
Yeah, I plan on gaming...

wrong answer college boy. laptop should be bought for its practical use, unless of course your swimming in money. get lightest reasonably small one of decent brand and get an excellent warrantee. lugging around makes it more likely to break, and any part of a laptop breaking is very very bad. lugging around a heavy weight for gaming is not practical. spend as little as u can. save the gaming for a desktop where you can actually get bang for buck. and upgrade possibilities, let alone ability to replace parts urself.

and go for quiet. nothing worse then loud fans/keyboards annoying everyone around you. unless ur one of those blissfully oblivious ass$##@%

 

[Kaylya]

Originally posted by: neutralizer
How's this look?

For the lazy:

Dell Inspiron 600m Notebook
Centrino 1.4
14.1 XGA
ATi 64MB Video
30 GB 5400 rpm hdd
256mb ddr
2x cd/dvd+rw drive
$1177

Same as above but SXGA+ for $1323

I'd upgrade to 512 ram, but other than that it looks good. If you've got a desktop with a nice hard drive, 30gb should be enough.

As long as you stay away from Intel graphics, you should be able to run most anything that's out now and coming out soon. And there's still a lot of things you can play on Intel graphics, just not the newer really intense graphically games.