Help me choose a laptop...

[Mrvile]

Hey guys,

I've never had a laptop before so all of this is pretty new to me. Anyway, I'll be going to college in a couple of months...attending the Rhode Island School of Design, which is a fine arts school (keep that in mind). Through the first year everyone takes a set of fundamental classes, like drawing, painting, design, etc. So yes, this is a pretty particular school...

I'm looking for a laptop for general use, it will be my main computer while I'm away at school. I'll be using this laptop mostly for just surfing the web, playing a few games, and using programs like Photoshop or Painter. I want to keep prices around $1500, give or take a hundred or so.

I think I want a 15.4" wide, as 17" is probably too big for practicality and 14" is probably too small to do artwork on. But I can be swayed.

As for gaming, right now I only play CS:S and Guild Wars, but UT2k7 and Assassins Creed look pretty interesting, which is probably a bad sign. But the thing is, I don't mind playing games at lower resolutions at all, right now I play at 1024x768 and it's fine. I'd rather play at a lower res and be able to bump up textures, AA, etc. than play at a higher res with low settings.

Otherwise from here it's a tossup. Oh and btw, don't tell me to get a Mac, too expensive for what you get, IMO.

Thanks.

 

[Mrvile]

Ok...this is just sad.

 

[Brainonska511]

Sorry about the delayed response.

If you wait about 2 months, more DX10 laptops will be coming out, so you'll be able to take advantage of those newer games when they come out. Also, since you want screen space to do artwork, look at getting a laptop with a WXGA+ screen (1440x900) as the minimum resolution.

In the 15.4" range, I'd consider one of these DX10 laptops:
Asus F3 Series - 8600M GS, 1GB of RAM - Upgrade to 2GB afterwards to get better game/Vista performance
If you want something with a more low-end DX10 GPU, there is the F3 with an 8400M G: Link

Some other retailers to look at besides Newegg can be found here if you are looking at Asus notebooks:
Link has Dealer Promotions
Link has a list of Resellers and their reputations

If you want 14" laptop suggestions, I could list some, but they'll probably push over your budget, especially if you want some gaming capabilities.

 

[TheStu]

I can't help but ignore you sorry.... But i think that you should get a Mac. Given what you say you will be doing with it, OS X really is a d@mn fine option. However, since you made it clear that you think they are overpriced (i agree with you on the MBPs, but the macbooks are totally worth any extra cost, unless you can find one that competes [really competes] with it for half the cost or something) and so an Asus is an good way to go.

 

[Athena]

Have you considered getting a tablet?

 

[manimal]

If your going in to design get a mac, The price for what you get from a macbook is on par to what you would get from a similar laptop. Sure its not as cheap as a 400 dell that will last as long as a roll of toilet paper under hard use and will show your graphics terribly.

 

[f1sh3r]

i think the macbooks are a pretty good deal especially with student pricing. the only thing i dont like about them is the screen size/resolution. a laptop that can run osx, windows, & *nix?! fantastic. i would say to wait until the fall rolls around. newer stuff will be out (as always), but retailers will be having "back to school" sales. i always buy my yearly laptop in august/september.

 

[zig3695]

i normally wouldnt recommend an apple computer just because the cost, not just the purchase cost but parts cost too.

but in this case, if he can afford one it probably would be best for him. should be nice and durable, should have a great looking screen, and overall nice appearance as well. might want to purchase a stick-on skin for it, because when you go to resell it goes much smoother when an apple product is light on scratches.

 

[Mrvile]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I have been looking at the Asus notebooks, which are nice because they generally feature the newest things (like the DX10 cards) and are priced pretty well, too. I just don't know how Asus's service compares to Dell, HP, etc. Anyway, if I were to get an Asus notebook, it would be the F3 one with the 8600M GS.

I figured several of you would tell me to get a mac anyway despite my clarification, so let me make this a little clearer. RISD mandates that all students get a MBP through the school (it comes with all the necessary programs, insurance, repairs, etc.) if they go into the graphic design field. Since the students don't actually declare majors until sophomore year, I won't really have the MBP option until then. So basically the plan is...I get a somewhat budget laptop now, then in a year if I go graphic design, get the MBP through the school (which will probably be around $2k+) and give this laptop to my sister, or if I go into something like illustration, I can continue to use this laptop. So yes, I will probably end up with a MBP, but we'll have to wait and see.

Oh, and Athena, I already have an Intuos3, which will cover my tablet needs. I'm trying to avoid the actual tablet PC's because of their relative weakness.

 

[zig3695]

sounds like you have it figured out. not heard much feedback on the asus laptops, as far as i can tell they are like barebone laptops that are suited to sell. but asus has been making outstanding motherboards for many years now, so the name alone should be a good sign.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: zig3695
sounds like you have it figured out. not heard much feedback on the asus laptops, as far as i can tell they are like barebone laptops that are suited to sell. but asus has been making outstanding motherboards for many years now, so the name alone should be a good sign.

They aren't barebones. They equip them with everything they need in the factory and ship them to resellers. Some resellers will customize the ensemble (pre-built) notebooks, but you lose the Asus warranty and gain the reseller's warranty instead. Asus also sells barebones notebooks (which are just motherboards, chassis, screen, and GPU), such as the C90 which will be coming out soon, which some people like because of the hands on approach that they can take with their notebook.

 

[Athena]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Oh, and Athena, I already have an Intuos3, which will cover my tablet needs. I'm trying to avoid the actual tablet PC's because of their relative weakness.

In that case, I'd probably look at the Dell XPS 1710. The screen is larger than I personally would want but the image quality is very good. You could pick one up for well under your budget if you watch the Outlet carefully and take advantage of promotions.

You might also watch for an XPS M140 (older model but still a good machine) in the Outlet but the screen size might be too small for you.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Athena

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Oh, and Athena, I already have an Intuos3, which will cover my tablet needs. I'm trying to avoid the actual tablet PC's because of their relative weakness.

In that case, I'd probably look at the Dell XPS 1710. The screen is larger than I personally would want but the image quality is very good. You could pick one up for well under your budget if you watch the Outlet carefully and take advantage of promotions.

You might also watch for an XPS M140 (older model but still a good machine) in the Outlet but the screen size might be too small for you.

17" is probably too big for practicality

The XPS M140 has no dedicated GPU.

 

[Athena]

But I can be swayed.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Athena

But I can be swayed.

I guess, but from what I've seen, 17" laptops are not very practical for a college student. They are bulky and if you want to take them somewhere, you could have problems due to weaker battery life and space constraints.

 

[Mrvile]

Well, a bigger screen can be pretty valuable for a digital artist, and I've always wanted to see the world outside of a 15" screen (a la current CRT), but to be honest, I have no problems at all working on my CRT's 15" viewable. And, even if I'm not carrying my laptop around to classes, I imagine I will still bring it places more often than not.

On the other hand, I did greatly consider the Dell E1705, which pretty much has everything I need in a laptop for a fairly reasonable price, the fact that it is 17" prevents me from jumping on it.

Brianonska, have you had any experience with Asus's warranty and support, and how would it compare to Dell's, HP's, etc?

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Well, a bigger screen can be pretty valuable for a digital artist, and I've always wanted to see the world outside of a 15" screen (a la current CRT), but to be honest, I have no problems at all working on my CRT's 15" viewable. And, even if I'm not carrying my laptop around to classes, I imagine I will still bring it places more often than not.

On the other hand, I did greatly consider the Dell E1705, which pretty much has everything I need in a laptop for a fairly reasonable price, the fact that it is 17" prevents me from jumping on it.

Brianonska, have you had any experience with Asus's warranty and support, and how would it compare to Dell's, HP's, etc?

I've actually never dealt with Asus' warranty service since nothing has ever broken on my laptop. From what I hear, they are pretty good (you have to mail in your notebook for service, but turn-around time is about a week or less); phone support is supposedly a little bit better than Dell's.

 

[gus6464]

Well you could always go for the new macbook pros that came out. The base model is stacked. And once you become a sophomore you can always just get the software at super deep discount. I remember my school offered CS2 premium for mac or windows for 179 bucks. I am pretty sure your school will offer the same discounts. The new 2.2ghz mbp is 1799 with edu discount and comes pretty much loaded. That way you wont have to spend another 2 grand next year on the school mandated mbp. Also if you decide to go for the mbp, dont go for the glossy screen, get the matte.

 

[Saiato]

I am starting my freshman year in college next year and I'm in a similar situation. I will be studying art and am looking for a laptop with good portability and graphics (for art and gaming). I was going to start a new thread, but I found the information in this one helpful so I decided to continue it.
I was looking at the Asus F3 series laptops suggested earlier and something caught my eye. Both of the laptops in the above link have the same graphics cards and display sizes, but they have different resolutions. Does anyone know why this is or if it's some kind of typo? So far I like the F3 series best, but my main problem with them are that they need an immediate RAM upgrade ant they run vista (I'm very skeptical on using Vista, I haven't really heard anything good about it).

 

[CheesePoofs]

I'm going to be entering Brown this fall, so I'll be just down the road from you

 

[heymrdj]

IMO I have yet to find a MAC system that can beat out my Windows or *nix systems in graphics and CAD...

Your schools deal over you needing a MBP is absurd BS. I guess Mac scratched their back first just like Dell scratches the Georgia Public University System.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: Saiato
I am starting my freshman year in college next year and I'm in a similar situation. I will be studying art and am looking for a laptop with good portability and graphics (for art and gaming). I was going to start a new thread, but I found the information in this one helpful so I decided to continue it.
I was looking at the Asus F3 series laptops suggested earlier and something caught my eye. Both of the laptops in the above link have the same graphics cards and display sizes, but they have different resolutions. Does anyone know why this is or if it's some kind of typo? So far I like the F3 series best, but my main problem with them are that they need an immediate RAM upgrade ant they run vista (I'm very skeptical on using Vista, I haven't really heard anything good about it).

Quick answers:

Not a typo. They have varying quality LCD's in them, the higher quality ones affording higher resolutions. Just like you can buy a 99$ LCD from Walmart that ghosts horribly, or get the same size for 175$ on Newegg that looks great in gaming.

Yes they all need upgraded to 2GB of RAM whether you need Vista or not. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145012
At only 40$ for another 1GB 667 module from Newegg from a high quality company like Corsair, is it really so bad? Heck at those prices, I'd order the 2GB 2x1GB kit and change the whole thing out.

Vista Home Premium is great. Vista Home Ultimate is orgasmic. Nuff said.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
IMO I have yet to find a MAC system that can beat out my Windows or *nix systems in graphics and CAD...

Your schools deal over you needing a MBP is absurd BS. I guess Mac scratched their back first just like Dell scratches the Georgia Public University System.

Why do people insist on typing it MAC? If it is to be typed at all in reference to a system, it is Mac. iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro... which of these is MAC?

But hey, that is just semantics. Why exactly do your Windows and *nix boxes pack that are so far superior. And when you get right down to it, the old mentality that Macs are better at graphics still holds fairly true given that quite a few of the apps are fully compatible, and certain pieces of Apple software (Final Cut for example) are becoming industry standards last I heard.

 

[heymrdj]

First of all, I capatalize them all normally. MAC, WIN, *NIX, SOL. Just me personally.

Many are industry standards, but the basic use of the WIN software I find much simpler and much more stable. The last time I looked at vertex on a mac, it froze up...

When mac software becomes fully x86 like the standards of the world, then I'll consider them.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
First of all, I capatalize them all normally. MAC, WIN, *NIX, SOL. Just me personally.

Many are industry standards, but the basic use of the WIN software I find much simpler and much more stable. The last time I looked at vertex on a mac, it froze up...

When mac software becomes fully x86 like the standards of the world, then I'll consider them.

I think that you are mis-understanding things. Much the same way that you cannot run a .exe on a linux box without using an intermediary program, you cannot run a .dmg (what OS X uses) on a Windows box.

It isn't an issue of the software being x86 compliant, it obviously is. The new macs run on intel chips, ergo they are x86. So the software is x86 compliant, and the hardware is x86 compliant. Your complaint should be "When Mac OS X can run Windows applications natively, then I'll consider them"

And i am not sure what Vertex is, I suppose some sort of piece of graphics software perhaps since you mentioned that earlier. The only thing i could find for that is something made by Wolfpack which is on version 0.1 so that would qualify as beta software.

Hey to each their own, I just think that you should perhaps take a second look at Macs, a lot has changed in the past 1.5 years or so.