looking at getting a laptop

[NarcoticHobo]

I'll be leaving the country sometime this june or possibly september and i have to order a laptop before then. I have enough money to do so now, and it would be nice to have for school, but waiting is definitely an option if there is something to wait for.

I have gone and tried out several different brand laptops and I found I like the Thinkpad the best so far, but am open to other possibilities. I however, do NOT like the HP's because of the slick fingerpad they use.

Seeing as I plan on lugging this with me around the world and back, portability and battery life are big concerns. I am also used to playing some games so I would like it to be able to at least play hl2:ep3 and spore whenever those do come out.

Right now what I have configured is this:

Thinkpad T61
14.1" WXGA w/ Camera
t8300 2.4ghz 800MHz 3MBL2
Windows Vista Ultimate
Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M
100GB 7200 rpm HD
1GB turbo memory
CD-RW/DVD-Rom

total: $1,405

Whichever computer I get I will toss in some ram ordered from newegg since you can get 4gb for only $80 (less than an upgrade to 2gb on almost all configure laptop sites).

I really like 14.1", and can't think of a reason to go for a smaller or larger size.

Tell me your thoughts.

Oh, and my budget is $1500, minus the cost for the RAM, so about $1410.

 

[alimoalem]

Dell Latitude D630. business laptop, same/similar price and possible cheaper, standard 3 year warranty. when thinking Latitude, don't think Dell.

Dell XPS M1330 might not be bad but it is "small" for you (13.3" screen).

there are a few Asus laptops on newegg that fit what you're looking for, except you'll have a hard time looking for a 7200rpm hdd. the 5400rpm ones are not slow. do you really need a 7200rpm one?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I'm with ali. Dell latitudes are excellent laptops. 90% of a Thinkpad at 60-70% the price.

Dell XPS M series are having ALOT of quality control issues, especially the 1330.. I couldn't personally recommend them.

I will definitely recommend the Latitude D630.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I'm with ali. Dell latitudes are excellent laptops. 90% of a Thinkpad at 60-70% the price.

Dell XPS M series are having ALOT of quality control issues, especially the 1330.. I couldn't personally recommend them.

I will definitely recommend the Latitude D630.

i'm not up to date with the XPS series. my friend has an M1210 and he's happy with it.

good catch

 

[Fraggable]

I would go for a Latitude or maybe a refurb from delloutlet.com if you don't mind it, but forget the 7200RPM drive. 100GB space isn't much anymore and for the same price as the 7200RPM you could get a 5400RPM 160 or 250GB drive.

For $1400 you better get a DVD burner, that's ridiculous. How much RAM are you getting? 2GB minimum I hope.