Looking for a laptop for around the 1K mark

[entropy1982]

I've never owned a laptop before, so I know nothing about them. I've always used/built desktops.

I will mostly be using it for basic business apps, web browsing, some gaming, and some miscellaneous stuff once in a blue moon (photoshop, etc.)

I don't much care about how it looks.

I would prefer for it to be around 5lbs if possible.

The 1K is not a set limit, I'm willing to spend a bit more if it's worth it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[IronWing]

My suggestion is to go to Best Buy or Office Max and stare at the screens for a bit to figure out what size screen you can stand using. Going from desktop to notebook you lose screen real estate. The trick is to figure out how much you are willing to give up so you know what size you are interested in. Open up a spreadsheet or whatever applications you normally use to see how they look.

The reason I put screen size first is that screen size determines size and weight of notebooks and drives the rest of the engineering. Bigger screen means bigger chassis means more weight but also means more room for drives, ports, etc. and that bigger and often cheaper parts (not lower quality, just cheaper) can be used.

Next, figure out what ports you have to have. Do you use lots of USB stuff? Do you need an eSATA or USB 3 port? Do you want a docking station?

 

[entropy1982]

My suggestion is to go to Best Buy or Office Max and stare at the screens for a bit to figure out what size screen you can stand using. Going from desktop to notebook you lose screen real estate. The trick is to figure out how much you are willing to give up so you know what size you are interested in. Open up a spreadsheet or whatever applications you normally use to see how they look.

The reason I put screen size first is that screen size determines size and weight of notebooks and drives the rest of the engineering. Bigger screen means bigger chassis means more weight but also means more room for drives, ports, etc. and that bigger and often cheaper parts (not lower quality, just cheaper) can be used.

Next, figure out what ports you have to have. Do you use lots of USB stuff? Do you need an eSATA or USB 3 port? Do you want a docking station?

Thanks for taking your time out to answer. All good points.

I will still mostly be using my desktop at home from which I run a 30 and a 24 inch monitor. I am definitely expecting to lose real estate, but once again this is an addition not a substitution.

I have looked at a few screens and I think 15 inch is about my sweetspot. The docking station I am not sure of. At home I would definitely not use one, but in my dental office, I may use it. I am mainly getting this laptop to use in the office in between patients etc. so a docking station would definitely not be a bad idea.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[mattpegher]

Also looking but I think I am thinking about 17" screen, but I have been looking around a bit. Xoticpc and Powernotebooks.com have some great deals,
First I got a decent deal on a 15" Dell XPS on costco.com for my daughter.

I like this Asus on XoticPC.com

ASUS N53SV-A1
- FREE!! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout - US Only, Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii)
- 15.6” HD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1366x768) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram)
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- No Video Adapter
- 12,288MB (12GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB 2x2GB)-
- Standard Finish
- - 1,000GB (1TB) 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software--
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
- No Back Up Software
- None Standard (Included in Wireless Card Section)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty 24/7 Support / 1 Year North America (N.A.) Accidental Coverage (Accidental Requires Registration)
- No Xotic PC Gear


You could try a similar build on Powernotebooks.com

Dannyboo just got one from Malibal
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2180431
which looked like a good deal

I would be interested if anyone thinks you should spend the money on upgrading to the i7-2720, 2820 or 2920?

Although many will say you can get cheaper Ram, I really don't want to crack open the unit right off the bat.

 

[entropy1982]

I took a look at xotic PC and built this
Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HN
- 15.6” HD+ 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1600x900) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)- Special
- Standard Finish
- ~ 750GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)-
- ~ 6X Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- No Back Up Software
- None Standard--
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- NO Spare Battery
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

It came out to $1024. What do you guys think of this build?

I also looked at malibal and it looks like you get less for your money with them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mnewsham]

Knock down the CPU to the i5-2410 and then upgrade the screen to 1920x1080, you will thank me later.

 

[entropy1982]

Knock down the CPU to the i5-2410 and then upgrade the screen to 1920x1080, you will thank me later.

Thanks. Would you recommend the matte or glare one?

Is the price reasonable for the specs?

 

[mnewsham]

Thanks. Would you recommend the matte or glare one?

Is the price reasonable for the specs?

if you just want 1920x1080 then the standard one is fine (for 50 bucks) If you want a good screen with good colours then the matte display for $145.

 

[entropy1982]

if you just want 1920x1080 then the standard one is fine (for 50 bucks) If you want a good screen with good colours then the matte display for $145.

Okay here's the config for $1144

Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HN
- 15.6" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (New Sager Option)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2520M, 2.5-3.2GHz, (32nm, 3MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)- Special
- Standard Finish
- ~ 750GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)-
- ~ 6X Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- No Back Up Software
- None Standard--
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- NO Spare Battery
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

Does the "- No Video Adapter" mean i can never hook it up to a monitor?

 

[mnewsham]

Does the "- No Video Adapter" mean i can never hook it up to a monitor?

1 HDMI output Port
1 CRT output Port
2 USB 3.0 Ports
2 USB 2.0 Ports
1 eSATA Port
1 Headphone Jack
1 Microphone Jack
1 S/PDIF output Jack
1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)



I would suggest backing down to the i5-2410 as the 2420 is 45 bucks more for only 300Mhz.

 

[entropy1982]

1 HDMI output Port
1 CRT output Port
2 USB 3.0 Ports
2 USB 2.0 Ports
1 eSATA Port
1 Headphone Jack
1 Microphone Jack
1 S/PDIF output Jack
1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)



I would suggest backing down to the i5-2410 as the 2420 is 45 bucks more for only 300Mhz.

I should probably learn to read. Thanks. Will take your advice. How is the quality of the laptops from these guys? Any others you would recommend comparing them with?

 

[mnewsham]

I should probably learn to read. Thanks. Will take your advice. How is the quality of the laptops from these guys? Any others you would recommend comparing them with?

They are top notch their actually support sucks though (when buying from them) when going through XoticPC however they are amazing.

 

[entropy1982]

They are top notch their actually support sucks though (when buying from them) when going through XoticPC however they are amazing.

Sorry to keep bugging you. One final question.

Would you say the - nVidia GT 555M 2048MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology over the - nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology is the worth the extra 80 bucks? basically its the same config only for
Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HN vs the Sager NP5165 / Clevo W150HR

Edit: To clarify, I do like to game but I can't see myself playing Crysis 2 on this at max settings. I would probably save that for my desktop

 

[mnewsham]

If you are doing gaming the 555m is well worth it.