Looking for a notebook

[darthus]

Hey Guys,

I'm in the market for a laptop. I've decided I want widescreen. 15.4 would be ok, but 17 would be best. I'd like Pentium M, because the lighter the better, and the longer the batt life the better. I'd also like some good gaming out of this comp, so something like an ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 would be good.

What I've found is the new Dell 9200, but that doesn't ship until december. But lightish and 5 hours batt life can't be ignored.

Dell Link

Then there's the Sony VGN-A270. From what I can see they're basically the same computer, both have Radeon 9700's, both Penium M, both 17 inch. Except Sony's is more expensive.

Sony Link

I've also looked Sagers, since they're cheap and supposed to be good. However, for Pentium M's, they only have the 3790, which is 15.4 instead of 17, and about the same price as a Dell.

Sager Link

Configured to 1.8 Pentium M, radeon 9700, 60 gig HD, 1 gig ram with Windows Professional they come up with these prices. Sager is 15.4, Dell and Sony are 17 inch.

Sager 3790: 1854.00

Dell Inspiron 9200: 1809.00

Sony VGN-A270: 2249.99

Are there any other notebooks of this kind that I'm missing that might be a better deal? Oh, another thing, upgradability is a big plus. So are any notebooks more upgradable than others? Like they let you get to the hard drive, video card, ram etc easier?

Thanks.

 

[imported_haris]

Light does not exist with a 17 inch screen as far as I know, unless you don't mind carrying around 10+ Lbs. You're also not going to see ~5 hours of battery life out of a gaming machine either. Currently you can not upgrade the video in laptops, but almost all models let you upgrade at least one memory slot and the hard drive. Since laptops are not as upgradeable as a desktop, you're probably better off getting something that meets/slightly exceeds your current needs and saving some money for the next model in a few years.

I have an emachines 6805 laptop and I play UT2K4 and CS:S with no problems on it. The newer Gateway version has a faster processor, a fast DVD burner, and a larger HD than my model for about $1100 after rebate.

 

[pjyeoh]

Hello. I am also looking for a new laptop myself. Hopefully u guys can give me some ideas and suggestions. The specs I am looking for is quite similar to darthus'; a Pentium M, wireless internet, MR9600 or above, and a 15.4in wide screen. I'd also like an XBrite screen that Sony is offering (or something similar). Hence my choices have been narrowed down to Sony, Hp/Compaq, Toshiba (?). However, those manufacturers only offer up to MR9200 for their 15.4in wide screen models. Thus my questions are:

1. Anyone know of other manufacturers that offer the specs I want?
2. Can Sony, HP/Compaq custom build a laptop for me?
3. What's the norm on laptop battery life these days? Can I expect at least 4 hours (web browsing, telneting) of usage out of the specs I want?

Thanks
-PJ-
West Lafayette Indiana

 

[darthus]

From what I understand the Dell 9200 with its 17 inch screen is about 7-8 pounds, and 5 hours battery life. If you go with anything non Pentium M, it'll most likely be heavier, thicker, and less batt life.

 

[trikster2]

Originally posted by: haris
Light does not exist with a 17 inch screen as far as I know, unless you don't mind carrying around 10+ Lbs. You're also not going to see ~5 hours of battery life out of a gaming machine either. Currently you can not upgrade the video in laptops, but almost all models let you upgrade at least one memory slot and the hard drive. Since laptops are not as upgradeable as a desktop, you're probably better off getting something that meets/slightly exceeds your current needs and saving some money for the next model in a few years.

I have an emachines 6805 laptop and I play UT2K4 and CS:S with no problems on it. The newer Gateway version has a faster processor, a fast DVD burner, and a larger HD than my model for about $1100 after rebate.

> unless you don't mind carrying around 10+ Lbs

BZZZZZT Wrong answer. Ken jennings wins another round.

Apple 17" Powerbook: 6.9lbs
Dell Inspiron 9200 17": 7.7 lbs
Samsung 17" (not available in the US(yet)): 6.4Lbs

> You're also not going to see ~5 hours of battery life out of a gaming machine either

Depends on your definition of gaming machine. For me a pentium M 2ghs with a Radeon Mobility 9700 128meg qualifies (it might not for you).

According to PCMAG (for what it is worth) the Inspiron 9200 gets close to 5 hrs batter life.

OP the only thing you missed is the powerbook and the samsung, but I think the graphics is only Nvidia 5200 (doh), and you can't get it here in the states yet......

Everything else uses AMD64 (mobility?) or P4 desktop chips

 

[imported_Lucifer]

Just some extra info, you have a choice of three graphics cards on the Apple Powerbook. You can get either the FX5200 with 64mb of VRAM or the ATI Radeon 9700 with 64mb of VRAM or upgrade to the higher model of the 9700 and get 128mb of VRAM.

 

[saltedeggman]

the samsung m40 is the lightest 17" laptop

 

[manko]

Comparing the Dell and Sony you listed, Dell's warranty seems to be more upgrade-friendy. Sony seems to discourage upgrading anything except the memory (although people do it anyway). Of course, the only other thing you'd really be able to upgrade is the hard drive, since a graphics card upgrade is highly unlikely. We'll only see new cards on Pentium-M machines after the Alviso/Sonoma PCI-E chipset is introduced early next year.

Another advantage of the Dell is a 128MB card vs. the Sony's 64MB Radeon. The Dell also has built-in DVI, while I think you can only get DVI on the Sony with a dock/port-replicator.

Also, while Dell's service may have declined recently, I've heard worse things about Sony warranty service.

 

[mdahc]

You want to hear about Dell's warranty? Try this one on for size.

I originally ordered an Inspiron 8200. The specs were as follows:
P4-M @ 1.9GHz
1x512MB Crucial (w/Dell's name) DDR266 (quite a bit more $ for one stick)
15" UXGA Display
64MB Geforce4 MX 440 Go
40GB 5400rpm HDD (quite a bit more for a 5400rpm at the time)
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
3 Years of CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection (an extra $279) b/c I'm a klutz
Windows XP Home
no MS Office

About a year after I originally purchased the 8200, I dropped it while going up a flight of stairs. I called tech support, and they agreed to replace it (w/ the same or better caliber machine, per their warranty agreement). This is what they ended up sending me:

Inspiron 8500 (refurb, which I don't mind, as long as it works)
P4-M 2.0GHz
2x256MB SO-DIMM's
15.4" WUXGA Display
64MB Geforce 4 4200 Go
40GB 4200rpm HDD
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
Windows XP Home
MS Office XP Small Bus. Edition (a $240 value at the time) -> WTF? they won't give me the proper memory config and the proper HDD, which combined are less than the value of MS Office XP Small Biz. Ed., which I never ordered originally

After going through hours of phone calls to their tech support, I eventually got them to send me a replacement HDD and stick of memory. However, not even two months had passed before I couldn't power on the machine (I mean, the damn thing would not power on...pretty good indicator it's the motherboard or the AC adapter, right?). I sent it in to get the motherboard replaced (I specifically asked them to replace the motherboard), and when they sent it back to me, the technician's note said that it was a faulty keyboard connection (WTF?). It worked, so I didn't complain.

Sure enough, another month later, it wouldn't power on again. They actually replaced the motherboard this time, but since then I've had to get a replacement AC adapter (the original stopped charging the battery), and I had to get a speaker replaced (distortion one day out of nowhere). All of this sh*t happened in the middle of a semester for me (a graduate student), so I was generally pissed throughout this time of year.

My point is, people who praise Dell's warranty in any capacity have obviously never had to actually take full advantage of it. Here's the kicker, I was a DELL EMPLOYEE at the time with plenty of acquaintances in tech support (I mean I could walk upstairs and talk to tech support managers), and all of this still happened to me. WTF do you think will happen to you? Sure, forget about the fact that they're a huge corporation that has to report to shareholders. They really care about whether or not you can easily upgrade. Yes, they care about you, and that's why their warranties/marketing campaigns are SOOOOO wonderful.

My advice is just wait until you see upgradeable GPU's for notebooks in mass production and available for purchase from anyone other than notebook OEM's themselves. And stay the f*ck away from Dell.

Also, I don't know where manko gets off saying "Sony seems to discourage upgrading anything except the memory." Can anyone name a top-tier OEM that eases upgrading in general? Certainly not Dell. Just look at their proprietary cooling solutions (and HP's and IBM's and Sony's) for their desktops, the fact that they try to lock you in by forcing you to buy printer cartridges from them exclusively (if you're dumb enough to even take one of their printers for free), and the fact that they overprice the sh*t out of their/Infineon's memory without warrantying it for life like Crucial, OCZ, Kingston, and, yes, Infineon. Not to mention that Dell's laptops are no more upgradeable than anyone else's (newsflash...Dell, Sony, HP, Acer, Gateway all order their laptops from the same pool of ODM's in the Far East, so how could one be more upgradeable than the other when the all use the same ODM's?).

(Inhale) If you must get a laptop for gaming right now, then I'd say wait. A laptop is quite a bit of an investment, and with upgradeable notebook GPU's in the foreseeable future, you'd be wasting your money. With the upgradeable GPU factor out of the way, you might also consider that nVIDIA will be releasing a mobile Geforce 6 series GPU some time soon as well. Thus, yet another reason to wait.

Well, that's my two cents.

 

[trikster2]

and the other thing about the dell waranties, is their cost seems to have gone up

3 Yrs Business Premium Plan [add $507 or $14/month1]
3 Yrs Business Standard Plan [add $418 or $11/month1]
2 Yrs Business Premium Plan [add $347 or $10/month1]
2 Yrs Business Standard Plan [add $268 or $7/month1]

I was already to pull the trigger on an inspiron 9200. Price was good with the 25% off small business one-time -use coupon but the cost of support stayed my trigger finger.

Maybe support is costing so much, as dell knows you will use it a lot?

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: trikster2

and the other thing about the dell waranties, is their cost seems to have gone up

3 Yrs Business Premium Plan [add $507 or $14/month1]
3 Yrs Business Standard Plan [add $418 or $11/month1]
2 Yrs Business Premium Plan [add $347 or $10/month1]
2 Yrs Business Standard Plan [add $268 or $7/month1]

I was already to pull the trigger on an inspiron 9200. Price was good with the 25% off small business one-time -use coupon but the cost of support stayed my trigger finger.

Maybe support is costing so much, as dell knows you will use it a lot?

I got one year of support on my Dell laptop. No issues with it thus far (its been about 1.5 years).

I think they just need to compensate their tech support guys for the endless hours of cleaning spyware off systems, and dealing with people who have no clue how to fix even the smallest problems.

I hate Dell support. With a burning passion.

 

[Frightcrawler]

Originally posted by: saltedeggman
the samsung m40 is the lightest 17" laptop

Right you are.
It's a beauty.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.aspx?newsID=2066
If you live in the UK, I would definitely get it (not available in the US )

 

[Commodus]

If you want "light" and "17-inch" in North America, you're pretty much going to be looking at a 17" PowerBook. It's the lightest - and certainly the thinnest - 17" notebook on this side of the Atlantic. It certainly doesn't have the fastest CPU, but you can get one with a 128 MB Mobility Radeon 9700 from Apple's online store (the stock model has 64 MB). You also get Bluetooth in the box!

 

[darthus]

Yeah, but unfortunately I'm primarily a PC user. I've got a desktop PC, and I'm also primarily a gamer, and apple isn't known for its gaming support.

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: Commodus
If you want "light" and "17-inch" in North America, you're pretty much going to be looking at a 17" PowerBook. It's the lightest - and certainly the thinnest - 17" notebook on this side of the Atlantic. It certainly doesn't have the fastest CPU, but you can get one with a 128 MB Mobility Radeon 9700 from Apple's online store (the stock model has 64 MB). You also get Bluetooth in the box!

Let's not forget it'll also be about 2x the price of a comparable (hardware-wise) PC laptop....

 

[jblaz]

I don't think you will find a lappy at least being sold in the USA with a 17inch monitor and a Pentium M processor. I have a lappy with a 17 inch screen with a P4 3.2 ghz processor and I'm told that if I turn the brightness down it will save battery life. The Samsung M40 available in Europe uses the PM processor with a 17 inch monitor but the resolution is WXGA+ 1440X900 and most of the 17 inch screens available in the USA are 17 WSXGA+ TFT 1680x1050.

 

[Sabertj]

Is Alienware a possibility? They have everything you are asking..well i think their weights are pretty high, but their gpu is supposedly upgradeable

 

[Flashram]

Originally posted by: jblaz
I don't think you will find a lappy at least being sold in the USA with a 17inch monitor and a Pentium M processor. I have a lappy with a 17 inch screen with a P4 3.2 ghz processor and I'm told that if I turn the brightness down it will save battery life. The Samsung M40 available in Europe uses the PM processor with a 17 inch monitor but the resolution is WXGA+ 1440X900 and most of the 17 inch screens available in the USA are 17 WSXGA+ TFT 1680x1050.

The Dell and Sony both have a 17" monitor and Pentium M Processor. Both offer 1920x1200 resolution.

 

[jblaz]

Yes the Pentium M lappies with 17 monitors are out there now. But just like the P4 they are heavier and have less battery life. The Dell Inspiron specs according to Dell and posted on Cnet.com say the 9200 weighs 9.3 pounds and has 2.45 hours battery life. The user opinions on this lappy are all thumbs down.

 

[RobsTV]

Originally posted by: jblaz
Yes the Pentium M lappies with 17 monitors are out there now. But just like the P4 they are heavier and have less battery life. The Dell Inspiron specs according to Dell and posted on Cnet.com say the 9200 weighs 9.3 pounds and has 2.45 hours battery life. The user opinions on this lappy are all thumbs down.

Huh?
The 9200 has been getting rave reviews from end users, as well as CNet you mention.
It is Editors Choice at CNet (which is meaningless, as you should do your own research)
Nothing at all like P4.
Much lighter and much longer battery life, as well as cold running.
CNet shows it weighs 3 lbs LESS than the other 17" tested, and they even show it less than some 15".

From cnet:

However, at 7.7 pounds (with a 6-cell battery), the Inspiron 9200 is surprisingly light for a laptop of its size

The user reviews at cnet crack me up. One says Tiny screen! Of course fonts are tiny on a high res screen. Others complain about the WUXGA screen which "did" have issues. The standard WXGA screen solves both of the above user problems.

Battery life tests show doing light work, and internet browsing, last 5+ hours on the small battery.
Heavy 3d gaming will net about 2.5 hours.
The only complaint is from users that ordered the WUXGA screen (but looks like new screens shipping this week solve that issue). The WXGA screen has had no complaints.

Of course there are exceptions to all of the above, but generally, it is as stated.

 

[Don66]

Originally posted by: jblaz
Yes the Pentium M lappies with 17 monitors are out there now. But just like the P4 they are heavier and have less battery life. The Dell Inspiron specs according to Dell and posted on Cnet.com say the 9200 weighs 9.3 pounds and has 2.45 hours battery life. The user opinions on this lappy are all thumbs down.

This is my opinion!!
I have to give my I9200 a big thumbs up!
I haven't weighed it, but I can say that it doesn't weigh 9.3LBs.
Yes it's big, but like a fine curvy woman it's a beauty:wine:
I admit that the battery life isn't 5 hours or even close. More like 2.5hrs and that's with the lowend battery.
Mine has the WXGA screen and it's great on my eyes.
Of course this is just my opinion..There are others who think they know, but since they don't own one...
They can have what ever opinion they want.