Advice on notebook choices

[pcsavvy]

I would like to get a notebook but I am not sure if I should get a Dell Studio 15 or go for a HP Pavilion TX2-1277NR or a Sony Vaio vgnfw455j/b or go for an Acer Timeline 4810T. I would like a notebook that is able to do a variety of things like surf the web, portable, watch movies, play some games, and do word processing.
Should I take into consideration which OS is preloaded, Vista Home Premium vs. Windows XP Pro?
I have an opportunity to purchase a laptop through power purchasing which takes monthly payments out of your paycheck.
I just don't want to go to far overboard and pay to much for an overkill system.
My gaming is minor stuff nothing heavy duty.
Is it better to get a dedicated graphics card versus a higher resolution screen, if you want to watch movies?
If you go integrated graphics is ati 3200 or gma4500 better on the graphics side.
Should I be concerned about the length of the service warranty some computers like Sony only have 1 year warranty while Dell and Acer have 3 year warranties?
I read the specs, and read all the articles and it is still confusing trying to figure out where to spend your money.
Or is a Dell 17 Studio a better deal if you want to watch movies.

I would appreciate any advice and personal experiences with these different brands.
I don't need a desktop replacement since I already have a desktop but I would like to have a laptop so I can get paperwork done or entertain myself while commuting to and from work.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: pcsavvy
I would like to get a notebook but I am not sure if I should get a Dell Studio 15 or go for a HP Pavilion TX2-1277NR or a Sony Vaio vgnfw455j/b or go for an Acer Timeline 4810T. I would like a notebook that is able to do a variety of things like surf the web, portable, watch movies, play some games, and do word processing.
Should I take into consideration which OS is preloaded, Vista Home Premium vs. Windows XP Pro?
I have an opportunity to purchase a laptop through power purchasing which takes monthly payments out of your paycheck.
I just don't want to go to far overboard and pay to much for an overkill system.
My gaming is minor stuff nothing heavy duty.
Is it better to get a dedicated graphics card versus a higher resolution screen, if you want to watch movies?
If you go integrated graphics is ati 3200 or gma4500 better on the graphics side.
Should I be concerned about the length of the service warranty some computers like Sony only have 1 year warranty while Dell and Acer have 3 year warranties?
I read the specs, and read all the articles and it is still confusing trying to figure out where to spend your money.
Or is a Dell 17 Studio a better deal if you want to watch movies.

I would appreciate any advice and personal experiences with these different brands.
I don't need a desktop replacement since I already have a desktop but I would like to have a laptop so I can get paperwork done or entertain myself while commuting to and from work.

Is this your first notebook?
Is it ultimately more important that the system be more portable, or more powerful?
Are you willing to sacrifice performance for battery life?
What kind of games do you play?

My ideal laptop is first and foremost a Mac, but beyond that, is smaller, has great battery life without sacrificing too much performance, has integrated graphics for both temperature and battery life reasons, and has a screen that movies will look good on.

Conversely, my friend's ideal laptop was a 17" gaming machine with dual GPUs and dual HDDs, barely portable with next to no battery life. He cared more about the performance and gaming capabilities of his system at the 'cost' of all else.

 

[pcsavvy]

This will be my first laptop.
I want it to portable yet able to do word processing, watch movies on occasion, play games like Hoyle Board Games and surf the internet.
I guess I am looking for the best combo of price and features, cause I know things in the computer world are out of date fast.
I don't really want the latest greatest gaming machine but I also don't want an underpowered laptop where I end up with regrets.

I know with Vista I need at least 2 Gigs of Ram, but most of the computers I am looking at have either 3-4 gigs of Ram. And Either Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 2.1 Ghz with either GMA 4500 or ATI Mobiltiy 4650 or Mobility 4570 graphics or Dual Core T4200 2.0 Ghz with Nvidia GeForce 9300m or GMA 4500 or AMD Turion X2 RM-75 2.2 Ghz with ATI Radeon 3200.
One of the Sony Viao's has blu ray included.

It is confusing to figure out which combo of CPU/Graphics will give the best bang for the buck and last for a few years without being totally obsolete. It seems to be easier with desktops.

edit: Does screen resolution play strong part in quality of graphics?

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: pcsavvy
This will be my first laptop.
I want it to portable yet able to do word processing, watch movies on occasion, play games like Hoyle Board Games and surf the internet.
I guess I am looking for the best combo of price and features, cause I know things in the computer world are out of date fast.
I don't really want the latest greatest gaming machine but I also don't want an underpowered laptop where I end up with regrets.

I know with Vista I need at least 2 Gigs of Ram, but most of the computers I am looking at have either 3-4 gigs of Ram. And Either Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 2.1 Ghz with either GMA 4500 or ATI Mobiltiy 4650 or Mobility 4570 graphics or Dual Core T4200 2.0 Ghz with Nvidia GeForce 9300m or GMA 4500 or AMD Turion X2 RM-75 2.2 Ghz with ATI Radeon 3200.
One of the Sony Viao's has blu ray included.

It is confusing to figure out which combo of CPU/Graphics will give the best bang for the buck and last for a few years without being totally obsolete. It seems to be easier with desktops.

edit: Does screen resolution play strong part in quality of graphics?

Based on your list of requirements, anything on the market right now will satisfy that need, in order to allow for some room to grow, I would recommend non-Intel integrated graphics, as that will help keep the cost down (dedicated GPUs usually are in more expensive notebooks) and help keep temps down, and net you better battery life.

I would lean toward an nVidia integrated solution (9300, 9400, or gt100 series) since I have had better luck with nVidia in the past, and I know what the perfromance level of those cards is (respectable, for integrated).

Any CPU you get will be fine. Try to make sure that it is dual core, either AMD or intel will do, but you will see better battery life on intel.

Screen resolution vis a vis graphics quality...
The higher the resolution, the more pixels there are on the screen, that is basic. The more pixels there are, the more data the GPU has to push to fill the screen. So with the exact same system, a lower resolution screen will be able to have higher quality graphics.

However, there is a point of diminishing returns. On one end of the spectrum you have the screen that is too low res to be effective in day to day tasks. On the other end, you have the screen that is too high res for all but the most powerful GPUs to drive.

If you are asking about movie/video playback, any of the integrated solutions will offer acceleration that should make playback smoother, and they will be able to play back those videos, on almost any size screen. My 3 year old MacBook with GMA950 (so, 2-3 generations behind the latest intel, which in turn is weaker than the 9000 series nVidia) was able to play back 6Mbps 720p video on a 1920*1200 screen, no problem.

 

[pcsavvy]

As far as portability goes is a 15 inch considered fairly portable or is a 13 inch a better buy if portability is concerned.
What brands are considered more durable and functional then others Acer vs Dell vs Sony Viao vs HP.

I have been looking at the Dell Studio 15, Dell XPS M1330, Sony Vaio FW455J/B (16 inch), HP Pavilion TX2-1227 (12 inch touchscreen), and HP Pavilion DV4-1427NR (14 inch).

I commute using the bus and walking from busstop to work or busstop to busstop can get a bit tedious. So I would like a laptop that is easily carried but can handle word processing, light gaming and movie watching/recording.

 

[Mojoed]

Originally posted by: pcsavvy
As far as portability goes is a 15 inch considered fairly portable or is a 13 inch a better buy if portability is concerned.
What brands are considered more durable and functional then others Acer vs Dell vs Sony Viao vs HP.

I have been looking at the Dell Studio 15, Dell XPS M1330, Sony Vaio FW455J/B (16 inch), HP Pavilion TX2-1227 (12 inch touchscreen), and HP Pavilion DV4-1427NR (14 inch).

I commute using the bus and walking from busstop to work or busstop to busstop can get a bit tedious. So I would like a laptop that is easily carried but can handle word processing, light gaming and movie watching/recording.

13" is definately better as far as portability goes. You will absolutely notice the difference if you carry it around a lot. I "downgraded" from a 15" to a 12" and I don't miss the extra real estate at all.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: pcsavvy
I commute using the bus and walking from busstop to work or busstop to busstop can get a bit tedious. So I would like a laptop that is easily carried but can handle word processing, light gaming and movie watching/recording.

Look at the Acer AS1410 11.6" CULV or similar notebooks from other brands. These can do all of those, are inexpensive, have great portability and battery life, and are more powerful than typical netbooks. You might need to add an external optical drive, but can probably get a lot done without one -- e.g. using a flash drive or network transfers.

The Acer is available and it'll get the job done on a budget. If you have some patience and more money, there are going to be other ones coming out over soon, some with more powerful graphics and dual core CPUs.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: pcsavvy
My gaming is minor stuff nothing heavy duty...

Take your pick!

Basically, all laptops are made by 7-8 factories in Asia, and are re-badged with whomever's name on it. So, forget quality - they're all the same.

And, speaking of games...

The name of the GAME is battery life! The more (advertised) battery time - the weaker the performance... Guaranteed!

Accordingly...

As a rule of thumb, if want to have a great lappy/netbook experience - buy the one with the worst battery life you can afford, and you'll be happy!

 

[pcsavvy]

:laugh:LOL

Thanks for all of your input. I am gonna try to be patient and wait till Oct or Nov., there should be some specials with Christmas coming.

 

[Skott]

One thing I have learned about notebooks is that if you are near a power receptacle (indoors) battery life is not all that important since if you are like me you always plug in when near a wall receptacle. Now, if you are on a plane or outside quite a bit and need to use the notebook during that time then battery life is important. A good question to ask yourself is, 'How often or how long will I be away from a plug in power source?'

 

[VinDSL]

Every wall in America has an AC outlet - most of them have multiple AC outlets.

Speaking of airplanes, SOME of them have AC outlets now - and web access (while you're in the air).

If you'll do a little research you'll discover...

The biggest, badboy lappies out there will last an hour on battery time (if you're lucky)!

The weakest, limp-wristed, PITA models will get you 4-10 hours. And, for what?!?!?

Doesn't make any sense to me, considering you can't swing a dead cat around your head without hitting an AC outlet, you know?