ASUS S96J notebook

Phew

Senior member
May 19, 2004
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My sister is heading off to an internship where she has a very small living space, so she can't take her desktop. She plays Oblivion (I raised her to be the little brother I never had), and would like to continue doing so. So I am thinking x1600/7600 or better video is a must (she has played on a 9800 pro; this sucked, currently on an x800xl).

Other requirements:
14" or 15.4" WXGA screen and <6.5 lbs (she is weak)
Processor speed isn't critical (low power consumption is nice though)
Dual core isn't required
2x512 RAM
80 GB+ 5400 RPM+ HDD
Windows XP home
<$1200

I have found it nearly impossible to get x1600/7600 or better video without getting a dual core CPU, but this is the best I could come up with (from btotech.com, aka geared2play.com):

LINK
ASUS S96J (15.4" WXGA)
Merom (Core 2 Duo) 1.66GHz
2x512 RAM
100 gb 5400 RPM HDD
ATI Radeon x1600 256mb
PRICE:$1152

Could I do better?

Thanks

 

HamSupLo

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2001
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Check out the Asus lineup at C9tech. I bought mine from them and they're reputable and top notch. There's also a student discount.

C9tech
 

Phew

Senior member
May 19, 2004
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Thanks Ham. I didn't see any <=15.4" ASUS notebooks on C9tech with x1600/7600 or better graphics for under $1200. They do have a nice selection and prices though.
 

HamSupLo

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2001
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those are some tough constraints you have there with the graphics and the price. You're gonna have to make some compromises or go with a dell (yuck).
 

Phew

Senior member
May 19, 2004
477
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Most Dells seem to have x1300/7300 or worse graphics, until you start paying $1500+.

I am still leaning toward the link I posted, definitely seems like the cheapest notebook that could play Oblivion comfortably.
 

c9tech

Junior Member
Nov 25, 2006
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We currently do not have all the ASUS BTO notebooks [Z62J, Z96J, etc] on our site, but you can always e-mail with questions.
 

Megamixman

Member
Oct 30, 2004
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Is it just me or does the S96J seem like it is similar to the MBP in terms of specs?
Personally i think that is one hell of a laptop for the money
 

mattBR

Junior Member
Apr 9, 2005
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you could get an e1705 with 7900gs for like $1100 after coupons, of course it wouldn't be mobile, but its nice to game and the screen is nice to watch movies ;)
just go on dell.com and select the e1705 built by you
and change graphic card, dvdrw, it will get close to 1400 and there is a 25% discount coupon
 

cheesehead

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
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Oy vey.

I would get her a thin-and-light laptop - I swear by my 2.7 pound X40.

Perhaps the Asus A8J? 14" screen, Core Duo, and Nvidia 7600 graphics.

A reasonably light 15.4" laptop is the MacBook Pro. It's pretty light, and although not cheap, a MacBook Pro running windows has decent graphics performance (x1600), does'nt weigh too much, has excellent battery life, and the CPU is a monster.
 

Ayah

Platinum Member
Jan 1, 2006
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There's an A8J for $1600cdn with the Core Duo, 14" screen and a 7600 in it. I'm betting it'd be cheaper in the states.
 

cheesehead

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
10,079
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Originally posted by: Ayah
There's an A8J for $1600cdn with the Core Duo, 14" screen and a 7600 in it. I'm betting it'd be cheaper in the states.

$1600 CDN is about $1500 USD, nowadays. The dollar has lost a good bit of value.