debating between 2 laptops/ or a suggestion

[T2urtle]

gateway 4530GZ and the a64 system as well. i forget the model.

But i'm split between both. I rather have something more portiable and game as well.

I'm a light gamer. Counterstrike and Starcraft mainly. The older games, not the new stuff, but i might get into the new ones as well. I'm going to use the lappy for my main comp. Carrying it around, doing cd burning,( maybe dvd if it comes with a64or extenral USB port.)surfing the web. Watching dvds are a must in the car.riping dvds and encoding them. Battery life wise 3 hours or so. I never had a lappy before so i dont know what the range is on average.

Upgrading wise i just plan to throw in some extra RAM and run things off USB, like Dvd drive and external HD.

A price point of view is $1200 roughly. But i want it something where i can get some kinda warrnty like a near by store. IE, Frys, Bestbuy, Circirtcity.mircocenter.

I know there are a lot of good brands out there and i'm willing to consider other brands, its just tthat those 2 gateways seem like a good bang for the buck.

I feel my p4-1.6ghz, 7xxmb, 120gb, geforce4, NEC 2500a is good enough for me if it came in lappy form. maybe more faster.

A break down of what this lappy will be used for is about 25% games, 35% internet, 25% dvd/mp3 ( burning, encoding,ripping) and the 15% would be word process, photoshop, and all the other things.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, with the Centrino Gateways you are stuck with basic integrated graphics. If you want discrete graphics on a Centrino notebook, you won't find it in the $1200 range. The Gateway Centrino notebooks are awesome for mobility, you'll get about 5 hours usually and they are damn light. The A64's are heavy (7lbs+), bulky (thick and wide), and you'll get about 2 hours of battery on avg. Now, if you can deal with the size and less battery life, I would go with the A64's. You get a Radeon 9600-class video card and a CPU to match, usually a DVDRW too. That would match your intended uses better, but won't hit the battery life requirement. For car usage, either way you go you will need a power inverter; this allows you to plug any standard power plug into your cigarette lighter. On the Centrino you'll probly get 2.5-3 hours watching DVDs, so I would say a power inverter is a good investment.
Either way, you've got two excellent systems for the money, just pull the trigger and either focus on mobility or performance.
Hope this helps

 

[T2urtle]

well that just sums up how i felt about the 2 lappys but in more specs point of view. And a better understanding.

Is there a way for me to upgrade the video card on those? i saw ATI pcmia slots cards. not too sure how they work. i really have no idea with the market is like with lappy's no clue whats out there and whats not.


how are the power and preformance when stacked up to each other?

whats intergrated video equal to? would i be able to run openGL aleast? name a PC video card that matches the intergrated junk on it.

I'm leaning toward the centrino not sure why. battery life from 2.5-3 and a 2 hours isn't to big of a deal.

can i get the model number of the a64 lappys?

 

[RedWolf]

If that A64 is the same as the eMachines 6805 then you should get close to 3 hours of battery life. I was able to watch all of Gladiator (but not the credits) so a full movie is very doable. I got a little over 3 hours with my 6805 when surfing the net and lowering the brightness to the lowest level. The A64 is going to outperform the centrino laptop in just about every category around except battery life. You can't upgrade the video card in either of them. The integrated video is poor, at best. Maybe equivalent to a Radeon 7000 if it is inetl extreme. Intel Extreme 2 would be more along the lines of a GeForce 2. In other words, good enough to play counter strike, Quake 3 (low resolution), and UT (original not 2003). It will play games like Medal Of Honor Allied Assualt at 640x480 low detail.

The A64 laptop comes with a 9600 and can play any game out right now. The centrino laptop will probably get you 4-5 hours of battery life. Gateway is running a special right now on their 320x. About 799 after rebate. Great laptop at that price and will perform as well as the 4530GZ. Upgrading the processor is pretty cheap, too.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: RedWolf
If that A64 is the same as the eMachines 6805 then you should get close to 3 hours of battery life. I was able to watch all of Gladiator (but not the credits) so a full movie is very doable. I got a little over 3 hours with my 6805 when surfing the net and lowering the brightness to the lowest level. The A64 is going to outperform the centrino laptop in just about every category around except battery life. You can't upgrade the video card in either of them. The integrated video is poor, at best. Maybe equivalent to a Radeon 7000 if it is inetl extreme. Intel Extreme 2 would be more along the lines of a GeForce 2. In other words, good enough to play counter strike, Quake 3 (low resolution), and UT (original not 2003). It will play games like Medal Of Honor Allied Assualt at 640x480 low detail.

The A64 laptop comes with a 9600 and can play any game out right now. The centrino laptop will probably get you 4-5 hours of battery life. Gateway is running a special right now on their 320x. About 799 after rebate. Great laptop at that price and will perform as well as the 4530GZ. Upgrading the processor is pretty cheap, too.

:thumbsup:

 

[T2urtle]

thanks redwolf

does the 7422gx have the same hinge issues at the emachine.

i'm really looking more into the a64, with teh 3400+, 100gb, 8x DL dvd, 9550ati and 1gb ram. So this lappy would need no upgrades from me out the box. that kinda gives me an extra incentive. so far i've seen them for 1299 at bestbuy. Would there be any cheaper prices?

 

[kenan921]

There are no hinge issues with the 7422gx. I spoke to an Arima (the actual manufacturer, and company that handles the repairs for gateway) representative when I sent in the m6805 for repair before i Fleabayed it. He told me that they have since fixed the flaw. I had the m6805 w/ the infamous hinge issue for about a year, sold it right after my warranty ran out. Gotta give a thumbs up for their service. I was out of the warranty period, and after calling them, they still fixed the hinge free of charge. Posting on my 7422gx right now. So far (month and a half) not a single problem. It's a fantastic laptop and the screen is and speed are just great. Also for a better price you can pricematch the bestbuy price with J&R computers. That will eliminate tax at least.

Good Luck.

 

[T2urtle]

JR.com if thats the place you are talking about. they didn't carry the 7422

are there anything i should look at that is simliar to the 7422 before i make my buy.

I had a question, why isn't this lappy on the gateway.com or any other big name stores aside from bestbuy? Bestbuy to me is the only known place for that lappy to be found.

 

[kenan921]

Sorry, when I was looking for mine a while back I almost ordered one from JR until bestbuy ran a sale for $1249. I guess they stopped selling them, maybe gateway is releasing a new one soon, it's almost that time of year again isn't it?

 

[T2urtle]

well maybe its good that a newer one is coming out. i just want that 7422gx. I mean of course newer would be better but it wouldn't appeal to me as much. I feel that the 7422gx is already overkill for me. these lappys are a little hard to pick up. I've seen 3 on ebay and thats about it. crap loads at bestbuy but they pulled it from the sites.