laptop for my brother- he does NO gaming

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mike420toronto

Junior Member
Mar 2, 2011
14
0
0
My brother is a real estate agent with lots of cash. He doesn't game but wants a new laptop (will be the house's only puter). The most demanding thing he will do is play 1080p video out through HDMI to a 37" tv.
Here is the email I am sending him. Any thoughts would be really appreciated since I told him that I know what I am talking about but really haven't spec'd a puter in a few years.
Thanks guys, AnandTech f'ing rules.:D
-------------------------------------------------------
Did a little digging. Not much research, but checked Future Shop prices. These are the best deals that I saw:

Core i7s (4 cores, best for the future but not necessarily the fastest)

Fujitsu 18.4" screen (huge screen!)
-$1275,
-4GB RAM
-graphics card
-500GB hard drive
-Lithium 8 cell battery

MSI 15.6" Gaming laptop (no longer available, but good point of reference)
-$1525
-6GB RAM
-High end graphics card
-650 GB high speed hard drive
-Lithium 9 cell battery


Core i5s (3 cores, just as good for nearly all programs, still a high end processor)

Fujitsu 15.6" screen (probably better to go with the core i7 from dell we looked at on the weekend for a couple hundred dollars more)
-$823
-4GB RAM
-Graphics card
-500GB hard drive
-Lithium ion 6 cell battery


Core i3s (2 cores, just as good for nearly all programs, still a high end processor, but much cheaper!)

Samsung 15.6" screen
-$500
-4GB RAM
-No graphics card, but to be honest, you don't need one. Just make sure that it can play high resolution 1080p video.
-640 GB hard drive
-Lithium ion 6 cell battery

Samsung 14" screen (no longer available, pout. Best bang for your buck for sure!!)
-$550
-4GB RAM
-Low end graphics card but much, much better than nothing at all if you ever try to play a game and will help when watching High Definition video on your 37" tv)
-500GB hard drive
-Lithium ion 6 cell battery
-----------------------------------

Thanks again to everyone that can help!
Go Barcelona!
 
I

Insomniator

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2002
6,294
171
106
I certainly wouldn't spend more than ~600 if all he's doing is playing HD video. 1200+ is out of the question!

Some of the cheap dells and hp's I've seen are actually pretty nice... much better than the cheap ones used to be. I guess competition is helping.
 
B

boran

Golden Member
Jun 17, 2001
1,526
0
76
I would recommend a good Core i3 or Core i5, i7 will be overkill.

A good i3 with the built-in intel 3d card is very power efficient and will be sufficient for his needs.

also, as far as I know an i5 is a dual core with hyper threading and not a triple core.

I would also recommend to get 4 GB of memory, with 3 gb being the absolute minimum.

as far as graphics card goe I would not get a laptop with an extra 3d card. from my experience this is the number one component that fails. the built in 3d card in the i3 and i5 coupled with the CPU power should be more than sufficient to play 1080p content.

Edit: You should be able to find a good i3 with 4 gb of memory and a good screen for less than $600.
 
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dpodblood

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
Yeah I would not bother spending > $600 on a laptop which wont be used for gaming. Pretty well any modern laptop should be able to output 1080p. Just make sure it has a DVI or HDMI out. Maybe you should get some more specifics from your brother; what size screen he wants at the very least. There is a big difference between a 13" laptop which you can carry around the house, and an 18" which is basically a desktop replacement.

As for brands I prefer Dell, Acer, and ASUS for laptops. Any of them should be able to provide a good laptop for a reasonable price. Of course if he just want's to throw money at it he could pick up a Mac Book Pro.
 
Murloc

Murloc

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2008
5,382
65
91
even if some integrated cars or cpus may be "good enough", pay attention that he'll get what he needs for real after he slows down his pc with crappy software staying in the systray.
 
V

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
If he has the money to spend there's no reason to steer him towards the cheap plastic crap that comprises most of the consumer laptop market. While they may perform the same the overall use experience is much different, & somebody with "lots of cash" will be willing to pay the difference.

Point him to one of the new HP dv6t/dv7t or an HP Envy. $1000-1500 will put you in a very nice laptop in a high quality chassis. You might even get an SSD in there for that kind of money.

Also your information about the differences between i7/i5/i3 is completely wrong. Here's the real story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core#Sandy_Bridge_microarchitecture_based

The short version is that i3's are always dual core, i5/i7 can be 2 or 4. Varying amounts of cache and turbo differentiate between i5 and i7 variants. You really need to look up the model number to know exactly what you're getting, it's not clearly delineated (it's a pain in the ass).

If I were buying a non-gaming laptop with the budget to do it right I'd be looking at:

- Metal chassis
- i5 or i7 with integrated graphics (Sandy Bridge preferably)
- 4+ GB RAM
- SSD

I would stick to the 15 or 17" models and buy him a larger desktop monitor for use when docked. A $250 desktop monitor will be larger and higher resolution than anything the laptop market offers, and will provide a much better overall image.

Viper GTS
 
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H

Harvey

Administrator<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
35,057
67
91
The HP G62-340US 15.6" notebook has been on sale at Office Depot and Staple's for $380 after rebates several times over the past couple of months. Right now, frys.com and Fry's B&M is selling it for $340 after a $50 mail in rebate.

HP G62-340US
SKU: : 6401252

Specs on HP.com.

15.6" BrightView LED display
2.2GHz AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P340 Processor
3 GB RAM
320 GB hard drive
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 Graphics (far better than Intel onboard graphics)
Webcam with integrated microphone
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition

Per the specs, it comes with only 3 GB of RAM (1 x 1 GB and 1 x 2 GB stick). The onboard video can use up to 1405MB of RAM so you can use the savings to improve performance by adding RAM like one (or two) sticks of this RAM from Newegg:

Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory
Model CT51264BC1067
$34.99 with free shipping.
SKU: N82E16820148289

You can even sell the 1 and 2 GB sticks to help pay for the added RAM.

From personal experience with my own and several friends' laptops, I believe that the major differences between laptops from various manufacturers is not the machines, themselves, but the quality of the customer support when you need it.

The main reason I recommend HP/Compaq is that they're NOT Gateway. Whenever I've called HP for assistance, the first thing they ask how they can help you. Whenever I've called Gateway for assistance with friends' machines, the first thing they ask what they can SELL you, and their site is so piss poorly organized that finding info and updated drivers, etc. is somewhere between a major chore and impossible.

Like any manufacturer, HP won't give you free live phone support once your machine is out of warranty, but they've often given me free help with older machines through their online live chat system. :thumbsup:

Since you say your brother has "lots of cash," for a machine with these specs at this price, maybe he'll buy one for you, as well. :cool:
 
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D

Dasda

Senior member
Jan 9, 2010
228
0
76
If you are from Toronto like me as your name hints. Then you should really get him a Lenovo T520. Those are excellent and similar build quality to the Apple Macbooks. Lenovo has a 40&#37; off promotion at the moment too.

Special offer details
&#8226; Save 25% with eCoupon CAP48HOUREMAILEXCLUSIVE on ThinkPad L, T, X, SL and W Series notebooks.
&#8226; Save 40% with eCoupon CAP48HOUREMAILEXCLUSIVE when your configuration is $1,500 or above on ThinkPad L, T, X, SL and W Series notebooks.
Click to expand...
 
F

fuzzymath10

Senior member
Feb 17, 2010
520
2
81
If it's not for gaming and he just wants something that works, get a business laptop (such as the T520 mentioned). Lenovo is a good choice; I've historically stuck to Dell. Most newer ones have HDMI connections last time I checked.

That way, you're not stuck on a phone line connected halfway around the world if he needs support. If money isn't much of an object, the worst thing is to be stuck without a working computer for an extended period of time and wasting trips and time arguing with a retail store about how the repair is going.

With Dell's business support, they ask you what time works and they'll come in a day or two and repair it on the spot. With CompleteCare you could do that for a greasy keyboard or a shiny touchpad :)

My sister has a Dell Latitude that she has gotten repaired that way for a few non-fatal repairs (dead pixels, frayed AC adapter cord, several greasy keyboards) and it's very convenient; she can basically destroy her laptop as much as she wants for 3-4 years and get next-day repairs for free. Best of all the laptop was $600 and quite contemporary.
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
mike420toronto said:
My brother is a real estate agent with lots of cash.
Click to expand...

Macbook Pro, end of discussion! :p

But seriously, I would grab something from Dell or HP's business line, either an EliteBook or Latitude. They're both very solidly built and the business support lines are much better than the consumer ones.
 
D

Dizon

Junior Member
Dec 26, 2010
23
0
0
Viper GTS said:
If he has the money to spend there's no reason to steer him towards the cheap plastic crap that comprises most of the consumer laptop market. While they may perform the same the overall use experience is much different, & somebody with "lots of cash" will be willing to pay the difference.

Point him to one of the new HP dv6t/dv7t or an HP Envy. $1000-1500 will put you in a very nice laptop in a high quality chassis. You might even get an SSD in there for that kind of money.

Also your information about the differences between i7/i5/i3 is completely wrong. Here's the real story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core#Sandy_Bridge_microarchitecture_based

The short version is that i3's are always dual core, i5/i7 can be 2 or 4. Varying amounts of cache and turbo differentiate between i5 and i7 variants. You really need to look up the model number to know exactly what you're getting, it's not clearly delineated (it's a pain in the ass).

If I were buying a non-gaming laptop with the budget to do it right I'd be looking at:

- Metal chassis
- i5 or i7 with integrated graphics (Sandy Bridge preferably)
- 4+ GB RAM
- SSD

I would stick to the 15 or 17" models and buy him a larger desktop monitor for use when docked. A $250 desktop monitor will be larger and higher resolution than anything the laptop market offers, and will provide a much better overall image.

Viper GTS
Click to expand...

DING DING DING! This is what I would do too if it were for non-gaming. Don't care too much about whether the chassis is metal or not, as long as it is well built. Important parts are decent amount of ram and the SSD. Sandy Bridge too since he wants to watch movies and it'll help with battery life since you don't have a dedicated graphics card to power.
 
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