Looking for a laptop 1500 max

[MIKE21CA]

Need a laptop for school & gaming(which drives up the price!!! hehehe

I am looking at getting this model
http://usa.asus.com/products/notebook/z7series/Z7100V/overview.htm
and putting in

2.1ghz Pentium M CPU
1gb DDR2 @ 533mhz
40gb 5400rpm drive (want 7200)

I am getting this custom built, but i like the asus because of the different features it offers
such as the Power4Gear.

my question is this

how good is the
? PCI Express NVIDIA 6600-128MB? Will it run Neverwinter Nights 2 and Age of Empires 3 at med-high settings do ya think?

and

I was also looking at this laptop with this screen -WXGA High-Def BrightView

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai...N&sku_id=0926INGFS10060805&catid=20354

im curious which screen is better?

and to get back to the original question? what is the best lappy for $1500

 

[fbrdphreak]

First, welcome to AT.

Second, the Asus Z71v is a great budget gaming notebook. It is fairly portable with a lot of performance for the money. The GeForce 6600 will perform admirably, but will not run most newer games @ higher settings. Look here for some benchmarks on the Asus Z71v:
http://www.laptoplogic.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4425&postcount=1

Personally I think the 2.1GHz CPU is a bit overkill. If you have the money, go all out man; but a 1.86 is a much better bang for the buck CPU if you're worried about $$$. When you order the notebook, if they charge you more than $130 to upgrade to 1GB DDR2 533 then don't do it. You can find 1GB sticks for that price.

I might recommend getting either a larger 5400RPM drive or a smaller 4200RPm drive and upgrading yourself. I think you will find 40GB limiting and if you have the option, get a bigger/faster drive. A 60-80GB 5400RPm would be good, and a 60GB 7200RPM Hitachi is ideal.

Asus makes great notebooks, can't go wrong with it.

In regards to the Compaq R4000 notebook, its not worth your money. It is less portable than the Z71v due to weighing more and having a lot less battery life, and it uses integrated graphics. Zero gaming potential there.

The Compaq (really HP) screens are nice, but most of them tend to show color inversing fairly easily. I've not heard any negative feedback on the Z71v screen, but if you like I can ask my buddy who has one if you have any particular concerns.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: MIKE21CAI was also looking at this laptop with this screen -WXGA High-Def BrightView

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai...N&sku_id=0926INGFS10060805&catid=20354

im curious which screen is better?

That's an odd comparison. The ASUS is 1680x1050, and the Compaq is 1280x768 with a bright glossy screen. It's up to you which one is better. I think a 15.4" laptop is a waste of space if you're not going to get a screen with decent resolution, though.

and to get back to the original question? what is the best lappy for $1500

You seem to like ASUS. ASUS is a really good brand, but as soon as you mention price, it's hard to beat Dell, especially when you're looking at 15.4" laptops. Their $750 off a $1899 Inspirion coupon is good for another 2 days, so if your budget is $1500, you can get a $2250 Inspirion for $1500.

I'd get the Inspirion 6000 "high-end" option and add:
- Pentium M 760 (2.0 GHz)
- 4-year Premium service (on-site + accidental damage)
- UltraSharp WSXGA+ (1680x1050) screen
- 512MB 1 Dimm
- DVD burner
- 128MB Radeon X300
- additional 9-cell battery
- Intel Pro 2200 + Bluetooth

That takes you to $1917, then $1167 after the coupon. Then you buy another 512MB online for $59 (wait till after you get the notebook to make sure you're matching what's in there) and get a Travelstar 7K60 7200RPM drive for $163 (unless the Inspirion actually uses the SATA model, which is $205).

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attr...d=11&form_keyword=travelstar+7200&rd=1

So with everything that's $1,389, but you'll probably have to give Dell about $85 in sales tax, so it's right around $1,500. For the price, it's just about impossible to beat.

You could also get the 17" XPS2 for about $1600 after the coupon, and that has a 6800 Ultra, which is what you should really be looking at if gaming is a big concern, and it also has 1920x1200 resolution. It's pretty huge, though, and you'd need to add another $200 for a good warranty.

I have to ask why you linked to the BestBuy Canada site. If you're in Canada, that might change everything.

I would think someone could find a link with mobile GPU benchmarks that are somewhat relevant to NWN perfromance...