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Narrowed it down to 3...maybe 4?

L

Lazy8s

Golden Member
I live 2 blocks from Auburn campus and I will be a teaching assistant in the fall. This laptop will be used primarily for homework but I would be kidding myself if I didn't say I will do some light gaming on it. I do have a blazing desktop so this is hardly my sole computer. It will get 99% of it's usage at my apartment. Portability is huge for me. I am honestly wondering if I should just abandon it for gaming and get an ultraportable but I think it will be underused if ALL I can do is type up papers.

I think I have narrowed it down to 3 laptops: dv2500t, MacBook Pro and Vaio FZ. I am typing this on my brother's 15" macbook pro and the more I use it the more I am getting used to it. Honestly, I like windows alot and I am interested in Linx but the more I use this thing the more it grows on me. What do you good people think I should get? I would be looking at:

14.1in dv2500t $2110 (before 6% student discount)
2.0ghz T7300
2gg RAM
160ig HDD
8400M GS
Vista Ultimate
802.11abgn/bluetooth

15.1in fz190 $2054 (No blu-ray)
2.2ghz T7500
2gig ram
160gig HDD
8400M GT
Vista Ultimate
802.11abgn/bluetooth

15in Macbook Pro $2154
2.2ghz T7500
2gig ram
160gig HDD
8600M GT
OSX (I'll probably dual-boot Vista Business or XP Pro since I get them free from school)
802.11abgn/bluetooth

*Prices include 2year extended warranty and iWork/Office Home and Student

Please list a reason for your vote if you can spare the seconds. I need to run windows programs for my major so if I get the macbook I will need to get parallels or dual boot. If I got one of the other systems I would probably dual boot a version of linux. Since I am a CS major I think this may help me upon graduation to deepen my Linux knowledge more than it would help to know OSX but who knows.

I also have a question. I looked at Alienware and for about $2600 I could get a go 7600, 2.0ghz NOT Santa Rosa, and only about 1hr15min of battery life. I called Alienware to ask why I should pay almost $1000 more to get a slower processor not using the Santa Rosa platform, a slower graphics card, a heavier weight and 1/3 of the battery life of a macbook pro. The guy was silent for close to 30sec then got really irritated and said "Well WHAT do you want me to say? Do you have a question about the system or not!?" and I said "No thank you, you answered all my questions." Do you guys know ANY reason to buy an m5550 alienware??
 
Gaming and portability huh? Have you considered the new dell xps M1330? You can get up to an 8400GS 128MB on it, plus it's 13.3 inches.
 
As I posted in another thread:
The PowerPro A 9:6? (from Powernotebooks.com, made by Asus as the S96S)

Powernotebooks sells reliable and great laptops, the PowerPro line comes with 3 year warranty - next business day shipping - and lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC tech support (from the US, not India).
resellerratings gives them a 9.83 out of 10.
ratings for powerNotebooks

The PowerPro A 9:6? has a nice review here:
review PowerPro A 9:6

This machine, Model: Asus S96S, can certainly play games:
Screenshots

and it's at a nice price:
go to: <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://www.powernoteboo.........hp?itemId=1899"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://www.powernotebooks.......ct.php?itemId=1899"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://www.powernotebooks.com/product.php?itemId=1899"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://www.powernotebooks.com/product.php?itemId=1899">https://www.powernote............d=1899</a></a></a></a>
Price starts at $1,036 and up - depends on how you configure it.
Probably plan on spending aroung $1500 for a decently configured laptop, with 2 gig memory, fast hard drive, etc.

Size and Weight
14.25" x 10.5" x 1.1~1.5"
6.8 lb. w/6 Cell Battery
from: https://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/PowerPro/a9-6.php
 
Macbook Pro. I would stay away from Sony. I've had my own bad experiences with them in the past and heard a number of stories (basically bad build quality). I don't have much experience with HPs, so I can't comment on those.

Oh, and I wouldn't recommend an ultraportable. If you're going to be writing code, having a higher resolution screen can be a godsend. As for alternatives not on your list, Lenovo makes great laptops.
 
MacBook Pro. The versatility of the platform is well worth any extra money.
 
Yeah I have looked into the lenovos and they are ok but I can NOT use a laptop without a touchpad. My dad had a thinkpad forever and the thing still runs just as well as it did the first day but that stupid little nipple makes my finger hurt after a while. Also, it sounds kinda dumb but they are ugly which I could live with I guess.

I have heard good rumors about the T61p but I can't seem to find anything stating a definate release date.
 
That's a really great question and I wish I could provide (or get for that matter) and answer to it. The thing is Auburn University ONLY sells macs in the school bookstore so I would imagine a great deal of students are using macs. In fact my advisor uses a MBP. When my advisor told me I'd be required to run windows programs I asked which ones and he said he couldn't think of any but he knew we would have to so his suggestion was to get Parallels and it worked fine for him.

This concerned me a little for 2 reasons. First, Parallels might not run all of the programs but secondly (and more importantly) how can he not know!? Anyways he said he would ask and email me if he found any. A couple days ago he said the grad profs said they try to be operating system independant but if I absolutely had to use anything windows based I could use the computer lab so I really don't know. :-/
 
Parallels will run anything. You get the MacBook Pro with 2GB of RAM, you can even give VM Windows up to 1GB of Memory (I say that because I know that OS X will run quite happily on just 1 GB of RAM, so you can give the other to Parallels) and then it will run anything with the exception of Video Games like a champ. I personally prefer VMWare Fusion myself, but it is a lot of personal preference since some people have better results with one or the other.
 
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