Need advice - Laptop now or later?

[Finalx233]

I am kind of hesitating as to if I should buy a laptop now or later. Later means new technology and better performance and also might look like a wiser choice depending on my needs right now. The problem is I've been through a lot of bad luck with my current computer recently. Broken mouse, Keyboard sometimes types without pressing anything but that might be because i spilled half a cup of water on it a while ago, LCD lasted 4 months with lost receipt ( costed me 400$ and now using a 10 year old monitor ), and crashing because of overheating. All these in less than 6 months.. So first of all, let me list my current PC specs to see if investing in a new notebook is worth it atm :

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Asus K8V Deluxe Mobo
512Mb of DDR1 RAM
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro 256MB

I think that's enough to sum up my comp's performance.. and yea it isn't great though it has served me VERY well. From web surfing, programming, and office work to lots of gaming, rendering, dvd encrypting you name it. Let's say I do more than the average PC user. What I need is a desktop replacement because I know that buying a notebook right now will definitely be more powerful than my current system and I feel like I could use this computer for another 1-2 year. I like gaming a lot and Starcraft 2 is going to be my main game for the next few years. If we get back to the topic.. what I want to know is : will CPU and GPU available next autumn will be a big step over the current ones? Will prices drop considerably on current technology due to new ones coming? I am kind of low on money and I need advice on investing it.

btw.. I really like the 15" Macbook Pro with the Intel T7500 and GeForce 8600M GT though I don't know much about notebooks since I have never owned one previously. I think it will fit my needs very well since I can use OS X for office work and web surfing and dual boot with Windows XP for gaming AND I can't say how much I love the design compared to all the other notebooks I've reviewed. And last thing, can someone give me a link to Intel's entire line of Core 2 Duo mobile processor specs? I can't find the info anywhere.

Thanks

Edit : My budget is MAX 2200 taxes and everything included, and I must say Apple has some nice offers for students

 

[Ruptga]

Current mobile lineup

If you can't put up with your desktop any longer, upgrade. There are always newer and cooler things coming out, at some point you'll just have to bite the bullet.

That said, Penryn is coming soon, (Q1 2008), which will give us higher clock speeds for the same power usage, and Penryn will have SSE4, which will make a real difference in your multimedia stuff (assuming the application you use supports it).

I really don't know what is coming down the pipe as far as mobile graphics, though there's plenty of rumors if you care to look. I do know that the 7950 is a good deal faster than the 8700, so you may want to look into that if you want the fastest machine with little regard for cost, and if you don't care about DX 10 support.

 

[VinDSL]

Sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't know any NICE way of putting it...

It sounds like you don't know jack about computers!

So, if it was me... I'd buy a 15" Macbook Pro with the Intel T7500 and GeForce 8600M GT, and get the longest on-site warranty that they offer...

 

[TheStu]

Apple themselves do not offer on-site repair specifically, however they have been known to send out technicians. Gettign AppleCare though does pretty much guarantee that unless you broke it yourself ('Ooooh, I wonder if I can see the magic smoke if i open it up' or 'It was running really hot, so I cooled it down with ice water') they will repair it. Plus, I have never called Apple Support and talked to someone that I thought was from another country. I have had to call a few times, twice for basic warranty clarification stuff, and 4 more time for a PowerMac in the lab at my school, I was tasked with getting it fixed

 

[mruffin75]

Originally posted by: Finalx233
I am kind of hesitating as to if I should buy a laptop now or later. Later means new technology and better performance and also might look like a wiser choice depending on my needs right now. The problem is I've been through a lot of bad luck with my current computer recently. Broken mouse, Keyboard sometimes types without pressing anything but that might be because i spilled half a cup of water on it a while ago, LCD lasted 4 months with lost receipt ( costed me 400$ and now using a 10 year old monitor ), and crashing because of overheating. All these in less than 6 months.. So first of all, let me list my current PC specs to see if investing in a new notebook is worth it atm :

Check the sentence in bold...that should be a BIG indictator on why NOT to get a laptop..

 

[Finalx233]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
Current mobile lineup

If you can't put up with your desktop any longer, upgrade. There are always newer and cooler things coming out, at some point you'll just have to bite the bullet.

That said, Penryn is coming soon, (Q1 2008), which will give us higher clock speeds for the same power usage, and Penryn will have SSE4, which will make a real difference in your multimedia stuff (assuming the application you use supports it).

I really don't know what is coming down the pipe as far as mobile graphics, though there's plenty of rumors if you care to look. I do know that the 7950 is a good deal faster than the 8700, so you may want to look into that if you want the fastest machine with little regard for cost, and if you don't care about DX 10 support.

Thanks for the link and additional info on the Penryn.

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't know any NICE way of putting it...

It sounds like you don't know jack about computers!

So, if it was me... I'd buy a 15" Macbook Pro with the Intel T7500 and GeForce 8600M GT, and get the longest on-site warranty that they offer...

The comment wasn't necessary and if you read carefully I clearly said I never owned a laptop before therefore I can't make the comparison between desktop and mobile. Otherwise I wouldn't ask for help and thanks for the advice I'm happy someone shares the same option about the Macbook.

Originally posted by: mruffin75
Check the sentence in bold...that should be a BIG indictator on why NOT to get a laptop..

It really was an unfortunate event, I was playing Soldier Front when my teammates couldn't hear me well so I pulled my mic's cable and the cup came as well

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Finalx233

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't know any NICE way of putting it...

It sounds like you don't know jack about computers!

The comment wasn't necessary...

Originally posted by: mruffin75
Check the sentence in bold...that should be a BIG indictator on why NOT to get a laptop..

I was playing Soldier Front when my teammates couldn't hear me well so I pulled my mic's cable... cup came as well.

Prosecution rests...

Insurance ? Accidental Damage:. Includes damage resulting purely by accident despite following all guidelines for care and handling of the laptop.