Need help picking out a new Laptop

[AustinMatherne]

I?m looking to buy a new Laptop I have $1800 to spend.
It will be used mostly for gaming some web surfing music and movies.
It will be sitting on my desk most of the day and doesn?t need more then an hour of charge time also weight isn?t a problem.

 

[roguerower]

Look at Dell's Inspiron 9300 with the Go 6800. You should be able to configure it for under $1,900.

 

[getbush]

Ok, I don't know your specific needs, but one option would be to take the $1800, buy a cheap laptop for $500-$600, and build a $1200 gamin rig. The laptop would be good for internet surfing and DVDS for years, and the desktop can be upgraded over time to keep up. Gaming laptops can't really be upgraded, and a $1800 laptop today will be worth $600 in two years.
I have a gaming desktop, and a nice Compaq laptop with a Dothan core celeron (very nice despite the name), 512 ram and dvd that I got new for 580. I'm very happy with the setup. I think your hardware dollars would go further this way.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: getbush
Ok, I don't know your specific needs, but one option would be to take the $1800, buy a cheap laptop for $500-$600, and build a $1200 gamin rig. The laptop would be good for internet surfing and DVDS for years, and the desktop can be upgraded over time to keep up. Gaming laptops can't really be upgraded, and a $1800 laptop today will be worth $600 in two years.
I have a gaming desktop, and a nice Compaq laptop with a Dothan core celeron (very nice despite the name), 512 ram and dvd that I got new for 580. I'm very happy with the setup. I think your hardware dollars would go further this way.

:thumbsup: This is a great idea

Otherwise, the Dell 9300 is an awesome option. Dell is also running a coupon right now for $750 off purchases of $1899 or more; you could configure one helluva 9300 for $1800 after coupon

 

[Fenuxx]

I got this:

--Dell Inspiron 9300
-Intel Pentium-M 760 (2.0GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2MB Cache, 90nm)
-Intel 915PM Chipset
-17" WXGA+ TFT (1440x900)
-256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go6800 (NV41M)
-512MB DDR2-533 RAM (Dual-Channel)
-40GB 5400RPM 2.5" Hard Drive
-DVD-ROM Drive (8x)
-Windows XP Home Edition (SP2)
-9-Cell Battery
-3 Year Warranty
-$2666.00 BEFORE $750 off coupon + FREE shipping ($50)
--TOTAL PRICE: $1,866.00

That's about the price you're looking for, and its a killer deal with the $750 off coupon .

 

[yezhou]

That's a nice setup, geforcetony. But I have a few suggestions for the OP.

1. If you don't really care for Dual Channel, then I suggest selecting just the 256mb RAM, then buying 1gig on your own for cheaper elsewhere, for a total of 1.25gigs of RAM.

2. If you want the 9-Cell battery, I suggest you buy the "ADDITIONAL" one for $129 rather than the "UPGRADE" for $99. So this way, for $30 more, you end up with two batteries.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: yezhou
That's a nice setup, geforcetony. But I have a few suggestions for the OP.

1. If you don't really care for Dual Channel, then I suggest selecting just the 256mb RAM, then buying 1gig on your own for cheaper elsewhere, for a total of 1.25gigs of RAM.

2. If you want the 9-Cell battery, I suggest you buy the "ADDITIONAL" one for $129 rather than the "UPGRADE" for $99. So this way, for $30 more, you end up with two batteries.

:thumbsup: I also suggest dropping the HDD to bare minimum and picking up a 7200RPM drive. 1GB DDR2 goes for about $100 right now, so that's a MUCH better investment

 

[Fenuxx]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
:thumbsup: I also suggest dropping the HDD to bare minimum and picking up a 7200RPM drive. 1GB DDR2 goes for about $100 right now, so that's a MUCH better investment

Thats exactly what I'm doing. Though I've heard that 7200RPM drives can get a bit noisy and warm, so I'm going to stick with 5400RPM (it aint really that big of a deal to lose a slight bit of performance to me). I'm looking at the Hitachi 5K80 drive BTW. I am also looking at the OCZ 512MB DDR2-533 (I would buy 2 sticks). Where did you see 1GB DDR2 for $100?