New Laptop for school

[osiris18]

hey guys

next year i'm going to university and I'm planning on buying a laptop. The only problem is I don't know where to buy one from, I live in Canada and was thinking of buying one online since they are less expensive and built with better parts than at best buy. I was hoping if you guys could either link me to good site or laptop for me to look at. I will be playing a little bit of games, but not too high quality. Right now all I play is guild wars and will get guild wars 2 when its out. Budget probably $600-800.

Thanks

 

[Schadenfreude]

So . . . are you planning on buying a laptop next year then? If that's the case, I'd definitely say wait, as CPU/GPU refreshes are coming in at a breakneck pace; I think between Intel and AMD there's going to be around 2~3 refreshes between now and then, some of them absolutely monumental in speed/efficiency upgrades (supposedly).

If you're just looking into where to get laptops from, this would be a good place to start.

 

[Harvey]

Go to Staples' and Office Depot's sites, and check their weekly flyers. In the U.S., Staples posts their upcoming ads on Thursday, and OD posts them on Friday which gives you a couple of days to do some homework on the models for any given week before the mad hoardes get there. They have different models on sale every week. I've seen some great deals on laptops with dual core Athlon and Pentium CPU's, LED backlit screen, 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB drive between $350 - $400 and 17" models for just a little more.

Start by defining what you want in a laptop, including your preferred CPU, RAM, graphics driver, HD capacity and feature set, such as a webcam, etc.

I would recommend at least 4 GB of RAM so, if you find a great deal on a model that comes with 3 GB, you could also shop for a good deal on a 2 GB stick of the RAM that your preferred model uses and consider that as the price you're paying for what you get.

I think all entry to mid level laptops are probably made in the same few Asian factories, so once you get by particular models with known, reported problems, the main difference is the customer support you get when you need it. My preferred brand is HP/Compaq because they've always provided great support to me and my friends with HP/Compaq laptops when we've needed it. I've had good tech interactions with some other manufacturers, as well.

To put it another way, the reason I recommend HP/Compaq is because they're not Gateway. The first thing HP techs try to do is help you. The first thing Gateway techs do is try to sell you something like an extended warranty plan, whether or not your machine is currently under warranty.

Hope that helps.

 

[osiris18]

Ok, thanks for the replies

For more specific specs, I am looking for
a dedicated GPU, but not too high end mid-range is fine
2-4GB of RAM
500GB HDD
CPU, i'm not sure, what do you guys recommend?

And im looking to buy one this summer

 

[osiris18]

any other suggestions?

 

[mnewsham]

dell outlet.

 

[max347]

I would keep an eye on dealstobuy.com, they often have good deals on lenovo stuff. If you want something that will last, buy a Lenovo T/X/W series notebook.

That being said, if you can spend $800 now, it would be hard to pass this up-

HP ENVY 14 Laptop, Intel Core i7-740QM Quad Core (1.73GHz) w/ Turbo Boost
14.5" HD BrightView Infinity LED Display
6GB Ram
500GB 7200rpm
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 [HDMI]
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer
HD Webcam
802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, Backlit Keyboard, 8-cell, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8, Windows 7 Home Premium

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...092&aoid=35252

During checkout, apply $200 off a customized HP ENVY 14 coupon code NBEN3177

But I would definitely keep an eye on dealstobuy, they seem to be a little more focused on the Dell/Lenovo/Sony/HP laptops than what you will find on slickdeals, etc

 

[osiris18]

I would keep an eye on dealstobuy.com, they often have good deals on lenovo stuff. If you want something that will last, buy a Lenovo T/X/W series notebook.

That being said, if you can spend $800 now, it would be hard to pass this up-

HP ENVY 14 Laptop, Intel Core i7-740QM Quad Core (1.73GHz) w/ Turbo Boost
14.5" HD BrightView Infinity LED Display
6GB Ram
500GB 7200rpm
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 [HDMI]
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer
HD Webcam
802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, Backlit Keyboard, 8-cell, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8, Windows 7 Home Premium

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...092&aoid=35252

During checkout, apply $200 off a customized HP ENVY 14 coupon code NBEN3177

But I would definitely keep an eye on dealstobuy, they seem to be a little more focused on the Dell/Lenovo/Sony/HP laptops than what you will find on slickdeals, etc

Thanks, Deals to buy looks like a good site. The HP laptop is also pretty strong but I might wait for a sale. what do you guys think of this:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58310&...nufacture=Acer

 

[Soccerman06]

Just watch www.slickdeals.net and wait for something that fits your needs and price. Theres cheap laptops that get posted there at least once a week, sometimes its a killer deal.

 

[osiris18]

what do you guys think of this HP laptop?

HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC


Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2nd generation Intel® Quad Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon™ HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
6GB RAM
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN with Wireless Display Support

 

[osiris18]

bump

 

[Necrolezbeast]

what do you guys think of this HP laptop?

HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC


Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2nd generation Intel® Quad Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon™ HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
6GB RAM
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN with Wireless Display Support

I have a dv6t with the i5 540M, a 5650, and 8GB RAM that I purchased almost exactly a year ago. I also threw in a 120gb g.skill phoenix pro the day it arrived. After 1 year of using it everyday for all tasks, I can gladly say that it has held up surprisingly well. I have read so many bad things about the quality of HP products but I can honestly say I have not experienced any at all...nothing, everything is like the day I purchased it. Sure, the resolution is a little low and I would prefer a matte screen, but these are things I knew when I purchased the machine so I don't consider that a negative as I'm reviewing my machine.

I take my laptop with me to work everyday, I lug it around in a Targus backpack and throw it into the front basket of my ebike for my journey down the terrible roads of China... still it looks brand new... It gets pretty hot while gaming but I throw it on an antec cooling pad and problem solved...as far as gaming goes, I have played a lot of Borderlands, Heroes of Newerth, WoW, a little Rift, Bad Company 2...it has handled them well, I mean it's 1366x768 usually on med-high settings with minimum AF/AA on the more demanding games, but it's good enough to keep a stable and playable fps. As long as you know the downsides (low resolution, not too good touch pad, glossy screen) and can accept them then you should be happy with a dv6t..

Good luck in your search for a good laptop!

 

[osiris18]

I have a dv6t with the i5 540M, a 5650, and 8GB RAM that I purchased almost exactly a year ago. I also threw in a 120gb g.skill phoenix pro the day it arrived. After 1 year of using it everyday for all tasks, I can gladly say that it has held up surprisingly well. I have read so many bad things about the quality of HP products but I can honestly say I have not experienced any at all...nothing, everything is like the day I purchased it. Sure, the resolution is a little low and I would prefer a matte screen, but these are things I knew when I purchased the machine so I don't consider that a negative as I'm reviewing my machine.

I take my laptop with me to work everyday, I lug it around in a Targus backpack and throw it into the front basket of my ebike for my journey down the terrible roads of China... still it looks brand new... It gets pretty hot while gaming but I throw it on an antec cooling pad and problem solved...as far as gaming goes, I have played a lot of Borderlands, Heroes of Newerth, WoW, a little Rift, Bad Company 2...it has handled them well, I mean it's 1366x768 usually on med-high settings with minimum AF/AA on the more demanding games, but it's good enough to keep a stable and playable fps. As long as you know the downsides (low resolution, not too good touch pad, glossy screen) and can accept them then you should be happy with a dv6t..

Good luck in your search for a good laptop!

Thanks! I know the laptop has very good specs but I am concerned with HP's quality. It's good to know its held up for you. I have an HP laptop that isn't doing so well, two of the keys fell off the keyboard but I did buy it used.

I am still contemplating whether it is worth purchasing an HP PC or going for another brand like Lenovo. HP does however have the free Xbox 360 deal included.

 

[CoolRunnings]

Personally I would suggest getting a lightly-used T/W/X-series Thinkpad with a 3 year warranty. You can usually save a few hundred bucks and you'll get a far better build quality than any of the consumer HP laptops, including the Envy line. The HP Elitebooks are pretty good though if you can deal with the ergonomics.

 

[ElFenix]

the stock HP screen does not review well. the upgraded screen is supposed to be well worth it according to notebook review forums.

this probably won't apply because you're in canada so probably get different deals, but be aware that for whatever reason you can't get both the big $400ish coupon and the discounted extended warranty through HP's website. you can get one or the other.

 

[osiris18]

I live in Canada but I have family across the border so I'll try to order from a US site.

At the moment, I am torn between these two laptops:

Lenovo Y570

and

HP Pavilion dv6tqe with a Radeon HD 6770M GB GDDR5

I've heard Lenovo makes better products and it is a bit cheaper. My only concern is the GT 555M is the 128bit version which i think is slower than the Radeon 6770M. Also, The HP laptop comes with a free xbox

 

[osiris18]

the stock HP screen does not review well. the upgraded screen is supposed to be well worth it according to notebook review forums.

this probably won't apply because you're in canada so probably get different deals, but be aware that for whatever reason you can't get both the big $400ish coupon and the discounted extended warranty through HP's website. you can get one or the other.

If i can afford it i'll try to upgrade the screen. Where did you find the extended warranty coupon? I've only seen the $400 one

Does anyone have any thoughts of the two laptops I mentioned in my last post?

 

[Schadenfreude]

I've had bad experiences w/ HP products; either there was a critical design flaw or the build quality just wasn't up to par.

Not trying to generalize/create blanket statements, but in customer surveys (of home products, not enterprise level models) HP does lag behind the likes of Lenovo/Asus. I've heard good things about their enterprise models, but that's about it.

I'll just state the obvious - I'd personally advise against the HP but I've heard that their lines have improved recently and other posters (like one in this thread) seem satisfied with their systems so take that as what you will.

I had a Lenovo laptop a few years back and it wasn't a bad lil' machine - it was just a generic-line Thinkpad if I remember correctly, but consistently people have been praising the build quality so I'd go with the Ideapad by association (and I haven't seen people talk down about Ideapads as much as HP home models).

But, ultimately the choice and yours and your experiences will be the best judge - it sounds like you may have made up your mind on those two models - why don't you go down to your local Best Buy (or whatever moon-store you crazy moon-people have over there ) and check them out in person?

 

[logic_88]

I've been looking at the dv6t but apparently OpenGL is limited to onboard HD3000 so I'm a bit hesitant until HP comes out with a patch.

 

[osiris18]

I've had bad experiences w/ HP products; either there was a critical design flaw or the build quality just wasn't up to par.

Not trying to generalize/create blanket statements, but in customer surveys (of home products, not enterprise level models) HP does lag behind the likes of Lenovo/Asus. I've heard good things about their enterprise models, but that's about it.

I'll just state the obvious - I'd personally advise against the HP but I've heard that their lines have improved recently and other posters (like one in this thread) seem satisfied with their systems so take that as what you will.

I had a Lenovo laptop a few years back and it wasn't a bad lil' machine - it was just a generic-line Thinkpad if I remember correctly, but consistently people have been praising the build quality so I'd go with the Ideapad by association (and I haven't seen people talk down about Ideapads as much as HP home models).

But, ultimately the choice and yours and your experiences will be the best judge - it sounds like you may have made up your mind on those two models - why don't you go down to your local Best Buy (or whatever moon-store you crazy moon-people have over there ) and check them out in person?

That's what I am most afraid of, HP laptops failing. Also since I live in Canada, I think it would be more difficult to get tech support. My dad's company uses Lenovo and they are very good laptops, but some of the pros and cons make it difficult for me to decide which one:

Hp Laptop: Better graphics card, xbox 360, thinner and lighter, possible 1080p screen

Lenovo: better build, more stylish a bit less expensive and free shipping.

I'm leaning towards the Lenovo but my biggest concern is the 720p resolution and the GT 555M

I've been looking at the dv6t but apparently OpenGL is limited to onboard HD3000 so I'm a bit hesitant until HP comes out with a patch.

Interesting, makes me want to think twice about the HP. The link says that HP released a patch on the 20th to fix it though.

 

[logic_88]

Interesting, makes me want to think twice about the HP. The link says that HP released a patch on the 20th to fix it though.

Did they? On HP's support site, they indicate that a fix is still in the works but nothing has been released so far.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...n-Switchable-Graphics-and-Open-GL/td-p/766285

 

[jihe]

I've had bad experiences w/ HP products; either there was a critical design flaw or the build quality just wasn't up to par.

Not trying to generalize/create blanket statements, but in customer surveys (of home products, not enterprise level models) HP does lag behind the likes of Lenovo/Asus. I've heard good things about their enterprise models, but that's about it.

I'll just state the obvious - I'd personally advise against the HP but I've heard that their lines have improved recently and other posters (like one in this thread) seem satisfied with their systems so take that as what you will.

I had a Lenovo laptop a few years back and it wasn't a bad lil' machine - it was just a generic-line Thinkpad if I remember correctly, but consistently people have been praising the build quality so I'd go with the Ideapad by association (and I haven't seen people talk down about Ideapads as much as HP home models).

But, ultimately the choice and yours and your experiences will be the best judge - it sounds like you may have made up your mind on those two models - why don't you go down to your local Best Buy (or whatever moon-store you crazy moon-people have over there ) and check them out in person?

Ideapads are crap, do not ever get an Ideapad. With the prices now Thinkpads are not that much more expensive.

 

[osiris18]

Ideapads are crap, do not ever get an Ideapad. With the prices now Thinkpads are not that much more expensive.

whats wrong with ideapads?