Should I reconsider buying a laptop with integrated graphics and no-widescreen?

[cmp1223]

Ok, so I'm almost deadset on buying the new 4 pound, 14 in sonoma-based fujitsu laptop for college. This will last me four years. Two things are irking me. The most important- integrated graphics. I don't plan to game, but what about other stuff- DVD watching, maybe upcoming HD content, longhorn, stuff i don't even know about? Is this a major concern, or a non-factor becasue i'm not gaming. Also, widescreen. Is it just okay, for movies and such, or does it really help in day-to-day apps: internet, word processing, ect.

 

[RobsTV]

Widescreen helps with everything, including web browsing.
HD content will be helped with dedicated video.

These are things you are stuck with when you make initial purchase, so if in doubt, lean towards the it won't hurt and might help side of things, even though it will cost you more up front. It may also help with future resale. When a future used system buyer is presented with a choice between integrated or dedicated, most will choose dedicated, and many will refuse to even look at a unit with integrated video.

 

[fbrdphreak]

HD content is helped with discrete graphics, but you have to realize that even top of the line desktop cards have trouble w/HD content. Unless you get an ATI X800 or NVIDIA 6800 series card in a notebook, I personally don't think the HD benefit is going to be great. That said, discrete graphics might make it watchable versus un-playable w/integrated.
Longhorn shouldn't be much of a concern in my opinion. It will offer compatibility modes that reduce the hardware acceleration to an acceptable level based on your machine. If you want eye candy, get discrete graphics.

Widescreen does rock, esp if its higher resolution. For instance, I've got a Fujitsu N3510 15.4" WXGA (1280x800). I love how wide it is for webpage browsing and documents, but I also hate it because of the low vertical resolution; I have to scroll a lot. Personally I think a high-res widescreen display is the way to go

Have you considered the Asus W3V? It is a 14" WXGA (1280x768) with the transreflective (glossy) screen. Pricey @ $1899, but Asus makes great notebooks and it has X600 graphics.
Asus W3v 14" Widescreen Sonoma Notebook

Intel Pentium-M 750 Dothan (1.86Ghz; 533mhz w/ 2mb Cache)
14" WXGA (1280 x 768) Color Shine (glaretype) LCD Panel
Asus W3V w/ Intel 915PM Chipset
512MB DDR2 533 (1 x 512) - up to 2GB supported
Hitachi 60GB; 5400RPM
ATI Mobility Radeon x600 PCI-Express Graphics w/ 64MB VRAM
Built-In Intel PRO/Wireless 2915 A/B/G miniPCI
8x Dual Layer DVD Burner
8-Cell Li-Ion; Approximately 4-5 hours of normal use life
(the US spec will come with the larger battery, standard)
Windows XP Pro w/ SP2
13" (length) x 9.7" (width) x 1.18"-1.28" (height)

~4.6 LBS w/ US optional 4 cell and travelers drawer
~5.0 LBS w/ US standard 8 cell and travelers drawer
~5.4 LBS w/ US standard 8 cell and optical drive

2 year global parts and labor through ASUS

Link

W3V Info Thread

 

[cmp1223]

Yes, im still considering the ASUS. But, it can't be customized, and it has a glossy screen. I think it would have too many reflections in the average dormroom. BTW, resale is not that much of a problem, i'll probably use it till it breaks! Also, wouldn't a regular SXGA+ be better than a widescreen WXGA?

 

[hellfire88]

You might want to consider a Sony Vaio VGN-S360. It comes standard with:

1.7GHz Pentium M Dothan
ATI 9700 64mb video card
512mb 1dimm DDR RAM
80GB HDD (4200RPM )
13.3" WXGA Widescreen Xbrite LCD
Dimensions: 12.3" x 8.9" x 1.4"
Weight: ~4.2lbs

You can buy it new at bestbuy for $1699, or I think another Brick and mortar store has a $100 rebate on it to bring it down to $1599. It may also be a bit hard to find, since there's a newer model out (S380/S460) which many say is actually a step BACKWARDS lol (less battery life, worse video card nvidia 6200 vs ATI 9700, runs hotter, etc.). If you wnat a small laptop that weighs less than 5lbs, yet still has a nice video card, there is no other option lol. Good luck in your search!

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
Yes, im still considering the ASUS. But, it can't be customized, and it has a glossy screen. I think it would have too many reflections in the average dormroom. BTW, resale is not that much of a problem, i'll probably use it till it breaks! Also, wouldn't a regular SXGA+ be better than a widescreen WXGA?

The Z33a is barebones 12.1", not sure if that's too small for you. Link

And the glossy screens aren't as bad as you might think. I used my gf's dv1000 w/BrightView a lot in the dorm and it wasn't bad at all. Its definitely noticeable compared to a matte screen, but you do get used to it. Personally I like the added brightness.

And the screen is up to you. I have a 15" SXGA+ on my T42 and my gf's dv1000 is WXGA (1280x768). When I use hers I'm surprised at how much I like it, that resolution is actually quite comfortable. There's not as much vertical room to work with as I like, but I definitely appreciate the increased desktop real estate.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: hellfire88
You might want to consider a Sony Vaio VGN-S360. It comes standard with:

1.7GHz Pentium M Dothan
ATI 9700 64mb video card
512mb 1dimm DDR RAM
80GB HDD (4200RPM )
13.3" WXGA Widescreen Xbrite LCD
Dimensions: 12.3" x 8.9" x 1.4"
Weight: ~4.2lbs

You can buy it new at bestbuy for $1699, or I think another Brick and mortar store has a $100 rebate on it to bring it down to $1599. It may also be a bit hard to find, since there's a newer model out (S380/S460) which many say is actually a step BACKWARDS lol (less battery life, worse video card nvidia 6200 vs ATI 9700, runs hotter, etc.). If you wnat a small laptop that weighs less than 5lbs, yet still has a nice video card, there is no other option lol. Good luck in your search!

This isn't a bad machine, and looks quite nice actually. But I wouldn't recommend buying old technology. yes, the newer Sonoma platforms have worse battery life. Within the next few months, don't expect to find any of the "old" 400MHz FSB Centrino platforms. And the 6200 doesn't perform worse than the 9700, contrary to popular opinion. The Mobility 9700 is an overclocked 9600; 4 pixel pipelines only.
For ~$1600-$1700, the Asus is a MUCH better buy. 2 year warranty, great build quality, and MUCH better graphics w/the X600.
That said, the Fujitsu is not a bad machine. How much is the one you're looking at and what are the specs?

 

[Shadowmage]

Originally posted by: hellfire88
You might want to consider a Sony Vaio VGN-S360. It comes standard with:

1.7GHz Pentium M Dothan
ATI 9700 64mb video card
512mb 1dimm DDR RAM
80GB HDD (4200RPM )
13.3" WXGA Widescreen Xbrite LCD
Dimensions: 12.3" x 8.9" x 1.4"
Weight: ~4.2lbs

You can buy it new at bestbuy for $1699, or I think another Brick and mortar store has a $100 rebate on it to bring it down to $1599. It may also be a bit hard to find, since there's a newer model out (S380/S460) which many say is actually a step BACKWARDS lol (less battery life, worse video card nvidia 6200 vs ATI 9700, runs hotter, etc.). If you wnat a small laptop that weighs less than 5lbs, yet still has a nice video card, there is no other option lol. Good luck in your search!

This is actually good, quite surprising considering its brand (Sony usually = too expensive)

Go with it.

There will be a large jump in image quality going from integrated to discrete, doesn't matter what card really.

 

[cmp1223]

Thanks for your responses guys. The deal is, i would like to game casually, but i just know its not a possibility when portabiliy is such a major factor. Even the mobile9700 or 6200 is paltry compared to the system in my sig. I would rathher wait than play HL2 with everything turned off. I can hold out till summer and then catch up on games. Untill then, PS2 (and maybe XBOX360 ) will suffice in the dorm.


Anyway, here is the fujitsu S7020D I'm looking at: just under $1800

Pentium M 740 @ 1.73GHz
768MB DDRII RAM
14.1 inch SXGA+ non-glossy
DVD+/-RW SuperDrive
80gig 5400rpm SATA
Bluetooth
Atheros a/b/g wifi
3 USB 2.0, FireWire, Expresscard
Integrated GMA900 graphics (hey its better than IntelExtreme2!)
XP Home
High Definition Audio
S-Vid Out
magnesium chassis

4.2 pounds with battery and dvd drive!

 

[trikster2]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
Thanks for your responses guys. The deal is, i would like to game casually, but i just know its not a possibility when portabiliy is such a major factor. Even the mobile9700 or 6200 is paltry compared to the system in my sig. I would rathher wait than play HL2 with everything turned off. I can hold out till summer and then catch up on games. Untill then, PS2 (and maybe XBOX360 ) will suffice in the dorm.


Anyway, here is the fujitsu S7020D I'm looking at: just under $1800

Pentium M 740 @ 1.73GHz
768MB DDRII RAM
14.1 inch SXGA+ non-glossy
DVD+/-RW SuperDrive
80gig 5400rpm SATA
Bluetooth
Atheros a/b/g wifi
3 USB 2.0, FireWire, Expresscard
Integrated GMA900 graphics (hey its better than IntelExtreme2!)
XP Home
High Definition Audio
S-Vid Out
magnesium chassis

4.2 pounds with battery and dvd drive!

XPS-2 using my companies EPP program was down to $1280 last week. Should not have to turn off much on the graphics, not as fast as your desktop card but pretty dang fast.

But that's a monster! If you want gaming and non-monster portability look at the 6800 based Precision M70. So far very happy with mine, its handled everthing I've thrown at it. A little pricey though but worth it just to have one do-it-all-system....

> Widescreen helps with everything, including web browsing.

This is a personal thing but I had a really hard time going to a widescreen. IMOHO Web browsing and word processing both suffer on a widescreen.

Many web pages don't scale to the wide screen (still coded for the lowest denominator 800x600 or someting) so browsing the web on my 15.4" wide screen felt like I was using a 13" laptop as ton of realestate was just wasted.

For writing (which I do a lot of) it's the same story. Papers work best in portrait mode, and the wide screen is landscape.

OTOH movies, games, spreadsheets, powerpoint are wonderful on the wide screen.

My final solution, has been to go with a widescreen laptop (precision M70, great laptop) and an external 19" DVI LCD monitor which i put in portrait mode when doing heavy word processing. Best of all worlds......

 

[RobsTV]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
Thanks for your responses guys. The deal is, i would like to game casually, but i just know its not a possibility when portabiliy is such a major factor. Even the mobile9700 or 6200 is paltry compared to the system in my sig. I would rathher wait than play HL2 with everything turned off.

Don't worry.
MR9700 is more than enough for anything you throw at it today.
Using screens default 1440x900x32, Half-Life 2 varies from 50-100fps, depending on
where I am at in game, with models and textures at Med quality, while shaders and
shadows are at high quality.

EDIT: Just checked settings again, because when testing originally I didn't play the game. Now I do. Current settings are now 1440x900x32 widescreen mode.
All settings at recommended *
Model Texture = High *
Texture Detail = High *
Shadow Detail = High *
Shader Detail = High *
AntiAliasing = none * (O.K., this is weak)
Filtering = Trilinear *
Water Reflection = Simple *

So HL2 recommends you run the MR9700 at all settings high!

Also, even more than HL2, I use laptop for HDTV.
The MR9700 with P-M 1.8GHz runs HDTV OTA broadcasts (Sasem tuner) at about 25% CPU usage.
WMV-HD plays 1080P using 70% resources, and 720P at 45% resources.
(note that is 1080 "P" not 1080i. 1080i = 540P).

Nothing needs turned down to run on these things.
Next year? Maybe. Probably.

 

[hellfire88]

Yes, the MR9700 is quite a powerful. I was playing Counter-Strike: Source (based on HL2) on my GF's IBM T40 yesterday (it uses an ATI 9000 32mb) at 1024x768 at med settings, so I should be able to play CS: Source on my Sony S360 (which is coming today!) at high settings at the LCD's native WXGA resolution (1280x800?) Anyways, my point is, I see no reason to go with that Fujitsu laptop that you selected over the Sony VGN-S360. No reason at all. Lets do a comparison:

Anyway, here is the fujitsu S7020D I'm looking at: just under $1800

Pentium M 740 @ 1.73GHz
768MB DDRII RAM
14.1 inch SXGA+ non-glossy
DVD+/-RW SuperDrive
80gig 5400rpm SATA
Bluetooth
Atheros a/b/g wifi
3 USB 2.0, FireWire, Expresscard
Integrated GMA900 graphics (hey its better than IntelExtreme2!)
XP Home
High Definition Audio
S-Vid Out
magnesium chassis

4.2 pounds with battery and dvd drive!

The Sony Vaio VGN-S360 comes standard with:

Anyway, here is the fujitsu S7020D I'm looking at: just under $1800

Pentium M 735 @ 1.7GHz
512MB DDR RAM (1dimm)
13.3" WXGA Xbrite (glossy) LCD
24x CDRW/DVD combo drive
80gig 4200rpm IDE
Intel 802.11b/g wifi
2 USB 2.0, FireWire
ATI Radeon 9700 Mobility with 64mb dedicated RAM
XP Home
magnesium or some kind of high-end chassis

4.2 pounds with battery and CDRW/DVD drive!

Now lets compare, yes, that fujitsu uses the newer Sonoma (915GM) chipset which has 533FSB but in reality, the performance gain over the "older" 855PM chipset is quite negligible (~8% max?) at the cost of running at slightly more power and as a result, hotter and less battery life. I don't know about the Fujitsu, but comparing the Sony S270/S360 (855PM chipset) and the newer Sony S380/460 (915PM chipset), they use the exact same chassis, and you can tell that the newer S380/460 runs considerably hotter, the palmrest is quite uncomfortable with heat (I sat at Bestbuy for like 1hr just comparing the two 2days ago). A great majority, if not all, of the extra 128mb of RAM on the Fujitsu will be "eaten" by the Intel Integrated graphics, they both have ~1.7GHz CPUs with 2mb L2 cache (ok...the fujitsu has 0.03GHz more...lol), and they both have 80GB HDDs (although the Sony does use a 4200RPM HDD, what a waste SONY!!!). The only disadvantages I see of the Sony S360 over the Fujitsu is the 4200RPM HDD versus the 5400RPM one (but this can be swapped out on the sony, albeit it'll be a PITA....they put the HDD right smack in the middle of the S360, so swapping HDDs will take ~20screws and the keyboard to be removed), the DVDRW drive versus the CDRW/DVD drive on the Sony (not a big deal to me, but might be for you), and 802.11a/b/g versus 802.11b/g (again, not a big deal to me since 802.11a is useless to me). Oh and the Fujitsu DOES have 1 more USB 2.0 port, but I'd be willing to "sacrifice" all this for an ATI 9700 64mb video card over Intel Integrated ANY day. Once I get my S360, which should be sometime today, I'll run some games on it, and let you know how it does (I mostly play CS: Source and Guild Wars). I really do think it'll run both just fine at mid-high settings. Heck, it might even run Battlefield 2 at low-mid settings! Oh and a new S360 can be had for $1699 at bestbuy, $101 cheaper than that Fujitsu, and I think I saw it somewhere for $1599 with a $100 rebate. I also see a lot of new ones go for $1500 or less on eBay. Be warned about the RAM though, it uses non-standard "microdimm" which costs about double that of regular SODIMMs, so expect to pay ~$120 for a 512mb stick of microdimm DDR RAM. The S360 comes standard with 1dimm of 512mb, so just add another 512mb stick for $120 for a total of 1GB

 

[fbrdphreak]

Wow, a lot of writing, let's break it up a little bit.

Originally posted by: hellfire88
Yes, the MR9700 is quite a powerful. I was playing Counter-Strike: Source (based on HL2) on my GF's IBM T40 yesterday (it uses an ATI 9000 32mb) at 1024x768 at med settings, so I should be able to play CS: Source on my Sony S360 (which is coming today!) at high settings at the LCD's native WXGA resolution (1280x800?) The reason the MR9700 does so well in HL2 is because HL2 (and CS:S) are coded to favor ATI hardware. This is well known and great for ATI owners, but doesn't mean the MR9700 is a powerful card by today's standards. Load up Halo, D3 (which favors NVIDIA), or any other recent graphically intensive game (Chronicles of Riddick) and you'll see how it falls behind at any reasonable resolution. Again, I don't recommend buying old technology if you can avoid it.
Anyways, my point is, I see no reason to go with that Fujitsu laptop that you selected over the Sony VGN-S360. No reason at all. Lets do a comparison:


Now lets compare, yes, that fujitsu uses the newer Sonoma (915GM) chipset which has 533FSB but in reality, the performance gain over the "older" 855PM chipset is quite negligible (~8% max?) at the cost of running at slightly more power and as a result, hotter and less battery life. I don't know about the Fujitsu, but comparing the Sony S270/S360 (855PM chipset) and the newer Sony S380/460 (915PM chipset), they use the exact same chassis, and you can tell that the newer S380/460 runs considerably hotter, the palmrest is quite uncomfortable with heat (I sat at Bestbuy for like 1hr just comparing the two 2days ago). This is a very valid point. Sonoma uses more power, offers little to no performance increase, and with integrated graphics there is pretty much no reason to go w/Sonoma (except that the GMA900 DOES perform better than Extreme2 and uses less system RAM. It dynamically adjusts based on 2D or 3D usage).

A great majority, if not all, of the extra 128mb of RAM on the Fujitsu will be "eaten" by the Intel Integrated graphics, they both have ~1.7GHz CPUs with 2mb L2 cache (ok...the fujitsu has 0.03GHz more...lol), and they both have 80GB HDDs (although the Sony does use a 4200RPM HDD, what a waste SONY!!!). The only disadvantages I see of the Sony S360 over the Fujitsu is the 4200RPM HDD versus the 5400RPM one (but this can be swapped out on the sony, albeit it'll be a PITA....they put the HDD right smack in the middle of the S360, so swapping HDDs will take ~20screws and the keyboard to be removed), the DVDRW drive versus the CDRW/DVD drive on the Sony (not a big deal to me, but might be for you), and 802.11a/b/g versus 802.11b/g (again, not a big deal to me since 802.11a is useless to me). Oh and the Fujitsu DOES have 1 more USB 2.0 port, but I'd be willing to "sacrifice" all this for an ATI 9700 64mb video card over Intel Integrated ANY day. As I mentioned above, the GMA900 only uses like ~16MB of system RAM in 2D. It jumps up to 128MB VRAM if you have 512MB system or more during 3D usage. Now the HDD and DVDRW are big selling points for the Fujitsu. It seems like the OP very well might have use for a DVDRW and everyone can use a 5400RPM drive. That is one less thing he has to worry about swapping out. While the MR9700 is light years ahead of the GMA900, HE ISN'T GAMING. So in that regard the MR9700 will just eat more power and provide more heat for something he ISN'T going to use.

Once I get my S360, which should be sometime today, I'll run some games on it, and let you know how it does (I mostly play CS: Source and Guild Wars). I really do think it'll run both just fine at mid-high settings. Heck, it might even run Battlefield 2 at low-mid settings! Oh and a new S360 can be had for $1699 at bestbuy, $101 cheaper than that Fujitsu, and I think I saw it somewhere for $1599 with a $100 rebate. I also see a lot of new ones go for $1500 or less on eBay. Be warned about the RAM though, it uses non-standard "microdimm" which costs about double that of regular SODIMMs, so expect to pay ~$120 for a 512mb stick of microdimm DDR RAM. The S360 comes standard with 1dimm of 512mb, so just add another 512mb stick for $120 for a total of 1GB
Microdimm's are a pain in the butt. They're expensive, harder to find, and if you to put in 2x512, what happens if you want to go to 1.5 or 2GB? SOL The S360 isn't a bad machine, but for the OP the Fujitsu really fits the bill. The Fujitsu's screen is better than the S360, or at least Fujitsu screens are better than the Sony screens I should say. Link Also I would definitely put Fujitsu build quality above Sony, in general. I've handled the S360 a number of times and while it isn't a BAD chassis, its not great. It definitely isn't any kind of magnesium alloy that I've seen and overall Fujitsu notebooks are built better than Sony's.

 

[cmp1223]

hellfire88, thanks for the detailed response, I would really like to hear what you think of your S360 when you get it. Also, another selling point is screen size. I can't see myself using a 13.3in screen for four years. I think the fujitsu 14.1 inch SXGA+ will be perfect. If i wanted any sort of gaming device, i would probably move up to the ASUS Z71v or W3 and sacrifice a few pounds. But, i will be flying alot and traveling with it, so under 5 pounds is key. And, as I only play 4 or 5 computer games a year, i'll try to hold off so i can enjoy the glory of a 6800 . I think the Sony gives up a little too much: Atheros wireless, standard memory, smaller screen, DVD burner, Expresscard, Bluetooth, HardDrive RPM, Sonoma goodies (HD audio, SATA), probably a little less sturdy, to justify the 9700. So my main question now is, with gaming out of the question, will integrated graphics severly limit the capabilities of this notebook in regards to general laptop usage and future compatibility. As i see it, i can see no reason that integrated graphics will hurt me if i'm not gaming.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
So my main question now is, with gaming out of the question, will integrated graphics severly limit the capabilities of this notebook in regards to general laptop usage and future compatibility. As i see it, i can see no reason that integrated graphics will hurt me if i'm not gaming.

In all reality, no. As I mentioned previously Longhorn will have a compatible interface mode for integrated graphics. It won't look as pretty, but it will look at least as good as current OSes and still function fine. GMA900 uses RAM more efficiently (~16MB in 2D mode), uses less power than integrated graphics, and doesn't degrade system performance as badly thanks to the higher bandwidth FSB.

14.1" is a great size for travelling. I have a 14" T43 and it is so light & thin, I love it. MUCH better than my 15" T42

 

[hellfire88]

Ok, if gaming is out of the question, then the Fujitsu is fine. However, I still think that $1899 is too much for that. I just went to HP.com, and you can get a nice DV1000 with:

- Pentium M 740 (1.73GHz Dothan CPU)
- 512mb DDR RAM (1dimm, add another dimm of 512mb DDR RAM for ~$50 from newegg.com etc.)
- 80GB 5400RPM HDD
- 14.1" WXGA Brightview LCD
- Intel Wirless Pro 2200 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth
- Same Intel Integrated GMA900 as that Fujitsu
- 8x DVDRW DVD burner
- weighs about...~5lbs or less?

All this for $1344 versus the ~$1800 for that Fujitsu. And this is before any academic discounts you might be able to get with HP! I hear many good things about the DV1000, although I've never actually seen one. I'm sure you can go visit your local bestbuy or circuit city to see one in person. I'd recommend trying to see whichever laptop you consider in person. Some people just love/hate the keyboards of their laptops, and you can't really swap it out for another, lol. Otherwise, if you REALLY want to save some money, look at the Dell Inspiron 600m. Granted, its "older" technology (855PM chipset), but you can get a 14.1" SXGA+, ATI 9000 64mb, Pentium M 1.6GHz Dothan, 40GB 5400RPM HDD, 8x DVDRW burner, 256mb 1dimm, 802.11b/g wireless (intel), etc. for $750 if you find the right coupon. With all the upgraded features that you want (80GB HDD, 512mb+ RAM, etc.), I'm sure you can get one for less than $1000. Be warned though, the 600m won't have the build-qualtiy of Fujitsu/Sony, but its not too bad. Also, the left palmrest gets warm a lot, since they put the HDD right there lol. I've used 2 600m's in the past with no problems. They weigh about 5lbs with the battery and DVDRW drive. I don't think Intel Integrated graphics will hinder you any, I regularly hear people do video editing on their Dell 700m's with intel integrated just fine lol. Some people are worried about how the Intel Integrated video cards with fare with the new "Longhorn" Window OS though. I personally don't know about it, so i can't comment on that. It might be something you want to look up though. Good luck!

 

[fbrdphreak]

I agree, the dv1000 is a better bang for the buck. Its about 5.5-6lbs with the 12-cell battery and gets 7 hours of batt life on the 12-cell. Well, at least 7 hours on the old Centrino platform, probly 6-6.5 on the new one
dv1000 Review

And the new dv1000's use Sonoma, so GMA900 is there too! Can't beat it IMO

 

[cmp1223]

Thanks, the dv1000 looks nice, but the biggest thing it has going for it is the price, and i'm more than willing to go up to $1900 for a laptop that will last me (hopefully) years. Even disregarding HP quality, moving up the 5.5 to 6 pound range puts me in the ASUS W3, V6V, and maybe even the Z71 weight range, all with much better graphics. And although it only has a 6cell battery, the Fujitsu has that "lightest 14inch with optical drive" (4.3 pounds) coolness about it.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Agreed

 

[cmp1223]

I was looking at the toshiba tecra m3 (with 6600go i think) but both cnet and pcworld commented on the weak lid/case. I still don't like the glossy screen on the W3V. The T43 is a little expensive, so i think i'll go ahead and get the fujitsu this week.

 

[Liver]

I offer you a point to think about.

Why get a super slick laptop that does everything and pay premium for it? I say get something not so bleeding edge and save some cash.

Instead of having the laptop last 4 years (per your original post), upgrade it in two years. I still think that you will be ahead in cost, and technology.

I am no seer, but I believe that standard, middle of the road laptops in 2 years will be better than the premium laptops right now.

I recently bought a Dell 700m (less than $1000), and I fully anticipate replacing it in a couple of years. At the end of four years I will have a 2 year old machine, or I could have busted the bank now and have a 4 year old machine in 4 years.

Why should I expect my laptop to last so long, when I do not expect that from my desktop?

Of course YMMV

Liver

edited for clarity

 

[imported_QV]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
I was looking at the toshiba tecra m3 (with 6600go i think) but both cnet and pcworld commented on the weak lid/case. I still don't like the glossy screen on the W3V. The T43 is a little expensive, so i think i'll go ahead and get the fujitsu this week.

I have an M3, and I'm happy to say that I've had zero problems with it.

The specs are perfect, the size is great (it could stand to be a little smaller, but the size is still great), it works perfectly, and on top of all that, it looks beautiful. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.

 

[cmp1223]

Originally posted by: Liver
I offer you a point to think about.

Why get a super slick laptop that does everything and pay premium for it? I say get something not so bleeding edge and save some cash.

Instead of having the laptop last 4 years (per your original post), upgrade it in two years. I still think that you will be ahead in cost, and technology.

I am no seer, but I believe that standard, middle of the road laptops in 2 years will be better than the premium laptops right now.

I recently bought a Dell 700m (less than $1000), and I fully anticipate replacing it in a couple of years. At the end of four years I will have a 2 year old machine, or I could have busted the bank now and have a 4 year old machine in 4 years.

Why should I expect my laptop to last so long, when I do not expect that from my desktop?

Of course YMMV

Liver

edited for clarity

Liver, I definitely see where you're coming from, but at the same time, what i'm paying a premium for is light weight. It has a 14" screen at the same weight of your 12" 700m. I also have a need NOW for many of the features. I think it will at least be three years before big changes really outdate current laptops: MS Longhorn, 64-bit only apps, and the like.

BTW, QV, can you comment on the sturdyness of the M3, cnet doesn't seem to think its up to par.

 

[Liver]

Ultimately you need to do what you need to do. Just with computers and many things in life. There are always big changes around the corner or in the distant future. I have the distinct mind set that I will upgrade this computer to a newer model in 2 years.

I did pay extra for the small size, but I realized that I would not take the computer everywhere if it was a pain to lug around. I would only take it to places that I had to.

I would have loved the discrete graphics mainly for better DVD playback. Some gaming may have been nice, but in the end it was portability that won.

Liver

 

[imported_QV]

Originally posted by: cmp1223
BTW, QV, can you comment on the sturdyness of the M3, cnet doesn't seem to think its up to par.

That's something I've not tested, and if I'm lucky, I never will. So far, I've managed not to drop it or bang it. Honestly, I don't know how well it'll hold up to such things, so I don't know what to tell you.