What's a good Core I3 Laptop?

[Hey Zeus]

Looking for under 850 dollars. Any out there that really shine?

 

[alyarb]

this early in the platform's life you are going to have a tough time finding a laptop that stands out based on features. there are probably no 1080p laptops with i3 at this time, for instance, so just buy based on the screen size, keyboard and touchpad you like best.

 

[jaydee]

Any other requirements other than it has to be i3? Screen size, video card, battery life, etc?

 

[Midwayman]

Looking for under 850 dollars. Any out there that really shine?

Well, Best Buy has a sony i5-520 with Nvidia 330m graphics, 500g 5400rpm HDD, 4g ram and a 14.1" 1600x900 screen for $900 (white only) and $950 if you want blu-ray (black and purple)

 

[Hey Zeus]

I'm not looking for a gamer. Have a desktop for that. Just something for internet surfing, email and porn

 

[taltamir]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2044465

you want to pay the least for your i3 laptop... buying a brand new HDD or RAM or whatever for your laptop from newegg costs less than "upgrading" from the basic item to the a similar item at a retailer.
So instead of buying a 500gb hdd, get the smallest 250gb hdd, take it out, sell it on ebay, and buy a 500gb HDD thats actually good... and enjoy having saved money. Upgrades should be limited to hard to upgrade things on a laptop, such as the monitor, speakers, built in webcam, built in finger print scanner, etc. (if you want those things of course)

there is a distinct lack of choices for i3 right now. I suggest waiting a little for more market penetration. there are currently no real good choice, as the dell example shows, you are limited to prebuilt / configred machines. but they seem pretty complete are fairly cheap right now... surprisingly it is more than 100$ cheaper to get a predesigned one, and the "custom" ones lack customization options at the moment.

 

[Hey Zeus]

It seems i cannot find an I3 notebook with an Ati 5 series gpu chipset and biometrics

 

[alyarb]

you are asking for a way too specific machine. i can't even promise you that such a laptop will ever exist but leaving screen size/resolution out of your criteria helps.

 

[Hey Zeus]

you are asking for a way too specific machine. i can't even promise you that such a laptop will ever exist but leaving screen size/resolution out of your criteria helps.

Not too worried about screen size

Taking a very hard look at this bad boy. It's over what i want to pay but has an I7 and Ati 5 series graphics

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220696

 

[Mech0z]

Why not just get the UL80? It has supr battery life, decent size, good looks. All which works for email, surf & porn.

 

[taltamir]

I'm not looking for a gamer. Have a desktop for that. Just something for internet surfing, email and porn

It seems i cannot find an I3 notebook with an Ati 5 series gpu chipset and biometrics

those are contradictory statements. You do NOT want an ATI 5 series video card in a computer for "non gaming" and for "internet, email, and porn"... all the ATI card will do in such a machine is consume power and generate heat and noise, and add price.

if you don't game on that machine you want an i3 with the integrated video, ideally the on CPU integrated video (that means a dual core arrendale)... if you go for an i7 it will be off core (in northbridge)... but there is really no reason to buy an i7 or and i5, they are way too expensive and the i3 is too good.

 

[jjmIII]

Not too worried about screen size

Taking a very hard look at this bad boy. It's over what i want to pay but has an I7 and Ati 5 series graphics

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220696

Spend the extra and get it.

Buying less and upgradeing as mentioned above isn't gonna get you all that for 1k.

Here is my "porn" laptop. Over the top in every way!

 

[taltamir]

Buying less and upgradeing as mentioned above isn't gonna get you all that for 1k.

I did say the "upgrade" is only for the HDD (SSD) and RAM really... and yes you will get much more than that for less money.

but an i7 isn't something you upgrade into yourself... nor is a video card in a laptop for that matter (like the ati 5 series)

that being said, there is absolutely no reason to get an i7 and an ATI video card in a non gaming machine... none, zilch, nada.

 

[jjmIII]

there is absolutely no reason to get an i7 and an ATI video card in a non gaming machine... none, zilch, nada.

not true.....e-penis

Plus, look at 'ol Zues. He joined Dec 09 and has 700+ post. He's got the bug! He'll be bummed if he saved $150, and didn't get all the bling for just a bit more....don't ask how I know.

 

[taltamir]

not true.....e-penis

Plus, look at 'ol Zues. He joined Dec 09 and has 700+ post. He's got the bug! He'll be bummed if he saved $150, and didn't get all the bling for just a bit more....don't ask how I know.

heh.. that is funny
but it isn't just about cost. It also adds more weight, more heat, and shortens battery life. you are paying hundreds of dollars extra for a downgrade

 

[jjmIII]

...more weight, more heat, and shortens battery life. you are paying hundreds of dollars extra for a downgrade

Never carry mine. Sits on a stand next to my TV chair.
You do make a good point for those going mobile...

 

[Anonemous]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1832293
@Bestbuy for $499
* Intel® Core™ i3-330M processor (all have confirmed I5-430m cpu)
* 4GB DDR3 memory
* Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
* 15.6" LED-backlit high-definition widescreen display (1366x768)
* 320GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
* Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD (128MB of dedicated video memory)
* HDMI port for connection to an HDTV.
* Built-in webcam and microphone
* Multi-in-1 digital media reader (Supports SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO and xD-Picture Card formats)
* 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
* Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
* Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
* Weighs 5.8 lbs. and measures just 1.5" thin
* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled

 

[taltamir]

very nice anonemous... stores near me didn't have it, I had to drive 35 minutes (in each direction) to get to one that did (store #55) and bought one...