If i were to get a laptop, what should i get? a) Mac b) Alienware (M11x) c) Some other laptop running windows 7. I'd probably use it for: - School work (which i don't get a lot of when it comes to needing a computer). - Internet (obviously) - Gaming (well not a lot of gaming; few games only) Other questions: - If i get a macbook, what kind should i get? (Macbook/Pro/Air) - If i get a macbook, when should i get one? I don't want to get one and a few months later it's old. - If i get "other", what brand of laptop? Side notes: - I know asking here would probably give me some unbiased opinions. - I added the Alienware in there, but i doubt i'll get that. Thanks and Happy New Year! - - - - - - - - - - Edit: Okay so i narrowed down my choices: 1. Macbook Pro 13" - $1199 - 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor - NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256MB DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory - 4GB memory; 250GB 5400-rpm hard drive - Up to 10 hours 2. Macbook Pro 15" - 1799 - 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor - Intel HD Graphics with 256MB DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory; NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 256MB GDDR3 memory and automatic graphics switching - 4GB memory; 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive - Up to 8-9 hours 3. HP Envy 14 - 1218.99 - Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz - 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI] - For Dual Core Processors - 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection - Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2010 - 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 6.0 hours of battery life +++
I agree. Option C. They just rebooted their XPS laptop lineup, and those specs for $800 is nothing to scoff at. But a MacBook is great if that's what you're used to. I'd go for a 15" myself - portable enough, but still good real estate. If you have the money, the new Intel cores in the Pros are beastly.
Actually, i've been raised with Option C (Windows PCs). People have just been convincing me to go Mac. And I just saw Alienware recently, but if it's all gaming, then nevermind. How big is that laptop? I also want something light, and really portably. It looks nice though.
It starts at six pounds, which is probably a bit too heavy. (I'm not too sure; I merely browse, not enough money to be adequately knowledgeable about laptops. ) Not very thin, either. The rest of the size specs are on the webpage I gave. Probably a laptop that you would take around in a backpack or something. ASUS is also a good laptop line; they've got some pretty powerful ones on sites like Newegg and such. Probably around the same size and weight. EDIT: Oh, and I guess the XPS 15" I showed the link to also has two USB 3.0 ports, so it'll be pretty future-proof in that regard.
Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy the m11x. The laptop is very fast (I had one) and nice, but the quality is bad. The hinge of the laptop is awefully designed so theres a huge chance it will break. The Dell support is also awefully bad. If you want to go for a Macbook I'd take a MBP 13", but the HP Envy 14 is also really nice. Very fast, looks extremely good (unibody), and last but not least you'll probably get a free extendable battery with it. You can click this thing on the bottom of the laptop, it will make it a little bit thicker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iUQBosNJOY HP Envy video. It has an ATi Radeon HD5650 (not a high end gaming card, but it's certainly faster then you'll find in most multimedia laptops. Will run games like CoD7, Dirt 2, BFBC2 really well.). You can choose from an Intel core i5 (dual core) and intel core i7 (quad core) obviously the i7 is faster, but the i5 is a really good processor too.
If you go with option A, go for the Macbook Pro (since you want to play games). Get it around June/July/August because Apple has a student discount and they give you a free iPod Touch as well. And they usually get updated in the April/May/June area (the updates have been slightly inconsistent in the last few years). If you go with option C, check out the HP Envy series, like synther said. I haven't used one myself, but I've heard good things about them.
Mac isn't the best when it comes to games... most don't support it at all. The Envy series is not too shabby but there's no disk drive so you'll have to buy a seperate one that connects via USB port. Also another alternative is getting a Sager laptop, they're not too well known but their stuff is pretty good and cheaper than Alienware.
I like the HP Envy 14, it has a good size and weight. It's specs look good too (even if i have no idea in mos of them). I'm not going to focus in games, and i won't be playing big games (like COD). Maybe games like Wesnoth, Minecraft, and the like. I won't really need an external disc drive either, but i would prefer it to have one. For the Mac, good to know about the discount and free iPod touch. Do you still get a discount even if you're not a college student? For the HP Envy, it looks like you can choose what goes in it. Should i just order it as it is, or should i go for other stuff?
I Just ordered a XPS Laptop 15. It cost about $1100. (It is in Canadian dollars. It is always a little more expensive) Processor Intel® Core™ i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 8 threads, turbo boost up to 2.93GHz, 6M cache) Memory 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Keyboard Backlit Keyboard - English Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 435M 2GB graphics Hard Drive 640GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive USB 3, HDMI,Display Port....etc If you can find better, please let me know to cancel my order. Looking at thos specs explain why I didn't buy an Apple laptop. If you need portability, I would go for the MBA or the TimelineX.
I don't know how much money you want to spend but on the official HP website you can customize the Envy 14 and order it. The "recommended" configuration (http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/ENVY14_series/3/computer_store?jumpid=in_r329_personalization/browse1/home_SDP) is really nice, costs $1400. It's just a little bit slower than the fastest Macbook Pro (17") you can configure, except for the ATi Radeon HD5650 which is faster than the Nvdia GPU in a Macbook. • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz • 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 graphics [HDMI] - For Quad Core Processors • 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) • 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection • 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 6.0 hours of battery life +++ • 14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768) • SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load) • Backlit Keyboard These are all the specs that really matter. If it's too expensive I'd just get 4GB RAM (4GB really is enough to run W7 properly. 6GB is actually a little bit too much but it might be handy). You could also change the CPU, and put an intel core i5 460 in it, which is a decent CPU too. The only thing that doesn't seem to be included in the price is the warranty, but I'm not sure about that. E: It seems to have 2 premium warranty for free. "This series is backed by a two-year HP limited warranty6 on hardware. Our award-winning Total Care offers friendly, expert, around-the-clock assistance by phone, e-mail, and on-line chat. You can:"
Well, i changed it to: -4GB Ram -intel core i5 460 -graphics card that supported above -added Microsoft Office Home and Student Total: $1,218.99 It was still pretty expensive. The Macbook Pro 13" is $1,199, but i believe the processor of the HP Envy is better.
That's a sweet rig, last year I got the Dell Studio 15 with the i7-720 with the ATI, and I would say it's been far above my expectations. I'm running games like badcompany 2 and MW2 with about 30-35 fps, and it still looks good.
The XPS 15" has about the same specs (i5 460, 4GB RAM) at its low end. 1GB NVIDIA GT420 GPU, same memory as the Radeon 5650. I'm not sure which one would be better of those two, but NVIDIA's been good to me. Smaller hard drive, but same speed, and the upgrade to 640GB is $40. Adding in the 640GB hard drive and Office Home and Student brings you to $918.99 for the XPS 15".
The Radeon 5650 is better (I actually think it's better than the GT435m too, but the 5650 has less memory so that makes them kinda even). I've had bad experience with Dell support (their Next Business Day warranty), so I'd go for the HP. I think the build quality of the HP Envy 14 is also better because it's a "unibody". It also looks really nice IMO.
The asus u35JC is my computer right now, and it is a great computer for the price. Not sure how much you want to pay though, or if you think a 13 inch screen is too small (its perfect for the portable computer it is). AND you get great battery life. http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-U35JC-A1-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Silver/dp/B003UNHGFQ%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJASE6HSSVXTNREYQ%26tag%3Dfstfx2-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB003UNHGFQ
Get a 15 inch MacBook pro yes wait till summer and if you want go with the bootcamp partition and use windows as well as OS X that way everything works out. They just released a new MacBook pro line up last spring so there shouldn't be one for another year or two. Look it up, apple follows patterns. I have 15 inch MacBook pro from last year(updated). Core i7 processor with 500 gb hard drive. I also have the windows 7 partition for Microsoft office and some games. It really is great and if you have an idevice, it works well. Also apple customer care and service are great too so its a sort of win/win.
