[YellowRyce]

Can someone list the pros and cons of a Dell XPS M1530

[huyen2501]

thanks for your input Godotology and naoto! i'm gonna get the mini note a little later since i just purchased a compaq lappy for my mom today. o_O

[roguechinadoll]

Like a couple of other soompiers that have posted in this topic, I'm going to be starting college in the fall and need a laptop.
Right now I'm thinking of either buying a Lenova IdeaPad Y510 or a Toshiba Satellite.
I'm only apprehensive about buying the IdeaPad because it doesn't have bluetooth.
I'm not really sure if bluetooth is all that necessary so can anyone enlighten me about its uses? >.>;

I just want a sturdy laptop that will last the next 4 years. I'll mostly be using it for DLing and watching kdramas, listening to music, surfing the net, typing up papers, and the occasional web designing (w/ Photoshop). I don't want to go over $800. What do you think will suit my needs?

[Godotology]

Can someone list the pros and cons of a Dell XPS M1530

lots of pros:
has an option for a WUXGA screen for those who like high resolutions
or an LED backlit WXGA screen, resolution is lower but it uses newer technology. There's only 2 15.4" laptops that use LED backlit screens
and its the Macbook Pro and the XPS M1530.
It has a powerful video card that uses GDDR3 not 2 like some other rivals
its quite sleek and uses various metals in its build instead of being all plastic like most HPs, or lower end Dells.
the XPS series has their own support thats separate from the Inspiron series.
good selection of ports.

cons:
as an XPS series, it is pricier than the Vostro or Inspiron models from Dell. (But its still cheaper than the Macbook Pro)
it uses a slot loading dvd drive.. this may be a pro to some people or con to others, but it is noisier

Like a couple of other soompiers that have posted in this topic, I'm going to be starting college in the fall and need a laptop.
Right now I'm thinking of either buying a Lenova IdeaPad Y510 or a Toshiba Satellite.
I'm only apprehensive about buying the IdeaPad because it doesn't have bluetooth.
I'm not really sure if bluetooth is all that necessary so can anyone enlighten me about its uses? >.>;

I just want a sturdy laptop that will last the next 4 years. I'll mostly be using it for DLing and watching kdramas, listening to music, surfing the net, typing up papers, and the occasional web designing (w/ Photoshop). I don't want to go over $800. What do you think will suit my needs?

$800 and sturdy usually doesn't go along with each other Especially since the Ideapad and Satellite are Lenovo's and Toshiba's low end models.
you're limited to either old laptops, or laptops that primarily use only plastic in their construction
(not that its bad because they can be sturdy too.. but its just not at the same level as say
Lenovo Thinkpads that use Titanium reinforced chassis, etc).

Bluetooth, well it really depends what you want to do.. I personally would get it.
there's lots of devices that connect using bluetooth like a bluetooth mouse, headset, etc

[YellowRyce]

Should I get the new penryn processors, or does it really matter? Also if do some older gaming like CS 1.6 and WCIII should I get a seperate graphics card or is integrated good enough

[Godotology]

Should I get the new penryn processors, or does it really matter? Also if do some older gaming like CS 1.6 and WCIII should I get a seperate graphics card or is integrated good enough

the new Intel processors aren't out yet (give it 9 more days or so) so no one has done an in depth review on how much of an improvement it is.. but for me, each year what I'm more interested in is the new video cards, rather than the new cpus.

integrated is good enough for cs 1.6 and wcIII. actually one of ATi's newest integrated stuff is actually very impressive.

[roguechinadoll]

$800 and sturdy usually doesn't go along with each other Especially since the Ideapad and Satellite are Lenovo's and Toshiba's low end models.
you're limited to either old laptops, or laptops that primarily use only plastic in their construction
(not that its bad because they can be sturdy too.. but its just not at the same level as say
Lenovo Thinkpads that use Titanium reinforced chassis, etc).

Bluetooth, well it really depends what you want to do.. I personally would get it.
there's lots of devices that connect using bluetooth like a bluetooth mouse, headset, etc

Well, scratch sturdy and replace it with "reliable."
Which laptop would you recommend then that's in the $800 range? I would really like one with 2 GB memory and at least 100GB of hard drive space and a 14"-15" screen.
I've already heard that HP tends to crap out easily and Dell doesn't always use the best parts. But I'm also kind of staying away from Mac because I can never get used to the feel of them. So what should I do??

[Godotology]

Well, scratch sturdy and replace it with "reliable."
Which laptop would you recommend then that's in the $800 range? I would really like one with 2 GB memory and at least 100GB of hard drive space and a 14"-15" screen.
I've already heard that HP tends to crap out easily and Dell doesn't always use the best parts. But I'm also kind of staying away from Mac because I can never get used to the feel of them. So what should I do??

well at $800, you can't afford a Mac in the first place, so its out of the question. You're really limited to Dell Inspiron, Vostro, HP Pavilions, low end Sony Vaios. Maybe you can find a low spec-d Lenovo Thinkpad R or even T series.. and if you do that would be your best bet for sturdiness and reliability because they're built quite well.

between the first three. maybe the Dell Vostro would be better as they have a seperate support service from the Inspiron and from my experience, is faster and better at dealing with customers (yes Dell has seperate support lines for different laptop models). Toshiba Satelites and Acer will also fall under $1000 but I don't really reccomend them.

also like stated above, all the name brands will release new notebooks soon. The new Vostros however have already been released.

[naoto]

Well, scratch sturdy and replace it with "reliable."

roguechinadoll - can you check to see if your college is listed in apple's "education store"? If you go to the store section on their website and scroll down maybe you can find it. A student discount does lower the prices so a macbook 13" base model is.... $1000. That's not too far off from your budget. godotology is right though, I would choose a lenovo thinkpad for that kind of price. Nothing else seems to be built decently for $800... search "lenovo ecoupon" on google and you can instantly find a good discount to lower it even more (same for buying from dell).

-The thinkpad R61e fits perfectly into your price range ($800, more like $700 with a coupon) and has a 15" widescreen plus an 80GB hard drive, BUT only 1gb ram as standard (so upgrade, adding 1GB is only around $60). So this is the choice for you. Reliable, tough laptop that fits into your budget, not an hp, dell, or a mac. But it's heavy, around 5.4 lbs. (a macbook 13" in comparison is 5.1 lbs). If you can save up an extra 200 bucks, I would go with the thinkpad T61 because it's almost 1lb. lighter (sorry I'm Canadian, metric system everything).

*my prices will be slightly higher than yours, I can only view the Canadian version of the website.

[YellowRyce]

XPS M1530
Core 2 Duo T8300
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
15.4 LED LCD (1440*900)
256 Nvidia GeForce 8600MGT
250GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
56Whr 6-cell Lithium Ion

$1499

Is there anything I should be worried about? Price too high? Should I buy?

[roguechinadoll]

Thanks for the feedback, Godotology & naoto.
I'm starting to lean to the Thinkpad T61 and shelling out a couple of extra $100s. However, I was reading customer reviews on Cnet.com and a lot of people were mentioning the BSOD. Has anybody else experienced similar problems? I'd like to avoid such problems since I'm planning to watch a lot of kdramas. T.T

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thi...7-32442903.html

[naoto]

It's hard to say, because:

-only people who are unsatisfied with their product would go on cnet/wired/etc. and vent. People who have no problems don't usually go to those websites, find the laptop they purchased and type "I love this laptop. This is a great product all of you should buy it".

-with that said, I've read on numerous forums that people are satisfied and have no problems with the T61 (a popular model actually).

-I can find just as many complaints on cnet/laptop review websites for dell (even people at church say don't buy dell), hp (cheap quality), macbooks (expensive accessories and poor battery life). So I wouldn't let it bother you. PC World published a survey done in america on customer satisfaction and customer support, in fact only lenovo and apple rated above average for laptops. Lenovo laptops are still serviced by IBM in some parts of the U.S., who are known to have impeccable service records. New laptops all have warranties, if something is wrong they will fix it... but I can't find a single laptop that doesn't have complaints and problems associated with it.

[Godotology]

Thanks for the feedback, Godotology & naoto.
I'm starting to lean to the Thinkpad T61 and shelling out a couple of extra $100s. However, I was reading customer reviews on Cnet.com and a lot of people were mentioning the BSOD. Has anybody else experienced similar problems? I'd like to avoid such problems since I'm planning to watch a lot of kdramas. T.T

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thi...7-32442903.html

like Naoto has said, most of the people who tend to post problems, post them because there's a problem
people who are satisfied, usually don't find the urge to post as they aren't seeking other people's assistance to a problem.]

In anycase, I've used the T61 for a while (testing it out for a friend) and its a real solid notebook, and he never had a BSOD, nor did I witness one when working with it.

The only downside to the T61 and most other thinkpads are the screen.. some people may feel its not bright enough or don't like matte screens. This may change however, as the new Thinkpad models (which will probably be available later this month) will use LED backlit screens, as well as having more port options.

keep in mind that because you're on a budget, these new thinkpads may not be cheap.. and that the older models will be cheaper.

[duduhead0808]

I'm thinking about buying the lenovo x300 for college. Do you guys think it would be wise for me to buy it now or wait another month in case of new updates/ sales??

[Godotology]

I'm thinking about buying the lenovo x300 for college. Do you guys think it would be wise for me to buy it now or wait another month in case of new updates/ sales??

yeah I think you should wait, although Lenovo does take quite some time to build something once you order it so you may not get it in time before school starts. the x300 is a great notebook though. There will be an x200 too.

[AhleesOhn<3JJ]

what do you guys think of toshiba laptops?
i don't have a specific model in mind, but my mom was mentioning them, but i don't know too much about them. i've never used one and i dont really know anyone who uses one.
are they any good? do they work the same as any other laptop with the same features?

[kwok]

Is the Studio line up the summer laptops for Dell? Or will they be releasing more? Studio 15/17 doesn't seem to be using a new Intel processor, right? Nevermind! I just realized the Studio line up are the successors of the Inspiron series. I'm guessing they'll be releasing the successors to the XPS models with the new Montevina processors soon?

Studio 15 looked like a pretty good choice if only it had a bit of a better graphics card =(.

[yumei]

what is a good labptop to invest in?

[duduhead0808]

thanks for the advice. but just wondering, do you think that there will be a price drop or do you think there will be an update?

[starbleedsaway]

I'm planning to buy a laptop ASAP for University, however the main purpose of me buying a laptop is more for the mobility rather than actual university work.

I'll be using it mainly for gaming and I require a inbuilt webcam also, I was leaning towards the HP Pavillion laptops or the Sony Vaio's.

I'm not sure what laptop would be the best to go for, so it'd be nice if I could have some suggestions, thanks