[toiletpaper]

try looking at screen sizes first (which affects the weight). go to a best buy or something, play around with the models.. see which size you like, then we can talk models.

at 800, you're generally limited to 13.3" to 16".

im not really sure about model.. but i was thinking about 15/16" and i dont really think weight matters.. its just going to be sitting at home in my case ><

[Godotology]

im not really sure about model.. but i was thinking about 15/16" and i dont really think weight matters.. its just going to be sitting at home in my case ><

well at $800, you may be able to sneak in a decently spec'd DV5T from HP. Its not the best laptop in the world (your budget is $800 after all), but it offers one of the best price to performance ratio. Check notebookreview.com's forum.. you can find a 30% off coupon there which you can use.
You can get a prety well spec'd DV5T with a good video card too (if you decide to game).

there's many other models that are decent at this price range.. Dell Studio 15, Dell Inspiron 13 (if you want lighter), etc but I think the HP DV5T will give you the most for your money and it has an awesome array of ports like E-Sata, HDMI, and an expansion port, should you decide to hook your laptop up to a big screen tv or want faster transfer speed between your computer and an external Hard drive.

[philophobia.]

i'm debating on which notebook/laptop to buy..


apple white macbook.
vs.
sony vaio cs dove white.

i currently have fujitsu lifebook a white but it sucks
i have to CONSTANTLy have the battery charging or else the laptop would guy in 10 minutes.
had multiple trouble with the fujitsu. =[

i'm going off to college now i dont do gaming.
but one problem im ehhh about macbook is that i cant download programs i want :[

[Godotology]

i'm debating on which notebook/laptop to buy..


apple white macbook.
vs.
sony vaio cs dove white.

i currently have fujitsu lifebook a white but it sucks
i have to CONSTANTLy have the battery charging or else the laptop would guy in 10 minutes.
had multiple trouble with the fujitsu. =[

i'm going off to college now i dont do gaming.
but one problem im ehhh about macbook is that i cant download programs i want :[

just curious, are you after a white laptop?
I'm not particularly a fan of the CS series myself.. there's nothing really wrong with the laptop.. but I think it doesn't offer much for the money and isn't one of the best built or looking. the CS (along with the NS) is Sony's lowest model in their line up.

As for the white macbook, Apple recently decided to update it, so it has a much better integrated video card which will let you do low level gaming. You can always install Windows on a mac via parallels or some other program.. of course you'll have to buy it ;)

if you're not intent on just white notebooks, I can recommend some other things too.

[kaldas]

Did HP get rid of the dv5t? I was planning to buy one but it seems that HP replaced it with the dv6t..
I took a look at the dv6t, they're using a worse graphics card..? any other recommendations?

[Godotology]

Did HP get rid of the dv5t? I was planning to buy one but it seems that HP replaced it with the dv6t..
I took a look at the dv6t, they're using a worse graphics card..? any other recommendations?

yeap, HP did get rid of it, and there goes one of the best 15.4" notebooks in terms of price/spec ratio.
the DV6T is nowhere near as good as the DV5T in terms of gpu options, but it seems the entire industry keeps wanting people to go to a 16:9 ratio screen.

you can try one of the Asus M series or N series that should be roughly comparable to the HP DV5t, perhaps a bit more expensive, or the Sony Vaio FW series, but that is a 16" model.

you could go the route I took and go to the dell outlet and pick up a refurb Precision M4400. its virtually brand new (just one very faint scratch at the end of the palm rest, thats it!) has a video card that is just as good, a better build quality, backlit keyboard, better return options, gave two real CDs of XP pro and Vista business, and can be had for less than the DV5T, especially with the 20% off coupon floating around lately.

[kaldas]

What about the Dell XPS 16? Is the ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670c comparable to the GeForce? If a coupon comes out, the price should be around 1k. Other specs seem to be around the same.

[Godotology]

What about the Dell XPS 16? Is the ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670c comparable to the GeForce? If a coupon comes out, the price should be around 1k. Other specs seem to be around the same.

more or less yes. However good luck waiting for a coupon, it most likely won't come out for a few months since its still a new model.
like I said, I still think the Precision M4400 is a nice deal and can be had for under 900 with a 2.5ghz cpu, nvidia 770m, 2gb of ram if you're willing to buy from the outlet.
if 3dmark06 scores matter to you (and actually, it really shouldn't), the M4400 scores higher than the XPS 16 and the DV5t by about 1k points

[kaldas]

I'll probably go with your advise and buy the M4400. 2.53Ghz, 4GB Ram, 250GB HD, FX770M for $797 including tax&shipping.
BTW, how do you like the overall design? Does it come with a glossy screen?

[Godotology]

I'll probably go with your advise and buy the M4400. 2.53Ghz, 4GB Ram, 250GB HD, FX770M for $797 including tax&shipping.
BTW, how do you like the overall design? Does it come with a glossy screen?

no glossy screen. Since its a business model it uses matte. I chose the one that had an LED backlit screen and its super bright, its superior to the screen on my Vaio SZ.
If you really want a glossy screen.. I believe the model that has an RGB LED backlit screen will be glossy. it will also have an RGB screen.. something that VERY few notebooks have. But I don't know if you can find it in the outlet.

As for the over all design.. This thing is like a tank.. it feels alot like a Lenovo Thinkpad. I really like the backlit keyboard too. What i don't like is the power adapter, its huge. There's also a minor problem in Vista (but not in XP) about the E-Sata port and audio but some people may not have it. I'm waiting for a driver update from Dell.

I gotta say.. 2.53ghz, 5gb of ram, 250gb HD AND a video card thats roughly comparable to an Nvidia 9600m GT for less than $800..

[Rikayla]

Okay, I know a little about computer specs, but not a lot because this would be my first time buying a laptop online, so I'm a little worried, lol. Hopefully someone here can help me. Here's what I'm looking for:

MEMORY At least 2GB (preferrably 3GB or higher)
BUDGET Anything less than $800 would be amazing. Less than $1000 would be ok (but just barely).
DISK SPACE Anything over 100GB should be ok. I'm on 150GB and anything over that would be best, but I don't want to be greedy, haha.
SIZE At least 14" probably.

The rest of the specs should be minimum:

* 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 1.5 GB RAM
* At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
* 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:

* Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
* 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
* 0.5 GB additional RAM

NVIDIA GeForce series
FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800,
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9600, 9800, GTX 260, GTX 280

ATI Radeon™ series
9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870,
4850, 4870

Intel® Extreme Graphics
GMA X3x00 series

Which are, the minimum specs for The Sims 3... The game I'm forking out a new laptop for, lmao. The Sims 3 is the only gaming I'll be doing. I should also be using a program called Sony Vegas for video editing and then Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, but those are the only few programs that need bigger specs.

I've gone to sites like Newegg.ca and CNET, and my friend has helped me search, and I've come down to only a few solutions:
- A customized Dell Inspiron 15 from their online site. ($888)
- The HP Compaq Presario
- Acer Aspire 4730-4758 Notebook ($720)
- Acer Aspire 15.6" Laptop featuring Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T3200 ($650)

[sam.son]

I'm currently looking for desktop pc iin uk. Any recommendations under 500pounds. It needs 2gb ram and 320 hard drive

[Godotology]

I'm currently looking for desktop pc iin uk. Any recommendations under 500pounds. It needs 2gb ram and 320 hard drive

this is a thread for notebooks not desktops

Okay, I know a little about computer specs, but not a lot because this would be my first time buying a laptop online, so I'm a little worried, lol. Hopefully someone here can help me. Here's what I'm looking for:

MEMORY At least 2GB (preferrably 3GB or higher)
BUDGET Anything less than $800 would be amazing. Less than $1000 would be ok (but just barely).
DISK SPACE Anything over 100GB should be ok. I'm on 150GB and anything over that would be best, but I don't want to be greedy, haha.
SIZE At least 14" probably.

basically the sims 3 specs are stating that it wants a dedicated video card and its not too picky since it lists some low end ones.

all your other concerns about RAM and diskspace are moot because they can easily be upgraded/replaced.

the vid card thing is what is important and unfortunately none of the 3 models you listed have dedicated video. I don't know what kind of deals you get in Canada, but the Inspiron you mentioned won't have dedicated video either. you'll have to look at the Studio/XPS/Latitude/Precision lines from Dell to find that option.

[Rikayla]

basically the sims 3 specs are stating that it wants a dedicated video card and its not too picky since it lists some low end ones.

all your other concerns about RAM and diskspace are moot because they can easily be upgraded/replaced.

the vid card thing is what is important and unfortunately none of the 3 models you listed have dedicated video. I don't know what kind of deals you get in Canada, but the Inspiron you mentioned won't have dedicated video either. you'll have to look at the Studio/XPS/Latitude/Precision lines from Dell to find that option.

Oh yeah, but it's just because I don't wish to replace/upgrade that many things. I'd much rather have the whole package.

But if I buy a laptop without a dedicated video card, does that mean I can't replace it or will it just be difficult?

I'm slowly understanding what I need get in order to satisfy all those The Sims 3 minimum requirements, lol.

Oh, and I wanted to ask... Would anybody recommend customized Dell laptops?

[Godotology]

Oh yeah, but it's just because I don't wish to replace/upgrade that many things. I'd much rather have the whole package.

But if I buy a laptop without a dedicated video card, does that mean I can't replace it or will it just be difficult?

I'm slowly understanding what I need get in order to satisfy all those The Sims 3 minimum requirements, lol.

Oh, and I wanted to ask... Would anybody recommend customized Dell laptops?

video cards cannot be replaced very easily and in fact you probably won't be able to do it with out voiding your warranty.

was for the Sims 3.. i mean you can probably get by on integrated but you may be setting the graphics at low.
many people buy customized laptops from Dell, HP, etc because they can customize what they want.

a smart shopper though, will customize things that he/she normally can't customize on their own.. and buy parts like HD and RAM on their own.

[Pseudonym]

Hi all, I'm looking to invest in a laptop.

The usage would be for downloading and watching dramas/movies, listening to music, typing up papers for school, internet browsing, graphic designing on Adobe Photoshop, burning CDs/DVDs. I don't plan on carrying the laptop with me every day, but I want to do carry it when I go away on weekends or when I spend some time at the library. I'm looking for a very light-weighed laptop, that costs under $800 dollars but $1000 is the farthest I can go. I'm not content with my Dell that I've used for three years so I'm not looking into buying their products again. I'm interested in a screen size of 12" or even smaller. I would like a system that can store up to at least 150 GB. I apologize but I'm not tech savvy and I don't know the details of what else I should be looking at when buying a laptop.

Please let me know if there's any other information I should provide.

Thanks to anyone that responds

[Godotology]

Hi all, I'm looking to invest in a laptop.

The usage would be for downloading and watching dramas/movies, listening to music, typing up papers for school, internet browsing, graphic designing on Adobe Photoshop, burning CDs/DVDs. I don't plan on carrying the laptop with me every day, but I want to do carry it when I go away on weekends or when I spend some time at the library. I'm looking for a very light-weighed laptop, that costs under $800 dollars but $1000 is the farthest I can go. I'm not content with my Dell that I've used for three years so I'm not looking into buying their products again. I'm interested in a screen size of 12" or even smaller. I would like a system that can store up to at least 150 GB. I apologize but I'm not tech savvy and I don't know the details of what else I should be looking at when buying a laptop.

Please let me know if there's any other information I should provide.

Thanks to anyone that responds

to be honest, thats going to be tough. stuff under 12" are ultraportables and they tend to be very expensive.. certainly way over $1000 unless you find a refurbished one (which isn't a bad idea at all). You also have the option of netbooks which are very light, small screen, and under $800... but they are very very underpowered and used for only basic needs (some of them won't have an optical drive either.. but so do some ultraportables).

try check the Dell Latitude series at the Dell outlet (its a business model not a regular consumer one) and use a 20% coupon, you may be able to get a 12" one for that price range.

[Pseudonym]

to be honest, thats going to be tough. stuff under 12" are ultraportables and they tend to be very expensive.. certainly way over $1000 unless you find a refurbished one (which isn't a bad idea at all). You also have the option of netbooks which are very light, small screen, and under $800... but they are very very underpowered and used for only basic needs (some of them won't have an optical drive either.. but so do some ultraportables).

try check the Dell Latitude series at the Dell outlet (its a business model not a regular consumer one) and use a 20% coupon, you may be able to get a 12" one for that price range.

Disregarding screen size and the function to burn CDs/DVDs, would that broaden my options? I'm not looking into investing money on another Dell because I'm having issues with it already. Thank you for the speedy reply, by the way

[Godotology]

Disregarding screen size and the function to burn CDs/DVDs, would that broaden my options? I'm not looking into investing money on another Dell because I'm having issues with it already. Thank you for the speedy reply, by the way

Dell business models are built differently and offer different support than their consumer models, same goes for HP (consumer notebooks are cheap for a reason).
in any case, I think you should go to the store and see what screen size you can compromise to.
you will find some decent options if you're willing to go up to 13.3".. I don't know if this is too big for you.

[lovangel]

im planning to buy a pen tablet, but wacom is soooooo expensive.
anyone know a cheaper one? what brand?