So as of right now I'm very happy with the new laptop. Performs great for the price. Eventually I'll pop out the 2gb ram stick for a 4, and get a faster HD. It really does bottled neck start times and such. So much nicer than my last one though.
The 720p screen hasnt bothered me. Haven't watched any videos yet though or done heavy surfing. Everything looks good to me, but I dont have anything to compare it to.
Sound is ok, no bass but gets fairly loud and stays clear.
I really like the keyboard with its individual keys. And a full number pad.
I'm pretty happy with the purchase. Has an ivy bridge, and a i7. The 660m seems like a powerful video card, at least for me as the most demanding game I play is diablo 3. At $850 it's a lot of machine, and it seems solid.
errr, if you purchased the 850$ laptop you linked earlier, it has 6 gigs of ram, 2 3 gig sticks. It's the videocard that has two gigs and you ain't adding to that. The y580 does have an abominably slow boot with the stock install though, if you wipe it and install a clean copy of windows it boots in half the time.
I'm pretty sure it came with a 4gb stick and a 2gb stick.
Load times are pretty long thought. I don't have a windows 7 cd though . Although I don't know what software disks came with it, I assume a "recovery cd"
Generally you have to create your own recovery disks, which (I assume) would load up the same problem bloatware that you want to remove. I'm not sure how much control you have over what gets recovered / re-installed.
Another option would be to sign up for the Windows 8 upgrade program ($15) and hope you have more control over the install. Or you may be interested in the upgrade regardless.
So as of right now I'm very happy with the new laptop. Performs great for the price. Eventually I'll pop out the 2gb ram stick for a 4, and get a faster HD. It really does bottled neck start times and such. So much nicer than my last one though.
The 720p screen hasnt bothered me. Haven't watched any videos yet though or done heavy surfing. Everything looks good to me, but I dont have anything to compare it to.
Sound is ok, no bass but gets fairly loud and stays clear.
I really like the keyboard with its individual keys. And a full number pad.
I'm pretty happy with the purchase. Has an ivy bridge, and a i7. The 660m seems like a powerful video card, at least for me as the most demanding game I play is diablo 3. At $850 it's a lot of machine, and it seems solid.
errr, if you purchased the 850$ laptop you linked earlier, it has 6 gigs of ram, 2 3 gig sticks. It's the videocard that has two gigs and you ain't adding to that. The y580 does have an abominably slow boot with the stock install though, if you wipe it and install a clean copy of windows it boots in half the time.
I'm pretty sure it came with a 4gb stick and a 2gb stick.
Load times are pretty long thought. I don't have a windows 7 cd though . Although I don't know what software disks came with it, I assume a "recovery cd"
Generally you have to create your own recovery disks, which (I assume) would load up the same problem bloatware that you want to remove. I'm not sure how much control you have over what gets recovered / re-installed.
Another option would be to sign up for the Windows 8 upgrade program ($15) and hope you have more control over the install. Or you may be interested in the upgrade regardless.
The only problem with that is I hear bad things about win 8. I believe them too, windows seems to follow the every other pattern.
I own a license for win7, I mean it's on the pc, you'd think I'd be able to download a windows 7 disk to burn through Microsoft after providing proof of a license. I've never looked into it, but I'm guessing that doesn't exist. At least through "legal" means. I'm sure I could find a copy, and by having a license that might even be legal, but I'm guessing there's be something illegal about that process.
0
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Game benchmarks are located closer to the bottom. Looks like medium settings for the 630M and high settings for the 640M for both games, but not ultra for either.
Notebookcheck has mobile video card performance for a large number of games and a gigantic amount of mobile video cards. For laptop gaming this is seriously the only site you'll ever need.
0
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
After much decision making, say hi to my newest lappy:
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Huh, Amy just bought the ASUS R501V for Uni work, and it seems quite similar to your laptop. Not quite as beastly, but still pretty decent! It came with a bunky little plug-in subwoofer about the size of a coffee mug which will probably never even be taken out of the packaging, though...
Google seems to say that the R501V is part of the N56 line, which would explain why I couldn't find it on the ASUS website. Mine did come with a little subwoofer and it will probably stay in the box as well.
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
The MSI was tempting but too many negative reviews about the keyboard. The Lenovo's have chiclet keyboards, so no go. I'm extremely happy with the purchase and this will be my first non-HP lappy. I'm glad to see so many positives about the ASUS machines.
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Game benchmarks are located closer to the bottom. Looks like medium settings for the 630M and high settings for the 640M for both games, but not ultra for either.
Notebookcheck has mobile video card performance for a large number of games and a gigantic amount of mobile video cards. For laptop gaming this is seriously the only site you'll ever need.
Thanks! It looks like I'll be going for the 640M, I'd like a 650 but laptops featuring one are just out of my budget.
Game benchmarks are located closer to the bottom. Looks like medium settings for the 630M and high settings for the 640M for both games, but not ultra for either.
Notebookcheck has mobile video card performance for a large number of games and a gigantic amount of mobile video cards. For laptop gaming this is seriously the only site you'll ever need.
Thanks! It looks like I'll be going for the 640M, I'd like a 650 but laptops featuring one are just out of my budget.
Also, your 630/640/650/660 are all Kepler-based, as opposed to Fermi, which means you can run those games without melting your laptop.
There was a tempting MSI laptop with higher performance for $100 less (4 gb additional RAM, 570M, 250gb more HDD space), but the knowledge of how hot the 570M's would run kept me from getting it. Heat killed my old HP, it's killing my current HP, and I want longevity as well as performance. I'm running Diablo 3 on bare minimum settings, for gods sake, and this thing is heating up like a filament wire.
That and, as nice as the MSI's are, the reviews seem to just go ga-ga over ASUS build quality.
Anyone have any experience with the slim / low-profile / filp-down ethernet ports (or whatever they are called)?
I plugged my new machine into the router last night to move over my steamapps folder and it took me a frustratingly long amount of time to disconnect the ethernet cable. I ended up mutilating the cable in the process. Fun times.
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Oh my god this thing is a beast, especially for the cash paid. It doesn't have 1080p, but every game I run (SCII, DIII, Portal 2, XCOM demo, Civ V so far) is completely maxed out and I'm averaging about 100 fps on them (Except DIII, but it's well above 60).
So, I'm considering ditching my increasingly slow and still tiny netbook and snagging a shiny new ultrabook.
I'm not concerned at all about gaming performance (and since this is for school, a lack of gaming performance is actually a major plus), so right now I'm looking at the i5/128GB version of this Zenbook Prime.
I am wondering if there are other options I should be looking at, or if I should wait a short while since it seems like there's a new wave of ultrabook models coming down the pike.
0
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
I'd wait to see if there are any interesting W8 ultrabooks. If nothing else, the new tech will likely drive prices of the other stuff down.
My mother has been bugging me to find her a new laptop, since hers is from about 2001 and has been dying on its feet for a long while now. Problem is, I know very little about laptops, so I need some help.
It will mostly be used for general internet business and some light multimedia stuff. No gaming. A decent battery would be nice (though she's not apposed to buying used if the price is right), and decent hard drive space is a plus. Something under $350 if possible, but she's willing to go higher if she has to. Anyone have a few suggestions?
Oh my god this thing is a beast, especially for the cash paid. It doesn't have 1080p, but every game I run (SCII, DIII, Portal 2, XCOM demo, Civ V so far) is completely maxed out and I'm averaging about 100 fps on them (Except DIII, but it's well above 60).
Completely totally worth the money.
Ya I got the same model, only $50 cheaper and no tax from a site located in NY (I live in Cali so newegg apples taxes) and love it. The only game not being at 1080 that has bothered me is LoL. I feel like I don't have enough screen size for all the information on the map to process.
Sager rebrands ODM's, which isn't a bad thing as a lot of the not ridiculously expensive build-to-order notebook makers do the same (all I can think of is Clevo, Compal, and Quanta, but there are other players in ODM); the markup is branding, customer support and warranty. It's usually a good way to get a bigger GPU or some other premium parts without having to pay big OEM markups. A lot of the big OEM's may rebrand, but are just as likely to demand customizations that require the mainboard be changed.
Djeet on
0
The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
edited November 2012
Might be going on a 5 week business trip soon in the next couple months. A perfect excuse to replace my 4 year old laptop with a new business expense write off. When's the best time of year to get a new laptop, are there any wild new tech upgrades that I should wait for? For example the i-series came out right after I bought my last laptop. I have a fab home built gaming PC, I'm just looking for a travel desktop replacement and I'm thinking on spending 2 to 2 and a half bills.
Looking for:
17"
i7
1TB HDD at least
16gb RAM
Nvidia 670M at least
Blu-ray drive
3D display (I just happen to enjoy it for games that do it well)
So, I'm looking to help my dad replace his ancient desktop with a laptop. He quite enjoys his iPad so I was thinking a touchscreen and W8 would be called for.
Anyone know of good laptops with touchscreens? He's looking to spend just about $1K
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
All the major OEMs have them, but you may have to look under ultrabook, tablet, or convertible to find them. One thing I dont like is that most have a hybrid storgae system on lower end models coupling a small SSD cache drive with a large mechanical drive. If he doesnt need more than 128-160 GB I would get him something all SSD.
We were originally looking at a Lenova Yoga which looks interesting but since he has an iPad I don't really know how much of the tablet like stuff he would ever use. Now we are looking more at just a laptop with a touchscreen like this Sony.
And my brother has a huge amount of pics/movies of his kids so I think the 128G SSDs that I've seen in a lot of ultrabooks would eventually seem too small. Any kind of hybrid or cached drive would seem super fast compared to his old computer.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
My girlfriend is looking into getting a new laptop, her price range is $500 or less, and she pretty much wants it for school next year, word, internet use, dvd player, possibly small or big. Any recommendations?
0
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
My girlfriend is looking into getting a new laptop, her price range is $500 or less, and she pretty much wants it for school next year, word, internet use, dvd player, possibly small or big. Any recommendations?
it gets garbage battery life and can't play games much because its hardware sucks
need to get something better like a $400 acer or something, im taking it back to the store today. Seriously ultrabooks are supposed to be good but 90 minutes of FTL kills it dead, 2 hours of youtube videos same thing. It's like spending more money for less power and less battery because it's smaller
override367 on
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
it gets garbage battery life and can't play games much because its hardware sucks
need to get something better like a $400 acer or something, im taking it back to the store today. Seriously ultrabooks are supposed to be good but 90 minutes of FTL kills it dead, 2 hours of youtube videos same thing. It's like spending more money for less power and less battery because it's smaller
Laptop thread, what is the best laptop one can buy for up to $2000? I really have no hard requirements, I'd like something with an SSD and dedicated graphics. A touchscreen would also be cool, but it is hardly a requirement.
it gets garbage battery life and can't play games much because its hardware sucks
need to get something better like a $400 acer or something, im taking it back to the store today. Seriously ultrabooks are supposed to be good but 90 minutes of FTL kills it dead, 2 hours of youtube videos same thing. It's like spending more money for less power and less battery because it's smaller
Yes, that is exactly how that works.
everyone always tells me ultrabooks get better battery life than 15.6/17 inchers
Laptop thread, what is the best laptop one can buy for up to $2000? I really have no hard requirements, I'd like something with an SSD and dedicated graphics. A touchscreen would also be cool, but it is hardly a requirement.
past $1200 you can get just about anything
if you're spending $2000 i'd recommend a macbook, simply because they're the most solid computers even if overpriced
$2000 will buy you just about anything.
what you need to decide on are what aspects are important for you among, screen size, weight, gaming power, battery life.
as the more power or screen size you put into the system the heavier it will get and the less battery you will have. and the smaller you want it, the less power etc.
I actually wouldn't recommend a macbook anymore, they've removed the dedicated gfx card on them except for 15-inch models, and then your looking at more then $2000, for that price you can get something with much better specs.
Posts
Generally you have to create your own recovery disks, which (I assume) would load up the same problem bloatware that you want to remove. I'm not sure how much control you have over what gets recovered / re-installed.
Another option would be to sign up for the Windows 8 upgrade program ($15) and hope you have more control over the install. Or you may be interested in the upgrade regardless.
The only problem with that is I hear bad things about win 8. I believe them too, windows seems to follow the every other pattern.
I own a license for win7, I mean it's on the pc, you'd think I'd be able to download a windows 7 disk to burn through Microsoft after providing proof of a license. I've never looked into it, but I'm guessing that doesn't exist. At least through "legal" means. I'm sure I could find a copy, and by having a license that might even be legal, but I'm guessing there's be something illegal about that process.
630M
640M
Game benchmarks are located closer to the bottom. Looks like medium settings for the 630M and high settings for the 640M for both games, but not ultra for either.
Notebookcheck has mobile video card performance for a large number of games and a gigantic amount of mobile video cards. For laptop gaming this is seriously the only site you'll ever need.
ASUS G55VW
I have some buyer's remorse when comparing the price tag with the Dell 15R Special Edition, but that screen is so good. So very good.
I cannot wait...can not WAIT for this to arrive.
http://ca.asus.com/en/Notebooks/Multimedia_Entertainment/N56VZ/#specifications
Full HD (1920x1080)/Wide View Angle LED Backlight
Actually, now I look for her specs, I believe they are basically the same laptop except hers has the 630M instead of the 650M.
http://ca.asus.com/en/Notebooks/Multimedia_Entertainment/N56VM/#specifications
Yeah like that, but hers has an i7-3610QM and 8 gigs of RAM.
Thanks! It looks like I'll be going for the 640M, I'd like a 650 but laptops featuring one are just out of my budget.
Also, your 630/640/650/660 are all Kepler-based, as opposed to Fermi, which means you can run those games without melting your laptop.
There was a tempting MSI laptop with higher performance for $100 less (4 gb additional RAM, 570M, 250gb more HDD space), but the knowledge of how hot the 570M's would run kept me from getting it. Heat killed my old HP, it's killing my current HP, and I want longevity as well as performance. I'm running Diablo 3 on bare minimum settings, for gods sake, and this thing is heating up like a filament wire.
That and, as nice as the MSI's are, the reviews seem to just go ga-ga over ASUS build quality.
Edit: The notebookcheck link you gave earlier also claims the 630M is Fermi.
My bad!
Either way, Kepler is a safe bet.
I plugged my new machine into the router last night to move over my steamapps folder and it took me a frustratingly long amount of time to disconnect the ethernet cable. I ended up mutilating the cable in the process. Fun times.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246628
Lenovo Y580. $899 for a GTX 660M and an i7.
Completely totally worth the money.
I'm not concerned at all about gaming performance (and since this is for school, a lack of gaming performance is actually a major plus), so right now I'm looking at the i5/128GB version of this Zenbook Prime.
I am wondering if there are other options I should be looking at, or if I should wait a short while since it seems like there's a new wave of ultrabook models coming down the pike.
It will mostly be used for general internet business and some light multimedia stuff. No gaming. A decent battery would be nice (though she's not apposed to buying used if the price is right), and decent hard drive space is a plus. Something under $350 if possible, but she's willing to go higher if she has to. Anyone have a few suggestions?
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
Ya I got the same model, only $50 cheaper and no tax from a site located in NY (I live in Cali so newegg apples taxes) and love it. The only game not being at 1080 that has bothered me is LoL. I feel like I don't have enough screen size for all the information on the map to process.
ASUS A54 Series A54C-NB91 Notebook Intel Pentium B970(2.3GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory 320GB HDD 5400rpm DL DVD+/-RW / CD-RW Intel HD Graphics
What do we think? Worth it or crappy? It would be a secondary computer, work laptop, so I don't really need it to be all that insane.
Looking for:
17"
i7
1TB HDD at least
16gb RAM
Nvidia 670M at least
Blu-ray drive
3D display (I just happen to enjoy it for games that do it well)
http://www.xoticpc.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=3d One of these looks like a good start. I like Sager, it's what my current laptop is, though I'm not married to it if there is anything better for the price.
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Span_Wolf/, Origin/GoG/: Span_Wolf, uPlay/Bnet: SpanWolf
Anyone know of good laptops with touchscreens? He's looking to spend just about $1K
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
And my brother has a huge amount of pics/movies of his kids so I think the 128G SSDs that I've seen in a lot of ultrabooks would eventually seem too small. Any kind of hybrid or cached drive would seem super fast compared to his old computer.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Something like...
http://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-S400CA-DH51T-14-1-Inch-Touch-Ultrabook/dp/B009F1JL5A/ref=amtcd_B008CWLHJQ_B009F1JL5A
Newegg.com - ASUS S56CA-WH31 15.6" Ultrabook, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=34-230-599
it gets garbage battery life and can't play games much because its hardware sucks
need to get something better like a $400 acer or something, im taking it back to the store today. Seriously ultrabooks are supposed to be good but 90 minutes of FTL kills it dead, 2 hours of youtube videos same thing. It's like spending more money for less power and less battery because it's smaller
Yes, that is exactly how that works.
everyone always tells me ultrabooks get better battery life than 15.6/17 inchers
blehg
should just join the collective and buy an ipad
past $1200 you can get just about anything
if you're spending $2000 i'd recommend a macbook, simply because they're the most solid computers even if overpriced
what you need to decide on are what aspects are important for you among, screen size, weight, gaming power, battery life.
as the more power or screen size you put into the system the heavier it will get and the less battery you will have. and the smaller you want it, the less power etc.
I actually wouldn't recommend a macbook anymore, they've removed the dedicated gfx card on them except for 15-inch models, and then your looking at more then $2000, for that price you can get something with much better specs.