Best laptop for my money?

[imanewbie1]

Hey all!

I have been on this website for years (lurking) and I've decided to join. It's nice to meet you guys and thanks for having me!

I have been receiving hand me downs since I could afford my laptop and I want to buy a brand new laptop. Here's what I am looking for:

-15.6-17 inch screen
-Good specs i5 minimum
-Decent sized hard drive

My budget for this is $1100 before taxes max!

I have heard bad things about dell but at the same time I see the xps17 for a pretty good promotion and I could get a xbox 360. I can repair parts for myself so I am not too worried about warranty and stuff, but I don't want the thing to break down in pieces the second week getting it. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Here are the specs I am receiving:
-Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
-2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.10 GHz)
-Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook, English
-1 Year Basic Mail-In Service Plan
-GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
-1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
-90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
-Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
-NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus
-17.3" HD+ (900p) LED Display with 2.0MP HD Webcam & Facial Recognition
-Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 and Bluetooth 3.0
-JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
- Backlit keyboard

The Xbox 360 doesn't influence my decision that bad, but I do not mind it.

Also the main question: Do you know any better deals for the specs provided?

One more thing: thanks again for having me!

[gnuman]

900p screen? Are you kidding me? That is absolutely horrible. I'd rather have 1280x1024 at that res than 1600:900.Dells are garbage with lousy support.

Why a 17" screen? Here's one but it's $50 above your budget: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39464 Or you can go to the Hot Deals thread and get a Lenovo.

[spandexninja]

Sager NP6175
http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP6175

[imanewbie1]

Holy Crap!

Thanks for the fast response and walking me off the ledge. I am looking at both deals right now!

Thanked you both!


900p screen? Are you kidding me? That is absolutely horrible. I'd rather have 1280x1024 at that res than 1600:900.Dells are garbage with lousy support.

Why a 17" screen? Here's one but it's $50 above your budget: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39464 Or you can go to the Hot Deals thread and get a Lenovo.

I wanted to go with 17" because it was my last one. I don't mind the extra weight since I am a big guy, but looking at one of my colleagues computers, I wouldn't complain much about a 15.6". I will edit my original post. Thank you again.

Is there any pretty good 15.6 Deals as good as this? Do you save more money due to the screen reduction?

[mikeo007]

900p screen? Are you kidding me? That is absolutely horrible. I'd rather have 1280x1024 at that res than 1600:900.Dells are garbage with lousy support.

Why a 17" screen? Here's one but it's $50 above your budget: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39464 Or you can go to the Hot Deals thread and get a Lenovo.

You'd prefer a 4:3 screen in a 16:9 laptop? Makes sense to me :confused:

OP: take a look at what Lenovo has to offer, they make some of the best machines out there. 15.6" seems to be the sweet spot for price right now.

[imanewbie1]

You'd prefer a 4:3 screen in a 16:9 laptop? Makes sense to me :confused:

OP: take a look at what Lenovo has to offer, they make some of the best machines out there. 15.6" seems to be the sweet spot for price right now.

You're referring to the Epp one? I will give it a try. I did a quick look (I am at work) and nothing really stood out. I will look again!

[FiNaL WaR]

Sager NP6175
Lenovo Y580

[gnuman]

You'd prefer a 4:3 screen in a 16:9 laptop? Makes sense to me :confused:

OP: take a look at what Lenovo has to offer, they make some of the best machines out there. 15.6" seems to be the sweet spot for price right now.


For screen coverage yes I would as it has more area for me to work with than 1600:900. I don't watch movies on my laptop and prefer having more screen real-estate. Imagine I'm working with VMware on a laptop with 1366x768 res I can't do much, 1600:900 is more functional but with 1280x1024 I could do a lot more.

I only get laptops with 1920x1080 screen. Yes my Prime has 1280x800 but it's an 10" screen so it's acceptable.

[imanewbie1]

So I am considering getting a NP6175 from the looks of it.

I assume reflexnotebook is their dealer?

[_Allan_]

I would suggest an Asus only because their build quality is the best ... their warranty is the best.
Check www.xoticpc.com or www.gentechpc.com for the best options.

[rivet]

The refurbished 15 MBP with 2.2ghz core i7 Quad core and AMD 6750M is only $1379 maybe increase your budget a bit?

[ippon]

I would suggest an Asus only because their build quality is the best ... their warranty is the best.
Check www.xoticpc.com or www.gentechpc.com for the best options.

welcome back.

[gnuman]

The refurbished 15 MBP with 2.2ghz core i7 Quad core and AMD 6750M is only $1379 maybe increase your budget a bit?

I'm sure he wants to spend an extra $500 move after tax to be a fashion statement and follow in the footsteps of the other llamas that buy overpriced Apple products and also doesn't have a screen that's 1920x1080.

I was hesitant to suggest a $50 over budget unit but you sir, take the cake at lack of personal budgeting and computing knowledge.

[mikeo007]

I'm sure he wants to spend an extra $500 move after tax to be a fashion statement and follow in the footsteps of the other llamas that buy overpriced Apple products and also doesn't have a screen that's 1920x1080.

I was hesitant to suggest a $50 over budget unit but you sir, take the cake at lack of personal budgeting and computing knowledge.

Not everyone needs or wants a 1080p screen. I do agree with the rest of your assessment though :D

[_Allan_]

welcome back.

I never really left my friend. :D

[rivet]

I am just mentioning this options to OP since he mentioning $1100 budget and this is $280 more, which is not exactly unreasonable.

Well, if you are talking about personal budgeting, really, if you are on budget, spending $1100 on a dell consumer line laptop is not exactly wise unless gaming is your priority as it is hard to find cheap gaming laptop. I remember on boxing day the Asus 15inch with quad core core i7 is only $599, so if I am on budget, I would go with $600 to $700 range rather than over $1000.

Do I agree with that Apple laptop overpriced, yes, they are. But have you looked at the resell value of the laptops, say after 2 years of time, OP want to upgrade his laptop, he can probably get $400 for his used dell, while he can probably get at least $900 for his Apple 15 MBP. So he would spend about $500 for 2 year use of Apple MBP and about $700 for the dell (this is not factoring tax so actual value is a bit more), so to me buying the dell is false economy. But of course, if OP is buying a $500 laptop, it will be a completely different story.


I'm sure he wants to spend an extra $500 move after tax to be a fashion statement and follow in the footsteps of the other llamas that buy overpriced Apple products and also doesn't have a screen that's 1920x1080.

I was hesitant to suggest a $50 over budget unit but you sir, take the cake at lack of personal budgeting and computing knowledge.

[cloakster]

The issue is, if you start talking about a $1400 budget, there are even more options like this one: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152348

Edit: That MSI laptop actually has a combo deal that gives you a free 4gb Xbox with it for $1250 total. Its a very good deal.

[SuperCows]

The real question is: What will you be using it for?

An i7 is the best for processing power, but will result in less batter life and portability.
If you're just a regular user, an i7 and an i5 won't make a difference to you. Heck, an i3 is sufficient for the general population.

[imanewbie1]

I would suggest an Asus only because their build quality is the best ... their warranty is the best.
Check www.xoticpc.com or www.gentechpc.com for the best options.

Thank you! I think I found a laptop I want, but I will def consider those.


The real question is: What will you be using it for?

An i7 is the best for processing power, but will result in less batter life and portability.
If you're just a regular user, an i7 and an i5 won't make a difference to you. Heck, an i3 is sufficient for the general population.

I think I will go for the i7 because I will likely use it for that purpose. Also gaming.


The refurbished 15 MBP with 2.2ghz core i7 Quad core and AMD 6750M is only $1379 maybe increase your budget a bit?

I appreciate your assistance, I think I want to stick with pc though.


Sorry for the delay in answering some questions. I am mostly posting from work (laptop is dead and pc is used for media center in my apartment).

Really guys I appreciate the assistance. I think I will go with the Sager though. Everyone has been thanked for their assistance. You guys are awesome!

[DavidY]

MSI GT683-876US w/ Core i7-2670QM, 8GB, 500GB, DVD+/-RW, 15.6in Full HD 1920x1080, GeForce GTX 560M, Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit $1149 after $50 MIR:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38839

NCIX has the same laptop, but at $1199 after $50 MIR. You could get them to PM ME if it's more convenient to you.

MSI MSI GE60 0ND I7-3610QM W7HP 8G 750GB DVD+-RW 15.6WSXGA+ BGN NVIDIA GTX660M 2GB 720P BT $1154.xx Faster CPU and faster graphics.

http://www.agileelectronics.ca/prod_details/tab/details.asp?prod_id=9S7-16GA11-047

An alternative is the Lenovo Ideapad Y580.

Dave

[oldpro]

I am just mentioning this options to OP since he mentioning $1100 budget and this is $280 more, which is not exactly unreasonable.

Well, if you are talking about personal budgeting, really, if you are on budget, spending $1100 on a dell consumer line laptop is not exactly wise unless gaming is your priority as it is hard to find cheap gaming laptop. I remember on boxing day the Asus 15inch with quad core core i7 is only $599, so if I am on budget, I would go with $600 to $700 range rather than over $1000.

Do I agree with that Apple laptop overpriced, yes, they are. But have you looked at the resell value of the laptops, say after 2 years of time, OP want to upgrade his laptop, he can probably get $400 for his used dell, while he can probably get at least $900 for his Apple 15 MBP. So he would spend about $500 for 2 year use of Apple MBP and about $700 for the dell (this is not factory tax so actual value is a bit more), so to me buying the dell is false economy. But of course, if OP is buying a $500 laptop, it will be a completely different story.
Just an EXCELLENT post and reasoning. You must be involved in some sort of financial business :)

Thanks and cheers.