Looking for a New Laptop

[fpiacente]

I am currently looking to buy a new laptop for university. Ideally, this laptop would be good enough to last minimum two years.

Desired Laptop Specs:
-3rd generation i5 processor(minimum)
-6 GB RAM(minimum)
-7200 rpm 500GB Harddrive OR 5400rpm 500GB Harddrive + SSD
-Dedicated Video Card(1 GB NVIDEA or RADEON)

If you know of any deals that come close to these specs, please post.

Any laptops that are not of the Dell, HP or Acer brands will be considered.

Budget is approximately $900.00 including taxes.

Currently, my #1 option is this:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-15-6-laptop-featuring-intel-core-i7-3610qm-processor-r500a-bb71-cb-mocha-r500a-bb71-cb/10209636.aspx?lang=en-CA&pcname=&sku=10209636&path=3ff8a84942aa6710de342652ad88be1een02

[btmc22]

The laptop posted is 750gb with only 5400rpm, and comes with a integrated graphics card. Id suggest browsing through the ncix and memoryexpress websites to look for your laptop.

[fpiacente]

I know that the laptop does not meet my desired specs. If it did, I likely would have already purchased it. However, it comes closest to what I want based on what I've seen so far.

It also surpasses my Processor and RAM requirements(3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3610QM processor and 8GB RAM, respectively).

[Forhad]

I always recommend everyone to buy Dell Inspiron or Vostro model. So same for you.

[fpiacente]

I actually ordered a Dell Vostro 3750 a few weeks ago. I found a great deal for the Vostro on the Dell Small Business Site that had a $514.00 discount. In addition, I found a coupon for Dell that allowed me to take $100.00 off if I spent over $600.00 on a laptop. I later saw this combination of the deal/coupon on Red Flag, so I imagined it was an outstanding deal and was very satisfied with my purchase.

Anyways, I got an Order Confirmation email from Dell stating that they were processing my payment. This was on July 22nd. A few days ago(the 29th of July), on the 7th business day after I placed my order, I was checking the status of my order online, and it stated that my order had been cancelled. At no point did I cancel my order, nor have I changed anything about it. I called customer service, was redirected 3 times, and they "weren't able" to do anything. Dell did not email me, or inform me in any way for that matter, of my order cancellation. Upon researching further into the company, there seem to be a lot of complains of both Dell's computer quality as well as their awful customer service. So I for one would not recommend Dell computers; both my family and friends have had problems with the computers themselves as well as their customer support teams. If you are considering buying one, I'd advise that you read the reviews first.

[AoEKiller]

Buy a Lenovo Y580 for 899$ w/ a 660M GTX

[cloakster]

Is this going to be for gaming? Any specific screen size you were hoping for? Is battery life a concern?

Lenovo's Y580 is what I would suggest based on what you said you wanted. On their EPP website, its $829.00 for i7 3610qm, 8GB, 500GB 7200rpm, GTX 660m.

[fpiacente]

It will be used for gaming, somewhere in between casual and hardcore. Anything 14'+ is fine with me, and I'm hoping to get 5+ hrs minimum off of a full battery.

[fpiacente]

It seems like a good deal, and comes to $913.35 with:

3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor( 2.30GHz 6MB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB Graphics Card
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
500GB 7200 rpm
3 Year Base Warranty Extension

Is that worth it?

[cloakster]

Yes, def worth it.

[fpiacente]

The only concern I have is the battery life. What am I looking at with this model?

[cloakster]

4-4.5hrs for regular web browsing and around 2hrs while gaming.

[Jimboski]

Did you check out that 15" Dell laptop? Seems pretty good IMO.

[fpiacente]

I think I'm going to go with the Lenovo. Thanks

[george__]

Lenovo thinkpads!!!!

for example (old thinkpad t51) + 9 cell + enclosure battery = 10+ hours :D

[cloakster]

^Would be perfect if they had an option for a dedicated gaming video card.

[george__]

That'd kill the identity of the Thinkpad T series though. They are "business" laptops, whatever that means -_-"
The W series has Quadros