Need help with a laptop

[SourcE]

I need to buy a laptop, and have found one in the US I like.

The specs of the system are:

• AMD™ Mobile Athlon™ 64 Processor Up to 3700+ with AMD PowerNow!™ Technology
• 1600MHz System Bus Using HyperTransport™ Technology
• 1024 PC3200 DDR400 Dual channel MEMORY
• 80 GB Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB Graphic Chip (M11) Video
• 17\" WSXGA Wide-Screen TFT Display 1680x1050 Pixels
• 8x DVD-ROM/ 24x CDRW Combo Drive
• 10/100 Network Card & 56K V.92 Modem
• Wireless 802.11G 54Mbps Networking
• 5.1 Surround Sound
• 3-in-1 Built-in Media Reader
• 1 Firewire IEEE 1394 & 3 USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 PCMCIA Type II Slot
• Weight only 8.5 Lbs
• Dimension: 15.5\"W x 10.8\"Dx1.6\"H
• Microsoft Window XP Home Edition
• 1 Year Onsite Service plus 24/7 Tech support
• 3 Year Parts Warranty and Lifetime Tech support

Anyone see any potential problems with any of the above. I don\'t really have a clue when it comes to hardware.... :D

[civiclad]

Looks okay. Verify if support extends to Canada or just the US.

[bluntman]

A notebook with a 17\" widescreen LCD...my God that\'s huge! Good luck lugging that behemoth around.

[S.F.W.]

It depends what you want to use the notebook for? If you want something that is not too heavy to carry, or will give you decent battery life then i would look at a different configuration.
The hardware list you assembled uses a desktop CPU, while this is good for performance it is not good for your battery life(expect about 2 hours with that configuration). Also remember your CPU will often not run at the specified speed, as it will be too hot.

[TheProfessor]

I\'m no computer guru, but you may want to consider a DVD burner upgrade, especially if this is your only computer. That\'s one thing I wish I had paid extra for and now regret it :(

[iconicrocket]

Whoa, that\'s some heavy duty specs!

From the specs, I would think that you\'re getting a desktop replacement. If thats so, you might want to check out Eurocom.com. They\'re a Canadian outfit in Nepean, Ontario.

If you want to lower your specs alittle, the HP notebooks aren\'t bad. The top of the line model includes an external media box. And Futureshop, Bestbuy and the major electronic retailers carry them.

[SourcE]

Originally posted by iconicrocket
From the specs, I would think that you\'re getting a desktop replacement.


Thats exactly what I\'m getting. I am losing my office to my unborn son.....damn it :p

The specs above are meant to show an 8x DVD-R burner and 1Gb of Corsair RAM. All that for just $1200 USD.

I got so excited and rang up to order it. Whadya know, they don\'t ship to Canada. SOB\'s

Now I\'m stuck with buying a Dell or similar, and having to pay for stupid OS and software that i\'m never going to use. Not to mention that the graffic cards on these other pc\'s suck....

I am hoping that Eurocom can save me from this......thanks for the info :D :)

[iconicrocket]

Originally posted by SourcE

I am hoping that Eurocom can save me from this......thanks for the info :D :)

No probs. Thats what forums are for.

These desktop replacements are great, I might be looking for one sometime in the future. After my desktop goes obsolete, and in the winter - great lap warmers too. Careful, you don\'t scroched your balls when these things are running at full speed. :D

[torpedo20]

Hey dude.
That\'s a nice laptop indeed. If you get a similar spec - go for it!
I\'d only recommend 2 things:
1) Get a smaller screen around 15\" plus an Intel Centrino (Pentium M really) chip; the battery on these things lasts for almost 5 hours. Dell is not bad - I was given a Dell Latitude D600 by my company.
2) If you can afford, buy as an extra an LCD monitor 19\" in size and/or bigger. That way you will be set ;)

Keep us posted what you decide to get.
That info could be helpful to me because I\'m being asked daily for some advice for laptop buying :)

[SourcE]

not too bothered about the battery life as this will be a desktop replacement and not needed for its portability. 2hrs would be fine.

as for the monitor, i\'m saving for a 36\" plasma, they\'ll be some sweet fragging with that beyatch :p :D :D

Now looking at a eurocom or possibly Acer, i\'ll keep you posted

[malam]

I\'ll try one of the lineup with Dell. They have packages that will pretty well match the specs that you have indicated. Visit one of the Malls with a Dell Kiosk (Scarborough City Center has one). You will be able to see what you are buying and try it out. They have very reasonable prices too - better than most.
Good luck.

[SmokeyIVXX]

tell them to give you DUAL LAYER DVD BURNER then your pimpin~!

[chinsterr]

If you cant get the laptop you want and you dont want a dell, may i suggest looking at ASUS laptops. wwww.asus.com


Chinsterr

[Kevin@nextmod]

I personally own an Asus computer. I got it in January and still using it now. Great computers for a nice and decent price. And really are you using this laptop as your primary computer? or you have another destop at home? if you have another computer at home you can use then i suggest you getting a smaller one. Also AMD laptops tend to eat battery and easily over heat. I would suggest you go for pentium. If you have time or the chance check out the store at pmall called \"Pacific notebooks\" since i got mine from them and they are honest ppl but make sure you negotiate the price with them ;) .

DON\'T GO TO THE LAPTOP STORE WHERE THE WINDOWS ARE LOCATED. My friend purchased his laptop there and then when he got home he found out that they sold him a used dvd burner for a new burner price. Then when he went back to them and verify it but they denied it and kicked him out.

Stay away from acer laptops they really suk and it\'s not just my opinion it\'s a fact.

Sry for the long reply but hope this will help

My laptop model is Asus M6BNE and i got it brand new when it came out for $2000 with 3 year parts and labor waranty

[chinsterr]

Originally posted by Pearl_Hatch


I personally own an Asus computer. I got it in January and still using it now. Great computers for a nice and decent price. And really are you using this laptop as your primary computer? or you have another destop at home? if you have another computer at home you can use then i suggest you getting a smaller one. Also AMD laptops tend to eat battery and easily over heat. I would suggest you go for pentium. If you have time or the chance check out the store at pmall called \"Pacific notebooks\" since i got mine from them and they are honest ppl but make sure you negotiate the price with them ;) .

DON\'T GO TO THE LAPTOP STORE WHERE THE WINDOWS ARE LOCATED. My friend purchased his laptop there and then when he got home he found out that they sold him a used dvd burner for a new burner price. Then when he went back to them and verify it but they denied it and kicked him out.

Stay away from acer laptops they really suk and it\'s not just my opinion it\'s a fact.

Sry for the long reply but hope this will help

My laptop model is Asus M6BNE and i got it brand new when it came out for $2000 with 3 year parts and labor waranty




i got the M6N TOOO !!! i love the vid card .. 9700 ATI!! Too bad these things get out-dated so quickly :(

[Kevin@nextmod]

Seriously, Asus makes good laptops for a resonable price. And we can\'t really do anything about the video card getting out of date since technology continues to update by the hour.

But i agree. The 9700 is amazing with games.

[breakfastfood]

Hey Now,

Take a look into the Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi (you take the Ferrari brand as a good or bad thing)

• Turion 64 ML-37 2 GHz
• RAM 1 GB
• HD 100 GB
• DVD±RW / DVD-RAM
• ATI Radeon X700 128 MB
• Mdm
• LAN EN
• Fast EN
• Gigabit EN
• Bluetooth
• 802.11b/802.11g
• Win XP Pro
• 15.4\" TFT WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050)

It\'s somewhat close to what you are looking for. The big difference is the screen of course. With a multimedia rig that you are requesting, you can surely hook it up to a nice monitor/lcd.

My company gave this for to use. I\'ll try loading a 64-bit OS on it when I have time.

In my opinion, go for an Thinkpad. They are reliable and the service is great. They might not have all the bells and whistles, but it will last you a very long time. I\'d try to stay away from Dell.

[SourcE]

Originally posted by Pearl_Hatch

Stay away from acer laptops they really suk and it\'s not just my opinion it\'s a fact.



What\'s wrong with Acer?
Most of the reviews I have read are positive.

[breakfastfood]

Acer laptops are quite good and are the best bang for your buck. We have over 30 Acer laptops in our company and I can safely recommend them. We deal with construction and they have survived beatings and dreadful weather.

It is quite tough when trying to pick out a laptop. Just keep on doing your research and I\'m sure you\'ll find something that will suit your needs.

[Philip_69]

another vote for the Asus M6BNe, gorgeous laptop, fast and reliable.