Laptop Choice Need Help!

[sp3GT]

I'm planning to get a laptop to replace my 6 year old desktop.
But I'm having difficulty choosing brand in relation with prices.

My budget is max $1200

I've generally narrowed it down to Toshiba, Sony, or HP.
Sony seems to be the more expensive one I'm guessing cause of the name but the main difference I see in the price is the graphics chipset.

The thing is I have no idea whats good and if it'll meet my needs, cause I do quite a bit of CAD modelling etc..

Is Mobile Intel GM45 Express good?


Thanks,

[kevcol74]

What CAD program are you planning to run?

[S.F.W.]

have you considered Lenovo? Are you planning to buy from Futureshop/Bestbuy ? Or a place like CanadaComputers or Infonec ? Are you looking for a lighter weight and 14" LCD, or the larger screen heaview weight 15-17" LCD ?

[Slade]

It all depends on what your looking for..
Gaming, Office Work, Web/Email?

I bought my Toshiba just over a year ago for $599, down from $999.

Its great and I have not had any issues with it hardware wise. It does get hot though, partially because its an AMD chipset.

If your looking for something you can game on you'll want dedicated memory, and not shared.

At least 2gigs of ram, and 100gig HD are my requirements.

Are they specific models you are looking at?

[kevcol74]

+1 on the Lenovo... I run a Thinkpad T60p for work, and I'm a CAD Designer... most CAD is only effiecintly run on PCs, but a loaded up laptop will do it okay. The laptop I use cost $5000 2 years ago.... But, you'll have more reliability with a Lenovo than the others. Dell... stay away from their laptops! lol
HD, 80-120GB and fairly fast... RAM... atleast 2 GB to run CAD programs, even Inventor! Also, make sure it has a good video card!!!All the other bells and whistles will be useless without a good video card!

[Ziploc]

I would try to steer clear of integrated Intel cards if your going to be doing CAD. Look for something with a NVidia or ATi sticker on it.

[sp3GT]

What CAD program are you planning to run?

Using mainly Solidworks right now. I'm also looking to get something that's more portable so definitely staying away from the 16's.

Smallest I'll go is 13.3 but I'd prefer the 14.1.

I didn't really think about the Lenovo's etc, prob cause I've just been looking online on the futureshop and best buy websites.

So I should probably stay away from the Sony's since their graphic cards aren't dedicated?

[kevcol74]

Using mainly Solidworks right now. I'm also looking to get something that's more portable so definitely staying away from the 16's.

Smallest I'll go is 13.3 but I'd prefer the 14.1.

I didn't really think about the Lenovo's etc, prob cause I've just been looking online on the futureshop and best buy websites.

So I should probably stay away from the Sony's since their graphic cards aren't dedicated?

If you want the computer to have half assed performance, you need a dedicated video card, not integrated. Have fun running Solid Works on a laptop! lol Especially a small one! I have a 15" IBM Thinkpad (Lenovo) and its small enough! I do have an ATI video card. Personally I prefer a PC for CAD programs, especially with dual 22" monitors.. :chuckle

Checl out Tiger Direct, Canada Computers (already mentioned) and other Computer specific stores. You'll get better prices and service than the big box stores. I've used mostly Canada Computers myself when going outside IBM.

[dave_]

I'll be the first to recommend a mac. I just bought a new mac book and I am very happy with it. You could look at the new mac book, with a 9400m or a refurbished pro with a 8600gt (256 dedicated, link is below)
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/FB133LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw

They are a bit more expensive but osx is better than windows, not in a tangible way but overall. Plus you can run xp or vista if you wish. They do have some features that hp or sony do not, such as led backlit screens for optimized battery life and multi touch touch-pads. If you need it for portability the battery life is better than any windows based notebooks (unless you add a bigger battery)

Any way if you go windows I would suggest an HP, their quality is pretty good, but to get a decent dedicated video card it would be close to 1000-1150 dollars

[sp3GT]

Thought about macs but they're kind of out of budget.

I was looking at this one http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10113330&catid=

Comes with ATI Mobility Radeon HD3470

What do you guys think?

[S.F.W.]

2MB CPU cache, and 5400 RPM Hard Drive are going to kill your performance. Also, it's still using shared memory for graphics. You want something with a discrete graphics chipset.

[dave_]

Thought about macs but they're kind of out of budget.

I was looking at this one http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10113330&catid=

Comes with ATI Mobility Radeon HD3470

What do you guys think?

looks pretty good for the price, 5400 rpm hdd is standard for notebooks so thats fine, and iam pretty sure it has 265mb dedicated video ram, with 4gb of ram and t5800 its a good deal

[sp3GT]

Following what Ami said, it doesn't have discrete video memory.

I looked at the ones that do and the price jumps at least 300 dollars.

Prob not worth it right?

[JohnyGT]

PM me if u want to buy off from where i work.

I can give u a TM3 price lol

here's the website

www.sonaggi.com

[yearoftherat]

The Asus M50VM-A1 is nicely spec'd...

[JohnyGT]

The Asus M50VM-A1 is nicely spec'd...

yeah, Asus is always decent :)

[Unoriginalusername]

http://h20386.www2.hp.com/CanadaStore/Product.aspx?pdetail=P70986 good bang for your buck

[openuser]

How about Dell XPS™ M1530 series?
999 base price, and add 100 to get 256MB GeForce 8600M GT dedicated graphics.
It's got 4GB of RAM as well..
15" and portable :)

[MSMitch]

Some of the higher-end Lenovo's are quite good (some of the newer ones are not made as well as some of the older IBM/Lenovo ones) - but for durability and one of the best screen hinges in the business, can't go wrong. I have a older r50p and a newer X61 tablet - the tablet runs Photshop quite well, but definitely not lightning speed.
For CAD, and for your budget, I think you may be happier with a desk-top - especially double 21" monitors!!! :)

[S.F.W.]

Some of the higher-end Lenovo's are quite good (some of the newer ones are not made as well as some of the older IBM/Lenovo ones) - but for durability and one of the best screen hinges in the business, can't go wrong. I have a older r50p and a newer X61 tablet - the tablet runs Photshop quite well, but definitely not lightning speed.
For CAD, and for your budget, I think you may be happier with a desk-top - especially double 21" monitors!!! :)

The problem with the tablet is it used a low voltage CPU, and likely a 5400RPM drive. Anyhow, if you need anything Lenovo wise PM me, I can help.

[Kevin@nextmod]

Come find me at futureshop.... i'll see if i can give you a deal.... I work at the computers department. the one close to our house

[kevcol74]

The problem with the tablet is it used a low voltage CPU, and likely a 5400RPM drive. Anyhow, if you need anything Lenovo wise PM me, I can help.

That include extras? I could use some more ram in my T60p.... :P
How much for 2 GB??

[S.F.W.]

That include extras? I could use some more ram in my T60p.... :P
How much for 2 GB??
not sure we will be cheaper than third party, but pm me the part number from your notebook, and I'll look. EPP for the win ;)

[Ex-Rolla]

I agree with the Asus recommendations... Have had my G1 for 2 years, and knock on wood, it's been fantastic! would buy another ASUS in a heartbeat.

[mazdas3sporte]

iam not expert but this is what I would look for personally

Go for HP, u can find an amazing HP for under 1000, DO not get Acer , I have it its garbage, sony is good but wayy to expensive,

If ur getting a new laptop which has vista I recommend at least having 3GB memory just to run the damn vista, Mines a 2Gb and it ran like an old mule without anyprograms on it, If you can get a 4Gb thats great and a 5 GB is amazing , u gotta look at the Ghz too . at least 2.0 Ghz core duo, look at how much space u need too ,

this is what I was looking towards getting, its a decent laptop for everyday use
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10114929&catid=25315&logon=&langid=EN
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10112452&catid=

[Sergiomax11]

Macbook FTW

[sp3GT]

I agree with the Asus recommendations... Have had my G1 for 2 years, and knock on wood, it's been fantastic! would buy another ASUS in a heartbeat.

I looked at some Asus cause so many people recommended but are they reliable? Most of my friends have either HP, Sony, or Toshiba.

[stormin84]

both myself and my GF have Architectural desktop 2008 on acer laptops and no problems with it being slow

[yearoftherat]

IMHO HP is crap as they come preloaded with all this extra software that is practically useless. I had to do a clean reinstall on my mom's computer to get rid of all the bloatware. Now it runs so much better. My dad had a HP and it died only after 18 months.
The problem with a lot of computers nowadays is that manufacturers cram as much bloated software into their products ie :more bang for the buck.

[secondgear]

I would go with toshiba. I have one for over two years now still working great

[MAZDA Kitten]

I love my HP Pavilion DV5. I've read a lot about them and HP uses good quality components. I heard to avoid SONy as the components are cheap. I dont know.

My HP lap top it also has ATI graphic card

[Kevin@nextmod]

After working at futureshop... I actually would only stick to either sony, toshiba and LG thats all. Except asus and fujitsu which do'nt sell at FS.
stay away from the hp and acer.

[Walrus]

Does LG make laptops? Scary.. because everything LG is crap.

[Mazda In Honda Out]

Okay I went through this same issue last year!
My FIRST recommendation: Macbook Pro. It ended up being my final decision and I do not regret it at all. I run both OS X and Windows XP on it. I have a Mac Desktop and a Dell Desktop (I run a small advertising design and print company). My Macbook Pro eats the other two desktops for breakfast/lunch and dinner. If you have to get a PC I say check out ASUS and Alienware.
Good Luck!!

[yearoftherat]

Okay I went through this same issue last year!
My FIRST recommendation: Macbook Pro.

His budget is only $1200....you can pb buy a used one but it will prb be a few yrs old. He might as well get a macbook 2.1 gHz @ $1149

[fini]

Hey guys, my laptop just suffered major cracking and damages.. so I'm looking to replace it too.

I was just having a quick look at the futureshop website and this is what I'm looking for... is it reasonable price? or is it overpriced for what it has?

blu ray
independent vid card
250 + HDD
2+ GB ram
are some of the important features for me

using it for things like
CAD - solid modeling etc.
gaming

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10108002&catid=

[sp3GT]

Hey guys, my laptop just suffered major cracking and damages.. so I'm looking to replace it too.

I was just having a quick look at the futureshop website and this is what I'm looking for... is it reasonable price? or is it overpriced for what it has?

blu ray
independent vid card
250 + HDD
2+ GB ram
are some of the important features for me

using it for things like
CAD - solid modeling etc.
gaming

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10108002&catid=


Most people I asked told me to stay away from Dell. I ended up buying a Toshiba today.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10113330&catid=

[Mazda3X2]

Can I ask for some input on a laptop I just bought at Best Buy?

HP dv2945se was on sale as a "door crasher" for their opening weekend here in Belleville for $599 ($200 off)
- 4GB RAM
- 320GB HD
- Athlon Dual Core 2GHz
- Nvidia 7150m graphics
- 14.1"

My price range for a laptop is around $600 - $700 before taxes so I thought this was great and picked it up. I am not opening it until after I see the deals on Boxing Day just incase.

I don't really do any hard core gaming, maybe WoW at the most. I am concerned with it's 14.1" screen being a little small and the graphics card (Nvidia 7150m) being sub-par possibly?

Anyone educated comments are welcome please. The others I was looking at were the Toshiba A350 or HP dv5-1124. Waiting for Boxing Day sales.

Thanks

[ds2chan]

What's wrong with Dell?? I have a Dell and have had no issues. I know others with Dell and have had no issues. I was using a Dell at work for a while until the warranty ran out and that was here for 3 years.

The only thing I didn't like about the Dell laptop (that every computer seems to have) was the extra freeware and shareware applications that were installed. I just uninstalled them all and everything has been working fine ever since.

One thing I like about Dell is that the 15.4' models allow you to upgrade the screen so that the resolution can be up to 1440x900.

I personally don't like the Acer keyboards as they all seem to have the bilingual keyboards (the enter key is too far away for one thing). I think ASUS uses the bilingual keyboards also but I'm not 100% sure about this.

It seemed that my friend's HP laptop had more software installed than the my Dell but I think I got rid of everything.

I suppose every company has their bad design flaws or something you don't like. Good luck in your search.

[Mazda3X2]

I looked on the Dell website and they seem expensive for what you get. For something to compare to the hp 2945se I bought it seems I would be spending around $800 at least.

[Dante]

What's wrong with Dell?? I have a Dell and have had no issues. I know others with Dell and have had no issues. I was using a Dell at work for a while until the warranty ran out and that was here for 3 years.

The only thing I didn't like about the Dell laptop (that every computer seems to have) was the extra freeware and shareware applications that were installed. I just uninstalled them all and everything has been working fine ever since.

One thing I like about Dell is that the 15.4' models allow you to upgrade the screen so that the resolution can be up to 1440x900.

I personally don't like the Acer keyboards as they all seem to have the bilingual keyboards (the enter key is too far away for one thing). I think ASUS uses the bilingual keyboards also but I'm not 100% sure about this.

It seemed that my friend's HP laptop had more software installed than the my Dell but I think I got rid of everything.

I suppose every company has their bad design flaws or something you don't like. Good luck in your search.


This is what dell is worth to me http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1379/dell2lglh0.jpg

They are garbage.

[Thrizzl3]

hey hey hey dell hater!!! im using a dell right now and its not giving me trouble:chuckle there maybe some crap dell laptops but some of them are more durable than that one jeeez looks like the nutty professor missed the chair.

As for laptop choices i would go with the macbook for its mass creativity and interactive programs. as for my laptop i paid $1500 through my school compared to the $2300 dell sells it for

[Go_Habs_Go]

LOL on that pic...was that you getting overly affectionate for your last laptop? :chuckle

I've worked with many Dell and IBM laptops in the past and never had any issues in terms of performance or break-downs. But I was mainly using office applications and browsing the net, no gaming or intensive imaging work.

Macbook would be a nice option IMHO. But then you are in the apple world so that all depends on how comfortable you are with that.

[openuser]

I think dell is fine. In fact, I have one right now, I've dropped it couple times, works just fine.
It's about 3.5 years old and running strong :)
I mostly do programming running linux on the laptop.
Can't ask for more from a laptop right now :P Plus I love the 1920x1200 resolution too!

I would buy Dell again.

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Got my Wife a Lenovo T61 over a year and it is great.. no issues at all.

[Dante]

It's not really the performance, its what your paying for.. Its all cheap parts they use to build dells, for years now they've shared the same little parts that now a days have been upgraded. im not talking about hard drives and ram, im talking about the smaller components that make these what they are.

If they were priced less, and not always biased because of the name then they would be good. Ive heard the dumbest shit from work

"Dell is the best "

Why is that? Do you own one?

"no, I just heard its good"

COME ON. I have 2 jobs, one involving my own business, I repair computers for a living and I work in a electronics shop, both of which lets me witness whats crap and whats not. Dell, they are cheap and affordable but you get what you pay for in the parts used to build them.

The lowest ive seen is a fake dell tower, it was the casing of a dell but inside was a Asus motherboard. computer shop owners are taking advantage of the name by selling custom built pc's in dell casings.. the person assumes its dell and takes it.. I see too many of the dell laptop with warped plastics, dead video chipsets, fried ram.. i dont question these things without actually witnessing. Its all up to you guys, if you have a good experience with these products and put a smile on your face, thats good! Just my personal experience and many others that come in for repair arent.. I guess i just see the worst when it comes to that part of my job.

[jaimie08mazda3]

id go with toshiba. i own a HP laptop. and i hate it. well its not that i hate it, but over the 2 years ive had it. it has had a bunch of problems with everything. and ive had to reset it soooooooooooooooooooooo many times. when i had my toshiba it never died. its like comparing toyota to sayyyyy ford :P

[Mazda3X2]

Good analogy.

I appreciate your input as well. Come Boxing Day I'll see what deals are out there and go from there I guess.

Thanks


id go with toshiba. i own a HP laptop. and i hate it. well its not that i hate it, but over the 2 years ive had it. it has had a bunch of problems with everything. and ive had to reset it soooooooooooooooooooooo many times. when i had my toshiba it never died. its like comparing toyota to sayyyyy ford :P

[fini]

How do you guys feel about Sony laptops?

[sp3GT]

How do you guys feel about Sony laptops?

The new sony's don't really make one with a dedicated graphic card. They seem pretty pricey too, if you compare it to a brand like Toshiba. For the same stuff inside the Sony costs about 100 - 200 more.

[fini]

Thanks for the input.... It looks like my next one will be a Toshiba by reading the comments above.

Would you say that the same applies to Lenovo?

[tweak_s]

I think Sony laptops are great. Obviously like all laptops have a range from low performance to high but in general their quality is quite high.

[Dante]

Toshiba's are great. Got my father one and he's been happy with it for 4 years now. Not much problems with them either, it happens but not as much

[sp3GT]

Does anyone know where's a good place to buy Asus other then Notebookoutlet at Pacific Mall?

[el_rodento]

I've been using a toshiba for the past 4 years now and it's a complete lemon. This particular model range had issues with static electricity which makes it impossible to use on the couch or near carpeted floors. Add that to the loud fans which completely drown out the speakers whenever I watch youtube videos. My next laptop is probably gonna be as Asus or IBM.

It's also worth checking out a real computer store rather than FS or Bestbuy. Those places seem too expensive compared with NCIX, TigerDirect, or Canada Computers.

[Mazda3X2]

Does anyone out there with good knowledge of laptops have an opinion on
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=020769&cid=896.14

The hard drive is a little on the smallish side. But for the money you seem to get quite a bit of performance and a dedicated graphics card. I don't know the big differences between Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Turion 64X2, but there only seems to be good hype on these Gateway FX series laptops.