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What laptop do you recommend?

 
Old 08-23-2011 at 06:14 PM   #46
DutchRudder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger View Post
Thanks for everyone's replies so far.

Which is better out of these two Asus laptops?

This one
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...881&CatId=4936

Or
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...762&CatId=2509



Both are same price but 1st one is refurbished. Do you recommend getting a new one?
Of the two I would DEFINITELY go with the second one. The processor on the first is a 1.2GHz i3-330UM, the U stands for ultra low power. You will not be able to run multiple resource-intensive programs with that notebook.

Edit: If its within your budget, I recommend this notebook: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=668 9747&CatId=2509

Much more capable processor, and the AMD 5470 is leaps and bounds superior to any discreet graphics processor. The 320GB hard drive and 2GB of ram are very simple to upgrade should you feel the need to, but I doubt you will. Also, the 3-year warranty is reassuring. Only drawback is the battery life is rather short.

Last edited by DutchRudder : 08-23-2011 at 06:22 PM.

tiger says thanks to DutchRudder for this post.
Old 08-23-2011 at 06:32 PM   #47
Tailsnake
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger View Post
Thanks for everyone's replies so far.

Which is better out of these two Asus laptops?

This one
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...881&CatId=4936

Or
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...762&CatId=2509



Both are same price but 1st one is refurbished. Do you recommend getting a new one?
The second is better, but both have rather poor battery-life
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Old 08-24-2011 at 10:46 AM   #48
tiger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tailsnake View Post
The second is better, but both have rather poor battery-life
How about those two

http://www.superwarehouse.co m/ASUS...T-A2/p/1639396

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...762&CatId=2509

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...747&CatId=2509

Hopefully last comparison
Old 08-24-2011 at 01:21 PM   #49
DutchRudder
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Component wise, the last link is the best notebook of the three. But again, the battery capacity is a huge drawback. I want to meet the Asus executive who decided to put together such capable and energy intensive cpus and gpus, and then decided to cop out on a 3-cell battery. If you could get a bigger 6-cell or 9-cell battery than you would have a GREAT notebook, but I don't know of any larger batteries that will fit in it. If your comfortable with 2 hours battery life, and awesome performance when plugged in I would say go for it. But if battery performance is important to you, that's probably not the notebook for you.

Either way your going to have to make a sacrifice between computer performance and battery life if you want to stay in the $500 range.

I recommend you consider raising your budget, and looking at other vendors. Tigerdirect and Newegg are the best pc component retailers, they are not necessarily the best pc retailers. So definitely check out brick and mortar retailers like Futureshop and Bestbuy.

I think the best option for you is to try ebay if you're willing. You can find great refurbished or even used notebooks originally manufactured in 2009 and 2010 that are still quite competitive. Just make sure when your browsing around to remember that key components are:

-Core 2 Duo, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 processor.
-A dedicated Graphics card, stay away from discreet.
-At least a 6-cell battery.

Ram and hard drive options size are not super important, they can be expanded very easily for far less than oem laptop manufacturers charge. Also, remember that Dell is not evil. They make great notebooks, as does: Toshiba, Lenovo, HP and Asus. Stay away from Samsung and Sony as they both suffer from endemic battery issues.

tiger says thanks to DutchRudder for this post.

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Old 08-24-2011 at 01:48 PM   #50
Rooms4Rent
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macbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old 08-24-2011 at 03:09 PM   #51
DutchRudder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rooms4Rent View Post
macbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the MacBook is a great choice for mindless consumers.

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Old 08-24-2011 at 03:18 PM   #52
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Fujitsu has a very low repair rate - I'd recommend one. But yes to Asus as well.
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Old 08-24-2011 at 03:35 PM   #53
yaroslav64
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Guys just because a certain computer crapped out on you doesnt mean the company makes shitty products, you have to remember you're one out of millions of customers and as such your experience doesnt represent the products as a whole.

Anyway I bought this puppy a couple weeks ago
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...EdpNo=835 529

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Old 08-24-2011 at 05:21 PM   #54
tiger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DutchRudder View Post
Component wise, the last link is the best notebook of the three. But again, the battery capacity is a huge drawback. I want to meet the Asus executive who decided to put together such capable and energy intensive cpus and gpus, and then decided to cop out on a 3-cell battery. If you could get a bigger 6-cell or 9-cell battery than you would have a GREAT notebook, but I don't know of any larger batteries that will fit in it. If your comfortable with 2 hours battery life, and awesome performance when plugged in I would say go for it. But if battery performance is important to you, that's probably not the notebook for you.

Either way your going to have to make a sacrifice between computer performance and battery life if you want to stay in the $500 range.

I recommend you consider raising your budget, and looking at other vendors. Tigerdirect and Newegg are the best pc component retailers, they are not necessarily the best pc retailers. So definitely check out brick and mortar retailers like Futureshop and Bestbuy.

I think the best option for you is to try ebay if you're willing. You can find great refurbished or even used notebooks originally manufactured in 2009 and 2010 that are still quite competitive. Just make sure when your browsing around to remember that key components are:

-Core 2 Duo, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 processor.
-A dedicated Graphics card, stay away from discreet.
-At least a 6-cell battery.

Ram and hard drive options size are not super important, they can be expanded very easily for far less than oem laptop manufacturers charge. Also, remember that Dell is not evil. They make great notebooks, as does: Toshiba, Lenovo, HP and Asus. Stay away from Samsung and Sony as they both suffer from endemic battery issues.
I don't really wanna go much above the 500 range because I don't plan on using the new laptop for more than a couple years anyways. So I thought why spend a lot of money when I'd be buying a new one in 2 years. You know most laptops these days aren't made to be kept around for too long and new technology and models come out so I'd be satisfied with someting that would work wonderfully for two years.

I checked out bestbuy but it seems their products are mostly for store pick up and I want to purchase online and have it shipped overseas.
Old 08-25-2011 at 07:18 AM   #55
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For the "sheep" that are marching into future shop and bestbuy ONLY for the back to school season (which are the majority of consumers right now), I wrote an article detailing the highest spec laptops, under $500 at bestbuy and futureshop available for back to school. Its on the front page of www.insideminds.tk
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