Laptop Upgrade (Stone Age to Tech Age)

Started by Adonis, September 06, 2013, 09:34:26 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Adonis

Alrighty ladies and gents, my refund from school this year was fairly hefty (2,000$ and some change), so I'll finally be upgrading my laptop to a new one. However, with all of the new tech floating around, and the newer brands seemingly popping up everywhere, Im at a bit of a loss.

Some time ago, my HP dv6 (specs below), decided to shit out on me.

HP Dv6

2.26GHz Intel Core i3-350M processor
3MB L2 Cache
4GB DDR3 System Memory
Intel HD Graphics
Up to 1696MB
500GB HD

Right now, Im on a backup laptop (and have been for about a year or two) with the following specs:

~Please don't beat me, this little guy is downright shameful~

Compaq Presario R3000

Windows XP
15.4 In Screen
AMD Athalon 64 Processor 3000+ (1.6 GHz)
512 MB of Ram
40GB HD
NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go - 32.0 MB DDR SDRAM
7.7 lbs







That said, Im looking for:

Something that packs a nice, hefty punch with at *least* 750GB, but preferably a TB of space
Something that can run the newer games without burning holes in my legs if I play for more than 15 minutes or so.
Something *NOT* made by HP, as I've had nothing but bad experiences with their machines (heat-wise and dependability-wise).

So far, I've taken a look at the following brands/machines.

ASUS G75 Series G750JW - Priced at 1,399$
Alienware (the newer line that just came out)
iBUYPOWER Gamer Valkyrie series
Lenovo Ideapad Series - Not sure about this one.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Moraline

I suggest Asus for value and quality.

Go to Newegg.com and check out the Asus laptops available there. You shouldn't have to spend anywhere near $2000. Roughly a $1000 should be all that's needed.

*If you are not from North American then at least you can see what's available.

I suggest anything with an i5 or i7 processor.
And you don't want the graphics to say "intel". It should say "Radeon" or "Nvidia."

If it's got those two things then chances are it'll eat most new games for breakfast and still have time to make you a cuppa.

Adonis

#2
Aye, my trust for the intel graphic series is slim to none. They run so godawful HOT. Nvidia is where I was gravitating towards. Processor-wise, I'll be looking at the i7.

Edit: The only bad thing that Im seeming to have to deal with is the fact that just about all of the ASUS models come with windows 8, and only windows 8. Blegh.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Moraline

I understand your pain. I greatly dislike Win 8 too but it does run quite efficiently on the hardware so it's not too bad.

About companis... The thing is that IBUYPOWER makes great bargain basement products but in a laptop you don't want bargain basement. They are expensive to repair and almost impossible to do yourself for a home use. If it was a desktop, I'd suggest IBUYPower but not in a laptop.

Then with Alienware it's just a waste of money. You will end up paying almost double for the same specs that you'll get with the Asus brand.

So hands down. I suggest Asus. Plus they have a great rep for having amazing monitor panels which is where a lot of the cheaper brands will skimp out on.

The i7 is a great idea. Pair that with an Nvidia 650m (or higher number) graphics card and you are rocking a machine that will max out the graphics on any game in the market for the next several years.

PS: If all you do is play something like Minecraft then those specs are way overkill.

Graphics card note: 
The intel is a built-in on board graphics chip set that uses up the computers memory and isn't really built for gaming. That's why it seems like it's running hot to you.  The system is under stress so it'll run hotter. Otherwise Intel is usually a better bet then AMD.
The Radeon and Nvidia usually mean that the graphics card in the laptop has dedicated memory and a special chipset designed with gaming in mind.


.. Of course if you have your heart set on an Alienware, I can't knock the products. Generally, they are well put together and who doesn't love a little alien head on their cover! It's just damn cool.

Adonis

The asus that I now have hotlinked in the first post is what Im leaning towards. Alienware is cool, but there are so many gimmicky things about just the case itself, Im worried that it may cause problems later on down the line.

As for what I play, when I have time, I definitely do quite a bit more than minecraft (which I've honestly never played).
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Moraline

Quote from: Adonis on September 06, 2013, 11:05:57 PM
The asus that I now have hotlinked in the first post is what Im leaning towards. Alienware is cool, but there are so many gimmicky things about just the case itself, Im worried that it may cause problems later on down the line.

As for what I play, when I have time, I definitely do quite a bit more than minecraft (which I've honestly never played).
That choice would be an excellent top end choice for gaming and other things. If anything it will be overkill for most games.

*note* When you start playing your games, most of them go to a default graphic settings. With that laptop you should be able to go into the graphics settings of individual games and crank them up to Max or Ultra Max settings.

** Another note: I should also mention that often people refer to the larger Asus laptops as "Hulktops" because they tend to be a little on the thick and heavy side. I thought you might find that tip useful in case you do a lot of traveling as some travel bags tend to be a bit small on them and it is heavy to carry.

Happy gaming and I hope it works out well for you!

Adonis

The way I look at it, Im not overkilling current games, Im prepping for upcoming stuff with higher requirements. Id rtlather be ahead in specs for a year or two then buy a lower end lappy and be pissy two years from now cause I have to play on reduced settings. Buy for the future, not today ;)

As for the size, I already have a backpack to go with it orders thats custom tailored for it. Men are made to carry heavy things ;)
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Moraline

Quote from: Adonis on September 07, 2013, 12:27:01 PM
The way I look at it, Im not overkilling current games, Im prepping for upcoming stuff with higher requirements. Id rtlather be ahead in specs for a year or two then buy a lower end lappy and be pissy two years from now cause I have to play on reduced settings. Buy for the future, not today ;)
The only issue with that is that laptops of almost any type end up being nearly useless within a few years anyways. (if they are used a lot.) 

That's why hardcore gamers tend to go for desktops that they can keep rebuilding. The expandability and duration of performance is much greater in desktops then in laptops. Also, all laptops experience a significant issue with heat, general wear, and battery life.

PS: That reminds me, make sure you get a good chill pad. Gaming laptops almost always need one and it will greatly extend the life of your laptop.

QuoteAs for the size, I already have a backpack to go with it orders thats custom tailored for it. Men are made to carry heavy things ;)
That's excellent to hear you say it. *hands you my laptop bag* Will you carry that to class for me? *bats my eyelashes*

Adonis

True, but I game maybe once every few weeks. I wont be beating the thing to death daily with 8 hour WoW sessions. As for the cooling pad, Ive been looking around for one, but theyre generally all the same. I would *kill* for someone to make a liquid cooled pad for me. That and I need to figure out where the intakes will be on that asus. The pictures are just blegh.

As it is, my downstairs where I do most of my stuff rarely gets above 60 degrees F.

*Smirks* A man never does something he does well for free my dear.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Oreo

That first Asus link you have is what I am using and I love the heck out of it. It also has great multi-tasking capabilities. I can be on E with many tabs open while also running Disby for chat, downloading and watching a movie at the same time. The extra wide screen makes it so I can keep my web page at the same size I was already used to (15") and use the other 2.5" for the IM and movie. It also plays Mass Effect, Diablo and Spore quite well. I haven't tried other games yet. I play those more on my Xbox or PS3.

I agree, with your concern over the newer Asus. I was terribly disappointed that they are windows 8 since I will likely never want a PC with 8.

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

Adonis

Aye, ill just have to suck it up. I ended up going with the newer, higher end 750 series.

http://www.adorama.com/ASG750JXDB71.html

It comes with an extra 250gb ssd to bump up the speed, in addition to the 1tb hdd. A few other minor things are upgraded as well.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Oreo

Looks awesome. Let me know how you feel about the Win8 after a while. I'd be interested for sure!

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin