Need a GOOD Laptop

[torob]

I got a up to $2000 (including warranty and extra stuff) to get a really good laptop for studies.

Going to need it for architectural stuff, simulations / animation
So going to be looking for the best GPU i can grab hands on

Just needs to be quick, and weigh as low as possible, so probably a 15"..

Any ideas?
Im going to need this ASAP, school starts tommorow..

I was looking at the Asus G51J-A1 w/ Core i7 720QM, 4GB, 640GB, DVD+/-RW, 15.6in Full HD, GeForce GTX 260M, Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit w/ Batman Game from memory express.. but they have no stock..

[Lagerstatten.ca]

At my former job we used a lot of the Dell Precision series laptops with two hard drives (got rid of the optical drive). Those seemed to work well for AutoCAD/Map 3D and a lot of geospatial stuff.

[Barking_Spidre]

www.newegg.ca has some great laptops. I bought an MSI laptop from them last year, and it's been nothing but awesome. Was shipped in about 5 days I think, from BC?

[torob]

Well i was thinking if i was to go all out i could probably customize a alienware with high end specs

Dell xps didnt seem bad either but they have the ATi gfx cards and im not familiar with the model range for laptop and their performance

Newegg doesnt seem to have any high grade stuff.. the highest they have is the HP Compaq 6730b(KS180UT#ABA) Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 2GB Memory 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi Intel GMA ... - Retail

Not a good gfx

[Barking_Spidre]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220623

1Gig video card isn't enough? Asus is a good brand too.

[dragonone]

+1 to the G51J-A1

[torob]

Originally posted by Barking_Spidre
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220623

1Gig video card isn't enough? Asus is a good brand too.

The graphics card is a 220M.. and I'm aiming for the higher end 260M
Plus that laptop is massive, 18.4"


Originally posted by dragonone
+1 to the G51J-A1

Yeah seems like is a good one to grab, how long does it usually take for memoryexpress to restock?

[nonlinear]

i would recommend a Lenovo T400.

[calgarydub]

I have a Dell Studio 15, and I really don't like anything about it.


I had a Toshiba before and the quality and the functionality far exceeds anything that is offered on this Dell.

The dell is loud playing movies or CD's, the keyboard feels different then most other laptops but you get use to it, it heats up quickly and gets VERY hot even when nothing is running, the touchpad is horrible. Not only is it burning hot from the heat as I mentioned before, it is really easy to mis-click because the touchpad is one seemless piece of plastic on the computer. The dell for some odd reason, whether it is Vista or the laptop itself, has trouble staying connected to my wireless when my Toshiba with XP was pretty rock solid.

From these experiences I don't recommend getting a Dell Studio 15. At least, not unless you try one out first in person at a store. I didn't have a choice, but if I did I wouldn't go dell again.

You probably weren't considering it anyways, but maybe someone else who reads this thread was.

Goodluck

[Tomaz]

Wow, i wish i had that budget to work with! :(

Dumb comments aside:

After much research, i have found my laptop to be best suited for me. Best rated in terms of reliability and customer service. I went with Asus (though i only got a K50). It seems to meet everything and exceeded expectations. If there is a model that fits the specs, i suggest that brand!

[SpoonEK9@STRD]

Alien Ware from dell?

[Kavy]

Originally posted by SpoonEK9@STRD
Alien Ware from dell?

Typing from mine now, it punches pretty much everything i throw at it in the vagina.
The are not for the "computer stupid" however as they can be stubborn.

I vote for a m15x, Rob if you wanted you can always check mine out to see what you think, i have the m17x its much bigger but you can get the idea of the build quality.

[Kavy]

Stupid double posts

[torob]

I was looking to get the m15x... there was a student deal but it was only available on the US website...

UofC has dell discounts but none for alienware i don't think...
So is there i can drop the price a bit? The US website took it from 2,500 to 2,300 where as the Canada one goes from $3,000+

Any other ideas for a good GPU + CPU combo laptops?
The asus im looking at memex will bring in 4 days or something, but thinking about it... reviews say the keyboard is horrible.. and it seems very cheap product for the price i'd be paying

[torob]

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2AD2D24472DF6467FB4F996F50005BC5E3004C17D63550F0BC2E783458EE514188BB396DBB3AC10DC537E1954FDD10EEE725C1FE3FAF85B661BD553D3675FA84F0C90E7254A1C75D52DC8BE5EB35144603D395A7B432AEBC019CA215DE5CF9EA9DEC80B6B906F8635603A8555CD84E14D&sku_id=0665000FS10131423&catid=

Thats the futureshop i7 cpu... the problem is, i don't know if the video card --
Graphics Chipset ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 M97
compares to the GTX 260M

If it does i'll go out and grab that... not alot of options contrary to what you'd think with this budget

[dragonone]

i asked this once in another thread already. do your programs specifically support GPU for rendering? some programs only use your CPU for rendering. nevertheless a discrete graphics card is nice; dual is even better on the battery

just noticed this on engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/11/asus-ul80jt-spotted-with-automatic-switchable-graphics-brags-12/

i like the UL series a lot but most of them have a ULV cpu in them (i.e. su7300). this one has an i7 !!

[torob]

Originally posted by dragonone
i asked this once in another thread already. do your programs specifically support GPU for rendering? some programs only use your CPU for rendering. nevertheless a discrete graphics card is nice; dual is even better on the battery

just noticed this on engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/11/asus-ul80jt-spotted-with-automatic-switchable-graphics-brags-12/

i like the UL series a lot but most of them have a ULV cpu in them (i.e. su7300). this one has an i7 !!

I saw that too, problem is those laptops will probably take a while to get released... and i really can't wait.
With school starting i need a machine ASAP

The software will include from photoshop to rhino / so i think for sure GPU is needed for rendering and intensive work

[dragonone]

well from what i've read cs4 doesn't utilize gpu acceleration, unless you have a specific plug-in that says so. and usually gpu's used for such work is specialized like quadro, not ur typical gtx### or HD####

[torob]

Originally posted by dragonone
well from what i've read cs4 doesn't utilize gpu acceleration, unless you have a specific plug-in that says so. and usually gpu's used for such work is specialized like quadro, not ur typical gtx### or HD####

Yeah i think you're right, but programs like Rhino / Maya / 3DsMax do use GPU power

[Carl64]

www.eurocom.com

If your not opposed to ordering online these guys have great machines and are Canadian to boot. My father and I have been using them for 6+ years. They have an awesome trade up program and warranty(My father spilled coffee on his keyboard, fried only the KB, and they sent him a new one overnight for HIM to install rather then sending the whole machine back). They will even credit you a few hundred for shipping them your old non-eurocom laptop. They also offer 5% off as a student discount.

I have been using my Divine-X for 2 years now without a single problem, and its a beast. You will pay a bit more but the quality is there. They also offer "mobile servers" if you need some serious power (and serious lack of battery life).

Oh, no crap-ware with them either. You can even order without an OS.

[sxtothe240]

if you want to wait abit alienware is coming out with a m11x. stupidly powerful 11".

Plus portability for school

[torob]

Originally posted by Carl64
www.eurocom.com

If your not opposed to ordering online these guys have great machines and are Canadian to boot. My father and I have been using them for 6+ years. They have an awesome trade up program and warranty(My father spilled coffee on his keyboard, fried only the KB, and they sent him a new one overnight for HIM to install rather then sending the whole machine back). They will even credit you a few hundred for shipping them your old non-eurocom laptop. They also offer 5% off as a student discount.

I have been using my Divine-X for 2 years now without a single problem, and its a beast. You will pay a bit more but the quality is there. They also offer "mobile servers" if you need some serious power (and serious lack of battery life).

Oh, no crap-ware with them either. You can even order without an OS.

Awesome link, i'm really digging them.
Though the prices and the specs + price of the asus just keep nagging
I mean almost the same system by eurocom would cost 2,500+ where as the asus is 1,900 + IPR from memex

[Carl64]

Originally posted by torob


Awesome link, i'm really digging them.
Though the prices and the specs + price of the asus just keep nagging
I mean almost the same system by eurocom would cost 2,500+ where as the asus is 1,900 + IPR from memex

Yeah, Eurocom is pricey, but I find the build quality better all around. They feel more "solid". They also use high quality parts, for example the RAM in my machine is Corsairs, and it also has a desktop CPU.

You also get support from eurocom that isn't "ship us your laptop", granted this may not be as big of an issue for you being in Calgary over a small town like Hanna.

And no bloatware, at all.
A word of warning though, the large desktop replacement and high-performance machines are HEAVY and get poor battery life. Also the only machines I have used.

[torob]

Originally posted by Carl64


Yeah, Eurocom is pricey, but I find the build quality better all around. They feel more "solid". They also use high quality parts, for example the RAM in my machine is Corsairs, and it also has a desktop CPU.

You also get support from eurocom that isn't "ship us your laptop", granted this may not be as big of an issue for you being in Calgary over a small town like Hanna.

And no bloatware, at all.
A word of warning though, the large desktop replacement and high-performance machines are HEAVY and get poor battery life. Also the only machines I have used.

Im looking at the EUROCOM M860TU Montebello

For WiFi it has a option for the card... some of them USB sticks.. im wondering if it comes with wifi on its own and this is just a "upgrade" option... or do i have to actually select the wifi card?

[Carl64]

Originally posted by torob


Im looking at the EUROCOM M860TU Montebello

For WiFi it has a option for the card... some of them USB sticks.. im wondering if it comes with wifi on its own and this is just a "upgrade" option... or do i have to actually select the wifi card?

You have to pick the card. My boss made that mistake and ended up with a laptop with no WiFi lol. I recommend the last one on the list that is b/g. If you want an N card make sure you go with the 95 dollar card as it is b/g/n.

They also don't come with an OS unless you pick one.

The 860TU is basically the model below mine(mines a 17inch), just a few years newer. If you end up buying one, let me know how it works out. Should be a great machine.

-edit-
Check out the factory outlet section of the website, theres some good deals there if you don't mind a demo/slightly used laptop.

[dragonone]

I'm really digging the fact that you can upgrade/replace the GPU in some of the eurocoms. However, their prices aren't tempting at all, especially for the lower end models, the prices aren't even competitive.

shouldn't you be looking at i7 CPU's to be a little .... 'future-proof'? maybe looks up some cpu charts (i.e. tom's hardware etc.) to see the differences and if they justify the prices.

i still vote for the asus tho. :poosie:

[dragonone]

this has a quadro and may be more applicable for work:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=448528

[torob]

The Asus got discontinued :(

EDIT: Got a MacBook Pro :cry: