Recommend a laptop

[syeve]

Mine shit the bed, it was 5 years old so I figure I did pretty well with it.

It was an Acer so I have been looking into whats new and found what I think is a pretty good deal.

Uses - Photoshop, internet, office apps and ipod/iphone crap.

It's from Memory express

Acer Aspire 7740 (17inch) - $829.99
i5
4gb DDR3
640GB HD

Any thought or other recomendations?

[Boat]

Do you take it around to a lot of places? School etc.

I owned a 17 inch laptop and it was a heavy beast.

Now I have a 14.1 and I like it a lot more. But then again, I have a full sized desktop at home as well.

[syeve]

I was leaning towards the 17 as I don't take it anywhere really besides moving it around in my house. Editing photos is a lot easier on a bigger screen as well and I usually sit on my couch. I do not want a desktop, I do need to move it around a little bit.

One question regarding the processor, is the i5 better than the latest dual core? The i5 on this machine is the i5-430m if that helps.

[Neil4Speed]

Hey Swerve, if you are looking for a 15.6" by any chance Lenovo has a really sweet offer on their notebooks by using

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-749547-10559892?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.lenovo.com%2FSEUILibrary%2Fcontroller%2Fe%2Fwebca%2FLenovoPortal%2Fen_CA%2Fspecial-offers.workflow%3AShowPromo%3FLandingPage%3D%2FAll%2FCA%2FLanding_pages%2FPromotions%2F2010%2Ft-series-hot-deal&sid=forums

And then using the code CAP35OFFT

For example:

ThinkPad T510 - 1 Year Depot Topseller Warranty
Intel Core i7-620M Processor (2.66GHz 3MBL3 1066MHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 32
15.6" HD+ AG LED w/WW Ant
Intel GMA5700MHD, AMT
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 DIMM)
320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4
DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Enhanced
9cell, LI Battery TWSL
Intel WiFi Link 1000
None
1 Year Depot/Express Warranty

For $997.10 after the discount code.

I would pick Lenovo over Acer any day, their keyboards are really quite good. Reliability is a bit better than Acer too, plus Thinkpads retain their value better. If you want to save ~80 you can go for the i5 processor instead.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by syeve

One question regarding the processor, is the i5 better than the latest dual core? The i5 on this machine is the i5-430m if that helps.

I believe that this is true for all intents and purposes, however an E8600 may be able to edge it out.. I am not sure if those processors are even available on laptops. Regardless, your making a good pick with the i5.

[Tomaz]

This is the laptop i just bought...

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX27211%28ME%29.aspx

Granted this is not the size you were looking at, but i really do reccomend this brand of laptop. It seems that the attention to detail is great! I love all the little features that i have compared to what my friends bought for similar price (Cooltouch tech - produces less heat than average body temp, the multi-touch pad, facial recognition login, the sounds is great by comparison of others, the LED screen is AMAZING, wireless range is fantastic!) Overall, i would choose Asus over Acer, but you will pay a bit more. The staff also showed me stated on product failure/recall states. Asus is on the top of the list in every category.

[Neil4Speed]

Tomaz, I was looking at the 14" version of that laptop! There is a fair bit of competition in that range as Samsung also carries a laptop which is in direct competition with that one. Also, I could get a Lenovo T410 which would be around the same price and same spec with that coupon offer I mentioned above.

Good to know you give it a positive review. Curious though, you mentioned the Cooltouch tech, I didn't really see the point in it, maybe I am missing something.

How is the build quality on it? ie, does the chassis flex if you apply pressure, I like solid feeling laptops.

[derpderp]

I have a Sony, personally I wouldn't buy anything else. They are a bit more expensive though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Vaio_FW

Runs like a dream, very powerful when it was first put on the market and still is, Sony Support is extremely helpful and informative and unlike most the laptops I've owned the thing doesn't get to 329032*C when I'm running it hard.

Also Sony knows Style, I can't stand most Laptops on the market because the look so poorly made.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by derpderp
I have a Sony, personally I wouldn't buy anything else. They are a bit more expensive though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Vaio_FW

Runs like a dream, very powerful when it was first put on the market and still is, Sony Support is extremely helpful and informative and unlike most the laptops I've owned the thing doesn't get to 329032*C when I'm running it hard.

Also Sony knows Style, I can't stand most Laptops on the market because the look so poorly made.

Wow surprisingly the new F series is a pretty solid deal.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=100051&storeId=20153&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921666067651&IRTrack=HomepageSpot3

16.4" laptop with some pretty nice specs and a pretty decent price! - May be a good option for the OP!

[syeve]

Wow, that is a great deal for a sony. We use sony's at work and they are great machines but are usually pretty pricey. $1000 for an i7 - same price as a Azus. Thanks, that might be the winner!

[Tomaz]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Tomaz, I was looking at the 14" version of that laptop! There is a fair bit of competition in that range as Samsung also carries a laptop which is in direct competition with that one. Also, I could get a Lenovo T410 which would be around the same price and same spec with that coupon offer I mentioned above.

Good to know you give it a positive review. Curious though, you mentioned the Cooltouch tech, I didn't really see the point in it, maybe I am missing something.

How is the build quality on it? ie, does the chassis flex if you apply pressure, I like solid feeling laptops.

The samsung has a problem with the keys popping out on the keyboard. when you compare and feel both of them, the Asus wins hands down. There is no flex, i havent fount another solid feeling laptop that compares.

To best describe the difference, i would refer to the comparison of a Infinity G37 and a Genesis V6... Sure they look the same, and have decent specs, but the infinity is so much nicer! lol

The cooltouch makes a huge difference for me. Most laptops generate large amounts of heat which make me suffer from swalls (sweaty balls). The cooltouch vents the heat away from your body so the surface temp is less than body temp. No swalls! :thumbsup:

I was looking at sony, but they didn't have a numeric keypad (big seller for me), and they did not score well in initial quality. Plus all i have heard were horror stories of the warranty program.

Hence why i love the warranty with MemEx. Product replacement when shit goes wrong. 2 day max turnaround! :)

[msommers]

I was thinking about upgrading my laptop as well, even though there is nothing wrong with this one, just because I noticed how sluggish it is with photoshop, lightroom and 1080p and sometimes even 720p with subtitles.

Given that I'll be done school next year, I'm not so sure I'll need a laptop anymore. Aside from mobility, why would one get such a large laptop in place of a desktop? 17" laptops don't seem mobile either...

As for photo editing, this is the primary reason I got an extra monitor. The tilt on the laptop allows for so much variation in colors, brightness etc that it's tough to get things done accurately. I think even the monitor I have isn't that great for editing but it's def better than my laptop.

Just some food for thought.

[syeve]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I appreciate them. I have one final question then I will stop knit picking this laptop purchase.

Futureshop has a sony Vaio i5 520M for cheap (500gb hd, 4gb ram, 15.5 screen). Everything checks out except the video card. It is integrated but has 1755mb of video memory? It seems like a lot, but again, it's integrated. Will this effect my photoshop a lot? The laptop is only $850 so it is a steal of a deal, jut need to know if you would consider this a deal breaker?

Thanks!!

[BigMass]

here, for $780 this will pretty much blow any of those away in terms of gpu performance

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250511&SRCCODE=SHOPBOT&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCmtB5_BfCjCVqHCjCdwwp

[clem24]

Originally posted by BigMass
here, for $780 this will pretty much blow any of those away in terms of gpu performance

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250511&SRCCODE=SHOPBOT&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCmtB5_BfCjCVqHCjCdwwp

:eek: Great price for a lappy with a GTX260M. Too bad it's TD though. I've been leaning more towards portability and would spring either for a Sony P series or the Acer 11.6" with the dual core SU4xxx CPU. But if you want something durable, get a Thinkpad. Very solid computers.