Need Help on what laptop to buy

[Tman000]

So I have been looking around for a laptop to buy and it is a little diffucult for me to decide what I should be getting.

For starters I've never owned a laptop before because I've always used desktops.

I'm a gamer - Mostly interested in just putting World of Warcraft on it for now, but I know that sometime in the future I'll probably be installing more graphic demanding games.

I've looked at the Gateway p7811-fx that runs around $1400-1500 and the slightly better gateway model that's just a little more expensive

I've also looked at the Asus g71g-a1/b-1 (Releases sometime in November?) and that runs around $2000 depending on what upgrades you do the the basic starting model.

Both of those laptops have great Graphic cards, cpu's, the neccessary Ram to support 64bit Vista

I'm just insure of the details. Is it really better to get something a little more expensive for a slightly better cpu, slightly more Ram, more usb ports, DVI out etc etc (Considering I'm looking at buying a laptop instead of a desktop).

Or should I be looking at other kinds of laptops that basically bring what I want to the table and I just don't know about them.

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I also have a 42in Flat screen that I have used for a monitor and will want to with the laptop I do decide to buy.

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1) What is your budget? No higher than 2200 preferably

2) What size notebook would you prefer? 17in

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
The U.S.? I hope

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? None that I Prefer, but I don't really want to deal with brands that fail, have noticeably bad feedback about there product or really really bad customer service like DELL

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Video, Gaming, Everyday use tasks

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? Mostly leaving it Home. Take it on the move when I have to/want to

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? WoW, Future games

8) How many hours of battery life do you need? 1-2, more is better

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? Nope, don't mind

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc. : Vista

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Wide

12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer? (more details below) : F

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non glossy screen? (Read below on differences) - Doesn't matter, probably glossy though

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? Sort of

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? Within a month; 2-3 years

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB? at least 200, no more than 500 7200rpm

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
Ye standard 8x DVD drive that comes with the above models I mentioned, Blue ray would be nice if it didn't push me over the budget

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Things I've considered

If the processor l2 cache only has 800mhz bus speed, and the ram is a ddr3 1333mhz - Is that Ram overkill for the CPU i'm getting?

I've noticed that theres like an additonal cost of $300 for the same processor, the only difference is it uses 10w less. Does that 25w processor drop the tempature enough to make that extra $300 worth it? One thing I'd be afraid of is my laptop overheating.

Most models comes with 4gb's of Ram, the Asus comes with 6gb and a better quality. One thing i'm not sure of is can the Ram be upgraded in a Laptop to 8gb? If so 6gb is kind of stupid.

If the audio card could be upgraded, Should I?

Any feedback would be helpful. I've looked around but each time I'm pretty sure on which laptop I want to buy I wish it had something or I could get rid of something.

[sheaiiimef]

For starters, I have owned several laptops and have built my own desktops. With that said, the way computer technology changes each and every time I look at purchasing/building a computer I still spend time to research the parts. I, like many, have purchased the Sager NP9262. It took me 3 months of research to come up with what I wanted. Google is your friend.

Play with the building your own on Xoticpc's website for your budget and research the parts you come up with. Knowledge is power and seeking an answer rather than someone giving it to you will increase yours for the laptop area.

The link below is a good place to compare computer components. Scroll to the bottom and you will see the computer parts.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/

Semper Fi.

[Tman000]

I've narrowed it down to

Sager NP5973 and the Asus g71g-a2

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Sager $1770
- One 320 Gigabyte HD
- 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
- Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory
- 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.50GHz, 800MHz FSB
- Fingerprint Reader

Asus $2250
- Dual 320 Gigabyte HD
- 6,144MB DDR3 1333MHz (3 SODIMMs) Dual Channel Memory
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9800M GS DDR3 DX10
- Intel® T9400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 35 watt
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Xtreme Audio Notebook Express Card

Your honest opinion, is the difference between the hardware worth the $520 difference?

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Edit: I have another question off the top of my head

I chose 17in because it has a 1920x1200 Resolution, but I never even considered if Games/videos are affected by the 15.4in laptops with the 1650x1050 resolution. I stated previously that I would be using a 42in flatscreen as a Monitor also. I guess my question is, does the 15.4in laptops affect Games (and movies) visually compared to the 17in. What could you tell me about the technical difference and would I notice, therefore caring.

[Woody]

I've narrowed it down to

Sager NP5973 and the Asus g71g-a2Is the ASUS G71 even out yet? According to the news on ASUS own website (http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=12427) ASUS own website the G71 uses DDR2 800 but I see references for DDR3 on other sites. I can't find any reference to the G71G on ASUS' website at all. It looks like a nice machine though.


Things I've considered

If the processor l2 cache only has 800mhz bus speed, and the ram is a ddr3 1333mhz - Is that Ram overkill for the CPU i'm getting?In any case RAM speed should not be a very important consideration and the speed difference between DDR2 and DDR3 is negligible compared to the processor speed. In other words, a slightly faster CPU running on slower memory will usually outperform a slightly slower CPU running with faster DDR3 memory on a newer chipset. So don't worry about the RAM being "overkill" or not because it's not going to make a significant difference compared to the other components. And in a gaming computer the graphics card is of paramount importance over all other factors.


I've noticed that theres like an additonal cost of $300 for the same processor, the only difference is it uses 10w less. Does that 25w processor drop the tempature enough to make that extra $300 worth it? One thing I'd be afraid of is my laptop overheating.I'm not really sure about this. $300 seems like a lot. For $300 more you can get a much faster CPU or a faster graphics card in most configurations. I don't think the laptop will overheat as long as you keep the dust out. If the laptop is overheating from the factory there's something else wrong with it and you should get it repaired under warranty. This would be true regardless of what you buy.


Most models comes with 4gb's of Ram, the Asus comes with 6gb and a better quality. One thing i'm not sure of is can the Ram be upgraded in a Laptop to 8gb? If so 6gb is kind of stupid.To use more than a little over 3GB RAM you must install a 64bit operating system. Vista 32 bit runs great with 4GB installed and it's worth having even though you will only be able to use about 3.5GB of that full 4GB. This is as much RAM than over 99% of computer users need these days even for the latest games. RAM and hard drives are usually pretty easy to upgrade in notebooks but it depends on the model and if you need to replace both or one stick.


If the audio card could be upgraded, Should I?You can't upgrade the audio card inside the notebook since it is integrated into the motherboard but you can add an external card via the ExpressCard slot or a USB port. This is something you can very easily do later if you decide you want it. I personally use a Creative X-Fi ExpressCard which I like.


Any feedback would be helpful. I've looked around but each time I'm pretty sure on which laptop I want to buy I wish it had something or I could get rid of something.Like the other poster, I purchased the Sager NP9262 recently. You can read my extensive review under the reviews section of these forums. The Sager NP9262 is a generic Clevo D901C design and is hands down the fastest 17" notebook you can buy. The reason for this is because it uses a desktop chipset custom made for a notebook and utlizes standard desktop Intel socket LGA 775 CPUs all the way up the quad cores running on a 1333MHz bus speed. These CPUs will perform much faster than even the fastest notebook CPUs for much less money and can theoretically be upgraded with off the shelf retail processors. It also allows one or two upgradeable NVidia 9800M GTX graphics cards. The 9800M GTX is the fastest notebook graphics card available today. The NP9262 support up to three internal 2.5" hard drives and tend to weigh a bit more than other notebooks and battery life isn't great but they still fit into standard 17" notebook bags. They are a true desktop replacement.

I anticipate a significant price drop in socket LGA 775 after Nehalem is released later this month especially in the high end quad cores. It simply won't make sense to sell quad core LGA 775 CPUs for hundreds more than the entry level Nehalem quad core which will perform much faster. It will be much longer before that price drop hits the notebook market since the introduction is going to be desktop CPUs first.

Again, don't worry about RAM speed or type, focus on screen size and resolution, graphics card, and CPU in that order with all else being personal choice. Both Asus and Sager use quality components and are durable builds.