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View Full Version : Cant decide...Help! Which one is for me?


DaNNy
11-16-2008, 03:21 PM
1) What is your budget?

<$1450.00

2) What size notebook would you prefer?c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

or

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.

US

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Dell, IBM are no...

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

Medium gaming, work, music, read ebooks

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?

Mostly at my desk, but occasionally will take it around..

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

RPG's, Need for speed, Grand Theft Auto, etc

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?

2 hours +

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?

Would prefer to see the laptop before buying but can consider a blind buy for a good deal..

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

XP preferred, Vista if no choice..

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?

Widescreen

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

prefer a non-reflective.

Build Quality and Design

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

Umm not too much...love functional over looks

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?

Should have enough headway for future upgrades..

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB?

320 GB +

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

DVD Burner minimum..


Pls advise ! Thanks!

PSRT
11-18-2008, 07:17 PM
Welcome to Xotic PC Danny! I'm sure you'll find all the help you need here.

Below is an example of a build. It's fairly barebones by 17" standards, but at your budget it will be pretty hard to find anything higher-powered. And regarding your request that your machine be upgradable...I'm afraid it is extremely rare to find laptops with interchangeable parts, and if you do find such a machine, the cost of upgrades nearly negates the gains you receive from them. That being said, certain parts, such as the HDD, RAM (I think), CPU (sometimes), and GPU (again, only in rare occasions) can be swapped out, granted the new components fit the specifications of your machine and do not generate more heat than your cooling system can dissipate.

Sager NP5793 Custom Sager Notebook (Built on Clevo M570RU-U / M571RU-U)
- 17" WUXGA "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1200) ETA 11/24
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® T8100 45nm "Penryn" Core™2 Duo 2.1GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 800MHz FSB
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- NP579x Orange Frame Trim Color
- ~ 2X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- ~ 320GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- ~Windows XP Pro SP3 w/ Drivers, Utilities CD
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Telephone Tech Support
(Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

$1559 before cash discount

Note that the above price could be reduced by around $50 if you wish to go with Vista rather than XP Pro, and another $15 to downgrade from the 320GB hard drive to one at 200GB.

Here are a couple of 15.4" builds you may be interested in. Both offer comparable performance to the above 5793, however, the 8660 has a better GPU and is a newer model.

Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8600 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.40GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512MB PCI-Express DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- ~Windows XP Pro SP3 w/ Drivers, Utilities CD
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

$1259 before cash discount

Once again, this price can be reduced $60 if you would rather XP Home over XP Pro, and the CPU and hard drive can be upgraded if you would like the additional power and storage and don't mind paying a little more.

Sager NP8660 (Built on Clevo M860TU) Sager NP8660 (Built on Clevo M860TU)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.26GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- ~Windows XP Pro SP3 w/ Drivers, Utilities CD
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Telephone Tech Support
(Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

$1699 before cash discount

This build might be a little out of your price range, but it's a great machine with a ton of power.

Each of these machines will be able to run most, if not all, games on the market right now at favourable settings and with decent framerates. I personally ordered an NP5793 similar to the configuration listed above a month ago, and can't wait to play around with it come Christmas. No matter what you choose, I guarantee you will not be disappointed ordering from Xotic. First-rate customer service, quick delivery, and great products.

If you have any questions about the above, let me know!!

Ryan