What laptop should I get?

[Dobba]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
$1000 Max

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

3) What country are you buying this in?
U.S.A.

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

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Gaming, some video editing

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

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Things like World of Tanks (still in Closed Beta :P), BFBC2

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2 or more is best, but I'll take one.

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

10) What OS do you prefer? (more details below)
-Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit or 64-Bit
Is there no Windows 7?

Screen Specifics

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non glossy screen?
Non-glossy

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
At least 4

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 80GB, 160GB, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB, 1TB, or 1.5TB?
500GB

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

17) What speed CPU/Processor would you like? Dual core or Quad Core CPU?
Dual core

[powerpack]

Force NBLB2 or Sager NP5125 because you want high resolution.

Edit: Give up on non-glossy.

[Dobba]

Lol okay, what about with glossy screens?

Also another question: If no Windows 7 is purchased with the laptop, what OS does the laptop come with?

[powerpack]

It comes with no OS unless you order with. It does come with Windows driver disk.

[Dobba]

What version of Windows is the driver disk though?
And so basically do you have to buy a separate OS and install it if you don't order one with the computer?

[Slowboto]

Yeah, the Sager computers don't come preinstalled with a OS so if you don't have one installed when you order then you will need to get one yourself. I think it is easier to just order it with the comp if you don't already have a copy of Windows.

[Dobba]

Another not-so-relevant question: Which laptops does XoticPC offer that can have their graphics cards ugpraded? (As in changed by the user after purchase)

[powerpack]

Mostley the Sager's. But remember they are in no way as changeable as desktops.

[Maverick494]

Sager NP2180 (Built on Compal NBLB2) Custom Laptop (http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=2776%7B161%7D2855%7B7 6%7D2672%7B94%7D1074%7B92%7D2749%7B187%7D1757%7B88 %7D2043%7B186%7D1532%7B93%7D2266%7B112%7D656%7B98% 7D1295%7B96%7D1053%7B168%7D1453%7B194%7D2594%7B116 %7D696%7B117%7D890%7B120%7D703%7B110%7D2486%7B169% 7D1449%7B119%7D1898%7B100%7D734%7B164%7D1441%7B107 %7D1539%7B106%7D1691%7B121%7D694%7B108%7D710%7B109 %7D711%7B170%7D1591%7B173%7D1175%7B167%7D1452%7B10 3%7D2707%7B113%7D1413%7B111%7D1414%7B69%7D1513%7B1 96%7D2719)
- Student Promotions! Ask us about our Cash Discounts or FREE Promotional Items & Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF! - Student Verification Required for Promotion
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i5-520M, 2.4-2.93GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- Stock Thermal Compound-
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5650 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB) -
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n - Standard
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support
- No Xotic PC Gear

-1019.00 (987 cash discount)

that is my 2C take it for what you want.

[Dobba]

Which graphics card is better the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5650 or the nVidia GT 330M? And also is the IC Diamond Thermal Compound a worthy investment?

[Maverick494]

Which graphics card is better the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5650 or the nVidia GT 330M? And also is the IC Diamond Thermal Compound a worthy investment?

The 5650. The GT330 is a really low end card compared to the 5650 which is a mid range card.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

[Dobba]

So right now I'm split between the NP2180 and the NP5125, could anyone help me decide between them? :P.

And I'd still like to know if the IC Diamond Thermal Compound is worth the additional cost.

[powerpack]

If you can afford without too much pain I say go for ICD.If budget is the issue then stock is fine. Lower temps are always better. You can apply thermal paste later if you want.

On choice of the two? I like the NP2180 but both are nice.

[Dobba]

How effective is the NVidia Optimus Technology? Because I'm assuming the NP2180 doesn't come with anything of the sort.

[powerpack]

You are correct the ATI does not come with anything like that. On the models we are talking about the Optimus gives 3 to 4 hours the NP2180 offers 2+ hours. I am surprised the Optimus does not offer more? But for some that is important. 3-4 vs 2+.

I would like better battery life but I deal with just under 2 hours for the performance I get. I just keep bus rides under 2 hours not a big deal.

[jayparmer]

btw how do u get the sig to show up photobucket it?