What Laptop Would You Recommend?

TheWizardTheWizard Join Date: 2002-12-11 Member: 10553Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">What sort of experiences have you had?</div> I am going through the motions of purchasing a new laptop and I wanted to hear some of your experiences with different companies.

What I am looking for:
Cost<$2000
Decent video card
Sturdy or Small and lightweight
I am not looking to play Doom3 on it but UT2004 would be nice <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

I have discounts for most major brands through work so I will be looking at the major manufacturers (dell,HP,IBM,etc)

What were some of your experiences? I have heard good things about the IBM series (rugged but poor video performance)

Let me know what you think. Any horror stories?
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Comments

  • RuByRuBy Join Date: 2002-12-12 Member: 10732Members
    Definitely go for a laptop processor (centrino is probably your best bet), you'll find many offers that try to cram a p4 into a laptop case. Doesn't really work. You'll find yourself with burning magma on your lap after about 10 minutes of gaming and you'll have a crappy battery life if you want to do anything else.
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  • DragonMechDragonMech Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited September 2004
    <a href='http://www.PCTorque.com' target='_blank'>PCTorque</a> is the answer to your question. I recently got a 2300$ laptop (loaded) from them and it handles everything I throw at it like a god - it runs UT2K4 with everything maxed out 1600x1200x32 at a very playable framerate. A similar machine elsewhere would have cost me from 2800-3500$.

    [Edit] How does a widescreen sound? A 4750-C comes with an AMD64 +3000, WSXGA+ (1680x1050) screen, 512 MB 400 Mhz RAM, a 128 Mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9700, a 80 Gb 5400 RPM HD, WinXP home, and a 4-in-one card reader and 1 year warranty - all for under 1990$
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  • FamFam Diaper-Wearing Dog On A Ball Join Date: 2002-02-17 Member: 222Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Why not go for an <a href='http://www.apple.com/' target='_blank'>Apple</a> <a href='http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/70407/wo/b76klhmicQGE3GCExKE16T2AvUP/0.0.9.1.0.6.21.1.1.1.1.0.0.1.0' target='_blank'>Powerbook</a>, with a nice spangly copy of <a href='http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2004/03/unreal2004/' target='_blank'>Unreal Tournament 2004</a>?

    <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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  • TalesinTalesin Our own little well of hate Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
    edited September 2004
    Avoid Gateway... cow-slabs are intentionally non-upgradable, forcing you to buy a new one to get around their annoying quirks.

    Friend had a problem with Dell, as they refused to honor his warranty, sending him back a refurbished lower-end laptop when he sent it in for service (he had purchased the full warranty option that they tout in commercials, supposedly a no-questions repair/replace)


    I'd recommend looking at an Ath64 laptop. They run much cooler than the AthlonXPs (aka: can comfortably be rested in your lap for an hour or two at a time), and are like taking a sledgehammer to a finishing nail, compared to Intel's squeaky-mallet processors.
    After the Dell, said friend picked one up, and loved the hell out of it... until he plugged his headphone jack into some high-end audio equipment (energized carrier RCA jacks). Fried the soundchip, but the retailer (Best Buy, I believe) has already approved the return, and he should get a new one within two days, no charge.
    Picked up the lappy for about $2500, and it was able to run Doom3 smoothly. Didn't see any others, as he was too enthralled with it.

    Avoid Centrino crap. Their 'longer battery life' literally translates to 'slow-****'. Yet another Great Idea™ from their marketing department.


    And Fammeh, he was asking for recommendations on a computer... not a Macintoy.
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  • TheWizardTheWizard Join Date: 2002-12-11 Member: 10553Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin-Fam+Sep 14 2004, 05:18 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Fam @ Sep 14 2004, 05:18 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Why not go for an <a href='http://www.apple.com/' target='_blank'>Apple</a> <a href='http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/70407/wo/b76klhmicQGE3GCExKE16T2AvUP/0.0.9.1.0.6.21.1.1.1.1.0.0.1.0' target='_blank'>Powerbook</a>, with a nice spangly copy of <a href='http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2004/03/unreal2004/' target='_blank'>Unreal Tournament 2004</a>?

    <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Why dost thou tempt me!?

    Apple products are my kryptonite. They are the bane of all that I love. The black ichor that pumps in their hearts is the concentrated sorrow of thousands of graphic designers trapped in an industry brainwashed by curves and pastels.






    <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
    I was assigned a powerbook at school for some software development and I worked on an Imac while at work(cause noone else would touch the beast). Their equipment is solid but I do not like Apple's software nor their love for proprietary (and godawfully expensive) periferals.

    I also love to tinker with my equipment and will probably severly modify my laptop within 3 months. I have a good feeling that if I did that to any apple product, the cultists would demand my head. In fact I know this to be true as one of my friends did such a thing to a G4 and received deaththreats within 3 days of posting the pics on the internet.
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  • TheFrostmourneTheFrostmourne Join Date: 2004-09-14 Member: 31708Members
    edited September 2004
    <a href='http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsystem/ntbkx649900.asp?v=d' target='_blank'>http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsys...x649900.asp?v=d</a>


    • AMD™ Mobile Athlon™ 64 Processor Up to 3400+ with AMD PowerNow!™ Technology
    • 1600MHz System Bus Using HyperTransport™ Technology
    • 1024 PC2700 DDR333 Dual channel MEMORY
    • 60 GB Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive
    • Mobile ATI Radeon 9700 PRO 128MB Video
    • 17" WSXGA Wide-Screen TFT Display 1680x1050 Pixels
    • 16X/4X CD-RW/DVD-RW Combo Drive
    • 10/100 Network Card & 56K V.92 Modem
    • Wireless 802.11G 54Mbps Networking
    • Build in TV-Tuner w/ Remote Control
    • 5.1 Surround Sound
    • 7-in-1 Built-in Media Reader
    • 1 Firewire IEEE 1394 & 3 USB 2.0 Ports
    • 1 PCMCIA Type II Slot
    • Weight only 8.5 Lbs
    • Dimension: 15.5"W x 10.8"Dx1.6"H
    • Microsoft Window XP Home Edition
    • 1 Year Onsite Service plus 24/7 Techsupport
    • 3 Year Parts Warranty and Lifetime Techsupport
    • Free Carrying Case
    • 7 Custom Colors to Choose From

    It should run UT2k4 like a breeze.
    I'd bet this would run HL2 pretty well as well.
    Of course you can switch up for better stuff if you willing to pay.
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  • CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
    I just finished upgrading 2 g4's and 3 eMacs at school.

    Macs are becoming more and more like PC's on the inside (The G4 towers at least) They now take normal PC Ram and the only notable differance I saw was the huge G4 chips inside.

    They are nice for some stuff, and you can put Yellow Dog on em and get rid of Apples crap OS <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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  • booogerboooger Join Date: 2003-11-03 Member: 22274Members
    edited September 2004
    This is going to sound weird, but this emachine laptop I am using seems to be one of the best I have ever had. This laptop I will present forthwith contains all of your specifications (Cost<$2000, Decent video card, Sturdy or Small and lightweight
    can play doom3[it wasn't a specification, i dun curr] and ut2004 )

    <a href='http://www.emachines.com/products/products.html?prod=eMachines_M6811' target='_blank'>http://www.emachines.com/products/products...eMachines_M6811</a>

    I currently have this, and I plan to upgrade the RAM to 1024 (two 512 stickies) and either get a mobility 9700 or the new 9800 mobile sometime in the near future... It's in your price range and runs UT2004/CS:S very nicely, and with an upgrade in a video card (not a lot of money for a laptop, at least), you can easily make that performance even better while staying in that price range.

    The warranty may be voided if you change stuff out like I do, but since best buy was selling this at the same price as on-line, and the best buy warranty makes it so I can upgrade through them and keep the warranty intact no matter what they do to it, I chose this. In fact, you might want to try the m6810 as it's only a slight drop in performance/HD space for a bigger drop in money. It's up to you, of course. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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  • DragonMechDragonMech Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    If you upgrade, grab the MR9800 not 9700. The 9800 is a huge step forward compared to the 9700 - I think it's 60%~ faster, but don't quote me on that.
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  • MantridMantrid Lockpick Join Date: 2003-12-07 Member: 24109Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-The-Frostmourne+Sep 14 2004, 05:44 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (The-Frostmourne @ Sep 14 2004, 05:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <a href='http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsystem/ntbkx649900.asp?v=d' target='_blank'>http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsys...x649900.asp?v=d</a>


    ? AMD? Mobile Athlon? 64 Processor Up to 3400+ with AMD PowerNow!? Technology
    ? 1600MHz System Bus Using HyperTransport? Technology
    ? 1024 PC2700 DDR333 Dual channel MEMORY
    ? 60 GB Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive
    ? Mobile ATI Radeon 9700 PRO 128MB Video
    ? 17" WSXGA Wide-Screen TFT Display 1680x1050 Pixels
    ? 16X/4X CD-RW/DVD-RW Combo Drive
    ? 10/100 Network Card & 56K V.92 Modem
    ? Wireless 802.11G 54Mbps Networking
    ? Build in TV-Tuner w/ Remote Control
    ? 5.1 Surround Sound
    ? 7-in-1 Built-in Media Reader
    ? 1 Firewire IEEE 1394 & 3 USB 2.0 Ports
    ? 1 PCMCIA Type II Slot
    ? Weight only 8.5 Lbs
    ? Dimension: 15.5"W x 10.8"Dx1.6"H
    ? Microsoft Window XP Home Edition
    ? 1 Year Onsite Service plus 24/7 Techsupport
    ? 3 Year Parts Warranty and Lifetime Techsupport
    ? Free Carrying Case
    ? 7 Custom Colors to Choose From

    It should run UT2k4 like a breeze.
    I'd bet this would run HL2 pretty well as well.
    Of course you can switch up for better stuff if you willing to pay. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Its like a tiny god...
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  • laggerlagger Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1805Members
    I just got a sager 4790 notebook from powernotebooks which runs ut2k4 flawlessly + doom3 decently. I havnt seen many other sites that can match them in price although I would still look around <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->.

    <a href='http://www.powernotebooks.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.powernotebooks.com/</a>

    <a href='http://www.powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=59' target='_blank'>http://www.powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=59</a> <-- what I got

    The base price is ~1800 but you proabably want to upgrade some stuff.

    Intel? Pentium? 4 processor with HyperThreading 3.0GHz, 3.2GHz, or 3.4GHz w/512k L2 On-die Cache (800MHz Front Side Bus Speed)

    17.0" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) or 17.0" WXGA+ (1480x900) TFT Active Matrix LCD Display w/ATI MOBILITY? RADEON? 9700 8X AGP 3D Graphics Accelerator with 128MB dedicated DDR Memory

    256MB PC3200 DDR400 Memory (Expandable to 2,048MB)

    Built-in Avermedia TV Tuner w/Remote (optional)
    Up to 60GB 7200rpm or 80GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive

    Built-in 7-in-1 memory card reader

    Integrated Digital Web Cam

    Built-in 56k V.90/V.92 Modem RJ-11

    Built-in 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet RJ-45

    Built in Wireless 802.11b mini-USB LAN (optional)

    Built-in IEEE-1394 Port (4-pin)

    Combo 8x DVD/24x10x24 CD-RW Drive w/Softwares, or Combo 2x1x8x DVD-R/RW/16x10x24 CD-RW w/Softwares
    or Combo 4x DVD - and + R/RW/16x10x24 CD-RW (Optional)

    External USB 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive (optional)
    2 USB 2.0 Ports

    Windows XP Home or Professional Available as Options
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