i bought http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231294 separately. i didn't think it was interesting enough by itself to post separately, i just wanted to point out it didn't come with 8 gb by itself. but now of course, i've spent more time explaining myself and posted it anyways, so i probably just should have posted it to begin with

11/7/2010 12:49:52 PM

I think I've settled on the HP Envy 14. Wanted tdubs opinion before I pull the trigger tonight:

with the 3yr total protection warranty is $1,163.24 after tax.

•Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
•1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI] - For Dual Core Processors
•4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
•500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
•8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 6.0 hours of battery life +++
•14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
•SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
•HP TrueVision HD Webcam and Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
•Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
•Backlit Keyboard

HP 3-year Care Pack House Call Service with Accidental Damage Protection for Select Pavilion or Envy Laptop (with 2-yr warranty) ($193 extra)

Seems like a pretty good deal, that I can add an SSD and another 4gb sodimm myself to really make it a monster.

11/7/2010 1:50:26 PM

I know a lot of people dont even consider Dell's, but the one I posted on the last screen was only about $200 more

COLORS Silver Anodized Aluminum 15.6" FHD (1080p) B+RGLED Display with Facial Recognition edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 8 threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 6M cache) edit
MEMORY 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory edit
HARD DRIVE 640GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery edit
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 435M 2GB graphics with TV Tuner edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 edit
BLUETOOTH Dell Bluetooth 3.0 edit

[Edited on November 7, 2010 at 2:08 PM. Reason : w]

11/7/2010 2:08:37 PM

^what model is that? Link?

11/7/2010 2:22:33 PM

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=2339067

did a bit of customization, but I think the above specs came out right at $1400

11/7/2010 2:26:02 PM

I don't care for the home versions of windows OSs. make sure you won't need pro.

^^^^HP makes shitty laptops... that's all I got

[Edited on November 7, 2010 at 3:38 PM. Reason : .]

11/7/2010 3:36:13 PM

i'd take dell over an HP any day

and just about anything over a dell (despite the fact that i have and use a studio 13 every day)

11/7/2010 3:57:08 PM

^^The Envy 14 has been universally praised as one of the best laptops HP has ever made, and top of it's class. So thanks for yet again adding nothing to another thread.

^What brand do you prefer (other than Apple, as I just can't bring myself to pay 1800 bucks for a 15" macbook pro)

Jaybee: Thanks for the link, after configuration, it's still 200 bucks more than the Envy with the 3yr warranty. Although it does have the higher 1080p screen on it. Definitely food for thought, thanks!

[Edited on November 7, 2010 at 6:24 PM. Reason : ,]

11/7/2010 6:10:06 PM

^I'm just going on HPs track record. Maybe they have a new one that's better; I don't know, I don't follow HPs moves everyday. But I do know what they have produced in the past... which was shit. You asked for opinions, I gave you mine, which happens to be the same as several other people/groups/companies. you call my contribution nothing, I call it the consensus.

11/7/2010 8:58:49 PM

So my girlfriend was told by her parents that they're like to buy her a laptop for Christmas.

On a budget of 750.

Which is lower than some, but for her, who uses computers to 1) Do homework, 2) Play flash games, and 3) Webcam with me when I'm traveling, you'd think not much is required.

But... yea okay so she's a girl. She wants something "pretty", which means no practical, manly laptops (I.E., ever dependable brand I can think of).

So I'm looking at what in my mind are somewhat reliable albeit "pretty" laptop series, but keeping it under 750 is going to be difficult. Thinking about pre-boxed Sony VAIOS or something.

Thoughts on where to start?

11/8/2010 4:23:10 AM

^You could easily do a Dell Inspiron in that price range. Probably 15" series.
A sony or toshiba would probably work just as well; I don't like pre-boxed models though... make sure you really check it out first. I've noticed that a lot of stores will highlight one main feature of a pre-boxed computer, in hopes of you not paying attention to other aspects, because often the computer will be lacking elsewhere.... like they'll have "500 GB HDD!!!!!" and try to hide the fact it has 1 GB RAM or a 1.3 GHz proc.

[Edited on November 8, 2010 at 5:47 AM. Reason : .]

11/8/2010 5:41:58 AM

Well obviously I wouldn't purchase a computer without knowing the full specs, I'm not a sap. The problem with Dell Inspiron is that she has one right now, it's the computer this would be replacing, and it's single-handedly the worst piece of shit I've ever had to work with in my life. It was expensive, custom-ordered from Dell, and it was awful straight out of the box, and we've never figured out why. That combined with my XPS laptop has made me so wary of Dell that it would take an act of God for me to change my mind about their products.

Although I understand they're certainly in the price-range. That's true.

11/8/2010 3:30:50 PM

my XPS is about 3 years old and is running fine, never had a single problem with it... seems like people are completely hit or miss on Dell for some reason

11/9/2010 8:01:36 PM

i was pretty happy with my last dell as well, but i'd personally be hesitant to buy a dell today

11/9/2010 8:38:44 PM

all but one of my dell's has been great. my latitude is going strong on year #7. my XPS is a beast.

and the best thing about dells is their warranty; you can get everything in your machine replaced pretty easily.

11/9/2010 8:42:26 PM

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=SN12E23BUP212-PB-R&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-daily_html-_-03feb11_hannspree-_-hannspreeMain&utm_source=geekmail&utm_medium=daily_html&utm_content=hannspree_Main&utm_campaign=hannspree&AID=10440852&CJPID=1225267

Any thoughts on this guy?

Hannspree SN12E2 Refurb
# Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed w/CoA
# 6-Cell Li-ion battery pack
# Intel Pentium SU4100 1.30 GHz processor
# 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB Speed, Intel 64, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, Execute Disable Bit
# Intel GS45 Express chipset
# 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
# 320 GB Serial ATA hard drive
12.1-inch WSVGA 16:9 LED-Backlit Active Matrix TFT LCD display (1366 x 768)

Keep in mind that I'm coming from a 5 year old thinkpad with 512Mb Ram and an Intel Celeron Processor.

2/4/2011 1:42:27 AM

i wonder when the envy 14s are getting sandy bridge processors

2/4/2011 1:48:21 AM

anyone recommend a good SSD for a 13" MBP?

Was thinking:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227551&cm_re=vertex_2-_-20-227-551-_-Product

Same one as in my desktop.

2/10/2011 1:31:30 PM

I have a Sony Vaio SZ660 - nice old 13" laptop w/discrete graphics. The fan just crapped out and it looks far more work to replace than I am comfortable doing, not to mention plowing money into a three year old laptop. At the moment on my backup Dell Inspiron 9300...

So I need a new laptop in short order. Are the sandy bridge mobile chips worth waiting for? I plan on getting another 13-14inch w/ discrete graphics.

And secondly, should I think about a Macbook Pro? In 13" range w/ discrete graphics, there are not a whole lot of choices. When is the refresh on those things going to roll around?

[Edited on February 10, 2011 at 1:42 PM. Reason : discrete]

2/10/2011 1:39:19 PM

^I love my 13" MBP. About to get an SSD for it. The 10 hour battery life is great. Although I'd wait for the refresh. Supposedly soon:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20030967-37.html

2/10/2011 1:51:30 PM

*drool*

http://bensbargains.net/deal/181874/

if i could stick a blu-ray in there id be all over it

2/17/2011 4:44:56 PM

Laptop is a few years old & is literally beginning to fall apart (hinges broke this week, essentially turning it into a desktop). Was looking at trying to fix it, but now think I may just go ahead and get a new laptop (current one has also been overheating quicker as of late)

Mostly would use it to watch & potentially make/edit video, hop on tdub, and potentially play games on the level of Dragon Age Origins. I also have a habit of running a lot of programs together (such as Excel, SAS, firefox w/ lots of tabs, & DivX player)

Was curious what I should be looking at in the way of processors, graphics cards, RAM

ie:
i5 450M VS Core 2 Duo T7500 VS AMD II Triple-Core N830
ATI Radeon HD 5470 with 1 GB graphics memory VS NVIDIA GeForce 330M with 1 GB graphics memory


I mean, would i3 370M w/ 4GB DDR3 RAM & an ATI Mobility Radeon HD550v (64-Bit, 1GB, DDR3) be enough to get the job done?

Or would I be better off spending another $250 on an i7-740QM w/ 6 GB DD3 RAM & a NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M with 2 GB graphics memory (with 140 GB more hard drive)

[Edited on February 18, 2011 at 7:13 PM. Reason : )]

2/18/2011 7:03:02 PM

Just got this for 1309 with shipping and no tax

ASUS G53 JW XT-1

Memory Type: DDR3

Memory Speed: PC3-10600

Memory Speed MHz: 1333MHz

Memory Slots (Total): 4

Total Memory Size: 6GB

Memory Slots (Available): 0

Maximum Memory Supported: 8GB

Display Type: LED backlight
16:9 Aspect Ratio

Screen Size: 15.6”

Maximum Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Capacity: 500GB

Drive Types: Hard Drive

Hard Drive Speed: 7200 RPM

Processor Brand: Intel

Processor Class: Core i7

Processor Type: Quad-Core

Processor Speed: 1.73GHz

Processor Number: i7-740QM

Graphics Description: Dedicated Graphics

GPU/VPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M

Video Memory: 1.5GB DDR5 VRAM

Lifestyle: Gaming
Entertainment

Condition: New

Operating Systems: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Operating System Licenses Included: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Platform: Laptop

Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi Burner/BD Player

Capacity: 8-in-1

Supplemental Drive Type: Media Reader

Media Types: Memory Stick
Memory Stick Duo
Memory Stick PRO Duo
Memory Stick PRO
Multi Media Card
Mini-Secure Digital
Secure Digital
xD-Picture Card

Audio Description: Integrated Audio

Audio Chipset: THX TruStudio
EAX Advanced HD 5.0

Integrated Microphone: Yes

USB Ports (Total): 3 - USB 2.0
1 - USB 3.0

LAN Ports: 1

Audio Out Jacks: 1

Microphone Jacks: 1

VGA Ports: 1

HDMI Ports: 1

Communications Description: Integrated LAN
Integrated Wireless LAN
Integrated Bluetooth

Interface Type: Bluetooth Connector
RJ-45 Ethernet Connector
802.11b/g/n Wireless Networking

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 300 Mbps
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN

Protocols: 802.11b
802.11g
802.11n

Width: 15.4"

Height: 0.8" - 2"

Depth: 11.7"

Weight: 7.9 lbs

Mouse Type: Touch Pad

Buttons: 2

Keyboard Type: Fullsize with Numberpad

Backlit Keyboard: Yes

Battery Type: 8-Cell Lithium-ion

Color: Black

Specification Notes: [6] To provide the most accurate specifications, the specifications listed are base upon information provided by the vendor.

Integrated Webcam: Yes

Webcam Resolution: 2.0MP

[Edited on February 18, 2011 at 7:41 PM. Reason : ..]

2/18/2011 7:40:36 PM

^looks pretty similar to this one that costs 850 (call their 877 number to get free 2nd day shipping)
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Dell-XPS-14-2174MAL/product/AB6C8D15

2/18/2011 8:34:38 PM

ummm the dell is 14" and has a smaller screen resolution. Also the same dell laptop you linked was on sale earlier in the week for 650.

2/18/2011 9:25:48 PM

^^ 1080p and blu-ray was one of my main criteria, and that graphics card is nowhere near the 460M...

[Edited on February 18, 2011 at 10:55 PM. Reason : ..]

2/18/2011 10:54:19 PM

^ in regards to BR playback performance and the ability to output 1080p resolution, there is no functional difference between the 460 and 425

i'm not criticizing your purchase...just pointing out that if those were your only two criteria, you overpaid

2/18/2011 11:18:31 PM

^ Yea I saw a few vaois with 1080p and blu ray.. they were like 100-200 cheaper not a huge diff..

2/18/2011 11:51:47 PM

I've been eying the Dell Duo netbook, but they need to upgrade the damn battery cause 2 hours is a pisser compared to a number of netbooks in its price range.

2/20/2011 8:03:04 PM

I just got a loaded Alienware M11X but it seems to be running really really bad on a few games I tried it out on. Ran Fallout Vegas like crap on medium settings... doesnt seem right. My 3 year old XPS ran it better...

2/21/2011 1:29:57 AM

that's cause the engine that runs fallout 3 is really inefficient, both cpu and gpu intensive. I kinda want to get in on the m11x deal that's running today. i5, 8gb, 320gig hdd, r2 version for 636. Really appealing and what I'd want.

2/21/2011 6:48:42 AM

But why would it run better on a 3 year old XPS?

2/21/2011 12:50:11 PM

whats the specs of your xps? The m11x cpu's are really not that powerful compared to the regular notebook cpu's of three years ago. my 5 year old c2d 1705 is on par or a bit faster than the m11x, although my gpu is really dated.

[Edited on February 21, 2011 at 1:49 PM. Reason : ]

2/21/2011 1:49:00 PM

hmmm, its working better now... a lot better. Only thing I can think of is I was using my XPS power cord instead of the one that came with the Alienware... could that have made that big of a difference??

2/22/2011 8:51:44 PM

My guess is the laptop wasn't charging with the XPS cord, so it defaulted to lower performance settings by default since the laptop thought it was unplugged and running on battery life

With the Alienware power supply, the computer probably correctly detected that it was plugged into AC power, so it went back to the default plugged-in "higher performance" power settings, allowing you to fully utilize your graphics card and memory to play the game at the highest level

2/22/2011 9:14:10 PM

yeah, running different power cords will have that effect, I mean dell has like 20 different power supplies for their laptops that use the same connector and we all know that alienware's tend to need more power.

2/22/2011 9:58:31 PM

yeah, that was definitely it... sweet, now I dont have to send it back

2/22/2011 10:19:36 PM

my XPS power brick seems like it gets hot enough to fry an egg...so i use my lighter and smaller kensington adapter (which also has a USB charging port built into, which is nice)

2/23/2011 7:50:54 AM

returned the Alienware, not happy with it at all.

Got this Asus from Amazon (no tax, free 2nd day shipping with Prime). Same exact specs at Dell (Alienware) was almost 1800 before tax/shipping

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00486USL8

2/23/2011 10:46:22 PM

^Plus free Accidental Damage Protection.

2/23/2011 10:56:10 PM

true... forgot to mention that

2/23/2011 11:49:34 PM

got it in today... thing is a fucking beast!

definitely NOT an ultra portable haha, but I am fine with the size overall. Wouldnt want to carry it around without a bag though.

Didnt even realize the keyboard had a keypad too. Comes loaded with a bunch of Asus software, most of which is useless, at least to me.

2/25/2011 8:28:29 PM

Wow that's a sweet laptop. Only thing I would change is swap out that drive for a 120-250 SSD. They're so cheap now.

2/25/2011 10:39:23 PM

yeah, this thing is great... really really solid build. Performance has been great so far, but havent really pushed it with anything yet.

2/26/2011 2:57:46 AM

So seeing as how the new macbook pro 13 is a giant pile of shit, anyone have recommendations for a 13' lightweight machine, with discrete graphics, and preferably a high quality screen resolution?

And apple, thanks for dropping two year old discrete graphics that beat out your Intel HD shit. Fuckers.

3/1/2011 2:01:25 PM

check the ASUS U* series. 12-14 hours of battery, backlit keyboard, ION2 graphics.

UL is the tiny one, U is the middle, UG (if i remember correctly) is the fastest one.

[Edited on March 1, 2011 at 2:09 PM. Reason : They're due for a summer refresh with i-series ULV's]

3/1/2011 2:02:58 PM

^^haha yeah I'm glad I have last year's model.

3/1/2011 2:59:39 PM

any word on when the sandy bridge processors are hitting the envy 14s?

3/31/2011 5:29:44 PM

Quote :

"And apple, thanks for dropping two year old discrete graphics that beat out your Intel HD shit. Fuckers."

The nvidia 320m is integrated as well. Yes, it is better than any Intel HD graphics. But it is integrated nevertheless.

I just bought a Asus 1215b.

It has an Amd e-350@1.6 ghz, 2 gb of Ram, 320 gb hdd (no, I'm not even going to think about putting a ssd in it), and whatever ati/Amd graphics set it comes with. It has a 12.1" screen with a resolution of 1366x768, with an hdmi port I can use to hook it up to either my 23" monitor or 40" tv. It also comes with windows 7 home premium and 2 USB 3.0 ports with a USB 2.0 port that can charge devices in standby or hibernation.

I spent more than I wanted to on a netbook, with it costing $467 after s&h.

The website has the eta for tomorrow, so I hope I get it next week.

For what u want it to do, it should be more than adequate.

I really wanted a new MacBook pro, but apple dropped the ball on them IMO. I feel like I'm getting a better deal with the netbook, not to mention I will be able to build a new PC at the end of the year.

4/3/2011 2:50:37 PM

I had an Asus 1215n and loved it until i sold it for a 13" MBP.

After putting an SSD in it it was a much much better experience. I highly recommend it. I know you're against it but with that processor it would really make a difference.

I don't like not having USB3.0 though. It's annoying having it on my desktop and not the laptop. Big difference in transfer times.

4/3/2011 3:17:27 PM