mxleader on 21/12/2010 at 22:23
I currently have a Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop that I have upgraded to its maximum potential and now it is just getting old, tired, and too slow for new programs/Internet. I want to still be able to play Thief II but I want to use a lot of newer programs as well. I would like decent graphic capabilities for video and photo editing. I also don't have a lot to spend so under a thousand is a must. My current computer actually works fairly well for most things except graphics and has a small amount of storage at 120 gigs. It must also have a ten key pad on the keyboard. Any suggestions would be helpful. Oh yeah, under a $1000 USD.
Ostriig on 22/12/2010 at 14:44
You're missing two important characteristics there, the screen (size and preferred resolution) and battery life. What are you looking for in those respects?
I could also suggest you have a look at the (
http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/) NBR forums and their standardised "What should I buy" form, see if they can be of any use to you.
mxleader on 30/12/2010 at 05:09
I want at least a 17" monitor and decent resolution, and of course pretty good battery life. I spend a lot of time in a library that doesn't have a power outlet that I can use.
Ostriig on 30/12/2010 at 11:59
I think you may have a bit of a problem, then, 17'' and "good battery life" generally don't sit at the same table. It's not mainly because of the larger screen, but rather because manufacturers don't really see a great incentive for providing them with good battery life because they're regarded mainly as desktop replacements, not every-day portables. So most don't bother. I used to get maybe about two and half hours out of my old Extensa 7620G, and that's if I restricted myself to browsing and Word. I think the majority of 17'' laptops these days have trouble even matching that.
So unless about two hours' autonomy sounds good to you, you may want to consider moving away from the 17'' form factor. Have you considered maybe getting a 15'' and an external screen? Or maybe someone else knows something to fit your reqs, but about the only thing that comes to my mind at 17'' and boasting good battery life is the Macbook, and the prices there are just pornographic. I think at this point it would really be a good idea to fill in that form on NBR, too.
As a general thing, though, I suggest that whatever you do, do it after Intel's Sandy Bridge launch. It's merely a couple of weeks away and unless it's of the utmost urgency that you get a new notebook it would be just silly to not wait and see what's right around the corner. Among other things they're also rumoured to be more power-efficient.
