• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

help with finding a laptop

Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
So this summer im saving up for laptop for my last year of college starting in September and i feel that a laptop would help i personally would like something in the range of 2000-2500max for price as i also will be gaming on it mostly rpg's and strategy and sometimes fps not very often tho battery life isent a big deal.
i kinda want a large screen
decent processor and video card
so far the best ones ive seen so far for what im thinking are from a place called
digital storm
if you guys could give some advice and maybe what you think as i dont really wana blow all that cash on something thats gona suck.
oh and warranty is nice
and i live in Canada so it must be able to be shipped here and preferably in Canadian currency
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
Since you live in Canada, I assume 2000-2500 max is in CAD ?

Either way, you will have plenty of options with that budget. Being Canadian myself, for laptop, I've always used Dell.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
Dell is ok i guess but i find they lack in quality components for the amount of money they charge the only good they have going is warranty i suppose.
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
Yes, warranty was always the reason I chose Dell. Actually, you don't need to ask for advices here. You can go to various producer's website, such as Sony, Toshiba, IBM, Dell, etc, and choose your own components.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
just wanted to know what people thought would be the best laptop for price range
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
For warranties, I can only recommend IBM and Dell. I've had Toshiba laptop once. Customer service was horrible. I have never owned a Sony laptop since they were always overpriced, so I don't know about their services.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
hmmm never thought to look at IBM i completely forgot there still making stuff for average people lol
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
2,686 (0.48/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name JIM LAHEY
Processor CORE I9 9900K
Motherboard ASROCK Z390 TAICHI
Cooling COUGAR HELOR 360 AIO
Memory 32GB TRIDENT Z RGB DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) EVGA 3080Ti FTW3 ULTRA
Storage SAMSUNG EVO 1TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG STRIX 4K UG27UQR
Case THERMALTAKE VIEW 37
Audio Device(s) STEELSERIES ARCTIS 7 WIRELESS
Power Supply EVGA SUPERNOVA G+ 1000
Mouse STEELSERIES RIVAL 600
Keyboard STEELSERIES APEX 7 TKL
Software WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE
Benchmark Scores WUT
Dude your getting a dell! LOL, I would get a Dell or a Sony. my fiancé has a Sony and it's a great laptop.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
I need something with some power tho all ive seen from dell and other such companies is highly priced low end parts in there laptops
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
I need something with some power tho all ive seen from dell and other such companies is highly priced low end parts in there laptops

What exactly are you looking for ?
For laptops, much of the price goes into labor cost, you have to put that into considerations. You can't expect desktop (or even server ) quality components in a laptop.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
something with generally the capability to do some gaming and running various programs for school such as autocad
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
If you are looking for truly portable laptop, you can't really game on it since mobile counterpart video cards really suck. For Autocard, you are going to need more cores which is not an option for laptops since they max out at dual-cores.

It seems what you really want is those laptop that is in laptop size but isn't mobile. (Which means its battery will last only 30 minutes.)
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
power requirements are not my concern as it will be generally plugged in all the time and i do believe you can get quad cores for cpu
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
3,505 (0.64/day)
In that case, you need to raise your budget to around 4000 for such a "desktop replacement" laptop.

Alienware has what you need. Look for M17.
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
2,686 (0.48/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name JIM LAHEY
Processor CORE I9 9900K
Motherboard ASROCK Z390 TAICHI
Cooling COUGAR HELOR 360 AIO
Memory 32GB TRIDENT Z RGB DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) EVGA 3080Ti FTW3 ULTRA
Storage SAMSUNG EVO 1TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG STRIX 4K UG27UQR
Case THERMALTAKE VIEW 37
Audio Device(s) STEELSERIES ARCTIS 7 WIRELESS
Power Supply EVGA SUPERNOVA G+ 1000
Mouse STEELSERIES RIVAL 600
Keyboard STEELSERIES APEX 7 TKL
Software WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE
Benchmark Scores WUT
Get a voodoo if you plan On using 3grand and need alot of power.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
they have small screens tho only13.3 inch that i saw
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
2,686 (0.48/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name JIM LAHEY
Processor CORE I9 9900K
Motherboard ASROCK Z390 TAICHI
Cooling COUGAR HELOR 360 AIO
Memory 32GB TRIDENT Z RGB DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) EVGA 3080Ti FTW3 ULTRA
Storage SAMSUNG EVO 1TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG STRIX 4K UG27UQR
Case THERMALTAKE VIEW 37
Audio Device(s) STEELSERIES ARCTIS 7 WIRELESS
Power Supply EVGA SUPERNOVA G+ 1000
Mouse STEELSERIES RIVAL 600
Keyboard STEELSERIES APEX 7 TKL
Software WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE
Benchmark Scores WUT
They have bigger screens don't they? Or at least you can choose I thought.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
hmm ibuypower has some pretty good high end dual core laptops with gtx 280's or 260's but unfortunately only 1 year warrenty
 

PCpraiser100

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
1,062 (0.19/day)
System Name REBEL R1
Processor Core i7 920
Motherboard ASUS P6T
Cooling Stock
Memory 6GB OCZ GOLD TC LV Kit 1866MHz@1.65V 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s) Two Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-X Xfire'd and OC'd (920/1330)
Storage Seagate 7200.11 500GB 32MB
Case Antec Three Hundred
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 PCI Sound Card
Power Supply OCZ StealthXStream 500W
Software Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Benchmark Scores 16585 Performance Score on 3DMark Vantage
If you got the time, I'd go out on the OCZ website and buy a DIY notebook kit in order for your personal notebook demands and upgradability, most brands like Dell and HP are cheating on you through low-end hardware, limited upgrades, and price thanks to the popularity of basic computing, lazy Best Buy guys, and Windows Vista.

The only companies around here who are willing to give you the best bang for your buck in laptops is OCZ (as mentioned), ASUS, Acer, and build companies.

As for hardware, go AMD as they are better than Intel when seeking for price. However if you want number-crunching, go Intel if you like a hole in you wallet. Also, try to get as much memory as you can in your laptop as they got big limits in memory nowadays. Hard drives are only a problem if you don't want external storage and definitely get a good chipset to handle Vista and some games if you wanna take time off.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
i think i will look into OCZ DIY notebook maybe will be fun anyways to assemble if i got one but i wonder what there warranty is like if they have one?
also can you put in any mobile graphics card the DIY at 17" with the intel's only come with a ati mobile 3870 can it be changed?
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
does anyone know if the gpu can be changed in these OCZ laptops id like something better then a 3870 even in crossfire
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,185 (1.21/day)
Location
Adelaide Australia
System Name Becca 2
Processor AMD A10 4600m quad core @ 2.3 ghz
Motherboard dunno
Cooling Logitech alto connect
Memory 16 Gig ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Ati HD 7660G + & 7470M
Storage 1 TB
Audio Device(s) onboard crap
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit with sp1
Id say For rpg strategy and fps the 3870 would be fine as ya not going to get the same performance as a desktop gpu.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Langenburg Saskatchewan Canada
Processor Intel xeon W3680@ 3.7ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 12gb G skill 1600mhz DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX radeon r9 380
Storage 1 Western Digital 1Tb Black + 2 Western Digital 1.5Tb Green
Display(s) LG 32" 1080p lcd tv
Case Corsair 800D
Power Supply Corsair AX 1200
Software Windows10 pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/rranju
would the 3870 mobile be better than the 280m, 260m or the 9800 gpus for laptops?
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,185 (1.21/day)
Location
Adelaide Australia
System Name Becca 2
Processor AMD A10 4600m quad core @ 2.3 ghz
Motherboard dunno
Cooling Logitech alto connect
Memory 16 Gig ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Ati HD 7660G + & 7470M
Storage 1 TB
Audio Device(s) onboard crap
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit with sp1
Heres a site that might help you out abit. :toast:
 
Top