Need a new laptop !

[Scythez0r]

Hey guys, been out of the loop for a while regarding computers, specs and the like (kinda feel I've been living under a rock haha). Anyway it's time to grab a good laptop, and I need some good advice.

Mostly going to be using it for study but would also like to be able to play all the latest games pretty decently on it as well. My max would be about $2k NZD (which is about 1.7k USD). Newer quad core with lots of RAM and HDD space would be nice. Battery life, weight and size is not a biggie since it will mostly be used around home anyway.

http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?l=s73086598

That's the basic idea of what I'm looking for and how much I can get it for. I was kinda interested in the HP Pavilion DV7 series (in particular the 6014TX), especially the look of them. They have a nice big 17.3" screen which I like. Though my dad has an older dual core HP laptop and TBH it was a pretty poor laptop from the start, and he's had a fair bit of trouble with it. Also the HP's we have had always seem to be preloaded with a whole lot of useless crap. The Asus also looks OK but I haven't really had much experience with Asus gear. Also, how easy is it to upgrade laptops anyway? Like a better video card down the road (when I can afford it ofc xD).

Anyway, opinions please? Would really appreciate input especially on what people think of the different brands.

Cheers people.

 

[whitrzac]

with that price range your looking at a nice alienware or sager/clevo laptop...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/

 

[kurosagi01]

with that price range your looking at a nice alienware or sager/clevo laptop...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/

They might have high import tax on alienware laptops etc.
Best one out of those in terms of GPU is either the GT555M or the 6770M.

 

[Widjaja]

You'd probably be lucky to find a laptop in NZ which is worthy of high end gaming for 2k.

I'd be looking at the Qosimo series laptops by Toshiba but then you are also most likely looking at over 2k and the battery charge gets chewed up easy.

Some of the Satellite Pros are pretty well equipped for gaming if you take a look at the series and don't have as much bloatware loaded into them as HP or Sony.

I have never been a fan of HP for gaming even though I work under a reseller for HP but the more business class laptops.

Upgrade-ability of a laptops GPU is pretty much non-existent.
They have GPU PCI-E slots in laptop system boards mainly for replacement purposes over upgrading.

In saying the above, I have come across a bottom of the line compaq laptop which was running Assassin's Creed Brotherhood really well and I think it was an i3 with quite a low end GPU but the resolution was not exactly high.
But I wouldn't recommend Compaq to anyone.

 

[Scythez0r]

Well I am open to importing from the US but yeah, import tax can be a bitch haha.

Like I said, battery charge is no biggie. Main thing is a nice looking design, quality of the manufacturer, and now thinking about it a full HD display would be pretty nice, though not really required. I would also prefer a larger display size to something smaller. Also, the last two laptops I've used seem to suffer from heat issues - would be nice to relax in bed with it without it overheating when sitting on the sheets >.<

 

[LordJummy]

Asus G series. You can find excellent G73's with 17 inch LED LCD screen, mobility 5870, 6GB RAM, dual HD's, for about $899.00 US.

 

[whitrzac]

look into a sager/clevo. they should have a reseller in your country...

 

[DRDNA]

check out the asus refurb on newegg..pretty desent and only $829
here is three nice ones.

PCs & Laptops, Laptops / Notebooks, ASUS, Recerti...

Heres a couple of nice Toshiba's

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

 

[DonInKansas]

Some of the Satellite Pros are pretty well equipped for gaming if you take a look at the series and don't have as much bloatware loaded into them as HP or Sony.

I thought rule #1 of a new laptop purchase was an OS reinstall for bloatware execution anyways....

 

[Widjaja]

I thought rule #1 of a new laptop purchase was an OS reinstall for bloatware execution anyways....

I don't think it is common knowledge but yes it is a must IMO.
Yet some people just like to have those useless applications running to feel like they are able to use all the functions of the laptop which they rarely use.

Why have a 3rd party application to notify you of updates and find the updates are more related to bloating the bloatware.

 

[Scythez0r]

Looking into the Asus G53 series, what do you guys reckon about 1.5GB gtx 460m vs 2GB gtx 560m? Worth it for the less than $100 saving? Asus is also very good for me because of their global warranty.

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-asus-laptops-ct-95_51_163.html

 

[Scythez0r]

Think I'm going to go with this guys:

[B]ASUS G73SW-A1[/B]

- FREE! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout) & $150 ASUS Mail In Rebate
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen (1920x1080)-
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) 30 Day Pixel Guarantee - (Included on ASUS Standard NON-Upgraded Displays)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard (Does not support DDR3 1600MHz Ram)
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11-
- No Video Adapter
- 8,192MB (8GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x2GB) - Standard
- Standard Finish
- No Afterburner Light Package (Afterburner light package will add 2-5 business days to production time)
- No Light Bar - Default
- Standard White Backlit Keyboard
- Standard Matching Color WASD Keys
- - 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)
- - 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
- No Back Up Software
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Intel® Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module (Includes 3rd Antenna)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Asus G Series Matching Backpack made by Targus
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- Asus G Series Gaming Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty 24/7 Support / 1 Year North America (N.A.) Accidental Coverage (Accidental Requires Registration)
- No Xotic PC Gear

$1537.45 before $150 mail in rebate. Look good?