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Ok so I'm finally going to have the funds to get a proper new laptop. I had my eye on a great one with super specs for a great price (it was like 400+ euro off). Shamefully they changed the specifications for that laptop and now it's just not good enough for that price.

I've been looking at other laptops but since I'm a total noob with that shit so I'm asking the mighty SRF pc guru's for some pointers. The laptop will be used for school and some gaming, having a good battery life would be very nice since I'm quite often in the train. A macbook is out of the question since I'm not looking to pay for a brand. I'll have about <1000 euro to spend and I'm sure I can get a decent laptop for it, just not sure which one and where.

Here are the specs of the one I had my eye on before they changed it:
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz
17.3"
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
320 GB8 SATA harde schijf (7200 rpm)
3GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M Graphics card
9 cell lithium ion

Now this was 850 euro on sale at the time (it's a Dell XPS 17) so I understand I won't be able to get something like this without being it on sale but I hope someone of you can get close to it.

I appreciate any help you can provide.

PS: the best version of the Dell XPS 17 is 999 euro currently and has the graphics card the one above had + 3d capability. Also it has a better screen allowing for 1900x1080 resolution. Would that be an option or is that just wasting money? (I would mainly do it for the graphics card. The new version of the specs mentioned above is almost the same but with a 1gb nvidia GT 550M and a 6 cell)

Thanks for any given help <3

After buying myself a pretty expensive laptop for classes and gaming, instead of a normal desk PC (yes, I too thought the mobility would be useful), that lasted me no longer than 16 months... well, I simply have to say I'd never buy another pricey laptop in like ever.

It simply heats up too much, you'd be better off getting a proper desktop for gaming while at home, and a cheaper laptop for other non gaming purposes.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Sony-Vaio-VPC-EB4X1E-BQ-FHD-Notebook.49194.0.html

Bought that one few months ago. I'm really happy with. Runs games like Crysis 2 and Dragon Age 2 whitout any problems at all. Doesn't heat up too much and still pretty guiet. As far as I know Vaios are pretty realiable and so far I haven't had any problems with this. Vaios are pretty expensive but worth the money I think.

It's also good looking, thin and I love the Apple styled keyboard.

I can't make much from that link but I'll look it up on some other sites. A classmate had a vaio and it looks very nice indeed. I'm afraid it's a bit like the mac with that laptop though =/

@Mac: Yeah I thought about that but I'm away quite alot so I would prefer a more powerful laptop. Also I wouldn't have the funds to buy both (especially since I would need more than just the desktop). On top of that I am not much of a pc gamer so I don't have much need for a powerful desktop =]

/Edit: Lol searching for that Vaio turns up shit on all kinds of sites rofl x) I take it, it's a pretty new version?

OMFG it has a harde schijf?

GET IT NaO!!1

XMoshe wrote:I can't make much from that link but I'll look it up on some other sites. A classmate had a vaio and it looks very nice indeed. I'm afraid it's a bit like the mac with that laptop though =/

@Mac: Yeah I thought about that but I'm away quite alot so I would prefer a more powerful laptop. Also I wouldn't have the funds to buy both (especially since I would need more than just the desktop). On top of that I am not much of a pc gamer so I don't have much need for a powerful desktop =]

/Edit: Lol searching for that Vaio turns up shit on all kinds of sites rofl x) I take it, it's a pretty new version?

You're talking about Sony Vaio, right? And what do you mean it's a new version?

ltsune wrote:

XMoshe wrote:I can't make much from that link but I'll look it up on some other sites. A classmate had a vaio and it looks very nice indeed. I'm afraid it's a bit like the mac with that laptop though =/

@Mac: Yeah I thought about that but I'm away quite alot so I would prefer a more powerful laptop. Also I wouldn't have the funds to buy both (especially since I would need more than just the desktop). On top of that I am not much of a pc gamer so I don't have much need for a powerful desktop =]

/Edit: Lol searching for that Vaio turns up shit on all kinds of sites rofl x) I take it, it's a pretty new version?

You're talking about Sony Vaio, right? And what do you mean it's a new version?

Check dumbo's post for the link. A new release because I can barely find info on it besides the link he provided.

@Twysta: mond houe xD haha ff over het hoofd gezien.

I can't find any proper links to the one I have. Weird. Still I recommend getting Vaio.

Vaio is good branding, so: overpriced.

www.informatique.nl is a good site to check.
Don't forget to cross the street and check the Media Markt under the UFO

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... ce=message


now if you get that in europe (btw thats cheaper than the laptop you want)

Lenovo makes some pretty reliable laptops. Current one has lasted me over 4 years, getting a new one this week.

marijnz0r wrote:Vaio is good branding, so: overpriced.

http://www.informatique.nl is a good site to check.
Don't forget to cross the street and check the Media Markt under the UFO

I checked there a few times but nothing could beat the one I showed above. I just read a review on a popular dutch site: tweakers.net and they said the gt555m wasn't suited for heavy gaming o.O Lolz

I found this one on that site: http://www.informatique.nl/523174/asus- ... 1060v.html Friend also suggested the store =p I still got about a month till I can get it though so maybe something else changes in that time.

@Gaige: damn that one looks pretty sexy, especially for a 15.6" o.o Never really heard of that brand though, I guess it's not that popular in Europe.

Thanks for the help so far guys, keep it coming :]

I have no idea about laptops to be honest with you, although I do suggest you use Tweakers.net and its Pricewatch feature when you found a laptop, which also allows you to check the reviews of tweakers.net as well, which are always really good.

Er... what are you looking to do it this laptop? Just play games for the next 5 yrs? Mostly curious since it looks like you want an i7.

Well the main focus would be school, but since I do like gaming (even though I'm not a pc gamer) I'd like it to be able to do more than just the regular browsing and making school work. On top of that I'm one of those guys that wants the best of the best when I do finally get to upgrade on something x) There is a limit ofcourse (which is about 1k euro in this case)

And yes I know about the good desktop at home + regular laptop for on the road but I can't fund both with 1k and I sorta live in two houses (during the week and on weekends/during vacation) and I can't be dragging around my desktop the whole time.

I'm done with desktops. Haven't had a desktop in over 3 years. Right now I have a basic non gaming laptop and it runs SRO fine and I play other games on it for days and even forgot to shut it off during the day and it's still runs well with no problems. If a basic laptop can do that then I'm expecting this one here to be even better. I'm getting this laptop pretty soon.






2.0GHz Intel-Core i7-2630QM processor; 6MB Intel Smart Cache
8GB system memory; Expandable to 16GB
1TB hard disk drive
17.3" Widescreen HD LCD display
Windows 7 Home Premium
Super-Multi DVD Drive
Ergonomic illuminated keyboard sits at a 5 degree angle to increase usability
3GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Graphics
Unique cooling and noise dampening- two rear venting exhausts push both heat and noise away from user
Built-in stereo speakers
Connectivity options include Gigabit Ethernet LAN and Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n
Ports include 3 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0 and 1 x HDMI
Black finish
Dimensions: 2.4"(H) x 16.5"(W) x 12.8"(D)
Weight: 9.4 lb.
1-Year limited warranty

A guy from my class got that one. It's really powerfull but pretty expensive too I believe.

XMoshe wrote:Well the main focus would be school

Well it depends on what kind of school work you'll be doing.

If you aren't using any uhh.. basically cpu intensive programs then I suggest finding an i5 and saving yourself $100.. then again not sure on laptop prices. In most games for having an i7 you will see less than a 5% performance increase. And 5% is me being very generous by 4%. Other than that using programs like 3d modeling, encoding, etc etc benefit from it.

It's just basic school work. Word, maybe powerpoint or excel. But who knows, maybe I pick up like making game vids and edit/render them and shit. I don't know what I will do and I plan on using this one for quite a while, that's why I try to get the best possible.

And to show how badly I need an upgrade, at the moment I lag while watching youtube vids (only youtube vids, nothing else is running). That is while on 360p even ._.

If you are wanting to use this laptop for a while, you might want to look into getting a business class laptop. Don't overspend on something that might not last that long.

Business class laptop? What do you mean by that exactly? o.O

And by long I mean 3-5 (preferably 5 ofc haha) years, not a whole decade or something.

XMoshe wrote:Business class laptop? What do you mean by that exactly? o.O

I'm not sure.. But I think a "business class laptops" are built with better quality and should hold up to travel better.

*BlackFox wrote:

XMoshe wrote:Business class laptop? What do you mean by that exactly? o.O

I'm not sure.. But I think a "business class laptops" are built with better quality and should hold up to travel better.

That's basically it. They are made with better quality components and have a much lower failure rate.

The lenovo thinkpad is an example. Not sure if the edge series is considered one though.

SM-Count wrote:Er... what are you looking to do it this laptop? Just play games for the next 5 yrs? Mostly curious since it looks like you want an i7.

The i7 2nd gen is fairly cheap actually which makes a quad simply nice to have, unless you get the 2820QM which is just a waste of money imo.

William-CL wrote:

SM-Count wrote:Er... what are you looking to do it this laptop? Just play games for the next 5 yrs? Mostly curious since it looks like you want an i7.

The i7 2nd gen is fairly cheap actually which makes a quad simply nice to have, unless you get the 2820QM which is just a waste of money imo.

But when the i7s are practically ~$100 more and if you aren't going to utilize HT then it's pointless. Plus doesn't it drain battery even faster? I think? I wouldn't know as I just use a cheap $200 laptop for portability use that I have from a blackfriday sale a couple years back. Gaming on a laptop isn't my thing. If I'm going to play video games then I'd rather spend money to build/upgrade a desktop and buy a cheap small laptop/netbook.

Most of you probably don't care but I want to finish this up =p

Just bought myself a Medion laptop.

Specs:
2nd Gen i5-2430M processor
8 GB DDR3 1333mhz(I think it's mhz?) RAM
nVidia GeForce GT555M - 2gb I believe
750 GB HDD
Blu ray player
8 Cell battery

And ofcourse the usual stuff (hdmi/vga/ethernet/wireless b/g/n etc etc)

Best of all it was only 550 euro! Was at the store around 8am to get it lol

Anyway, thanks for the advices, I had my mind set on an i7 but after some thinking I figured I would survive with an i5 for that kind of money xD

Ooh Medion. Good choice. Medion has never failed me (Go Aldi!).

550€, daamn, nice.

Yeah so cheap and it's Farking sexy and fast and omfg I did some can you run it tests (if anyone know that site ) and it can handle mw3/bf3/revelations/skyrim... I'm a happy happy boy :]

AC:R is already in the list?

CYRI lies to me sometimes(when it shows that it won't run it well), because it doesn't check my processor correctly. The GFX card stuff is a bit off there too.

Edit: just checked Revelations and my laptop's results are far ahead of recommended specs.