Laptop

[Gben 20]

So my laptop died about 30mins after I noticed our forums were done on the weekend.

Coincidence?

 

It's in for a quote, but I guess I need to bring forward my plans for a replacement.

My Dell XPS1530 was good to me these past few years.

 

Sigh... now I have start thinking about finding a new one.

I hate hardware shopping/research.

 

Any good suggestions for under AUD$2000?

[Luk3us 63]

http://www.dell.com/au/p/alienware-m11x/pd

 

http://www.sony.com.au/product/vpcf135fg

 

http://www.sony.com.au/product/vpcec35fg

 

I like the Vaio range as far as laptops go. But I'd recommend you get a desktop instead of a laptop because, A) Desktops are more powerful, Desktops are less expensive, C) Because real men have desks, cables, and 26" screens!

 

What's cool about the Dell site is you can customize your computer.

[Ferret 0]

How much is AUD$2,000 in US dollars?

 

Otherwise, I can't help you out. D: Currently at school.

[Doctor Destiny 40]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834220890

 

I cannot rightfully recommend anything but an Asus. Sonys aren't that good, never get an HP, Alienwares are a WASTE and any consumer Dell is useless. Get an Asus.

[Nmenth 289]

How much is AUD$2,000 in US dollars?

They're about the same right now.

[Guest Stevie_K]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834220890

 

I cannot rightfully recommend anything but an Asus. Sonys aren't that good, never get an HP, Alienwares are a WASTE and any consumer Dell is useless. Get an Asus.

 

This is truth. I've had quite a few laptops lately and these are also the tendencies that my local friends have been experiencing.

[Gben 20]

So apparently a capacitor blew on the laptop and I've got it running again.

curious about touch screen laptops... not ipads though.

 

Need to look into this further in the next couple of weeks.

 

EDIT: ooh I see they are called a tablet pc. Anyone with experience???

[Doctor Destiny 40]

I used to use a tablet when I worked at the auction. Honestly, I wouldn't get one since they're not very useful unless you have a need for the touchscreen. And they're a fair bit more expensive than your netbook/laptop counterpart.

[Luk3us 63]

Yeah the novelty will wear off, but the burn in your wallet won't.

[Malevolence 6]

ASUS brand is pretty promising, some of their products bear their "Super Hybrid Engine", which makes booting up fast, and also battery power energy-efficient.

[Gben 20]

Yeah the novelty will wear off, but the burn in your wallet won't.

 

But then I can dress up as Rodney McKay!

Pretending to save the universe never gets old.

 

(Of course I would get a hybrid laptop with the touch screen not ^ that sort of thing, if I was serious about this.)

[Gben 20]

Well howdy - just poping in to say the fix didn't stick and the laptop died again. (I had te same problem as RainX with the motherboard. A guy replaced the capacitor but it's obviously blown again.)

So I need to accelerate my replacement purchase of the laptop rather than repair the motherboard - it's like 3 years old.

 

So what should I get for AUD$2000 (hardware and OS)... I always try to get the best motherboard, biggest hdd, most ram and best videocard... but I'm such a hardware noob.

Still need help...

 

Everything's so hectic at the minute... the laptop issue is not helping.

BTW both problems occured after installing a program... it just didn't want to reboot.

On a side issue - what do I need to do to rescue my software installations on the laptop (Adobe, Office etc)

 

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At least Australia is out of the world cup and my torture is finished.

And hey good job beating South Africa Kiwis shame about SL.

[Nmenth 289]

So what should I get for AUD$2000 (hardware and OS)...

Are you looking for another laptop or something better in a more-for-your-money desktop?

[Doctor Destiny 40]

I recommend this one, but just about any Asus will be pretty good. Just pay attention to the specs and choose accordingly.

[Gben 20]

Just pay attention to the specs and choose accordingly.

 

I see that ASUS has a search function by specs

http://www.asusnotebook.com.au/asus-notebook-search.php

 

But it's the specs that confuse me... I need help with CPU and Video Cards in particular.

(I don't really understand the differences between all the intel cores and any comparisons with the AMD alternatives. And the same for video card performance.)

 

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And yes it's mobile computing that I'm after Nmenth.

(appreciate all the help I can get.)

[Gben 20]

• Win7 Home Premium 64bit
• 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
• 8GB Dual-channel 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4G)
• 2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M graphics with Optimus
• 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
• Tray Load Fixed Blu-ray BD-ROM / DVD + /-RW Combo Drive
• Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio
• 15.6" (39.6cm) HD (1366x768) WLED display with TrueLife™

Around AUD$1700

Any problems with this combination?

 

[Luk3us 63]

8GB for memory is excessive 4GB is more than sufficient, specially for a lappy.

[Doctor Destiny 40]

Since this looks like a gaming laptop, that 8GB is just fine. The only real thing I'd be concerned about would be the heat this son of a bitch will generate. I would seriously consider getting a cooling pad.

[F15pilotX 4]

^ what he said. I have an 18.4" ASUS, and IT gets hot sometimes..with half the specs of the one you're looking at, and 3" more space to spread it out. But what's been said about ASUS is true. I haven't once had to take it to the shop or open it up since I got it 2 years ago.

[Gben 20]

I felt like an idiot when I didn't think to take it back to the comp shop for a checkup. I did that last week, and they re-repaired it under the warranty of the first repair back in Feb. Sweet.

That solves a few problems, like cd in the drive and protecting serial numbers of programs installed. it also means I have more time to find a replacement laptop.

 

We have a five-day easter long weekend since 25th April is ANZAC day... so Tues is also public holiday.

What does NZ do for ANZAC day - is the same as Aust?

 

Anyway this means I'll probably have a chance to look up 6 weeks of posts and threads... yah.

well fingers crossed.

[Gben 20]

Hmm so I've backed away from my laptop choice when it kept creeping over $2200... I have the money but not the justification. So now I'm going the other direction... portability over power.

Sticking with the ASUS brand their latest is U36JC but the few reviews I saw said wait for SANDY bridge.

 

I'll miss the optical drive, but I think I can get used to the small screen.

 

http://www.asus.com.au/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/U36JC/

Specifications

Processor Intel® Core™ i5 460M/480M 2.66 GHz ~ 2.53 GHz

Intel® Core™ i3 380M/390M 2.53 GHz

Chipset Intel® HM55 Express Chipset

Memory DDR3 1066 MHz SDRAM,2 x SO-DIMM socket for expansion up to 4 G SDRAM

Display 13.3" 16:9 HD (1366x768) LED backlight

Graphic NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M with 1GB DDR3 VRAM

Storage 2.5" SATA

750GB 7200rpm

640GB 5400rpm

500GB 5400rpm/7200rpm

320GB 5400rpm

250GB 5400rpm

Card Reader 5 -in-1 card reader ( SD/ MS/ MS Pro/ xD/ MMC)

Camera 0.3 Mega Pixel web camera

Networking Integrated 802.11 b/g/n or 802.11 b/g (Optional)

Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.1+EDR (Optional)

10/100/1000 Base T

Interface 1 x Microphone-in jack

1 x Headphone-out jack (SPDIF)

1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor

1 x USB 3.0 port(s) (Optional)

2 x USB 2.0 port(s)

1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert

1 x HDMI

Audio Built-in Speakers And Microphone

Altec Lansing® Speakers

Battery 8Cells : 5600 mAh 84 Whrs

Power Adapter Output : 19 V DC, 3.42 A, 65 W

Input : 100 -240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal

3/ 2 pin compact power supply system

Dimensions 32.2 x 23.2 x 1.90 cm (WxDxH)

Weight 1.6 kg (with 8 cell battery)

Note *The graphics of U36 notebooks support DirectX® 10 but DirectX® 11.

 

What can you tell me about comparative models/brands?

[Doctor Destiny 40]

Screen size isn't all that bad. It's only a little smaller than mine, but hell, that laptop still has a good chunk of power behind it. It's no slouch at all. I would recommend a 7200RPM drive though. I hate my laptop's 5400RPM speed, but 5400 still isn't bad.

[Gben 20]

7200rpm... Yeah I plan to work on that.

I think I read somewhere that it doesn't take ssd? it might be worth looking into that for this baby, and just use an external one for storage.

But I guess what I'm not sure about is the SANDY BRIDGE and wether I should hold off because of it...

[Doctor Destiny 40]

You don't need to wait for Sandy Bridge unless you really, really want to. You might see a slight increase in speed, but it wouldn't be worth waiting if you want the laptop sooner.

 

I think I read somewhere that it doesn't take ssd?

An SSD is just a SATA drive. As long as you get the right form factor, it'll work just fine.

[Gben 20]

I saw one in a shop today... ooh sexy... but out of stock. Otherwise I would've bought one today.

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maybe tomorrow if I can be arsed to drive 30mins away.