ibuypowerwithhelpfromothers

September 4, 2007 6:27 PM

PCGURUFILTER: Advice on configuring a laptop that will carry me through school for the next 3 years.

I am going to be ordering a new laptop from ibuypower.com and would like to hear what you guys have to say about the current configuration options. I am willing to spend about $1500 and I am looking for something to get me through the next 3 years of school. There will be a lot of video / graphical processing and probably even some gaming.


What is the difference between an Intel Centrino Duo and an Intel Core 2 Duo (besides the price)?

Is there any reason I should go with AMD?

If I went with an Intel Core 2 Duo, should I get the biggest and best? (2x 2.66GHz)

I would probably go with 2 Gigs of memory. Anybody think I need 4 Gigs?

What should I know about video cards? Seems like I should be getting at least 512 MB, but is there anything else I should know?


If anybody cares to spec out a laptop on ibuypower.com and tell me what and why, I would be VERY appreciative. Any other advice you would give somebody buying a new laptop right now? Feel free to give me answers to questions that I didn’t ask. Extra information is appreciated.

Thank you!

posted by B(oYo)BIES to computers & internet (14 comments total)

What are you doing at school that will require this kind of ridiculous power? You mention video editing, but a cinema/media program will provide you with access to hardware that would make even the ludicrous laptop you're suggesting wilt like old broccoli.

I understand the drive for the biggest and best, but seriously consider a machine with a 12 or 13 inch screen; you aren't going to want to take your precious, 18 inch, 20 lb. Cray supercomputer to lecture/study sessions/etc.

Facebook does not require 4g memory.
posted by tylermoody at 6:58 PM on September 4, 2007

macbook... increase memory to 2gb and enjoy.

My thoughts exactly.
posted by jazzkat11 at 7:10 PM on September 4, 2007

I'm gonna chime in and suggest a Mac too just because:
1. easy video editing
2. do you really want to use Vista?
3. Macs, on average, last about twice as long as PCs before replacement.

I was vehemently anti-Apple throughout the nineties (and, might I add, for good reason) but ever since a year or two ago Macs have basically rocked. If you have Windows software you NEED to run, get a copy of Parallels Desktop or Crossover Mac.
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:13 PM on September 4, 2007

Mine as well close the thread if people are going to continue suggesting Macbooks. I went through ALL of the previous "what laptop should I buy threads" and saw the EXACT same answers.

I HAVE CONSIDERED A MACBOOK - That said, I will not be buying one at this time.

Any non-macbook-fanboys care to chime in?

Lets just ask this question... How much processor speed and what type of video card should I get, that is guaranteed to play all the hottest games over the next two to three years?
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 7:23 PM on September 4, 2007

I would highly recommend that if you intend to game and edit video that you ditch the idea of a laptop. I have gone down that path and what you really end up with is a heavy laptop that can't survive on battery for more than an hour. I did the same you are doing, I expected it to be my gaming/video rig.

HOWEVER, since we're sticking to answering the questions...

Go Core 2 Duo. For the price, it's the best bang for your buck. I used to like AMD, but switched when the Core 2 Duo came out.

I currently run the Core 2 Duo 6600 with 2 gigs of ram and have had no problems whatsoever running Vista and anything else you can throw at it ('cause let's face it, running Vista alone is an accomplishment). I would suggest that you look into the fastest hard drive they will let you stuff in there (or buy the cheapest one they will let you and replace it) because the little 4200rpm drives they stick in laptops just can't keep up with video editing, effects, and scrubbing.

No video card will play the hottest games for the next 2-3 years. Sorry, but it's true. There are a lot of current developments and from what I gather, the HOTTEST games are barely going to be running on a full-size water-cooled rig ;))
posted by ThFullEffect at 7:38 PM on September 4, 2007

That Battalion 101 CZ-7 Pro 2 is a buildable rig. The 8600 video card will play most games decently and it's definitely in your budget. I'd start with that for what you're wanting.

Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile T7700 Dual-Core Processor (2x 2.4GHz/4MB Cache/800FSB)
4096MB(2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300 [Notebook Memory]
200 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive

Pretty much fully loaded you're looking at a good rig that will be up to par for at least a couple of years and will play newer games decently well (don't except super graphics off of a laptop) with the settings tweaked

Built like that it's around $1555. Not bad for the specs
posted by unvivid at 7:59 PM on September 4, 2007

Ditto TheFullEffect in a big way. Please, please don't expect to play games on a laptop and be happy with it's laptoppyness. Not only will a powerful gaming laptop necessarily be big and heavy, but it'll cost you at least twice as much as a comparable desktop. Even if you're okay with that, do this instead - buy the comparable desktop, and spend that other half on a nice light laptop.

Personally, I run a gaming rig as my desktop and keep my laptop next to me on my desk while I'm in my room or in my bag whenever I'm not. That way I can get my gaming in without any trouble, but barely even notice an extra 3 pounds worth of laptop in my bag. Trust me when I say that you won't carry a big 7-10 pound laptop around with you.

Also, if you go this route, you might consider Linux. My lappy is at least a few generations old by now, but it only cost me $400 on Ebay and does everything I could ask running Kubuntu, and concievably will continue to do so indefinitely. Just something to ponder.
posted by Rallon at 8:05 PM on September 4, 2007

Answers:

Core 2 Duo > Centrino but the Centrino is better with power usage
No reason to look at AMD
Get the CPU that is one less than the highest speed (max value)
2GB should be fine, you can upgrade later when it's cheaper.

The C-90S [2] is pretty sweet.

Choose an amount you want to spend and stick to it. Otherwise, the price will creep up and up.

My recommendation would be to get a Mac Book Pro and run Boot Camp to allow Vista to run. Apple makes excellent hardware and it would allow you to run Vista natively with the capability to run OS X if the need arises. The best of both worlds. But it is costly. The Mac Book doesn't have enough oomph for good gaming, so you'd need the Pro.
posted by Argyle at 9:06 PM on September 4, 2007

You might want to consider buying slightly behind the cutting edge, the cost savings tend to let you upgrade more frequently when you do. However, if you are the type to blow the money anyway, by all means get the top of the line.
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:21 PM on September 4, 2007

Argyle: Shhh... Don't suggest a Mac, he'll get all upset again, even if a Macbook Pro is the best choice for him...

B(oYo)BIES: To answer the questions:

1. Centrino is a platform, whereas Core 2 Duo is a processor. Centrino includes the CPU, the MB chipset and the wireless card... Technically, you could get a Centrino with a Core 2 Duo, but I think the Centrino is currently Core Duo (not sure, you should check the CPU specs)

2. AMD used to have a rep for running hotter than Intel, which generally made it bad for laptops, unless you are looking at a monster machine. Not sure if this is still true.

3. It appears that biggest and best is important to you, so I'd say 'yes' to this question... Of course, best value is usually something just below the current 'best', but it's up to you

4. Two gig of RAM is fine.. Modern non-64 bit PC's tend to have trouble with more than about 3GB of RAM anyway, so even if you got 4GB, there's no guarantee it would use all of it, unless you get a 64-bit processor and a 64-bit OS

5. Gotta agree with the other posters that the video card is going to become outdated mighty quick, no matter what you do.. Most you can do here is get the best you can, but you'll be limited by the laptop design etc... Video cards are not usually the strong point for laptops, except if you get a BIG desktop replacement thing...

----

Having said all that, and answered the questions, I really do think you need to consider what you want here... It sounds like this machine would be a really big beast... Do you really want to lug it back and forth? Personally, I agree with the other posters, and would think a desktop PC would be best for you, with a small laptop to carry around with you (like I said up top, for this I'd go the Macbook Pro, which is good enough to not drive you nuts (ie. ram, video etc), while still being reasonably light and thin)
posted by ranglin at 10:32 PM on September 4, 2007

No high perf laptop is going to last 3 years, especially if you treat it like a typical student would. Take your 1500 and break it up into 2 750 chunks. Visit deal sites like this one and wait for a Dell/HP laptop sale. Pick a laptop with dual cores (AMD is fine) and spring for a decent video card (all notebook video cards are terrible, just get the best you can afford). In 1.5 years that laptop will be a mess from all the overheating from gaming and typical usage.

Sell it on ebay and buy another with the latest and greatest CPU and notebook video.

Buying a 1500 laptop is like buying a BMW instead of two hondas. As a student you want two hondas.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:03 AM on September 5, 2007

Or buy a desktop set for 800 or so. This will buy you a really nice game/editing machine and spend the other 700 on a decent laptop. This way you get an upgradable machine (desktop) and a light portable.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:04 AM on September 5, 2007

ranglin pretty much said what I wanted to, with one exception:

3) the new king of the hill is the C2D X7900; it runs at 2.8GHz but isn't worth the heat and power consumption tradeoffs or the huge price, I think it runs $999 in 1000-lot quantities, compared to $530 for 2.4GHz and $316 for 2.2 (taken from Intels pricing sheets).
I'd say 2.0 carries the best price/performance ratio at the moment.

5) I don't think you'll find a desktop card that will play top of the line games with all the bells and whistles for 2-3 years, so finding one in a notebook is even harder. Heat dissipation and power consumption are larger problems in smaller spaces so anything that will run intensive games won't be geared for portability.

also, the C90s is a desktop machine in a laptop chassis; if you have any aspirations of portability it's not what you want.

having answered your questions, here's unsolicited advice: look at a Dell - it meets your needs and offers accidental damage coverage. I'm in my sixth year at university (same BA; long story.) and you would not believe the dumb things I've heard about happening to people's computers (and seen, but let's leave that mental block alone.)

good luck, and let us know what you ended up with.
posted by heeeraldo at 10:14 AM on September 5, 2007

I concur with many of the other posters -- if you want this to last as a gaming rig for three years, you NEED a desktop, simply because you can't upgrade a laptop's video card, CPU, and so forth. Beyond that, any laptop capable of playing high-end games is going to weigh nearly as much as a desktop anyway and be portable only in a technical sense.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:30 PM on September 5, 2007