• Trying to find a decent 15" laptop, your opinions please?
    72 replies, posted
Hey Facepunch, I'm looking around for a laptop to use mostly at home as a semi-desktop replacement, but also for class use during some projects. Thus, I want something that's fairly portable but still has power for gaming and the like. [list=1] [*][url=http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro/?cid=WWWCA-MACBOOKPRO-BUYNOW]15" 2.8GHz MacBook Pro[/url] Pros: It's a new MacBook Pro, I can get a free iPod Touch with it, nice long battery life, decent weight for carrying around, can run both OS X and Windows, and the graphics card isn't too bad. Cons: Even with an education discount, it's still 2,399 CAD, which is pretty expensive for the specifications, and I'd have to add the price of Windows 7 on top of that if I want to play games and run Windows-only applications. [*][url=http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-studio-xps-16?c=ca&cs=cadhs1&l=en&s=dhs]Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop[/url] Pros: 1 GB graphics card is fairly future-proof in terms of new games, nice RGBLED screen, and the Blu-Ray Player with HDMI port means it can double as a Blu-Ray player for the TV, since we don't have one at the moment. Cons: With all the features I want, it's just as expensive as the MacBook Pro, it's a heavier "portable" laptop at ~7 pounds, and I've read reviews that suggest that there are heat problems (up to 50 degrees C or ~150 degrees F) and sub-par battery life in the range of 2 hours with a 6-cell battery, and a 9-cell battery would add extra weight and extra cost. [*][url=http://www.alienware.com/products/area-51-m15x-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-AREA51M15X-AI1&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT&tab=features_tab]Alienware Area-51 m15x 15.4-inch Gaming Laptop Computer[/url] Pros: Exceptional specifications, nice AlienFX lighting system, and the Stealth Mode would be nice when I'm using the laptop at school. Cons: Even more expensive than the Dell or MacBook, and slightly older design than either of them also. [editline]16/08/09[/editline] [*][url=http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220578]ASUS G Series G51Vx-A1[/url] Pros: It's the most future-proofed of all the notebooks so far, with an Intel Core 2 Quad processor and an NVIDIA GTX 260M GPU, and it doesn't break my original budget. Cons: From the reviews I've read, it too runs rather hot and makes some kind of annoying start-up sound. Questions: Is it possible to add a Blu-Ray Player myself once I get the laptop? And what about getting Windows Vista Ultimate for the Windows 7 Upgrade, I haven't been able to find a reseller that offers it. [/list] What else can you recommend, Facepunch? Your thoughts are highly appreciated and eagerly awaited. Also, many thanks in advance.
Go with the DELL, it makes a great Hackintosh if you desire. [img]http://d2k5.com/sa_emots/smile.gif[/img]
Dell because Alienware is overpriced for what you really get, and the Mac you're only paying for the name.
Dell = Alienware.
Have you tried the multi-touch trackpad on the macbook? It's pure sex.
Go with the Dell. My dad has a Studio 17 and it runs great!
Go for the mac, most people here will probably get pissed at this and rate me dumb but I don't care. The mac will let you EASILY run OS X and Windows, the battery life is great and from what I've seen, macs last forever, the things are nigh on indestructible. You can have a cheap, plastic case on the Dell, or a solid aluminium case and strong glass screen on the MacBook.
We don't disagree because we're fanboys. It's because they're overpriced to shit. Sure, get a Mac, but prepare to not be able to run shit all in terms of games, even with your precious boot camp.
[QUOTE=DividesByZero;16712410]Go for the mac, most people here will probably get pissed at this and rate me dumb but I don't care. The mac will let you EASILY run OS X and Windows, the battery life is great and from what I've seen, macs last forever, the things are nigh on indestructible. You can have a cheap, plastic case on the Dell, or a solid aluminium case and strong glass screen on the MacBook.[/QUOTE] If that's your argument, then I see no reason why people wouldn't rate you dumb.
I got a Dell Studio 15 earlier this year for University. I was originally going to get a netbook, but I was like [i]'meh, for $500 more (Australian) I could get a notebook with a bigger screen and bigger keyboard[/i], which is important for taking lecture notes. Then I saw the Studio 15 and thought [i]meh for $600 more, I get a fairly decent notebook which will be capable of running the majority of games[/i]. Anyway, I've been pretty happy with my Studio 1555. I paid $1,600 AUD for it, and I'd definitely recommend it. The specs: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz 4GB DDR2 (800mhz) ram 320GB HDD Slot loading 8x DVD Burner 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon (I'm not too sure about the model number, but it's sort of low-mid end - I'd say equivalent to somewhere between a *500 and *600 mobile Nvidia card) The only downside is the resolution of the Studio 15 (and many of the studio series) is pretty low (at least when I bought it); the screen's native resolution is 1366x768 - in other words, the same vertical resolution as 1024x768 but with a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, this does mean you can play games on the screen's native resolution and get good performance. I don't have any hard numbers but from memory CSS gets around 80-100ish fps all on high (and with AA and AF at like 2x), and Left 4 Dead with everything on medium gets around 60-70fps. It's no gaming laptop, but it's more than adept enough to take to any lans without hauling around a tower, monitor and keyboard. Also I got the 9 Cell battery - it sticks out of the Studio 15 (and probably the XPS 16 as well - making it raise on an angle), but it does give a lot of bang for buck, at around 5-7 hours depending on usage. So yeah, I'd recommend Dell, especially over a Macbook, but it all depends on what you really want.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157020[/url] I'd recommend this... A little under the specs of that dell, but it doesn't break the bank, if you wanted one with a blu-ray player and a little more power ([url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147919[/url]) would be a good choice and it's only $100 more. (it's a 17" though) [img]http://www.facepunch.com/fp_ratings.php?postid=16713924&rating=1[/img]
Hmm, thanks for all the help. Is an [url=http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220578]ASUS G Series G51Vx-A1[/url] any good? I mean, sure it doesn't have the Blu-Ray drive but I heard that they're pretty easy to install. Also, I think that the ASUS is fairly future-proff in terms of graphics and processor, correct?
Get the 15" 2.8GHz MacBook Pro, same I'm going to get. Use a Higher Education store link for the biggest price reduction
MacBook Pro: awesome touchpad, iPod, and even the lowest one (mine) runs source games with high fps on max settings. If you are ging into video classes, my After Effects run very fast for a low-end, so they will work very good on the MacBook Pro you picked. And dude, an iPod!
HP or a MacBook Pro. MacBooks really are good, don't like the operating system as much though.
If you can AFFORD all of them, get the MBP obviously. Since you can run Windows the only huge negative is the price, and if you can afford it that's not a problem! I love my Pro, it games like a charm. L4D is a tiny bit choppy though. I think driver issues.
Also, MBP is portable, while it has a big battery life.
[QUOTE=apwd007;16724619]Get the 15" 2.8GHz MacBook Pro, same I'm going to get. Use a Higher Education store link for the biggest price reduction[/QUOTE] The 2.66GHz one is nearly identical, I'd actually get that. The extra 256mb of VRAM won't do a thing.
Thanks everyone, I'm getting some pretty darn useful advice here. Perhaps I should have mentioned, I'm looking fomr something thats fairly future-proof too, as in that it will last for ~4-5 years.
[QUOTE=j00g0t0wnd;16712992]We don't disagree because we're fanboys. It's because they're overpriced to shit. Sure, get a Mac, but prepare to not be able to run shit all in terms of games, even with your precious boot camp.[/QUOTE] Care to show us some proof? Macbooks have great hardware. I'm on the lowest specs model and run source games on high. I've had mine for 11 months and it looks completely new, no scratches at all because of the aluminum and glass screen. And now when snow leopard is right round the corner you can expect some awesome speed and power from OS X.
Also, I recently got a Dell Inspiron 1545. It has Bluray and has enough hardware to max out Bioshock and all Source games. Cost me about 1000 dollars Canadian, so it's definitely great for the price. [editline]12:13AM[/editline] [QUOTE=Muscar;16724952]Care to show us some proof? Macbooks have great hardware. I'm on the lowest specs model and run source games on high. I've had mine for 11 months and it looks completely new, no scratches at all because of the aluminum and glass screen. And now when snow leopard is right round the corner you can expect some awesome speed and power from OS X.[/QUOTE] They can be nice, but expect to pay like at least twice the reasonable amount.
Whoever is spamming the dumbs is a terrible troll. Way to not actually ask about a Mac and make assumptions then hide behind ambiguous boxes.
[QUOTE=Muscar;16711053]Have you tried the multi-touch trackpad on the macbook? It's pure sex.[/QUOTE] yeah an every other laptop has dual touch zoom feature [editline]09:16PM[/editline] [url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152132[/url] or [url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220559[/url]
[url]http://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/default/ProductDisplay?productId=4611686018425919272&storeId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396&dualCurrId=73&catalogId=-840[/url]
[QUOTE=JohnEdwards;16726624]yeah an every other laptop has dual touch zoom feature [editline]09:16PM[/editline] [url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152132[/url] or [url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220559[/url][/QUOTE] The Pro's trackpad is multi touch. You can use up to four fingers for gestures, like four swiped up brings all the windows up so you can see your desktop, four down shows all the windows for expose. Three fingers left and right are the equivalent of back and forward on web browser and other applications.
Get the mac. A mac with lesser specifications than a conventional PC or laptop, still outperforms them. And they are solid as rock.
that's a bullshit macfag excuse hardware is hardware, the OS isn't going to make an outdated system suddenly godly
[url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220578[/url] If you have that much money.
Dell latitude, high quality laptop.
OP what's your budget [editline]10:48PM[/editline] those are all pretty poor choices for a laptop
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