Laptop advice

[CaptainRaiden]

I wonder if any of you guys would have an opinion on this. So, I have my eyes on this pretty good laptop for around $990. Here is the link: http://www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-lapt...z-linux-black/

To save you the trouble, here are the specs:

Phenom II Quad-Core N930 - 2000 MHz
4 GB DDR3 RAM
500 GB HDD
ATI Radeon Mobility HD5650 1024 MB GDDR3

Now, that's a pretty good config for that price. I researched that processor, knowing the legendary overheating problems of AMD, but so far users have reported only good things. The GPU also is a mid-tier card, good enough for mid to high end gaming.

I'm in no hurry, but the price is very good on this one. Now I'm in conflict. Should I buy this now before it's sold out or the price increases, or should I wait like 4-5 months for new laptops with Sandy Bridge processors in them. At this point, we don't even know how much better the Sandy Bridge architecture of processor + integrated graphics are going to be compared to a dedicated 1 GB graphic card right now. Decisions Decisions!

[Daniel]

Discrete graphics will always be better than integrated graphics. But Sandy Bridge will be kickarse

[CaptainRaiden]

Discrete graphics will always be better than integrated graphics. But Sandy Bridge will be kickarse

I'm guessing Sandy Bridge price range should be WAY above that of AMD processors and significantly more than the current Nehalem architecture Intel processors. Not to mention it will be a couple of months after the launch of the chips, when laptop makers actually start rolling out models based on Sandy Bridge. That's about 6 months, and too long a wait. Also, I think the dedicated graphic card in this laptop would give better performance. I think I'll go for this now...

[Daniel]

Probably the best idea to buy it now. I'm an Intel person so id go for a nehalem processor if you can

[CaptainRaiden]

Probably the best idea to buy it now. I'm an Intel person so id go for a nehalem processor if you can

The thing is that in my budget, this is the only quad core I could find. The rest are all either i5, i3, Core 2 Duo and even some Pentium and Celeron for Christ's sake! (Can't believe people are still selling Celeron laptops around this price range).

The only other laptop which I liked, that was in my price range was this: http://www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-lapt...-226ghz-linux/

This one is only $30 cheaper, but it's got a Core i5 and the GPU is an entry level card compared to the mid-tier card in the one with the Phenom. Now, I use Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and Dreamweaver quite a bit, and they run definitely better on a quad core. Plus, quad cores are generally better for gaming too, that is the games which properly use all the cores, like GTA IV etc. So, if I get a quad core processor + a better graphic card for $30 more, that's a no-brainer for me.

[Daniel]

The thing is that in my budget, this is the only quad core I could find. The rest are all either i5, i3, Core 2 Duo and even some Pentium and Celeron for Christ's sake! (Can't believe people are still selling Celeron laptops around this price range).

The only other laptop which I liked, that was in my price range was this: http://www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-lapt...-226ghz-linux/

This one is only $30 cheaper, but it's got a Core i5 and the GPU is an entry level card compared to the mid-tier card in the one with the Phenom. Now, I use Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and Dreamweaver quite a bit, and they run definitely better on a quad core. Plus, quad cores are generally better for gaming too, that is the games which properly use all the cores, like GTA IV etc. So, if I get a quad core processor + a better graphic card for $30 more, that's a no-brainer for me.

AMD laptop it is then

[Valve Bounce]

There is an ACER laptop going at Costco with an i7 CPU with lotsa memory and huge HDD. Also has BluRay. I'm going to Costco soon and will get hte model number and post it here. Sells for just under AUD$1000.

[CaptainRaiden]

There is an ACER laptop going at Costco with an i7 CPU with lotsa memory and huge HDD. Also has BluRay. I'm going to Costco soon and will get hte model number and post it here. Sells for just under AUD$1000.

Wow, that sounds almost too good to be true! I'll look out for that model number. MAYBE I can find it around here, but I highly doubt it. Thanks Valve.

[Valve Bounce]

OK!! It's the ACER 5745G
it has 4 GB memory
i7 CPU
500 GB HDD
Windows 7 Home Premium
BluRay

and the price is AUD$999.97 at Costco

You can check out the specs and reviews with Google.

http://apcmag.com/notebookhunter/dea...for-139600.htm

[CaptainRaiden]

OK!! It's the ACER 5745G
it has 4 GB memory
i7 CPU
500 GB HDD
Windows 7 Home Premium
BluRay

and the price is AUD$999.97 at Costco

You can check out the specs and reviews with Google.

http://apcmag.com/notebookhunter/dea...for-139600.htm

Found it here on one of the sites, it comes to $1377 US . Probably because Acer doesn't assemble them here and has to import them? I've been checking prices and comparing them, and some laptops are rather weird, they're cheaper here, more expensive in the UK and vice versa for some other models. That laptop you showed Valve, is VERY good for that price. Wish I could buy it, but can't. I tried to click on that link you gave me, and gave me this message:

You are not authorized to view this page

Unfortunately APCMag.com is not currently available in your country for legal and commercial reasons.

I'll do some more research over the next days, but thanks a lot of that Valve. I really appreciate it.