maneatingcow Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I'm in (semi) need of a Laptop. I'm starting up taking some classes at a local Technical College and a laptop would make my life a little easier. I've tried looking around on Ebay and tigerdirect and newegg but I lack confidence in my ability to weed out what is actually a good deal. I don't need it to be a top end computer, but I'm a cheap bastard and would like to maximize my value. I do play computer games so I wouldn't mind spending a bit more to get something that could play games reasonably well but that isn't a priority. I've still got my PC for games. So if anyone has ran across a good/great deal on a laptop let me know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin848 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Do you have preference between Intel or AMD? Or notebook manufacturer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 I've got no preference about manufacturer or processor. New, used refurbished don't matter either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Newegg has some amazing deals right now. Due to intel upgrading their processors from sandy bridge to ivy bridge. I suggest you get at least a quad core for a laptop. Since you might want to game and watch hd movies your best best is to make sure it comes with a hd radeon or geforce graphics card as opposed to an intel based integrated card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 The best pc name in my opinion is Asus it's ones of the few names I've stuck with over the years. I have actually been looking online for laptops for quite some time now and newegg recently had an amazing asus laptop with 3gb ddr3 ram led back lit screen and a quad core processor. It was $450 and it just dropped $100, this is the best laptop deal you can get at the moment. Check it out if you like you can upgrade the ram to 8gb ddr3 for another $40 and the hard drive is 5400rpm so it will have a bit of slow speed but you can always upgrade it to an ssd or a faster hard drive. http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834230401 Also the ram upgrade here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231295 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Damn thanks for that. I am probably going to end up ordering that tomorrow morning. I was looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215371 but the one you posted seems like an even better deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Damn thanks for that. I am probably going to end up ordering that tomorrow morning. I was looking at http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834215371 but the one you posted seems like an even better deal. I was looking at that one as well, even though for the price and what it comes with it's a solid deal. My only major problem with it is the battery life which will be pretty faulty, as well as the name brand. Again im bias i've been using asus for years. It all comes down to what you think is a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 A couple of questions about the Hard Drive upgrade. Firstly is this a good upgrade? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148591 Then the stupid question. Over the years I've swapped out power supply, ram, graphics cards etc, but I have always stayed away from doing anything with hard drives. Does replacing the hard drive mess with the operating system, or would you just end up reinstalling it like you would with recovery disks. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 A couple of questions about the Hard Drive upgrade. Firstly is this a good upgrade? http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148591 Then the stupid question. Over the years I've swapped out power supply, ram, graphics cards etc, but I have always stayed away from doing anything with hard drives. Does replacing the hard drive mess with the operating system, or would you just end up reinstalling it like you would with recovery disks. Thanks again The problem with laptop hard drives are the cheaper ones usually $700 or lower come with 5200 rpm drives, meaning they are slower. the one you showed me is a 7200 rpm speed which would improve speed. I don't know how much space you need but I would not buy a hard drive instead I would buy an ssd( Soild State Drive) They are expensive yes and do not hold as much space but the speed and performance is unparalleled. There are quite a few guides online about them. My desktop boot up is 8 seconds and my shutdown is 4 seconds. Playing games on it is unreal I can load up an game with 5 seconds from the loading screen. As to answer your second question all you would need to do is make a boot image disc once you start up the computer and burn it. Then shut the pc down remove the old hard drive and install the new one, once it boots put in the boot image disc with the os on it and install it. If I were you and if you are strapped on cash other than the laptop i would pick up the 8gb ddr3 ram and remove the old one, it will drastically reduce input lag. Remember if you get a decent size harddrive you can always use an external for when you are at home to save files and what not, no one needs 320gb or more of space but people feel the need to buy it, it all comes down to what you need. maneatingcow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 no one needs 320gb or more of space but people feel the need to buy it, it all comes down to what you need. I easily use this much space but my computer is also my DVR. But the point is valid. SSD with external hard drive for more storage is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I easily use this much space but my computer is also my DVR. But the point is valid. SSD with external hard drive for more storage is the way to go. He could always remove the optical drive and put in another hard drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick6ten Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I bought an ASUS last spring and I've been very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 An i3 or i5 Intel dual-core processor > most quad core processors from AMD. If price is your priority though, you can't really go wrong with what you've been looking at. And I'm in agreement with everyone, ASUS all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Thanks all, I actually ordered the one that Dash mentioned earlier. I did go with the RAM upgrade and I got a Wireless router. Upgrading to a SSD will be something I'll have to look into down the road. I'm anxious to get this it's actually going to have better specs than my PC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Thanks all, I actually ordered the one that Dash mentioned earlier. I did go with the RAM upgrade and I got a Wireless router. Upgrading to a SSD will be something I'll have to look into down the road. I'm anxious to get this it's actually going to have better specs than my PC. Quad core is no joke my friend it is sick. Upgrading your ram is the first step its not hard as long as you have the right screwdriver and turn the pc off before installing it In the long run though saving up $80-$210 for a ssd is the way to go to see super performance. Not to mention it's an led screen which looks amazing. I buy from newegg all the time and their main factory is in New jersey I usually get my stuff the next day as long as I put it before 3 p.m. best of luck with the laptop let me know how it is, also let me know if you need any help with upgrading ram/harddrives/ssds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Just got my computer a couple hours ago and just now am starting it up after putting in the Ram upgrade in. Won't have time till this weekend to really get to play with it. Got to admit I had a hell of a time getting open the Memory Panel on the back. Finally I found a guide on youtube and is just apparently on there crazy tight the first few times you open it. Thanks again Dash and everyone else who chimed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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