Labtop for college?
Question:
I'm a bit of a gamer, but the main purpose of the labtop would probably be class related stuff & multimedia viewing.
I'm trying to decide whether I should build my own or get a premade one (and if I do what brand, online or store?).
I'm not really interested in a mac (sorry, I'm an experienced windows user and I really don't have much need for the software on macs). I'm also not really interested in a dell, they just seem to be cheap (not describing the price, which they seem to be over priced) & break on you the day after the warrenty expires.
Any advice?
I've been debating been XP & Vista.
1 gig of ram or 2
what video card?
how much battery life do I need?
Also, I NEED it to be able to play Starcraft 2 decently.
Answer:
Still playing Brood War until Starcraft 2 comes out? Can build your own pc? Sounds a lot like me.
Typically it is cheaper to buy a laptop instead of building your own. But one generally reaches the breakeven point for buy vs do-it-yourself when one is building a high-end laptop. But just don't build a laptop thinking that it's as easy as building a desktop (Unless you're A+ certified or higher).
Regardless of which route you take, the XP vs Vista question is case-specific. If the applications that you will be using will FULLY support Vista, and they aren't performance intensive, then Vista may be the option to go for. Just make sure that Vista drivers are available. I say this even though I am reluctant to use Vista for day-to-day use (Vista is just irritating, generally unsupported for my applications, etc). Beware that your pc games will take a performance hit though. If you are heavy into pc games, then XP might be better for you right now (and still for sale as OEM). Just remember that when you do eventually migrate to Vista, you will want a clean Vista installation.
For longevity, 2gigs is better than 1 gig in today's environment, especially since you're a gamer. So opt for dual-channel memory in your case.
The video card question depends on your motherboard/cpu. AMD socket motherboards generally work better with ATI cards (for the obvious reasons). The newer the video card model, the better longevity, but the higher the price.
And if you will be running off the battery frequently, then go for the 9-cell battery (or higher), if you can afford it.
And of course, since Starcraft 2's specs aren't available yet, no one in their right mind can actually recommend specific hardware that you should get right now.
I know that these are general responses to your question, but I hate to recommend specific hardware without more details of your situation (specific programs, budget, etc).
Oh, and there is nothing wrong with AMD CPUs. Typically, people that have problems with specific video card brands or specific CPU brands are people that didn't check hardware compatibility issues when building/upgrading their PCs. But that's okay, because then they get me to diagnose and repair their problems for the standard rates ;-) .
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, SuperDrive, black)
Try something like Alienware Aurora:
http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_...
If you can find one with XP then I would get that one, but it's unlikely. But Vista should have most of the problems it's been having worked out soon. I would suggest staying away from the dells as, they are unreliable. Any of the other brands will do. Here are a few I would suggest, that work into what you want, all at a good price.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shoppi...
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shoppi...
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shoppi...
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shoppi...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?...
laptops are hard to build on your own... everything has to fit so perfectly...
personally for laptops i like dell... if you are experienced at all you should have no problem not breaking them... though some people go as well with computers as water does...
the more you pump the vid card and ram and cpu the less your batt is going to be... i had a dell 9100 and it had a 1 hour and 30 min batt life at best. that was only good enough to get through one class for me. if you take your computer to classes you want ot get through all of them before your battery dies.
if you look at refurbished dells you can find some really good prices.
XP vista is hard... i like XP at least for the next 6 months to a year cause vista is new and buggy... also a lot of games that are already out dont run the best on vista or at all. vista also uses a lot of resorces that you dont have a lot of already on a laptop...
Since you want to play Starcraft 2, cut out any low system specs PCs (< 1.8ghz).
I suggest avoid AMD processors because I have friends who have hated them due to system crashes and inability to get software to run since most games only advertise their Intel Processor requirements. With that said, you're going to want at least a 2.5ghz processor with 2 gig of ram. Blizzard supports most video cards, though most pre-made laptops come with ATI or NVIDIA so you're most likely going to want one of those. As for Battery Life, it depends on what you plan on doing with the laptop. If you want to carry it around to take notes on, it may not be possible if you get a powerhouse PC since the battery would drain too quickly (my current gaming laptop only lasts 1.8 hours without a power source). If you intend on carrying your laptop to class, you're going to want about a 13-15 inch screen as they are lighter than 17 inch screen laptops, and weight can make all the difference in the world with regards to mobility.
Avoid Compaq and Gateway, these are designed to be cheap and generally do not hold up very well as gaming PCs; though Compaq has decent support I do not have experience with Gateway's support. Sony and Dell (who also owns Alienware) tend to put out high quality computers; however, both are very exclusive and generally require that their buyers only use specially designed for their computers so that the users must go back to them for upgrades and the support is limited. HP tends to put out good quality computers and use generic parts so that users may use off-the-shelf products to add-on to the PC and the support tends to know what they are talking about. Samsung provides decent support, though their PCs are generally not designed for gaming.
EDIT: After thinking about it, since you're going of to college and are currently unsure what you're looking for you may want to hold out on purchasing a PC. The reason for this being that you are uncertain what you want in a PC and this would provide you with an opportunity to see what you need in a computer at college. I can almost guarantee you from experience that you will eventually want to do more with your with your PC than you can predict.
Do not build your own. My reccomendation would be the HP6500, with the dedicated NV 8400 Vid. card.
HP
Model: HP Pavilion dv6500t
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Weight: 6 lbs
Processor Options: Core 2 Duo
Graphics Options: nVidia Go 8400m (Dedicated)
Description: The HP dv6500t is a 15.4" screen laptop with Centrino Duo technology, optional web camera and Nvidia graphics or integrated
Good value from a top seller and very configureable from HP.
You should get a Toshiba Satellite M65-S9092 for college.
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