new laptop

Marking22 · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 10:46 am

But whats the diff between your acer and mine? I thought mine would be better since it has i5.

Adbot · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 10:46 am

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

The one you showed had a better cpu, but was lacking a dedicated graphics card. If you're not going to be gaming, and just general browsing, some occasional YouTube videos, then get the one you said. If you ever want to play something on your PC, maybe even some of the more intensive flash movies online (hulu, etc) you're going to want a dedicated graphics card.

i3 vs i5, sure you'll lose out a little, but the dedicated graphics card is a no brainer in my book.

Marking22 · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 2:22 pm

then whats a good graphics card?
like would this hp be good or no
HP Pavilion dm4t series
sorry for all these questions too

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

Good graphics card is something that's dedicated - aka pretty much everything except Intel 'HD' graphics or in general Intel graphics.

For the HP, you're going to need to spend $100 to get to the dedicated graphics option, so that's an extra $130 over budget excluding shipping + any additional warranty.

You can compare the dedicated graphics cards, but at the $700 level, your choices will be fairly slim to begin with. Pretty much anything with dedicated graphics will be fine, especially for what you'll probably do with it. If you insist on checking out some of the performance values before you buy for both CPU and GPUs, check out http://www.notebookcheck.net/ .

Also, if you're not in a huge rush, checking out Lifehacker's roundup of Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day (aka Dealhacker) might save you some cash and help you decide.

Marking22 · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 4:14 pm

so look for a laptop with i3 or i5 and without a intel graphics card

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

Pretty much, yes. Personally I'd go for a 15.4 or a 15.6" screen, preferably with nice resolution (not a huge fan of the 720p 1366x768, but it's not a bad screen size) too, but again, with your price range I don't think that should be high on the priority list.

Adbot · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 5:42 pm

Evelyn · **Posted:** July 6th, 2010, 5:56 pm

I thought 720p was 1280x720, anyways, most entry-level laptops these days are 1280x800, since my laptop is 17" screen I have a 1440x900. 1440x900 is a good resolution too, but you might not find it on a 15.4" screen.

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

Most 15" laptops are now 15.6" with 1366x768 screen (which is 720p considering it's not enough to be 1080p, right?) whereas you can get 1920x1080 on some of the same screen sizes. My laptop has a 15.4" screen at 1920x1200, and it's gorgeous. Then again, it wasn't $700 either.

Anyway, for constant portability, I'd try to stay under a 16" screen size. Some of the 17" laptops have killer specs, but hauling around that every day will be old quite quick...

Marking22 · **Posted:** July 7th, 2010, 12:15 am

Okay last question what are your top 5 latops that I can get.But they each have to be made from different companies.You can use shanes laptop idea if you want to.
Also here is another one I think is good but not sure Samsung - Laptop with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor - Red/Black.

Evelyn · **Posted:** July 7th, 2010, 1:14 am

Pfkninenines wrote:

My laptop has a 15.4" screen at 1920x1200, and it's gorgeous.

I'm thinking that everything would look tiny on that screen.

dafin0 · **Posted:** July 7th, 2010, 5:15 pm

That 64-bit windows is good (if you have 32-bit, your usable RAM is limited). As with the new intel processors (i5 and up only), it has turbo-boost which automatically speeds up your computer according to what you are doing. I think this would be a good computer to consider, Seeing as the specs are good for what you need in a laptop.

Cheers, dafin0 :lol:

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

The i5 and i7 will underclock a subset of the cores on the processor, and overclock the rest. On the mobile side, this is the only thing that separates the i3 from the i5, as the i5 doesn't have a quad core version on the mobile versions.

With the 32 vs 64 OS, the majority of people don't need 64 bit systems. Do you need a 64-bit system? If you're asking, the answer is probably no. You only need to have a 64-bit OS if you've got in excess of 4GB of RAM, as x86 systems don't recognize anything more than that in the address space. While 64 vs 32 isn't a huge difference to begin with (32-bit programs normally install without issue on 64-bit OSes), if you know you're going to be doing lots of Photoshop work where you'll need the extra RAM, or another intensive program such as Photoshop, it's hard to not get 64-bit. You'll probably get it anyway, but it's not something that you'll need to look for. Even if you get 32-bit Windows 7, you can install the 64-bit version and use your same CD key and it'll work the exact same.

As for your earlier post, Marking, I've given you a few suggestions for your price range with companies I trust, past that it's up to what special student deals you can find or finding daily/weekly deals somewhere.

Marking22 · **Posted:** July 7th, 2010, 8:26 pm

What are your thoughts on the Samsung laptop I posted.

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101229

Other than that being gateway, perfect specs for what you're looking for at the $700 price point.

Actually yea, that Samsung laptop has all the features you want. At the price point. Not sure how well made Samsung laptops are, but it does have everything specification wise you want. Dedicated graphics card, i5 processor, 4gb of DDR3 RAM, AND a bluray drive. Not that a dvd is hugely different from a bluray on a screen that size anyway, unless you use HDMI port on a TV.

Looks like a winner, though I'd at least get a 2 year warranty on it. In and out of backpacks all day, I'd be surprised if nothing breaks, chips, cracks, etc within 2 years.

King Kulla · **Posted:** July 8th, 2010, 12:25 pm

Pfkninenines wrote:

Looks like a winner, though I'd at least get a 2 year warranty on it. In and out of backpacks all day, I'd be surprised if nothing breaks, chips, cracks, etc within 2 years.

Getting a laptop sleeve or bag usually protects it from nicks and scratches. I'd recommend getting one if you'll be taking one with you on the go - they aren't that expensive either.