Drew39k

Well, Im looking at getting a new laptop to replace my current Gateway laptop.

When I went shopping for my first laptop I didn't do much research at all, and while i don't hate the computer, i could have gotten a better deal. The primary thing I failed to realize, was how close the dual core tech was.

This time around i'm trying to future proof my laptop a little better. Im thinking at least 3gigs of ram, maybe the t8300?, and a blu ray drive. I don't think i will be writing any blu-ray discs, so read only works. Size wise, i don't want bigger then a 15.4, I think 17 might be too big.

One of the downfalls of my current laptop is battery life. It is terrible(i literally get 45 mins off a full charge)

So some of my questions:

How far off are we before Blu-Rays drives become less rare?(right now only select HP models, and viao models have them)

OS? I've heard a new OS is around the corner(vista becoming the new ME?) I did some checking around and It seems windows 7 is coming late next year? and "Singularity" is also moving along. Would getting a comp now(probably with Vista, i should get it over XP right?) hurt me when Windows 7 and or singularity comes rolling around? Would I be better off waiting? Or could i upgrade later without much system reqs issues?

Is it better to take the standard 2 gig of ram and manually upgrade it to 3/4 gigs? Or is it better to buy it already upgraded? New Egg had ram upgrades for 40bucks, so it would only cost 40 to upgrade it from 2-3 and 80 to go from 2 to 4, where as they want like 150 bucks to have it built with 4. Is there a quality issue going thru and doing it manually? Is their a large difference between the ram i'd get on newegg versus what they would install?

As for the company, I did not like my experience with Gateway. The screen wobbles, and the back light flickers. It also gets very hot. and has slow start up.

Im looking primarily at HP or Sony any recommendations?

Budget is pretty open, i don't really want to go over 1500 but a liitle over could be doable(the custom built i did up at sony came to just under 1600)

Sir Travis D

First of all, windows 7 is NOT coming any time soon. Atleast 2 years, but microsft time about 4. Don't worry at all about windows 7. I'll look up a good laptop for you in the mean time.

I customized an Hp dv6700t with

Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 as suggested
3gb ram
vista home premium
320gigs hard drive space
blu-ray rom drive
upgraded webcam/wireless
nvidia 8400m gs

Now, this notebook does not have a great graphics card in terms of longevity and high def media. I will look into dell models for a similar config with better graphics.

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Sir Travis D

I've been looking at sager, and their cheapest configs with a blu-ray drive are $1500 without the ram and processor. I will now look at dell models.

To get similar specs on a dell, you do get a better graphics card, but you can only get a blu-ray writer, and the specs I got costed $1824.

Are you sure you want blu-ray? At the moment, only high-performance or extreme high-def users are getting blu-ray on a laptop. You can get much better specs without one, and you may be able to send your laptop in to get it upgraded later.

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Drew39k

the way i figure it, if i shell out an extra 2 hundred or so for the blu-ray it should keep the laptop up to spec in a few years when blu ray should be the key player. I am trying to keep it up to date so it can last 3-5 years.. as apposed to the standard 2-3 years

Then again, will it, regardless of what I get now, still be upper end that far from now?

How does sending a laptop in for an upgrade work? Is it typically expensive? I've never even know that was an option...

Sir Travis D

If you get new technology early, it is more expensive. In my opinion, you should have good hardware (video cards/processors/ram ect) before good optical media players. If you can't play blu-ray's at high resolutions or good quality, why play them? If you just get a dvd burner, you can get a better graphics card, processor, more ram, hard drive space, and a higher resolution for the price. Also, I doubt any laptop can last 5 years. $4000 laptops seldom last that long for gaming or even video editing. Just think about this. 4 years ago, a $1500 laptop would have half a gig of ram, a cd writer, xp home, and a 2.0ghz single core processor, and maybe 40 gigs hard drive. You just can't stretch a laptop to last that long.

For alienware, I don't know about other companies but I do know about alienware, you can send it in to be upgraded. Maybe you pay shipping, but you get a discount on the price.

I would rather have a great computer with a dvd burner and get a blu-ray drive later than have an ok computer with a blu-ray drive and have a laptop that won't last.

edit: I think you need to be under warranty for this option. So, if you think you will have $300-500 within a year, you're ok without it. If not, you can get an extended warranty and basically have $200-300 left to upgrade a new laptop when you config it.

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Drew39k

This is very true....

I emailed HP customer service to find out if they have an upgrade service...

By going up to a 17 inch screen It allows me to select the 8600 graphics card, but wouldn't that further reduce battery life? What is your opinion on 17inch+ screen sizes?

Sir Travis D

Ahhh. 17 inch screens. Until 4 weeks ago, I have never had one. We purchased the alienware m9750 - 8 pounds and 17 inches. It was HUGE. Huge, heavy, and deskfilling. It was impossible to use on a lap, it overheated, (got really hot atleast) and had a lot of problems. We exchanged it for the m15x. This is a personal opinion, in my opinion, unless you are a huge gamer and need dual graphics cards, a 17 inch notebook is not good for you. The 8600 versus 8400 is not a drastic drain in battery life. Maybe 10-15 minutes. But HP has high-capacity batteries.

You should also look into dell xps notebooks (Dell.com/xps) - Not xps gaming notebooks, just xps. The dell xps 1530 is a good choice. Starts at $999, has the nvidia 8600. I'll get specs and prices for it.

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Sir Travis D

I customized a dell xps m1530 with 4gigs of ram, T8300 processor (2.4ghz), Vista ultimate (included), 250gb hard drive, the nvidia 8600 graphics card, and a 1440 resolution screen. One thing I don't like about that HP notebook is the small screen resolution. For $50 more than the base m1530, you can upgrade the resolution.

Also, the red version that's called m1530 (product), comes with vista ultimate without upgrading. -$1474 for the specs without blu-ray, $1974 with it

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Drew39k

gah, 500 for the blu-ray is steep...

i suggested the t8300 because the next step up is significantly more money, for an extra .1ghz.(2.5 instead of 2.4) Am i right in using that thinking?

Also is the Vista ultimate, worth the upgrade over the 64 bit premium version?
I will have to look into the dells, I just have a hard time taking them seriously with the whole "dude, you're getting a Dell" promotion they used to have.

Sir Travis D

The 2.5ghz is not worth the extra money in my opinion. For my laptop, it would have costed $150 more than the already expensive 2.4ghz option.

Now the product version of the m1530 (yes, it is called (product)), is red and it has vista ultimate as the BASE option.

To get there, goto dell.com/xps
then, go to "xps laptops" - only that one
Click "continue" on the m1530
you will see 2 options for a $999 laptop - the red one and the black one
the red one (product) has vista ultimate for no extra cost.

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