ShauryaVerma
New Member
Hi,
I'm looking for a decent laptop for around $1.2-1.3K with the accent being on cpu performance. Here are my reqmts.
Budget: 1.2-1.4K (wouldn't mind spending less)
Screen: 15-16 (most pbbly not 17, definitely not <15)
Brands: No particular preference, need a cheap and durable one. I presently have a Dell which used to be pretty fast.
Mobility: would prefer a 9 cell battery.
Durability: semi-durable (I don't abuse it, but it often accompanies me wherever I go)
Multitasking: all the time
Gaming: Almost never. (almost)
Calculations: Tonnes, simulations+video editing
Storage: atleast 500GB
Optical Media: dvd+cd writer
Operating System: most pbbly end up using 7, but I'd certainly try to get a Linux box if it were cheaper.
Location: The US most of the time... at times in India
Now, I looked around a little bit, and I found a Dell XPS15 to be pretty decent.
Using the specs:
CPU: i7-2720QM This appears to hit the sweet spot. (or do you think it's not a reasonable jump over the i7-2630QM to justify the extra cash, say $125)
GPU: Nvidia GT 540M. Don't need a very powerful one right now.. just buying one for the future.
RAM: Q. : do we really need any more than 4-6GB. My old laptop has 4 GB, and I don't feel the need for more. However, how much difference does a faster RAM offer (1600 vs 1333).
Dell charges $120 to upgrade from 4GB 1333 to 8GB 1333. While I can just add a 4gig @1333Mhz for $33, or replace it with a 4Gb 1600MHz for $60.
HDD: SSDs appear to be out of my budget. I'm thinking a 750Gig 7.2K or a 500x2 7.2K (that's what Dell offers)
Do you think for the reasons mentioned above this might end up being a bottleneck? Perhaps I could upgrade to an SSD in like 2 years when they're cheaper (hopefully).
Monitor: Assuming that I settle for a 15 incher... Do I need 1920x1080? ## What about a 17"one?
I mean.. I'd like to have as much clarity as possible.. but will this actually end up helping... cos for the laptop I saw.. it costs an additional $150.
##One more thing... do you think I should wait for Ivy Bridge 22nm cpus? I heard they're rumoured to be here by April '12. It'd suck if I waited and they turned out to be only marginally better.. or annoyingly expensive.
And, since I'm either buying in August or April, to get cheap deals... I have to make my decision in 1-2 weeks.
I mean it'd be silly to mistime a laptop purchase.
##I'm not very brand particular.. Dell looks cooler than CyberPower.. and ends up being just marginally expensive. I saw a good deal for an HP laptop also.. any recommendations here?
Is there anything else that I should keep in mind... cos I plan to keep the laptop for atleast 3 years after buying.
Thanks for reading..
I'm looking for a decent laptop for around $1.2-1.3K with the accent being on cpu performance. Here are my reqmts.
Budget: 1.2-1.4K (wouldn't mind spending less)
Screen: 15-16 (most pbbly not 17, definitely not <15)
Brands: No particular preference, need a cheap and durable one. I presently have a Dell which used to be pretty fast.
Mobility: would prefer a 9 cell battery.
Durability: semi-durable (I don't abuse it, but it often accompanies me wherever I go)
Multitasking: all the time
Gaming: Almost never. (almost)
Calculations: Tonnes, simulations+video editing
Storage: atleast 500GB
Optical Media: dvd+cd writer
Operating System: most pbbly end up using 7, but I'd certainly try to get a Linux box if it were cheaper.
Location: The US most of the time... at times in India
Now, I looked around a little bit, and I found a Dell XPS15 to be pretty decent.
Using the specs:
CPU: i7-2720QM This appears to hit the sweet spot. (or do you think it's not a reasonable jump over the i7-2630QM to justify the extra cash, say $125)
GPU: Nvidia GT 540M. Don't need a very powerful one right now.. just buying one for the future.
RAM: Q. : do we really need any more than 4-6GB. My old laptop has 4 GB, and I don't feel the need for more. However, how much difference does a faster RAM offer (1600 vs 1333).
Dell charges $120 to upgrade from 4GB 1333 to 8GB 1333. While I can just add a 4gig @1333Mhz for $33, or replace it with a 4Gb 1600MHz for $60.
HDD: SSDs appear to be out of my budget. I'm thinking a 750Gig 7.2K or a 500x2 7.2K (that's what Dell offers)
Do you think for the reasons mentioned above this might end up being a bottleneck? Perhaps I could upgrade to an SSD in like 2 years when they're cheaper (hopefully).
Monitor: Assuming that I settle for a 15 incher... Do I need 1920x1080? ## What about a 17"one?
I mean.. I'd like to have as much clarity as possible.. but will this actually end up helping... cos for the laptop I saw.. it costs an additional $150.
##One more thing... do you think I should wait for Ivy Bridge 22nm cpus? I heard they're rumoured to be here by April '12. It'd suck if I waited and they turned out to be only marginally better.. or annoyingly expensive.
And, since I'm either buying in August or April, to get cheap deals... I have to make my decision in 1-2 weeks.
I mean it'd be silly to mistime a laptop purchase.
##I'm not very brand particular.. Dell looks cooler than CyberPower.. and ends up being just marginally expensive. I saw a good deal for an HP laptop also.. any recommendations here?
Is there anything else that I should keep in mind... cos I plan to keep the laptop for atleast 3 years after buying.
Thanks for reading..
