laptop about to order

[morris14cc]

ordering laptop tonite few ?s
which would you recommend price is an issue but it is not very important and im looking for a good gpu
the acer seems to be the fastest but i really hate the look of it
looking for one that will be reliable and have ok battery life too, even though i know it will be poor
how are the zt laptops?

acer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115486

asus m51
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220342

asus f8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220303

zt element
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834210015

gateway
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4023065&CatId=1891

 

[azwebs]

I have never actually had a ZT laptop, so I don't know what they're like. Try finding some reviews.

Acer Aspire 6920G
The one I bought from PC World was crap. I had 6 broken models. I also hated the look, but it grows on you over time. Speakers are awesome, true 5.1 Dolby. Battery life isn't too bad, but comes prebundled with loads of crap you have to keep (because of the media console at the side - touch buttons etc). Able to play Crysis on medium @ 1366 x 768 with low framerates, but still highly playable. Can get the same PC with BluRay for not too much more. None I've had have been too reliable, but might be different for you. Graphics card is not as power saving as ATi equivalent.

Asus m51
Good build quality and customer service. Have had several of their products and will have more, but haven't had this specific model. Also able to play Crysis on medium, at WXGA it should play with lower framerates, but slightly higher (maybe 1 or 2) than the Acer. Not bad. All models I've had have been reliable. Graphics card is not as power saving as ATi equivalent.

Asus F8
Pretty much exactly the same as the Asus m51. Just a smaller screen size, and an ATi graphics card instead of an nVidia one. Gaming potential should be pretty much the same as the Acer and Asus m51, with the difference of maybe 1 fps more. All models I've had have been reliable. Graphics card is better at power saving than the 9500M GS. ATi have put a lot more resources into this.

ZT Element
Never heard of this company before. Don't know how reliable. Judged on specifications, this is about medium, although the graphics card is slightly less powerful than the 9500M GS or the HD3650. More RAM than some of the others. Try and read some owner reviews, or talk to people who have owned this or other products from ZT. Seems inexpensive compared to other laptops listed - maybe built cheaper (cheaper parts etc). Would not buy, personally.

Gateway
Have only had one laptop previously, but was very good. 3 years old and still going. Heavier than some of the others, but has a good processor. Graphics card will do considerably worse than those on any other model here. Suitable if not being used for gaming - graphics card not really powerful enough for modern games. Decent for the price.

I would recommend checking out all the available models you can at Best Buy or something, just so you can see what they look like and how the touchpad feels etc. Read reviews before buying the product. Hope this helps