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I need a new PC laptop.

Rodimus Prime

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Original poster
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
Yes I know this is Mac forum but I also have learned over the years that many people have experince in the PC area plus I have noticed when some one puts limitation on what they are looking for some good results come up

Since I lost my job I took the opportunity to go back to school and get a 2nd bachelor degree in computers since my Construction degree was not really what I wanted to do with my life. The program I already know is going to require me to do a lot of programing classes and is going to be heavily in a Microsoft programing environment. My desktop PC is nearly 6 years old and can not cut it for any type of real games any more plus it is not exactly mobile and my Macbook is nearly 4 years old and has rather limited hard drive space plus boot camping it not really going to work. Macbook is great for web surfing writing emails ect but rather useless when I go visit my girl friend for the weekend and me to work on homework.

I have looked at a Macbook Pro but I can not justify the cost to buy it then have to turn around and fork out a lot of time and money to boot camp windows 7 on it. Plus it would mainly only run in windows so just not worth the cost to me.
I have been looking at and wanting to get an i7 processor and I want at least 4.5-5 hour of battery life (longer the better)
max weight I am willing to accept is 7lb but I would like it to be lighter.
I think I am wanting a 15 in screen
A dedicated graphic card is a must since I do want to do some PC gaming on it. This computer is replacing the desktop PC.
500 gigs of hard drive space.
4-6gigs of ram

Budget is $1500-1700ish and there is some flexibility in that.

Beyond that I have been pretty much at a lost. I do not really know the different between Windows 7 ultimate and Home premium so I do not know if the cost of going to ultimate is worth it or not.

Any help would great. I still have my macbook for writing any paper I need and surfing but it would give me a laptop to use for class and some lighter gaming.
 
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PandaOnslaught said:
you literally described the macbook pro 15"... but have you looked into like, hp envy, or an ASUS, for the price and the power it might be hard to find one that weighs 7 lbs

here is an asus that i find to be amazing for the cost
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-A1-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B0034NGZWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1271957309&sr=1-1

thing probably weighs about 12lbs
Click to expand...

It says it weighs 7.26 pounds. And it doesn't look like a bad machine.
 
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PandaOnslaught said:
you literally described the macbook pro 15"... but have you looked into like, hp envy, or an ASUS, for the price and the power it might be hard to find one that weighs 7 lbs

here is an asus that i find to be amazing for the cost
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-A1-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B0034NGZWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1271957309&sr=1-1

thing probably weighs about 12lbs
Click to expand...

Well the macbook pro is only an i5 cpu and I still would have to go by windows 7 to install on it. I did mess around at dell.com and build a studio 15 that could cover everything but I habe been out of the game for a while so I am pretty out of it on everything.

The macbook pro is just is not seem cost effective for what I need
 
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My personal opinion is to get a Mac and then put Windows on it.

There, with that out of the way: I'd avoid Dell. I've had a couple Dell computers and had trouble with the drives. That said, I had a former boss who swore by Dell because he could rip them apart and replace the components himself, so I guess it's a toss up.

Style-wise, Toshiba is nice - and not bad quality to back it up for a PC. They make some snappy models. Not sure which specific one since I haven't been in the market for a PC in years, but I have heard good things about their notebooks. They've got a model on Amazon now with a good customer rating (at like $620, but 320GB)
 
Yeah, most PCs are still loaded with trialware and even if people buy from Dell, Toshiba, Hp, etc. I would still recommend a fresh install of Windows 7. And nowadays getting the OS cds extra cost anyways (My mom's laptop I bought a year and a half ago the CDs were about $50 extra for Vista).

You ARE better off buying a Mac and putting Windows 7 on it. If you don't want to mess with bootcamp (Bootcamp is just a partitioning tool) you can just stick a Windows 7 DVD in there and install over OSX if you like. The Apple install dvd will be seen as a driver disk in Windows.

Now if your budget was less, I definitely recommend a Dell. But since you can spend $1700, get the best 15" MBP that you can. Then you can sell your existing MB (just recently sold mine for $425 locally, same age as yours)
 
7on said:
You ARE better off buying a Mac and putting Windows 7 on it. If you don't want to mess with bootcamp (Bootcamp is just a partitioning tool) you can just stick a Windows 7 DVD in there and install over OSX if you like. The Apple install dvd will be seen as a driver disk in Windows.
Click to expand...

I recently did this with my old hard drive, however it's not as simple as 7on put it. You have to boot up disk utility off the Mac install DVD and reformat the hard drive under a different partition table (can't remember the exact one, but I think there are a choice of three and it's not GUID since that's what Apple uses, I was able to work it out so it should be easy enough). Once it's under the new partition table then you can chuck in your Windows 7 disk and use the tools in the installation process to reformat correctly and install just Windows on there, no OS X whatsoever.
 
1. Lenovo.
2. Sony.


My brother has a 14" Lenovo with a 1440 x 900 screen, I believe. It's sturdy, around the same size as a 13" plastic white MacBook, but with more everything. It's just a great laptop, and the battery life is really good. :)
 
^ Sonys are polarizing, apparently. You either love them or you hate them. I've had nothing but bad experiences with Sony computers and I've got an acquaintance who thinks they're the best. Others I know have had similar (good and bad) experiences. My last experience with a Sony PC was a few years back, so maybe they're doing better.
 
t510.png
 
Get a Sony VAIO. I had a VAIO before I got my iMac, and I loved that computer except for the fact that it had Windows on it. I would recomend the F series. it maxes out with a 1.73GHz i7 that can boost to 3.06GHz. It is a 16.4" though. Also, get your RAM from another place, Sony is worst than Apple when it comes to jacking you on RAM prices. You can also get a 640GB HDD for $10 more, but it is only 5400RPM

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921666069165&categoryId=8198552921644692000

The battery life on it sucks though. In all honesty, I think you'd get a better deal by getting a 15" MBP

Don
 
If you're looking to complete your study's on a PC or any computer than you better forget about GAMING!! Plain & simple.

you CAN look around for a Unibody MB Aluminum like I got that is STILL under original warranty and used in immaculate condition for say $900CAN or less. Then register it under AppleCare. C2D @ 2.4Ghz is MORE than enough for compiliing and with BootCamp &/or VMWare/Parallels for dual OS use (WinXP, Vista, or Win7, Windows Server 2003/2008) you should be good to go. Also, consider the current Mac Mini ... still very portable - fits in a small knapsack or bag and your girls current monitor/keyboard/mouse will work if all usb connected.

Just do NOT settle for less than 3GB, shoot for 4GB and with 240GB+HDD space you're all set. You don't have to get a Windows PC just for coding ... but if you MUST have one ... don't spend more than $400US/CAN there is just no need. ALWAYS backup to external HDD especially if you decide on a laptop.

Bon Chance on your search.
 
I almost forgot about Lenovo. I'm in the market myself and my want to consider them. For a similarly configured system, I can save a few hundred dollars. But I really like the MacBook Pros.
 
If you want durability and a no-nonsense design, go for a Thinkpad.

If you want bang-for-buck, go for HP or Dell.

If you want an extremely portable but fast laptop with battery life, go Asus.

If you want design and speed but are willing to spend a little more, go Sony.
 
danielcox said:
Get a Thinkpad, great engineering (like Apple), impossible to destroy and they look great.
Click to expand...

Agreed 100%. ThinkPads are over-engineered, look and work great. That so many here on MR have recommended them over the years I think speaks highly of their quality and reputation.
 
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