Windows laptop buying advice ...

[eVolcre]

Yes, I know ... but I'm not sure how to go about it so trusting the MR community on this.

My cousin starts college this fall. He's looking for a laptop in the 15" size range and is dead set on a Windows machine. I'm supposed to go pick one for him and have no idea where to even start. FIrst place I stopped was the Apple store and that didn't help ...

What are good brands to look at? The price range is about USD 1400. He's looking for good performance, build quality, high specs and dedicated graphics to play games.

Any recommendations? (MBP reco is no good, I've tried).

eV

 

[GGJstudios]

+ Boot Camp

Couldn't resist!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I'm a fan of the Dell Vostro lineup (small business) or the Asus lineups. Don't look for them in stores though, try the company's respective websites.

 

[eVolcre]

+ Boot Camp

Couldn't resist!

I'm talking to him online right now saying the same damn thing! A 15" MBP is close to the price of a 15" Windows laptop with the same specs. Even if you NEVER use OSX it's not a bad windows machine.

 

[eVolcre]

What makes can I safely discount? Acer/Asus/Dell/HP/Sony? How about Lenovo - I used to have a thinkpad back in the day and it was a well built laptop

eV

 

[Kristenn]

Take a look at the Asus and Sony websites. Whatever you do DO NOT buy a laptop from HP. Especially a high performance one. I have had WAAY to many problems with graphics and stuff frying in those because of that company's poor design choices.

 

[ctyhntr]

Wonder if your cousin realize that a single company in china, Foxconn, is the OEM for Apple, Dell, and HP? Attributing build quality to brand loyalty, especially those coming out of the same factory is a testament to the effective power of marketing.