Firestorm252

My Dell D610's casing is now in a state of structural collapse after 5 years of commuting-, working-student hell. Its bits still work so it's been relegated to typing reports, circuit diagraming, and CAD viewing at my desk at home.

Basic Reqs

1. Windows 7 Pro x64- I need to join a Domain so Home Premium really isn't an option , also a little bit of backwards compatibility for old-old games I play.
2. Discrete video card - equivalent or greater to GT 240M or Mobility HD 4650 (upper teir, mid-range cards). My laptop has become my LAN'ing PC rather than note-taker so a card is now a must-have since my old Dell can't smoothly play much more than Starcraft.
3. Less than 8 lbs - I will be carrying this around regularly y'know . but I've found that, personally, at over 8 lbs in my backpack + books and it starts to wear on me in relatively short order so alot of the "gaming" laptops aren't really options.
4. Less than $1000 USD - preferred, i can flex a bit but that's pretty much as far as I can go. extra "Who's Line is it Anyway" points for lower lol

"Would be nice" Reqs

• DDR3 - lower power req (although typically negligible), but it's increasingly becoming more mainstream. i'll tote the lappy around for quite a few years so DDR3 would be nice as I won't have to dig for DDR2 modules after they've begun their downturn (ran into this with my Dell, it's surprisingly picky about RAM)
• Wireless-N - would be nice when I do an overhaul of our wifi.
• e-sata - I've got a large external HD that I use regularly that has e-sata. USB on large transfers is terribly slow.

Currently attractive options

• HP dv6-1361sb - easily available from a few sources, but top end of my budget
• MSI gx623 - 1) I have a copy of 7 Pro x64, but I'd rather not have to use it, 2) I can't find this thing anywhere near the US
• HP dv4-1547sb - lacks a video card, but hits other reqs.
• Dell Studio 15z - customized with HD4570, under $1k when paired with my workplace discount
• Dell Studio 17 - All reqs except 7 Pro. just a hair above budget with workplace discount

So, anyone else have recommendations/suggestions? It'll be a while yet before I save up, but I like to plan and have options before I go about with an extra $1k because if I don't i'll impulse buy something.

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UndertheGun

Here is a Sager, link. But Montevina is phasing out and Calpella phasing in. Options are changing.

Replacing a five year old notebook? The performance increase should be shocking. Enjoy.

Juggalo23451

I got the Asus g50vt at best buy not sure if they sell it any more and I put win7 home premium on it

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Water Cooled Case suggestions
Cosmos S w/Classified water cooled(1st) w/ heatkiller and feser 360 rad
NZXT Tempest mod log(360 installed) (Fiance Build)
Heatkiller Club
NZXT Tempest User Community
Xbox 360 mods thread
http://www.overclock.net/xbox/435678...dders-out.html

Firestorm252

ah cool. thanks for the suggestions and link.

also, sorry if it seems i'm being rather picky/anal about the specs.
I typically find what I need and get thereabouts. but with a laptop I'll be using for, hopefully, another 5 years, I take what i need now and pretty much double up what I expect so it'll be fine down the road.

with any luck my next one, whatever it may be, will hold up as well as my Dell.

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ComGuards

Check out the Asus G51J-A1, specs that rival the new Alienware M15x, but about $500 cheaper.

bigal1542

I can vouch for the Studio XPS 17. I am typing on one now and I must say that it was way better than what I expected. There is a lot out there that it runs hot, but mine doesn't. Dell claims they fixed it with the latest BIOS, and I believe them. I have the HD 4670 and its great with games like COD4 and BF2. Plus, I can't say anything for the other laptop makers, but Dell has awesome driver support for Win 7 with this laptop.

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My advice... Try shooting back.

rpgman1

I'm also looking for a good laptop like Firestorm252 said around $1,000. My Compaq Presario sometimes won't let me type the password at login sometimes.

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XoticPC: Custom laptops/notebooks

itisaniceday

You can have a look at the ASUS UL80Vt-A1 14-Inch Thin and Light Black Laptop - 11.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)..It has Fast speed - For gaming like World of Warcraaft..

Firestorm252

ah cool. more suggestions, reps all 'round

and yeah, i've been checking out Asus' lappies as well. some nice configurations. although if I go with them I'll end up having to use my Win7 Pro disc.

sure they'll give you Win7 Home Premium if you buy their laptops, but that doesn't help my "need to join a domain" issue >.<

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ComGuards

If you're using the laptop for work purposes, you should check with IT (unless if you're IT) and see if they have any spare Volume licenses, and if not, to possibly look into going that way. I don't see why you should have to pay for a Pro / Enterprise / Ultimate license if it's going to be used for business purposes.

Alternatively, you can check as to whether or not you qualify for Microsoft Technet.