[thiru]

Alright, re-phrasing.

I'm buying a laptop for minor gaming, stuff in college, around 900$ (must be around 950$ with taxes). I'll be in a boarding school so each holiday I'll have to go to my sister's house or future friends (I hope), so mobility is important to me. 14.1" would be ideal, but it seems most choices are at 15.4". Battery life would have to be 3 minimum.
For my gaming, a GMA X3100 or Go 7200 series (or any equivalent that I'm not aware of) would be enough. I'd rather not have ATI because their Linux drivers suck.
I'm not very picky for processors, dual core and good battery life is all I want (P4

), and for memory, I guess I'd need 2GB for Vista, but maybe I can buy a 2x1GB later. DVD writer is a must, as well as WLAN. Camera and Bluetooth are a plus.

I've found these. Both have 802.11a/b/g, 80GB 5400RPM, CD/DVD writer.

HP Pavilion dv6000z, at 908$:
Turion X2 TL-56
15.4" WXGA 1280x800
2GB DDR2
256MB Go 7200
Webcam+microphone+stylish design (it is, lol)
Bluetooth
high capacity 6-cell battery
Cons: screen is too big. has only 6 cell battery.
Pros: has better specs. Vista Premium with 2gig. not sure if that's a plus.

Inspiron 1420 with Vista at 917$ OR Inspiron 1420N with Ubuntu at 883$
Core 2 Duo T5250
14.1" WXGA 1280x800
1GB DDR2
GMA X3100
9-cell battery
Cons: no webcam on either. If Vista, no Bluetooth, and I'm gonna have to deal with only 1GB of memory till Chrismas...
Pros: small screen, 9-cell battery. if Ubuntu, can afford Bluetooth.

I'm seriously considering the Inspiron 1420N, because its of smaller size and better battery. My friend's 15 inch Macbook Pro is too big, and my other friend's 13 inch Macbook is just a bit too small. 14.1 inch seems like the right size for me.
I think I have no need for Vista, no DX10 gaming, college won't require it (at least for 2 years, and I doubt it in the years after that), I can install my own Windows XP, and there will be no need for 2x1GB.

Are there other laptops with specs and prices like these? I'm sticking with the big names in laptops, though. I'm having trouble finding what Asus and Acer and other brands are offering, since I can't customize their laptops on their websites, and they don't give prices...

 

[saxahonker]

Hey I went on the Dell site and tried to keep everything below $1000 and came up with the Inspiron 1420. I know you made a comment about Dells but at least you can configure your own and the new Inspirons are pretty nice. Anyway, here are the specs I stuck in for you. Keep in mind $1000 for a laptop you want to game on will leave you with very limited options. Just use this as a sort of guideline. Also, this does not come with a great warranty so if you can throw a few extra bucks at it, I would.

Ok this is for $968. I have no idea if the link will work. Let's try it anyway.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...JA1&s=dhs&sm=2
Here are the specs:
SYSTEM COLORJet Blackedit
PROCESSORIntel® Core™ 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)edit
OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Editionedit
DISPLAYGlossy, high contrast, widescreen 14.1 inch display (1280x800)edit
VIDEO CARD128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GSedit
MEMORY1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHzedit
HARD DRIVE80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)edit
OPTICAL DRIVECD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)edit
WIRELESS NETWORKINGDell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Cardedit
INTEGRATED WEBCAMNo Cameraedit
BATTERY OPTIONS56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)edit
SOUND OPTIONSIntegrated High Definition Audioedit

I hope this helps!.

EDIT: You can also drop the 8400GS for the X3100, its a potent little integrated chip. I have no idea what the Linux drivers are like though.

 

[Emmanuel]

French here too lo. Don't expect too much battery on a gaming notebook, I would definitly not good with the Go 8400M GS as it's really an entry level card. It doesn't seem like you want to play DirectX10 games, I would go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16834147370R
Bonne chance

 

[saxahonker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmanuel French here too lo. Don't expect too much battery on a gaming notebook, I would definitly not good with the Go 8400M GS as it's really an entry level card. It doesn't seem like you want to play DirectX10 games, I would go with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16834147370R

You think he's gonna be able to play ANY games with the 6150? The 8400 is crippled as it is...at least the X3100 is decent for integrated.

 

[thiru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxahonker Hey I went on the Dell site and tried to keep everything below $1000 and came up with the Inspiron 1420. I know you made a comment about Dells but at least you can configure your own and the new Inspirons are pretty nice. Anyway, here are the specs I stuck in for you. Keep in mind $1000 for a laptop you want to game on will leave you with very limited options. Just use this as a sort of guideline. Also, this does not come with a great warranty so if you can throw a few extra bucks at it, I would. EDIT: You can also drop the 8400GS for the X3100, its a potent little integrated chip. I have no idea what the Linux drivers are like though.

Yeah I saw that one, 14.1" is nice, haven't really checked the warranty. The X3100 would be fine, I think, instead I put a 9-cell battery and a camera with it. => 940$.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmanuel French here too lo. Don't expect too much battery on a gaming notebook, I would definitly not good with the Go 8400M GS as it's really an entry level card. It doesn't seem like you want to play DirectX10 games, I would go with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16834147370R Bonne chance

That laptop is 17", way too big for my taste

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxahonker You think he's gonna be able to play ANY games with the 6150? The 8400 is crippled as it is...at least the X3100 is decent for integrated.

The thing is, I don't need it to play games well. Emmanuel, if you know about it, I'm going to a scientific prépa. I expect these two next years to be the worse in my life

. Gaming is a plus. A 7200 is more than fine, and if a X3100 isn't enough, I'll deal with it. I don't game a lot.

 

[saxahonker]

If a 7200 is more than fine, the X3100 will be great for you. Go with the Dell, get a warranty with accidental damage, you'll be great!

 

[thiru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxahonker If a 7200 is more than fine, the X3100 will be great for you. Go with the Dell, get a warranty with accidental damage, you'll be great!

I'm not sure if those work outside the US.

I can't figure out if Dell's and HP's warranty are international, or if they work at least in France.

 

[saxahonker]

Hey check this out. It pretty much says if you use your laptop when you are out of the country you can get it fixed.

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topi...=my&l=en&s=bsd

So get that and you should be good to go! France is on that list as well.

 

[thiru]

Hum. Unfortunately, Dell doesn't sell the Inspiron 1420 in France... that warranty works only if the country you're in sells that product (and anyway that warranty costs 250$

).

Edit: ... err... that might be a moot point cuz HP's models aren't the same in France either... and Acer's too..

 

[thiru]

Ugh.... can't believe I'm awake already... gotta take some papers at school...

Anyway, I found this page on Dell's international warranty... it doesn't say whether I have to apply or pay for this service.. does that mean that the international warranty works even with the minimal (1year) warranty option?

Edit: damn, there's a 350$ coupon for any Inspiron 1420 over $1399... if I can get this... that would be l33t....

 

[thiru]

B.U.M.P.
I completely re-wrote my original post, and changed the title.