[Leudast]

Hi all, looking for a laptop. I'll start with the general format:

What is your maximum budget?
-$1200 would be pushing it, if it does go this high I'd like something very quality.

What country are you in?
-USA

What will be the uses of this laptop?
-Everything really:
-Would like an amazing keyboard as I plan to write a bunch
-Decent graphics as I'd like to play some games. Nothing new, more like morrowind and some of the lighter 2D stuff from Steam. LOL, maybe some upcoming MMOs.

Do you have brand loyalty or care which brands we select for you?
-generally don't care for apple, as I would need to install a different OS immediately

What screen size do you require?
14" max. this needs to be somewhat portable/lightweight

What screen resolution do you require?
-something modern, nothing crappy

Are you looking to buy NEW or would refurbished/recertified/used be okay?
-I guess I could consider refurbished, prefer new

How long should the battery last? (Under optimal conditions, no movies/games/heavy internet)
-6+ hours, hopefully more

What games would you like to play with your laptop? And on what settings?
-LOL, morrowind, light 2d games, nothing too graphic intensive but I would like power if I needed it.

What operating system do you need? (if any)
-doesn't matter

Is there a certain style of laptop you want? (aluminum, black, gaming, etc.)
-I would like this to be as thin and robust as possible, given the other requirements are met

How much hard drive space do you need?
-Planning on installing a 256GB SSD anyways

Do you need any special hardware? (blue ray, webcam, specialty ports, etc.)
-HDMI out would be nice

Is there anything else we need to know?
-The Lenovo T430u would have been perfect if the resolution wasn't so horribad.
-Considering the T430s with the extended battery, the screen gets low reviews though and while the HD4000 would suffice, seemed like I should wait till Haswel
-The Gigabyte U2442N was a contender, but I can't find one anywhere.

Thanks all! I'm just ignorant of what is currently out there and what is coming soon. I'm thinking I just might wait till Haswell for the vastly improved graphics and not worry about a discrete GPu, but I dunno.

 

[losttsol]

1366x768 is going to be the normal resolution on a 14" laptop. You'll be lucky to find anything better under $1000.

 

[Leudast]

Hence the $1200 if it meets all the requirements...

Also I should add that through my friend I get a 25% discount through lenovo, in that case would it be worth it for the t430s (1600x900)? Would the discount offset a resale value enough that a haswell notebook could be feasible once released?

 

[technofied]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony---VAIO-14%26%2334%3B-Touch-Screen-Laptop---8GB-Memory---1TB-Hard-Drive---Gunmetal/Vintage-Gold/6747147.p?id=1218792108092&skuId=6747147

sony touch screen laptop 949.99
i7- 3632QM
hd 7670m
8gb ram
14' 1600x900
1tb hdd

 

[AsusFan30]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leudast

Hi all, looking for a laptop. I'll start with the general format:

What is your maximum budget?
-$1200 would be pushing it, if it does go this high I'd like something very quality.

What country are you in?
-USA

What will be the uses of this laptop?
-Everything really:
-Would like an amazing keyboard as I plan to write a bunch
-Decent graphics as I'd like to play some games. Nothing new, more like morrowind and some of the lighter 2D stuff from Steam. LOL, maybe some upcoming MMOs.

Do you have brand loyalty or care which brands we select for you?
-generally don't care for apple, as I would need to install a different OS immediately

What screen size do you require?
14" max. this needs to be somewhat portable/lightweight

What screen resolution do you require?
-something modern, nothing crappy

Are you looking to buy NEW or would refurbished/recertified/used be okay?
-I guess I could consider refurbished, prefer new

How long should the battery last? (Under optimal conditions, no movies/games/heavy internet)
-6+ hours, hopefully more

What games would you like to play with your laptop? And on what settings?
-LOL, morrowind, light 2d games, nothing too graphic intensive but I would like power if I needed it.

What operating system do you need? (if any)
-doesn't matter

Is there a certain style of laptop you want? (aluminum, black, gaming, etc.)
-I would like this to be as thin and robust as possible, given the other requirements are met

How much hard drive space do you need?
-Planning on installing a 256GB SSD anyways

Do you need any special hardware? (blue ray, webcam, specialty ports, etc.)
-HDMI out would be nice

Is there anything else we need to know?
-The Lenovo T430u would have been perfect if the resolution wasn't so horribad.
-Considering the T430s with the extended battery, the screen gets low reviews though and while the HD4000 would suffice, seemed like I should wait till Haswel
-The Gigabyte U2442N was a contender, but I can't find one anywhere.

Thanks all! I'm just ignorant of what is currently out there and what is coming soon. I'm thinking I just might wait till Haswell for the vastly improved graphics and not worry about a discrete GPu, but I dunno.

For what you are wanting to use this laptop for, I suggest the Alienware M11x R2. You can pick one up very cheap.

 

[Imglidinhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AsusFan30

For what you are wanting to use this laptop for, I suggest the Alienware M11x R2. You can pick one up very cheap.

No. Anything with a budget under $1,500 shouldn't be answered with anything related to Alienware. I own one. Nuff sed.

The Lenovo Y580 is by far the best option here.

i7
660M
8GB RAM
1366x768
15" screen

Around $850. So far it's been the best buy you can manage.

 

[PR-Imagery]

Lenovo y400 is worth a look
As is the T430s, factor in your 25% discount, that puts it around $1200; and if you can use the discount coupon code on top of the 25%, thats even less.