laptop recommendations!

[fireheart]

So I'm finally getting a laptop "upgrade" (the model I have at the moment is OLD).
I've got my eye on two particular models now (my sister is getting one of the models), but I want CS.com opinions before I make my final decision.

Basically here's what I want to be able to do with my laptop:

-Play games (the heaviest game I'm thinking of is around Sims 3 or Sims Medieval, as it stands, my laptop can play Sims 2 plus 3-4 expansion packs with no dramas.)
-Do uni homework
-Do school stuff.
-Run the interactive whiteboard software that I currently have on my laptop (I have 2 different brands of software)-these things tend to be somewhat power-hungry I've noticed.
-Run movie-length videos (DVD or otherwise)
-surf the internet.

The models I have in mind are these two:

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/h...ok-sku-415301/

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/s...te-sku-355653/

Has anyone owned this or currently owns one and if so, how good is it for you?
My sister is getting the bottom model regardless (she doesn't need the gaming part).

[Gizmo]

On that page - and on other selling sites I can't see the lower one has a CD/DVD drive of any type?

If you already have an external unit for that then thats ok.

[Chromatix]

I don't think either of them has an optical drive. That would be rather important for watching DVDs, unless you rapidly rip them using an external drive, then disconnect the drive to watch them.

Aside from that, I would definitely recommend the one with dedicated graphics for your gaming. The 740M isn't hugely powerful, but it's still a decent upgrade over Intel graphics.

[sms001]

The big question in my mind is the graphics - the HP has the nice touch screen but Intel shared graphics, the Sony has the 1G Nvidia (and the larger HD.) Given that gaming is at the top of your list, fh, I'd probably go with that. (Although it looks like they make an Envy w/ the same or better GPU as the Sony.)

[fireheart]

Hi folks...

A little googling reveals that the hp does NOT have a DVD drive, but the sony vaio does. This isn't so much of an issue for me as everything I'll be doing with it is either being transferred over from my current dinosaur of a model or downloaded anyway. Currently, I get movies from my partner who does rapid rip them. As for games, I have steam for just about everything.

My main concerns are about whether the two models I've provided will hold up well against the games I'm after. The absolute limit for me on the Sims 3 games would be say Sims 3 plus say, 3-4 expansion packs tops. I also have a very power hungry piece of software that I use to create flip charts for my teaching pracs, called activ inspire. That holds up ok on my laptop so far.

[aulocksmith]

The Vaio is the one the will hold up the longest in terms of gaming. You definitely need dedicated, not shared, graphics for Sims 3. It will also be of very big benefit with your charting software, as well as the beefier CPU in it.

Overall, you'd be pining for more power in about 12 months with the HP, but the Vaio should last you at least 2 years before wanting more. The added benefit of the optical drive is just that. An added benefit that you will come to appreciate very quickly when you don't have it.

The only thing I would do in either case, is upgrade the ram to 8GB. Normally, there's 2 slots for ram, and only one is used in factory setups. Can easily add another stick, in normal cases. MSY has 4gb sticks for around $40-$50 if you decide to do that. Also, more ram will equal better performance for the flip-chart software, as it will mean less paging to hdd.

[Gizmo]

http://systemrequirementslab.com/cyr...s-3/10845/?p=a

Looks like both should run it ok from what I can tell.

[fireheart]

The Vaio is the one the will hold up the longest in terms of gaming. You definitely need dedicated, not shared, graphics for Sims 3. It will also be of very big benefit with your charting software, as well as the beefier CPU in it.

Overall, you'd be pining for more power in about 12 months with the HP, but the Vaio should last you at least 2 years before wanting more. The added benefit of the optical drive is just that. An added benefit that you will come to appreciate very quickly when you don't have it.

The only thing I would do in either case, is upgrade the ram to 8GB. Normally, there's 2 slots for ram, and only one is used in factory setups. Can easily add another stick, in normal cases. MSY has 4gb sticks for around $40-$50 if you decide to do that. Also, more ram will equal better performance for the flip-chart software, as it will mean less paging to hdd.

The RAM upgrade was always on my mind, my partner and I have plenty of it to go around

The current issue I have with the charting software is that it'll occasionally freeze and/or refuse to open up an existing chart.

I originally had it spec'd for skyrim, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't play skyrim anyway...it was just an idea for what it could take. My current dinosaur (Intel Celeron 585 at 2.15GHz, 4gb ram (2.87 is usable), 180GB drive (off the top of my head), currently running on the adaptor) can handle:

-tropico 4
-super meat boy
-age of empires HD
-sims 2 plus a couple of expansion packs
-ALL the nancy drew games released so far
-neverwinter nights diamond

We HAVE tried NWN 2 on it and it does work, albeit with reduced graphics and a reduced game speed. Oblivion does work, but not as well as running it on the PC (which is a "budget" model) and the game has been known to freeze or refuse to run.
Morrowind works perfectly.

[corwin02]

My two cents worth

A. go for a 17+ inch screen (if only because you are going to watch DVD's
B. touch screens on a laptop are virtually useless you mouse all the time
C. check for an I7 processor
D. check for 6 to 8 GB of memory
E. check for a good videocard (ATI or NVIDIA) not intel or some other build in stuff

http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellsto...=dhs&cs=audhs1

http://www.lmc.com.au/catalog/Notebo...r_Greater/all/

Yes you will pay a little more but it will keep you happy for years

[fireheart]

My two cents worth

A. go for a 17+ inch screen (if only because you are going to watch DVD's

Very hard to find an affordable 17" laptop. I'm doing it on a budget and the two laptops I've provided are pushing the limit. If I get the HP listed above, I'll be relying on my portable HDD for movies anyway.

B. touch screens on a laptop are virtually useless you mouse all the time

The touch screen wasn't the selling point for me. It's NICE to have, but I chose the HP model based more on the other specs. The specs that won me over were the USB ports, the Hard Drive and the reviews-particularly the USB ports/HDD.

I'm actually used to using the trackpad for the mouse.

C. check for an I7 processor

One of the laptops I found (not linked here) is an i7.

D. check for 6 to 8 GB of memory

The RAM is getting upgraded regardless of what I end up purchasing...my partner and I have plenty of RAM to spare

E. check for a good videocard (ATI or NVIDIA) not intel or some other build in stuff

Not a problem, but I will keep this in mind.

http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellsto...=dhs&cs=audhs1

NO DELL. *Glares*

Given the reputation they have picked up from the media, friends and my IT friends, Dell is on the BOTTOM of my list.

Thanks for the advice guys. I went back and looked at another two laptops: one i5 and one i7. They're both HP Pavilion Models (the one I listed above is an Envy TouchSmart). The main differences between the HP listed above and these two are the number of 3.0 USB ports (both have around 3, either with 1 or 2 2.0 ports), the presence of a DVD drive, the amount of RAM (8GB for the other two models, not a huge difference as I'll be upgrading whatever I get anyway) and the hard drive size (the other two models have 750GB space as opposed to 500)

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Fireheart, I recently bought a higher grade Envy

http://http://www.harveynorman.com.a...op-silver.html
It's brilliant. It already has the 8Gb RAM and separate Radeon video card. The downside is lack of optical drive, but I bought an external one at the same time.

[fireheart]

Fireheart, I recently bought a higher grade Envy

http://http://www.harveynorman.com.a...op-silver.html
It's brilliant. It already has the 8Gb RAM and separate Radeon video card. The downside is lack of optical drive, but I bought an external one at the same time.

That particular one is a little bit out of my price range, but will definitely consider it.

I ended up reprioritising my list today. The 020 I almost discarded completely but it ended up being saved by the specs on it.

My list at the moment is looking like this:

-envy touchsmart (first link)
-pavilion 050tx
-pavilion 020tx
-Sony vaio

The reason why the pavilions are still higher than the vaio comes down almost entirely to weight. In particular, the vaio seems to be heavier at the back. I went down and tested them out today as best as I could (brief typing test and opening/closing things with the mouse-Harvey Norman had no problem with me doing this, but I had some issues doing it elsewhere). The 050 turned out brilliantly and was really easy to use. It's also one of the lighter models from the looks of things, or at least if it's heavier or the same weight as the vaio, it distributed the weight better.

The envy was a little bit lighter than the vaio, but not by much. Then again, it also had a Kensington lock attached to it, which accounted for some of the weight.