replacing laptop

[RyanC]

I may have to look for a new laptop soon
It will be used for watching movies, emails, business plans and the occasional game.
My main requirements are a large screen + - 17" and a number pad, Obviously the faster the better, but everything seems to be a compromise to price. Hopefully it wont be a fossil with in a year!

The most important thing is its not an HP, or any machine associated with HP, and must have a good guarantee and support.

Ive got about R10K to spend on it.
Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for, and where to buy around Midrand, Centurion or there abouts?

thanks

Ryan

PS
The reasons for no HP will be coming when Ive finished fighting.

[Flidiot]

Dell is always a winner when it comes to support. Whenever I have had an issue they were onsite within 24hours to fix up the system. Just seem to be having some issues with the life-span of batteries lately.

I am from CTN, so can't really help on where to go, but here are a few examples of laptops. Pricing may be a bit off, but from a recent-ish pricelist, the following models all came in at about R10k.

Inspiron N7110: Intel Core i5-2430M (2.4Ghz, 3M cache), 17.3in High Definition+ (1600X900) WLED*TrueLife, 1 Mega Pixel Camera, 2 GB nVidia GeForce GT 525M - Dual Core, 4096MB (1x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel, 750GB Serial ATA (5400RPM), Wifi+ BT, Internal DVD+/-RW, Win 7 Home Premium 64bit, 3Yr On-Site Warranty



Vostro V3750: Intel Core i5-2450 (2.5Ghz), 17.3in High Definition LED Display (1600X900) with anti-glare, 2 Mega Pixel Camera, Nvidia Geforce GT 525M with 1GB VRAM 1GB Graphics, 4096MB (1x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel, 750GB Serial ATA (7.200 Rpm), WLAN + BT, 8X DVD+/-RW, Windows 7 Pro (64 Bit), 3Yr On Site Warranty

[ponder]

I'll second the Dell suggestion

[NAG - Wesley]

From Laptopdirect:

Mecer W270ESQ 17.3" @ R9818 (as specced with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, a Core i7-3610QM, a Toshiba 500GB HDD and 8GB of RAM)
Dell Inspiron 5520 15.6" @ R10,041 (I know you said 17", but this is a 1080p non-gloss screen)
Dell Inspiron 5720 17.3" @ R10,664
MSI Classis CX70 17.3" @ R10,960 (a bit on the high side, but with a Nvidia GT640 2GB DDR3 and a 1080p screen)

Personally, I'd go for the Mecer since I could spec it with the Core i3 chip, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, 8GB of RAM and use the saved money to shove in OCZ's Agility 4 256GB for use with the OS, your apps, data and games, with the optional installed 500GB hard drive being swapped out and used in an external casing for backups. Mecer's warranty repairs are done by Mecer themselves in their respective branches, so there's always help when you need it. Hardware rarely breaks these days on laptops.

[Flidiot]

From Laptopdirect:

Mecer W270ESQ 17.3" @ R9818 (as specced with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, a Core i7-3610QM, a Toshiba 500GB HDD and 8GB of RAM)
Dell Inspiron 5520 15.6" @ R10,041 (I know you said 17", but this is a 1080p non-gloss screen)
Dell Inspiron 5720 17.3" @ R10,664
MSI Classis CX70 17.3" @ R10,960 (a bit on the high side, but with a Nvidia GT640 2GB DDR3 and a 1080p screen)

Personally, I'd go for the Mecer since I could spec it with the Core i3 chip, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, 8GB of RAM and use the saved money to shove in OCZ's Agility 4 256GB for use with the OS, your apps, data and games, with the optional installed 500GB hard drive being swapped out and used in an external casing for backups. Mecer's warranty repairs are done by Mecer themselves in their respective branches, so there's always help when you need it. Hardware rarely breaks these days on laptops.

That Mecer actually doesn't look bad. I was going to bash your post for mentioning Mecer at first, but it really does not look too bad at all. Mecer always had the habit of making a laptop that looks and feels cheap (IMO), regardless of the specs. This one really looks quite OK.