New Laptop

[juro]

Hi,
after 5 year's of trusty use, my Acer is coming to it's end. Now I have to go through the trouble to get a new laptop, i.e. read reviews, check status, get prices, etc.

Before I do that, I want to get your recommendations (unfortunately availability and prices differ from South Africa to the rest of the world). I liked the Acer Aspire 1690 and am looking at buying something reasonably powerful (at least i3), a decent harddrive (400-500GB) and 4Gb Ram.

The primary use will be for development (Java, Php, etc) and some occasional game like Starcraft 2.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Warm regards
juro

P.s. no, I won't buy an Apple.

 

[Synaesthesia]

First thing I was gonna say was, get a Mac
Macbook Pro and Macbook Air are just brilliant.

Well what is your budget?

 

[kilobits]

Yello

Yup... what do you need to, have to, want to like spend on a new one. Knowing that is almost as important as knowing what you need to use it for... aaaaaalso... will you need to be working on it while being mobile - hence battery life, or will it be living on a desk most of the time with brief transits ??

 

[juro]

As stated the laptop will be used mainly for development (java, php, etc), office use (internet, email, office) and casual gaming (Starcraft 2). I do have a main workstation but with summer coming and all, I like to sit at a nice place and just work remotely. Battery life is important - it doesn't have to be more than 3-4 hours.

 

[juro]

budget is around R 10000 - 12 tops.

 

[kilobits]

budget is around R 10000 - 12 tops.

Hmmmm.... I like the HP Elitebooks... but are around R15000... how about this special from Incredible...

DELL STUDIO 1558
SKU:73011

R9999.95


Intel® Core i5-430m processor 2.26 GHz
4096MB RAM
500GB HDD
DVD writer
Integrated 1.3mp webcam with facial
recognition software
802.11b/g/n WLAN
Bluetooth
ATI Radeon HD4570 graphics with 512 dedicated video RAM
MS Windows 7 Home Premium
15.6”
4 year local on-site warranty

http://www.incredible.co.za/ProductDescription.aspx?SKU=73011

15.6" screen maybe yukk... but nice specs and 4 year warranty.... batter life may be a bit eeew...

Just a thought.

 

[furnic]

For 10K I say get an Asus (pronounced A-soos) Repulic of Gamers laptop.

 

[kilobits]

For 10K I say get an Asus (pronounced A-soos) Repulic of Gamers laptop.

Link please... for 10K... where ?? !

 

[juro]

5.6" screen maybe yukk... but nice specs and 4 year warranty.... batter life may be a bit eeew...

What is your reservation regarding the screen?

 

[Serve]

Stretch your budget slightly and go with one of the new HP Elitebooks

 

[kayvee]

What is your reservation regarding the screen?

The resolution of 1366 × 768 probably. Although it appears to be the norm on 15.6" laptops at present, I would prefer a higher resolution, but these are generally only available on the 17" versions, which tend to be more pricey.

The Studio 15’s 15.6-inch display has a modest resolution of 1366 x 768, but it’s in line with other sub-$1,000 multimedia notebooks.

 

[kilobits]

What is your reservation regarding the screen?

I just find that the 1366x768 resolution irritating to work on... movies are OK, but daily tasks it is just not wide or high enough... need something higher, at least 1440x900, doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it is.

Stretch your budget slightly and go with one of the new HP Elitebooks

That is what I would recommend. The new Elitebooks offer everything really. Power, durability and mobility with excellent battery life... I would look at the Elitebook 8540p... yummmmm!

Just my thoughts...

 

[juro]

The resolution of 1366 × 768 probably. Although it appears to be the norm on 15.6" laptops at present, I would prefer a higher resolution, but these are generally only available on the 17" versions, which tend to be more pricey.

oh, ok. that makes sense - the problem with a 17" is that it doesn't lend itself to being transported

 

[kilobits]

oh, ok. that makes sense - the problem with a 17" is that it doesn't lend itself to being transported

Indeed... I have a 17" HP and is a bother to lug around. It lives on desks and "commutes". LOL.

The resolution on it is 1680x1050 which is fine... the same resolution is available on some 15.4" 's out there and it too is fine... I would rather 1280x800 than 1366x768.

 

[kilobits]

If you are in Durban...

http://www.zones.co.za/

 

[juro]

If you are in Durban...
http://www.zones.co.za/

Nope, in Cape Town ... the website doesn't load though ... that doesn't bode well

 

[Ratwiz]

Well, if you're in Cape Town, we'll be relatively close to you. My personal recommendation:
MSI GX740, 17" Notebook - Intel i7-720QM (1.6 GHz), ATi R5870 1GB Graphics, Windows 7 Professional 64Bit

It's a little over budget, but it's definitely worth the extra bucks. Very sexy notebook, incredibly powerful too. There should still be stock available.

Product Page (USA Model):http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=215
Specs (Our Model): MSI GX740, 17" WSXGA+ (1440x900), HM55, i7-720QM (1.6 GHz), ATi R5870 1GB, 4GB DDRIII, 500GB SATA, 802.11b/g/n ,BT, DVD-RW, HDMI - Win7 Pro 64Bit, with Carry-Bag + Mouse

Hope that you find this rather shameless punting of our services to be of use to you . If you need any further information, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Pada]

I'm really wondering what happened to all the laptops with high resolution screens. Like I have an old Core2Duo Dell laptop with a 17" screen @ 1920x1200 which is terrific for development/designing.

 

[juro]

I'm really wondering what happened to all the laptops with high resolution screens. Like I have an old Core2Duo Dell laptop with a 17" screen @ 1920x1200 which is terrific for development/designing.

I agree ... running a 17" with 1440x900 seems a bit meagre ... my Acer actually runs a 1440x900 resolution and is only 15" ...

 

[Alfroogy]

I'm really wondering what happened to all the laptops with high resolution screens. Like I have an old Core2Duo Dell laptop with a 17" screen @ 1920x1200 which is terrific for development/designing.

The HD gimmick happened. Once HD tvs came out everyone kinda forgot that most pc and notebook screens have been offering better than HD res for years. Manufacturers took this as a cue to offer lower res screens, market them as HD and nobody would notice because of all the hype around HD.