Help Me Buy a Laptop

[Drasiana]

So my Toshiba Satellite's done me good for over four years now, and still actually works pretty well. The problem is that there's a rather dire problem with the joint and the inverter and it makes the monitor impossible to deal with, so that kind of defeats its purpose as a laptop that I kind of need for work. So I guess it's time to say goodbye to the ol' fella and relinquish it to my stepdad to use as a home computer with an external monitor. Now I just need to figure out a replacement.

My specifications are basically:

• $1200 max
  
• 17" screen preferred
  
• Ability to video edit, do general graphics design, and play games smoothly
  

I kind of want to stick with Toshiba. Other than the monitor thing and the fact that Amnesia won't work on it for whatever reason, it still works wonderfully and it's only taken increasing frustration with a constantly screwy monitor to get me to the point of wanting to replace it. But if all of Toshiba's more recent models suck or are too expensive, I guess I'll have to...*shudder*...change brands.

I was looking at this little fella for a Toshiba but a friend says it might not be worth it. Been getting recommendations for Asus, though, including these ones (refurbished, though...) so I guess they're a safe brand?

Anyway whatever. What's your guys' opinion?

[Hidi]

For sure! Asus has been known as a dependable brand, and if you're budget can accommodate the price of one (Which yours does), it's well worth it. You're looking at a similar criteria I had when I was out to get the laptop I have now. Sadly, if you're not a fan of Windows 8, you'll likely have to contend with it. I bought mine before the release to avoid it.

I haven't used too many Toshibas so I don't have a big opinion of them, but I'll tell you now to avoid all of the brands other than Asus and Lenovo as they're the best (Asus tends to have better built laptops than Lenovo).

This was my thread with some useful links in it:

http://starfox-online.net/topic/10727-xoticpc-laptops/

I would recommend the laptop I have, which is an ultra-portable-class (Not to be confused withUltrabook) with a good processor, 8GB of RAM a GB of VRAM, decent GPU, matte screen, backlit keyboard, and USB 3.0. I also get close to 7-8 hours of battery on this thing.

My Laptop: http://ca.asus.com/en/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/U47VC/

[Drasiana]

Hey, thanks for the links! Your laptop looks pretty good though I'd go nuts with a 14-inch screen. Definitely in the right direction though.

[Arashikage]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214871

That might be a good replacement for your old Satellite. It's got an Intel i5 processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and a 2GB graphics card. There's no doubt this is what you'd want for optimized gaming and graphic design. With a price tag of 650 dollars, it's well below your budget, and it'll definitely play Amnesia.

I might go with the one you were thinking about first though. However, that one has the AMD Radeon HD 7610 for a graphics card, which is only 1GB. It'll be enough to play Amnesia I can almost guarantee, but if you want to focus more on gaming, a 2GB graphics card would be optimal. Not saying necessary, as you may not be trying to max out the graphics on the latest games, but it's a good thing to have.

The RAM you can always upgrade, the processor however you can't. The laptop I linked to has an Intel i5 dual core processor clocked at 2.50GHz, whereas the one you are looking at has an AMD A8 quad core processor clocked at 1.9GHz. Now some may just multiply the clock speed by the core number, but this is not how you get an accurate representation of how fast your computer will be. Most programs are not optimized for running with more than one core in a processor, therefore rendering the AMD A8 a slower processor when using those programs. There isn't much doubt that the Intel processor is faster.

As for RAM, the one you linked to and were thinking about has eight gigabytes of DDR3 RAM. It's something that's very good to have, but not entirely necessary. The one I linked to has only 4 gigabytes, but can still be upgraded. Upgrading RAM in a laptop is much easier than one would think, but you probably already know that.

That all being said, I would try for the Satellite on Newegg, it's cheaper and seems like the better choice.

[Drasiana]

Oooh, that is a lot better than the one I was looking at Yeah 4GB of RAM is alright, at least my current laptop has 4 and I can run Skyrim HQ without many hiccups. The reviews on that one are a pretty scary mixed bag though x_x

[Arashikage]

Having bought a Toshiba laptop among many other odds and ends from Newegg, I can confirm that the quality of both Toshiba and Newegg is much greater than some people might lead you to believe. I love my little Satellite. But I've learned to take the top rating of the object and the bottom rating and compare the two. It never sways my decision more than a little, but it helps to see the two extremes, and then look at the ratio of good to bad.

[Hidi]

Hey, thanks for the links! Your laptop looks pretty good though I'd go nuts with a 14-inch screen. Definitely in the right direction though.

I haven't gone nuts yet, but the design creates a nice allusion of space since the frame around the screen is very small. Resolution isn't bad so I don't see how you'd go crazy, but of course I upgraded from a netbook so it's a big and welcomed change.

[Drasiana]

Yeah I'm used to a 17.3 inch screen and a full-size keyboard and get annoyed quite quickly with anything else. It's not that my vision is poor or anything, I just like having a wide space to work with.

[DZComposer]

I've seen laptops from most brands that were great, and I've seen laptops from most brands that were utter garbage.

I would find something specced like you want, and then research the model number. Read the reviews.

http://www.reddit.com/r/suggestalaptop <- Helpful Resource

Their quicklist for what sounds like your needs:

$1200+ - Gaming/Desktop Replacement

Asus G53/G74/G75

Clevo P150EM/P151EM/P170EM

Alienware M17x R3

Alienware M18x/Clevo P270 (np9270)

Budget may be your isse though, here are their mids:

$700-$1200- Midrange

Lenovo Y580

Clevo W150ER/W170ER

HP DV6

Dell XPS 15

Sager NP3260

Asus N53/N56

Dell XPS 17/MSI 16F2

I can vouch for the Dell, as I have that model. Cosmetic issues popped up after a while, but it has yet to fail me.

[Hidi]

Yeah I'm used to a 17.3 inch screen and a full-size keyboard and get annoyed quite quickly with anything else. It's not that my vision is poor or anything, I just like having a wide space to work with.

Yeah, it's kinda hard for me to relate there because I have tiny hands that are used to a netbook keyboard so even the keyboard on this thing is a stretch. If you're planning on carrying your laptop around though, a 15-17" screen laptop won't do you any favours mobility wise. Portable, lighter laptops tend to be 14" or less, but some of the newer ones are quite powerful.

[Drasiana]

I know dude, I've had my 17" laptop for four years, in which all four I've needed to use it at work and school via long commutes. I am well aware of the restriction and responsibility of a 17" laptop. I still would like another one.

DZ: Thanks for those recommendations, that's a pretty solid list!