Which Laptop should I buy?

[nzk13]

I'm currently looking to buy a laptop because my desktop is not that fast (maybe 512M of RAM?), and I'd like something with as much RAM as possible (I think 8G should be enough, no?), a roomy hard drive (I already have a 1TB external hard drive, so it doesn't have to be too big), and a pretty decent CPU (otherwise, i don't think RAM will be of much use to me, will it?). I would use it mostly for playing Civ 4 (With Fall Further and RFC)/5(which I dont own as of writing, but hope to in the near future) and browsing the web (mostly watching videos on youtube/hulu). I have a maximum budget of $800, but the cheaper it is the quicker I can get it. Battery Life should be at least 2-3 hours (im not willing to pay extra for anything more than that), because I'll mostly be using it near a ready power supply.
Any suggestions?

 

[Zelig]

The only laptops I recommend are either Thinkpads or Macbook Pros.

Check out the Lenovo outlet store, they update pretty often and have good prices. (And sadly don't ship to Canada )

 

[civ_king]

Thinkpads and Macbook Pros are the quality laptops, currently a lot of the Thinkpads still seem to be using 1st gen i5/i7so the MBPs offer a lot more power.

You aren't going to be able to get a good laptop on $800.

 

[Zelig]

Thinkpads and Macbook Pros are the quality laptops, currently a lot of the Thinkpads still seem to be using 1st gen i5/i7so the MBPs offer a lot more power.

What are you smoking?

Sure, outlet Thinkpads are using 1st gen, but you can't find Macbook Pros of 1st gen for anywhere near $500.

I ran a price comparison on a few days ago:

Numbers in brackets are if you buy hdd/ram upgrades yourself and install them, to save money:

Macbook Pro: $2649 ($3029)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
4GB Ram (8gb, $90)
500gb sata @ 7200 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1680x1050 display

Thinkpad T520: $1884 ($2264)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
2GB Ram (8gb, $90)
250gb sata @ 5400 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1920x1080 display

So if you're upgrading to 8gb ram and the fastest available SSD, you get a better screen with the thinkpad, and save $800. (A bit less if you take into account the higher resale value of the Mac ram/hdd.)

 

[civ_king]

What are you smoking?

Sure, outlet Thinkpads are using 1st gen, but you can't find Macbook Pros of 1st gen for anywhere near $500.

I ran a price comparison on a few days ago:

Numbers in brackets are if you buy hdd/ram upgrades yourself and install them, to save money:

Macbook Pro: $2649 ($3029)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
4GB Ram (8gb, $90)
500gb sata @ 7200 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1680x1050 display

Thinkpad T520: $1884 ($2264)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
2GB Ram (8gb, $90)
250gb sata @ 5400 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1920x1080 display

So if you're upgrading to 8gb ram and the fastest available SSD, you get a better screen with the thinkpad, and save $800. (A bit less if you take into account the higher resale value of the Mac ram/hdd.)

I didn't see the T520, also I said nothing about initial cost being similar. Question, life time cost (initial price-resale) are they similar?

To the OP, I might have found a match for you.

Acer Aspire AS5750G-9639
Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz)
15.6"
GT 540M
4GB RAM
$849.99

 

[Zelig]

I didn't see the T520, also I said nothing about initial cost being similar. Question, life time cost (initial price-resale) are they similar?

No, Lenovos are still less expensive, a Macbook Pro does not retain $800 in resale value over a similarly specced Thinkpad.

 

[Skwink]

Try to find a used Macbook. Not as good as Macbook Pro, but i use a Macbook all the time and do everything I need to on it. Including gaming.

 

[Cashie]

Unless you absolutely need to take your computer places, get a new desktop.
It'll be cheaper, work better and last longer.

 

[Integral]

The Thinkpad 420 is either out or coming out in a month, and is a fantastic choice.

Alternatively, as Cashie said: you can build a first-class desktop for <$1200.

 

[tokala]

I would use it mostly for playing Civ 4 (With Fall Further and RFC)/5(which I dont own as of writing, but hope to in the near future) and browsing the web (mostly watching videos on youtube/hulu).
...
Any suggestions?

You certainly do not need a uber powerful machine for those requirements
4 GB of RAM is plenty for that, and any CPU better than a fast dual-core will be wasted, too.
I second the recommendation for a Thinkpad, but you will have difficulties finding a "real" (read T series) one for $800
Almost there: 14" with a i5 480M(2.66GHz) for $900
with a i3 370M(2.40GHz) for $830 (only 2GB RAM)
Just keep in mind those are sturdy business notebooks, not gaming machines. Should work just fine for Civ4, though

 

[Genocidicbunny]

The Thinkpad 420 is either out or coming out in a month, and is a fantastic choice.

Alternatively, as Cashie said: you can build a first-class desktop for <$1200.

This. The battery life on that makes me salivate.

 

[nzk13]

I didn't see the T520, also I said nothing about initial cost being similar. Question, life time cost (initial price-resale) are they similar?

To the OP, I might have found a match for you.

Acer Aspire AS5750G-9639
Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz)
15.6"
GT 540M
4GB RAM
$849.99

I'm liking this one more than any other, but ive still got around 2 weeks left to decide. Keep the suggestions coming!
EDIT:
Thank you to the mod who moved this. I wasn't aware that there was a Computer section, sorry.

 

[cardgame]

Here are some possibilities for $800

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214226

AMD Phenom II Triple-Core N850(2.2GHz)
16" screen (but only 1366 x 768 resolution)

4GB Memory DDR3 1066
500GB HDD 5400rpm
DVD Super Multi
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 <-- good gfx card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834110432

Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz)
15.6" Screen with 1366x768 res again
4GB Memory DDR3 1066
500GB HDD 5400rpm
Dual Layer DVD Burner
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 550v <-- dunno anything about this gfx card but it's not integrated so...


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152253

Intel Core i5 2410M(2.30GHz) Processor

17.3" screen with 1600x900 resolution
6GB Memory
640GB HDD
DVD Super Multi
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics card

also comes with built-in 720p webcam. I didn't check the others to see if they had one but it jumped out at me on this laptop.

Last but not least:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115989

AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N950(2.1GHz)
17.3" screen @ 1600x900 resolution
4GB Memory DDR3 1066
640GB HDD 5400rpm
DVD Super Multi
AMD Radeon HD 6650M

And you can find many more in this price range here

 

[civ_king]

What are you smoking?

Sure, outlet Thinkpads are using 1st gen, but you can't find Macbook Pros of 1st gen for anywhere near $500.

I ran a price comparison on a few days ago:

Numbers in brackets are if you buy hdd/ram upgrades yourself and install them, to save money:

Macbook Pro: $2649 ($3029)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
4GB Ram (8gb, $90)
500gb sata @ 7200 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1680x1050 display

Thinkpad T520: $1884 ($2264)
Core i7-2820QM, 2.3 GHz Quad
2GB Ram (8gb, $90)
250gb sata @ 5400 rpm (120gb ocz vertex 3, 120gb, $290)
1920x1080 display

So if you're upgrading to 8gb ram and the fastest available SSD, you get a better screen with the thinkpad, and save $800. (A bit less if you take into account the higher resale value of the Mac ram/hdd.)

Have you noticed the massive GPU gap?

This. The battery life on that makes me salivate.

Delicious, anyone know how they test the battery?

 

[nzk13]

Here are some possibilities for $800

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214226

AMD Phenom II Triple-Core N850(2.2GHz)
16" screen (but only 1366 x 768 resolution)

4GB Memory DDR3 1066
500GB HDD 5400rpm
DVD Super Multi
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 <-- good gfx card.

I consulted with my um.... consultant, and we decided that this is a very likely candidate. It has all the features I need, and it's within my budget. Thank you very much.

 

[Zelig]

Have you noticed the massive GPU gap?

There's no massive gap.

First off, I would never purchase a laptop with anything other than integrated graphics, anything other than Windows driver support is sketchy (particularly with AMD), and they generate more heat and suck more power, defeating the point of a laptop in the first place.

Secondly, the Intel 3000 is only about 20% slower than the AMD GPU.

Thirdly, you can upgrade the Thinkpad to an Nvidia GPU for $300 extra, which will still put you $500 below the Macbook Pro.

 

[civ_king]

There's no massive gap.

First off, I would never purchase a laptop with anything other than integrated graphics, anything other than Windows driver support is sketchy (particularly with AMD), and they generate more heat and suck more power, defeating the point of a laptop in the first place.

Secondly, the Intel 3000 is only about 20% slower than the AMD GPU.

Thirdly, you can upgrade the Thinkpad to an Nvidia GPU for $300 extra, which will still put you $500 below the Macbook Pro.

1) OS X Driver support (for GPUs that Apple sells) is very good. You can turn the GPU on and off so it only uses power and makes heat when you want the more horsepower

2) the Radeon 6750M is triple the HD3000, in some cases it is ~3.5x.

3) OTOH the Radeon 6750M is still double the NVS 4200M, in some cases ~2.5x which is still crushing.

 

[Zelig]

1) OS X Driver support (for GPUs that Apple sells) is very good. You can turn the GPU on and off so it only uses power and makes heat when you want the more horsepower

2) the Radeon 6750M is triple the HD3000, in some cases it is ~3.5x.

3) OTOH the Radeon 6750M is still double the NVS 4200M, in some cases ~2.5x which is still crushing.

I care about OSX, not linux.

I was looking at the AMD 6490M. If you want to look at 6750M, that's $1200 more than a Thinkpad with similar specs and Intel graphics. For $1200 you could buy the Thinkpad, plus a gaming desktop that's faster than the Macbook.

 

[civ_king]

I care about OSX, not linux.

I was looking at the AMD 6490M. If you want to look at 6750M, that's $1200 more than a Thinkpad with similar specs and Intel graphics. For $1200 you could buy the Thinkpad, plus a gaming desktop that's faster than the Macbook.

Um, okay.

Actually the machine you specced out was the 6750M, I know this because the 6490 only comes at 2GHz and the machine you specced was 2.3GHz

 

[Zelig]

Um, okay.

Actually the machine you specced out was the 6750M, I know this because the 6490 only comes at 2GHz and the machine you specced was 2.3GHz

My mistake, $800 still gets you a faster gaming desktop though.