I've been looking for a laptop for a while now and I haven't been able to find the right one.

What I want:

• Built-in wireless
• Small (11-15", not a teeny netbook)
• HDMI out
• Dual-Core or reasonably fast single-core CPU
• ATI or nVidia graphics chipset
• Full 1080p playback at quality bitrates
• Enough graphics performance to play some DirectX or OpenGL games (doesn't have to be great, but playable)
• 720p or better display
• DVD burner
• At least 2GB RAM
• 250+ GB hard drive
• 3hrs+ battery life
• Free Win7 upgrade (most come with this now don't they?)
• Touchpad that's smooth (the ones in best buy all seem to have a lot of friction)
• Not terribly heavy
• Cheap?

• Dual-Layer DVD burner
• Wireless N
• Number pad (as long as the keyboard isn't shrunk too much)
• Less than 5 pounds
• convertible tablet

• Blu-Ray drive built-in (too expensive right now)
• Super thin/light
• Apple
• Ridiculous amounts of HD space

9/19/2009 11:43:53 PM

Quote :

"Full 1080p playback at quality bitrates"

Quote :

"720p or better display"

lol

9/20/2009 12:10:44 AM

I'd recommend anything without the word "Gateway" on the lid.

9/20/2009 12:35:10 AM

^^

Quote :

"# HDMI out"

9/20/2009 1:08:26 AM

Asus X83VB or something similar from their line. I got one from a friend, who sold it to me because the processor doesn't support native virtualization in Win7 (long story, it's one of the ones Intel has VX crippled on). But, they go relatively cheap - well below what comparable models seem to cost, and it has everything you want. 14.1" screen, under 5 lbs, HDMI out, built-in wireless, etc. I've been very happy with mine.

I'm having a hard time finding any "new" (not refurb) models available, but chances are Asus has something similar along those lines that has generally been punching about its weight in terms of price:performance, IMO.

9/20/2009 1:34:57 AM

Asus warranty is FTW.

9/20/2009 3:35:50 AM

I was actually looking at an ASUS laptop the other day, don't know if it was the same model.

9/20/2009 1:55:39 PM

do many laptops have hdmi out? honestly i haven't seen that on any model

9/20/2009 2:00:28 PM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9366562&type=product&id=1218092151327

This model is very similar to the X83-V, and is under $600. Has HDMI out, under 5 lbs, 320 GB hard drive, free Win7 upgrade, 4 GB RAM. Only drawback is no discrete graphics on this model.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220590

This is another similar model, with discrete graphics. Only catch is that it's $800, which may break your budget constraint. But, has 802.11b/g/n built-in, although no apparent Win7 upgrade (for free, at least). Weight's a bit heavier too - 6.5 lbs, due to the fact that this is bigger (16" screen).

9/20/2009 2:19:51 PM

Quote :

"do many laptops have hdmi out? honestly i haven't seen that on any model"

Don't most? I have a dell that will be 2 years old in a few months that does. Bought my mom a HP for less than 500 over the summer that had it as well...

9/20/2009 5:38:42 PM

my HP is going on 2 years old and it has HDMI out (geforce 8400M video card)

*shrug*

9/20/2009 9:02:24 PM

I mean, I guess I would want to be able to fit a ten foot image on a seven foot wall. Why not?

9/21/2009 1:25:11 PM

^ you're a fucking moron. 1080p playback + HDMI means I can carry it to my friend's house, hook it up to the TV and watch my shit.

^^^^ I was looking at that exact model in Best Buy, but the problem is Intel makes crappy graphics chipsets. Then they sell the processors to manufacturers with the chipsets bundled which makes it hella expensive for anyone to manufacture a laptop with an intel processor and discrete graphics.

The second one is almost perfect. If it were a smaller or 100 bucks cheaper I'd pull the trigger. I think whatever I end up buying will probably be an ASUS. They seem to be pretty good in terms of bang/buck.

9/21/2009 7:00:29 PM

Please tell me how you plan on watching 1080p video on a 720p screen.

or what the point would be of even trying to...

[Edited on September 21, 2009 at 11:16 PM. Reason : ]

9/21/2009 11:16:21 PM

^^ If you don't mind refurb, then the X83vb is $550 on Overstock.com

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Asus-X83vb-x2-2.0-Ghz-Intel-Core-2-Duo-T6400-14.1-inch-Laptop-Refurbished/4071303/product.html?keywords=x83vb&searchtype=Header

Otherwise, I'm struggling to find anything close to the bargain I got on that particular machine, with the combination of features I found. Don't know if what I got was a fluke (i.e., that model was being cleared out) or what, because comparable machines are going for at least $100 more the X83 was retailing for when I bought it this summer.

If you don't mind open-box, here's something almost perfect:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220559R

$564

Actually, this search may get things fairly close for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2034940032+1292318470+4021&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=32&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Try that selection, perhaps?

9/21/2009 11:59:13 PM

720p is 1280x720. thats a pretty weak laptop resolution... you probably want at least 1440x900 if its 13"+

9/22/2009 7:18:05 AM

Small, 4GB ram, 320gb HDD ($599):
http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/NM325UA%2523ABA

Huge, 2GB ram, 250GB HDD, faster ATI chipset, better CPU ($633.60 with bluetooth and free case):
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=446063

I'm kind of torn here. Will the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 (first link) be able to play 1080p well/at all? I'm leaning toward the second one. Payday is Friday, plus I'm getting reimbursed for a bunch of business expenses...

9/29/2009 6:04:16 PM

Quote :

"Please tell me how you plan on watching 1080p video on a 720p screen. or what the point would be of even trying to..."

Computers can do this cool thing called scaling.

It's pretty futuristic stuff, which is why you may not be aware of it.

9/29/2009 6:24:53 PM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0022NHQAU

I picked this up a month ago for my grandparents when it was $599. (They gave me the $200 rebate ) I haven't had time to followup on it, but they seem to be generally pleased. What say ye' TT?

10/2/2009 10:59:20 AM

avoid HP !!!

10/2/2009 11:01:17 AM

Quote :

"Computers can do this cool thing called scaling. It's pretty futuristic stuff, which is why you may not be aware of it."

But what's the point? Why not just watch a 720p video on a 720p screen?

10/2/2009 1:22:43 PM

I pre-ordered this today:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117967

It's more than I wanted to spend, but whatever. My last laptop was a Vaio Z series (got a display model 50% off at Costco) and it kicked ass.

10/20/2009 6:37:24 PM

Um, should have gotten this:

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/25451/HP-dv6t-Notebook-Core-i7-Quad-Core-1-6GHz--3GB-DDR3--320GB-7200RPM-HDD--DVDRW--1GB-nVidia-G230m--Webcam--1366x768-16-LCD--Win-7-Premium-800

Has everything you quoted, a little on the heavy side (5.6lbs), but it's got the horsepower and specs you listed plus some.

10/20/2009 11:18:15 PM

SNY

10/20/2009 11:34:07 PM

^^ I preordered... I can still cancel. Is the 1.6GHz quad-core i7 better than getting a 2.2GHz core 2 duo? Comes out to $100 more with tax and shipping (added bluetooth, wireless N, and "long-life" battery with 3yr warranty) -- No firewire or gigabit ethernet and it's 6.4 lbs.

I changed my order after getting some info online. Hope it was the right choice. Thanks for the info Noen. I saw that HP had new laptops out this week, but wasn't aware of the coupon code. As a warning for anyone else who wants in on the deal:

- If you try to pay with Paypal, the coupon will be removed after you log into paypal, but before the order is submitted (I almost didn't notice). The coupon doesn't work with paypal, but it doesn't tell you that.

- The coupon code removes itself from the order 2 or 3 times during the checkout process if you pay by CC. Make sure it's on there before submitting.

10/21/2009 12:07:47 AM

The coupon code is now dead.

10/21/2009 6:51:33 PM

^^ I believe the i7 model you bought has a "Turbo Mode" where idle cores can boost a "main core" to 2.8GHz, so I would think it would outperform the duo core you mentioned. My $ 0.02

10/21/2009 7:06:37 PM

I couldn't find any reviews that really quantify the gains compared to actually having a processor that fast.

10/21/2009 7:15:52 PM

What are you planning to use this machine for?

10/21/2009 7:54:56 PM

#1 Work/remote desktop
#2 media playback
#3 Surfing the web/wifi hotspots
#4 gaming

and maybe a little DVD ripping / transcoding. I rip every DVD as soon as I get it (3 DVD burners in my desktop). It'd be nice to rip on the go (read: camp out in front of redbox -- just kidding I wouldn't do that), take my HD DVD rips on the go with me and hook it up to the TV wherever I am, that sort of shit. I have about 25 HD DVD rips (buy them on ebay for like $5) and 200 or so DVD rips (lots of TV series).

Game-wise, nothing intense. Battlefield series, Command and Conquer, that sort of stuff.

10/21/2009 8:40:33 PM

i have your same requirements so far i have found

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114719&cm_re=toshiba_t6600-_-34-114-719-_-Product

to be my current front runner

followed by

http://www.buy.com/prod/asus-g51vx-rx05-laptop-intel-centrino-2-intel-core-2-duo-p7350-15-6/q/loc/101/212446723.html

i actually like the asus better except my old one just fried its graphics card.

My girlfriend just got a similar toshiba with build-in intel graphics and the 12 cell battery and her battery life is longer on her laptop than my cell phone's

10/21/2009 9:04:10 PM

Holy shit, God is like 9 different kinds of retarded in this thread.

Well, I guess just one kind of retarded, he's just really persistent at it.

10/21/2009 9:11:19 PM

^^^ I'm not a comp. genius but I think it should handle those needs. All those rips must eat up HD space, no?

10/21/2009 10:18:09 PM

I've got 3TB worth of space, but less than 1TB of media. I transcode the DVD rips to h264, so they're about 1.2GB for a movie or 600MB for an hour TV show. The HD DVDs are like 15GB apiece though.

My desktop CPU is a Core 2 Quad (Q6600) overclocked to 3.6 GHz. Transcodes at 150 fps or so.

10/21/2009 11:04:16 PM

so you got the quad core laptop? let me know how it works... if i was ready to get one yesterday i would have jumped on that deal too.

10/21/2009 11:13:07 PM

Estimated ship dte is the 31st. I'll post back then with my impressions.

10/22/2009 4:11:01 PM

OMG Windows 7 7 is pretty darn cool. I scan for bluetooth devices, select my phone, and authorize with the passcode. Windows automatically installs drivers (including bluetooth modem drivers) and creates a new network connection. I click connect and presto, phone-as-modem over Sprint PCS. Didn't even need to hack the phone or install Sprint's software (which is next to impossible to get your hands on).

It's even easier than it was for me to do the same with my old RAZR on my ex's Macbook Pro.

10/30/2009 8:49:15 PM

Quote :

"or install Sprint's software (which is next to impossible to get your hands on)."

really?

i just download their connection manager from here: http://www.nextel.com/en/software_downloads/index.shtml

obviously built in is better...just sayin'

10/31/2009 12:35:45 AM

^hmm... it didn't use to be posted online. I had to get it from someone with a mobile broadband adapter.

10/31/2009 8:23:20 AM

it's been on their site the last two years or so (since i've been at my current job). the interface used to be a little different tho (drop downs)

10/31/2009 1:04:10 PM

Ha... I have version 1.17 dated 2007. The latest is 2.27. I got it back when you had to log in before you could get to the download page and it would only show you downloads for the devices on your account.

10/31/2009 3:37:04 PM

Quote :

"Asus warranty is FTW. "

10/31/2009 9:00:13 PM

Macbook pro is where i went.

11/1/2009 3:30:40 PM

Laptop is good so far. Battery life could use some help though. I tested it out last night. Battery was down to 50% in about 80 mins of web surfing and installing MS Office 2007.

11/2/2009 6:05:09 PM

YOU HAVE A QUAD CORE LAPTOP!

did you even get the 12 cell capacitor .... i mean battery ?

11/4/2009 12:57:19 AM

The i7 actually cuts off power to cores that are not in use. They advertise up to 3.5 hrs battery life. Just sitting on the desk idle (screen on lowest backlight) it doesn't pull 3 hours. And this is the "long life" battery.

11/5/2009 1:53:37 PM

not too shabby... i get about 6.5 hours surfing the web on the mbp and its as fast as i would need for anything.

11/5/2009 6:33:02 PM

My old laptop was a UMPC (Sony Vaio Z series) that got 8 hours with WinXP. I installed Ubuntu and got rid of all the unnecessary bits and I could get about 12 hours of web surfing on it.

This limited battery life is gonna take some getting used to.

11/5/2009 6:47:29 PM

mmm ubuntu.... i like it but honestly OSX feels similar only without all the annoying bugs

i do miss apt-get install blah blah blah

11/5/2009 7:27:09 PM

Yeah, but OSX doesn't have Compiz Fusion. The Windows 7 interface is pretty good, but falls short of both OSX and Compiz Fusion. I liked being able to hit F12 and see every freaking window I had open, move them to different desktops, and all that. (The wiggly windows were kinda cool too.)

11/5/2009 10:25:24 PM