wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 6:17pm
My kid's netbook took a shit, so I am looking for a quick, budget replacement. I was hoping to get something with a dedicated graphics card...so he could game a little if he wanted to. I found this one...which seems like a good deal, but has the integrated card. I thought the bluray drive instead of the card was a decent trade off...opinions.....
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-NV55C19u-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Cashmere/dp/B003ZUXXO2/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1295305577&sr=1-8
Side note, $550 is pretty much the top tier of what I am willing to spend.
This is the original one I was thinking about....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146853
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-NV55C19u-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Cashmere/dp/B003ZUXXO2/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1295305577&sr=1-8
Side note, $550 is pretty much the top tier of what I am willing to spend.
This is the original one I was thinking about....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146853
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 17, 2011 6:31pm
Would you/he prefer one that is smaller like a netbook or are you going for a more full sized notebook this time around?
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 6:34pm
He is turning 15 in February, so I think we are going with either a 15.6 or a 14. I am trying to stay away from the desktop replacement 17 inch computers though.
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 6:40pm
One other thing....I suck when it comes to graphics card knowledge...
I see a lot of computers that have the ATI 4250 card, which I am assuming is the entry level card. Anyhow, there are plenty of I3 computers for right around 500 bucks with that card. I guess I am wondering if the 5470 card is that much better than the 4250.
I see a lot of computers that have the ATI 4250 card, which I am assuming is the entry level card. Anyhow, there are plenty of I3 computers for right around 500 bucks with that card. I guess I am wondering if the 5470 card is that much better than the 4250.
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 17, 2011 6:44pm
What kind of games does he like to play?
I'll dig you up some comparisons between the 5470 and the 4250.
5470: http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5470.23698.0.html
4250: http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-4250.29664.0.html
This Lenovo could be a good fit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146853
I'll dig you up some comparisons between the 5470 and the 4250.
5470: http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5470.23698.0.html
4250: http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-4250.29664.0.html
This Lenovo could be a good fit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146853
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 7:15pm
He has said that he wouldnt mind trying some WOW. He has a PS3 and a 360, so I am not worried about getting something that he can really "game" on. A grand for a computer just isn't in the budget.
That Lenovo is the same one I was looking into. The CPU benchmarks about half of what the I3's do....so that is why I was hesitant. I am leaning that way though.
That Lenovo is the same one I was looking into. The CPU benchmarks about half of what the I3's do....so that is why I was hesitant. I am leaning that way though.
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 17, 2011 7:30pm
True the I3s do outperform them but unless he's doing things that are really CPU intensive the Intel video cards really hindor those for gaming.
Does he do anything else with the computer other than web, etc? (Thinking like serious Photoshopping, video editing, etc?)
And yeah I wouldn't worry about the gaming too much when he already has those. The real question then is if he'd prefer the better gaming performance or the Blu-Ray drive. Mind you the Blu-Ray would probably only be useful if he had a tv to hook it up to as it'd be sort of a waste to watch on such a small, non-1080P screen.
Either machine we've posted would probably work just fine though.
Does he do anything else with the computer other than web, etc? (Thinking like serious Photoshopping, video editing, etc?)
And yeah I wouldn't worry about the gaming too much when he already has those. The real question then is if he'd prefer the better gaming performance or the Blu-Ray drive. Mind you the Blu-Ray would probably only be useful if he had a tv to hook it up to as it'd be sort of a waste to watch on such a small, non-1080P screen.
Either machine we've posted would probably work just fine though.
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 7:42pm
Not really any CPU intensive stuff....I am really leaning towards the lenovo, unless I can find a ASUS with the same basic specs in the next day or so. I do agree that the Bluray would be a waste...his tv in his room is only 720p anyhow.
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 17, 2011 7:49pm
There's a ASUS on Best Buy's website for the same price with the 4200 but 6GB of RAM.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Dark+Gray/1572108.p?id=1218270199430&skuId=1572108
Although apparently the keyboard on the Lenovo is pretty good so...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Dark+Gray/1572108.p?id=1218270199430&skuId=1572108
Although apparently the keyboard on the Lenovo is pretty good so...
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 17, 2011 7:54pm
nice find...it also has the 7200rpm hard drive....a good bit quicker.
M
MontyBrunswick
Jan 17, 2011 7:59pm
ib4 Mac suggestion
Commander of Awesome
Posts: 23,151
Jan 17, 2011 8:50pm
I'd look on craigs list for a used Macbook. I'd bet you could find one in the same price range that you're looking. lolz.
DeyDurkie5
Posts: 11,324
Jan 17, 2011 9:11pm
as gay as it sounds, I stick by the "once you go mac, you don't go back" motto
Go_Fast_Sports
Posts: 390
Jan 17, 2011 9:17pm
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 17, 2011 9:34pm
Might have some good deals but you could be fucked if something is wrong.
Which is why I almost always stick to Newegg.
Which is why I almost always stick to Newegg.
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 18, 2011 5:33pm
I ended up buying this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-ID49C11u-14-Inch-Laptop/dp/B003Y3BFHW/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I32KHDS36R4KXQ&colid=18SGSXENPOXGC
A little more portable and he said that he would do virtually no gaming, so it seemed to fit a little better. Thanks for your input I Wear Pants.
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-ID49C11u-14-Inch-Laptop/dp/B003Y3BFHW/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I32KHDS36R4KXQ&colid=18SGSXENPOXGC
A little more portable and he said that he would do virtually no gaming, so it seemed to fit a little better. Thanks for your input I Wear Pants.
sleeper
Posts: 27,879
Jan 18, 2011 5:46pm
Buy a MAC.
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 18, 2011 9:24pm
That's a pretty good machine. Almost bought one earlier in the year. Very good build quality.wes_mantooth;642990 wrote:I ended up buying this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-ID49C11u-14-Inch-Laptop/dp/B003Y3BFHW/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I32KHDS36R4KXQ&colid=18SGSXENPOXGC
A little more portable and he said that he would do virtually no gaming, so it seemed to fit a little better. Thanks for your input I Wear Pants.
Go_Fast_Sports
Posts: 390
Jan 20, 2011 1:16am
Gateway.... exactly what it says... Gateway to a shithole piece of junk. I fix them all the time. Good luck........
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Jan 20, 2011 2:05am
I know a bunch of people with broken Macs. I've dealt with a ton of shitty Dells, HPs, Acers, Toshibas, etc. There are shit machines from every company and most company has some really nice machines. The key is finding the nice ones that you like. The Gateway in question felt really nice when I used it.
wes_mantooth
Posts: 17,977
Jan 20, 2011 3:12am
I Wear Pants;645017 wrote:I know a bunch of people with broken Macs. I've dealt with a ton of shitty Dells, HPs, Acers, Toshibas, etc. There are shit machines from every company and most company has some really nice machines. The key is finding the nice ones that you like. The Gateway in question felt really nice when I used it.
Yeah, I have dealt with a lot of computers....all of them have duds. I usually try to find a bunch of user reviews to see if there is a common problem. Everyone seemed happy with this one.
W
WebFire
Posts: 14,779
Jan 20, 2011 8:25am
sleeper;643001 wrote:Buy a MAC.
Yeah, I'm sure that Mac will allow his son to do some serious gaming. :rolleyes: