Help - Which £2000 laptop to buy?

[Bobbins]

Originially I posted this on the end of a old thread, Muckshifter was nice enough to tell me I probably would get any help unless I post it as a new thread so here goes I'm just copying it across excuse me duplicating it :-



Guys I could do with your help. Maybe its a little cheeky to join a forum and dive in with questions on my first post, please forgive me if it is

Going to spend a fair bit of money on a laptop (probably about £2K) Ideally I want a good "all rounder" but probably would focus more on gaming and multimedia. Have searched around for a bit and have found a few I like but each has its own drawbacks :-

Alienware Aurora 9700 upgraded to :- quicker hard drive, both graphics cards, more memory, quickest chip - works out at about £2100

BUT it has an AMD chip....

Then we have the shiny new Vaio ...AR31s also about 2000, possible to get it cheaper maybe,good spec, bluray and it's Sony - so surely that counts for something?

BUT its has slow hard drives and isnt possible to upgrade them and also its a lot more money for a lower spec than the alienware.

Then we have the Toshiba (excuse the spelling) qousimo, good spec again, a bit cheaper

BUT its HD-DVD and surely Bluray will be the winner in that market, leaving me with a obsolete drive...

There are more I've looked at, but those are the three I like mose

Am I being nit picky with my comments? Personally I like the alienware he best but the chip concerns me...

Help guys - get those big juicy brains out! What do you guys think?

Thanks for your help

 

[floppybootstomp]

Alienware products are over priced.

Sony were once good, now they're not.

Toshiba are the biznit when it comes to laptops

Shame no BluRay drives available on the Toshiba range yet but have you seen how much BluRay movies actually cost?

And would the extra definition and quality of a BluRay recording be apreciated on a laptop? More suited to a large flatscreen TV I'd imagine.

It's also likely Toshiba will supply an upgrade to BluRay in the future.

Just my POV

PS: And there's nothing wrong with AMD either

 

[muckshifter]

One of the main reasons to use an AMD 'mobile' CPU is they pack a great punch but produce less heat, so you can use a more powerful processor.


I agree ... Alienware products are over priced. You can get the same for less from most of the leading Laptop manufacturers, minus the fancy casing.

Sony ... a four letter swear word.

HD-DVD v Blu-ray ... Betamax v VHS
Hopefully, "consumers" will be a little more aware, than last time, of which is the "better" format to go for. Me ? I see no reason to opt for either of them, unless I can get a free 26" 1ns/rsp HD/BR ready monitor and can copy my films, err, I mean data, for back-up porpoises. (sic)

You have a "budget" most people here would love to use and spend ... hang around for the "workers" to come home & log-on and you should get some more feedback.

 

[Bobbins]

Thanks again muckshifter.

After a heavy day of researching I'm feeling "the Rock" Laptops at the moment, similar to alienware but much cheaper. Still have to choose AMD or Intel tho

Can I throw something else into the mix?

I have a HD bravia

What would my new laptop need to be able to display ON THE TV in HD? Would I definitely need an HDMI output or can it be done through the VGA port?

I always thought that a high res display 1900 + was better than HD anyway?

 

[Anon_F]

Rock are good i have an old one thats been dropped a few times & still works
Toshiba are also good, try Here i bought from Toshiba recently, great laptop & a really good price.

 

[muckshifter]

You can throw anything you like at me, but I must warn you, I ain't a Laptop person.


I'll throw my favorite saying back at you ... it's a Numbers Game.

A Laptop's primary function is to do "business" on the move. Because of what it is, leads to restrictions, or compromises, as opposed to a full blown PC. To that, manufactures have to cut corners to get them to even work in the first place. This, I will admit, has come along in leaps & bounds because of hardware manufacturers directly addressing the issues of a Laptop.

It has no real need to be an in-house entertainment system. So if that is what you are after in a Laptop, you is gonna need to make sure you get all the hardware NOW at purchase time, 'cos you ain't gonna have the luxury of pullin out some of the hardware and 'upgrade' as one can with a PC.

AMD v INTEL ... it don't bloody matter these days, they both have very apt CPUs for the job, just pick a laptop that has the other needed components.

Can it take 4Gb ram ? minimum. How much is that ram ? Can it run all day on battery ? Will you get a spare battery? Will the screen be 'good' enough ? Will you be able to physically change the graphics card ? How much is a keyboard replacement ? How much is a screen replacement ? Will it run your, or anybodies, software ? ... not just the OS which will probably be Vista.

Sorry, just some of the things I like to throw open.

 

[Bobbins]

Shizzle, Thanks for throwing that "deluge" at me

Now you are making me doubt getting a laptop....

It's just that I don't have much room, definitely dont have room for a desk. The room im staying in at the moment is tiny,

I really see your point, especially as this would be my "main" pc, and in all honesty, if I spent 2-2.5k on a desktop, it .... probably would be a lot better.

OK, lets say I go with the whole getting a desktop idea, the majority of the time I'd be sitting on my bed, meaning it would be better if i could go through the TV

Can I run everything through my TV? I'd probably have a monitor aswell, I've seen it done where both Monitor and TV are in use "next to eachother" on the desk top. Can I set it as the primary display? would it work with games? ..... Thinking about it, do I even need a monitor?

Very quickly, as I've not been involved in PC's for a few years (I used to do IT support) what standalone PC would you guys recommend for 2-2.5k?

 

[floppybootstomp]

A flat screen TV with a PC input is acceptable to use as a monitor, but no other TV's, the quality is rubbish unlesss the unit has a dedicated PC input, as I found out to my cost

You could also ditch your current TV, add a TV card to the desktop PC and use a monitor as your TV. Your budget would encompass a 22" widescreen monitor easily.

As for what desktop PC to recommend, I have no idea about a ready made unit but for £2K I could build a superb machine, good for multi-tasking, CAD and Gaming.

 

[Bobbins]

My Bravia is 32" so probably would be cool "solo" then...

Then again I dont have a desk, would have to have it on my lap, meaning mouse would be a problem...

 

[muckshifter]

2 - 2.5k on a desktop PC ... ouch!


Naw, spend £1.5k, and that is OTT, then go on holiday with the rest.

This is a different ball-game ... still a numbers game ... but easier on the pocket.

I'll tell you one thing about this lot here ... we all love to spend someone else's money.

You don't have room for a small desk ? do you live in a prison cell ?

No problem ...


Options / Compromises / Suggestions

Dump the TV ... I don't have one, it took too much room up in my Hovel. Besides that, I got fed up payin for a TV licence to watch repeat after repeat and they never would agree to me using last years licence for last years programs. I do not have a radio either ... I use my PC.

A TV, even the new "funny" ones at stupid prices, is no match against the right PC Monitor ... and before all our readers tell me they can be, I ain't paying out a Grand odd for a fecking TV. I would not be interested in a TV/Monitor.

Keyboards & Mice are wireless ... you can sit on your bed and 'play' as long as your screen is big enough.

A PC can sit anywhere and as far away as the shortest cable ... either do not use cables or get quality extensions.

Always start by looking for the best Motherboard you can afford.


Have a search around the forums, we have many requests on what PC to buy and many answers.

If you really want to spend 2k on a PC, I'm sure we can come up with a bargain ... even a "shop" bought one.

 

[Bobbins]

Get rid of my Bravia?!?!?! Are you mad!!!!

Theres only one thing I love as much as my TV in the whole world and thats my mom, and if I could only rescue one from a burning building,

You are right, it's all about the desktops, Ill just get wireless keboard and mouse and use it from my prison bed (joke) At the moment I've got 2 TV's in my tiny room, I may be willing to sacrifice one of them for a monitor.

Are you guys sure I could use it (TV) as the primary display? Surely I wouldnt see the bios? Wont I only get a picture after windows has loaded?

 

[muckshifter]

Get rid of my Bravia?!?!?! Are you mad!!!!

Nope!

Sony ... a four letter swear word.

I just went to a website to see what a Bravia was ... no, really I did ... my Internet security set off alarm bells, fortunately I found the Sony site and it only threw up a pop-up which was easy to deal with.

Turning on a PC to watch TV does take a little more time than turning on a TV to watch TV. What else can you do with a TV but watch TV ? Would you like to maybe watch several different TV channels all at once & play a DVD film + record & download music ? ... all at the same time ?

Put the "thing" into storage or let Mum "borrow" it till you get out of prison.

 

[Bobbins]

Touche