Advice for a new laptop?

[Dirty Hipsters]

My laptop died on me last week (the motherboard crapped out) and I need a new one before my summer classes start in 2 weeks, which doesn't really give me as much time as I would like to research new laptops.

It would be really helpful to me if the tech-savy people of The Escapist could recommend some computers for me to help narrow down my research a bit to some of the better ones.

Here are the guidelines:

• 
  
  1. Must be a laptop (I go to college and I need to be able to use it in class)
  
  2. Should cost between $600-$700. If it's something really good I'll consider going over that amount, but about $650 is my target.
  
  3. No HP or Toshiba laptops.
  

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses provided.

*Note: Yes, I know about microsoft's offer of buying a $700 laptop and getting a free Xbox 360. I already have 2 xbox 360s and really don't need a third so that offer has absolutely no play on my decision making, every one of my friends has already mentioned it, and their intentions of taking it off my hands if need-be.

 

[CODE-D]

And i was gonna say Toshiba....

 

[Uber Evil]

Is it going to game or not. Also, I think that Acer is pretty popular around these parts.

 

[Gaiseric]

Make sure it has a good processor and enough RAM.

I only paid attention to memory and RAM and I'm paying for it. A mediocre processor killed my chance to play some games and my laptop is slower than I'd like.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Is it going to game or not. Also, I think that Acer is pretty popular around these parts.

Yeah, I game a bit on my computer (have a decent collection of games on steam), but most of them aren't that hardware intensive (Left4Dead, TF2, things of the like), so I'm not looking for anything high end. A mid-range system will do me just fine.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

After a very quick glance?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115987

It's at the top end of your price range though. However it looks like a really good laptop that could even do some medium gaming.

Acer
4GB RAM
i5 2.66GHz
Nvidia graphics card

Is this what you were looking for? And do you have any idea of what the above quick specs mean?

EDIT: However, it is a 5400 RPM HDD. This is plenty fast, but not the blazing speeds that a 7200 could accomplish in the same computer. Not now, but later on you might want to look into getting a 7200RPM hard drive if you're really after performance.

That's pretty decent. It's a good shade better than the laptop that just died on me (it was a 3 year old lenovo with 3GB RAM, a 2.4 GHz processor and an nVidia Geforce 140M videocard) and should be able to play all the games that I currently own with ease. I don't mind the 5400 RPM HDD. I'm not really looking for blazing fast speeds. Besides from what I hear 7200 RPM HDDs have higher fail rates.

 

[The Wonder of the net]

i feel like a ass because its out of your price range but i love my mac. i would sudjest it but gateway is ok i never had a problem with mine

 

[w00tage]

If you won't game with it, go for portability and battery life. Those will make your life at college much easier.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

i feel like a ass because its out of your price range but i love my mac. i would sudjest it but gateway is ok i never had a problem with mine

I will never get a mac. They're completely overpriced for the hardware that they deliver.

 

[booker]

i feel like a ass because its out of your price range but i love my mac. i would sudjest it but gateway is ok i never had a problem with mine

That's because you are recommending a Mac in this thread. Look at OP's goals again. Fellow macfag here, recommending this Lenovo instead, at the top of OP's price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246003

Lenovo is like the only PC laptop manufacturer worth mentioning, other than... maybe Asus.

 

[The Wonder of the net]

again i have a gateway and that was goodenough to run fallout 3

 

[booker]

again i have a gateway and that was goodenough to run fallout 3

I'd say that brand is often irrelevant in regards to performance; all the hardware is the same. However, things such as the actual quality of the machine's construction and hardware features (trackpad, keyboard, useful buttons/keys, external battery indicator, battery life) are what matter when buying any computer. That being said, performance can be affected depending on the junk ware that is preinstalled on the machine. Many brands (such as Toshiba and HP, as you mentioned) load up their machines with useless crap. Not to mention that in my experience, the keyboards of those brands were less than stellar. When in doubt, clean install. Be aware that with the Lenovo I mentioned, a clean installs are finicky due to... drivers, I'm guessing. Consult the Lenovo forums on that matter, if you're interested.

Edit: ma bad, thought you were OP.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

i feel like a ass because its out of your price range but i love my mac. i would sudjest it but gateway is ok i never had a problem with mine

That's because you are recommending a Mac in this thread. Look at OP's goals again. Fellow macfag here, recommending this Lenovo instead, at the top of OP's price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246003

Lenovo is like the only PC laptop manufacturer worth mentioning, other than... maybe Asus.

I'm probably not going to be getting another Lenovo. My last laptop was a Lenovo Thinkpad R61 and the motherboard crapped out on me in only 3 years. Considering how much lenovos cost that just isn't acceptable to me. I will however say that while it was working I loved my Thinkpad. It had the best laptop keyboard I've ever used.

 

[Lavi]

Acer is pretty economically friendly if you aren't trying to blow your budget. A decent one for gaming should cost 500-600 dollars. All the brands are generally using the same hardware anyways. Budget brands are alright, but you are sacrificing some quality often for little savings. I only got one because I saved a good 150 dollars because it was on sale.

Getting a long battery life is more expensive though. I suggest just taking the cord with you to save the money. EDIT: Unless your classes are super long :S

 

[booker]

I'm probably not going to be getting another Lenovo. My last laptop was a Lenovo Thinkpad R61 and the motherboard crapped out on me in only 3 years. Considering how much lenovos cost that just isn't acceptable to me. I will however say that while it was working I loved my Thinkpad. It had the best laptop keyboard I've ever used.

Seriously? That... that... that kind of sucks. I'm severely heartbroken.

Meanwhile, in bookerlund: LALALALALA MACBOOK LALALALAL ACTAULLY CAN UPGRADE MEMORY AND HARD DRIVE AND BATTERY CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF LALLALALALALALALAL GAMING ON AN UPGRADABLE PC LALALALALLALALALALALALALAALA

Not to be an asshole, but... yeah. Good luck finding a not shitty laptop...

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Me: "Get a mac."
Everyone that isn't cool: "macs suck"
Me: "No they don't"

Game on your 360, compute on your computer.

Macs don't suck, but they are ridiculously overpriced. You have to pay 1.5x more for the same specs on a mac compared to most PCs. That's also the reason most real gamers hate Alienware. You're just paying for the brand.

Also, "game on your xbox 360, compute on your PC" is obviously being said by someone who doesn't use community mods which are freaking AMAZING sometimes.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I think I've found the laptop I want:

Acer AS7741G-6426

• 
  
  17.3 inch widescreen HD monitor
  2.66 GHz Intel Core i5-480M dual-core processor
  640 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
  4 GB RAM
  ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6550M graphics card
  $677.99

The only thing I'm kind of worried with this laptop is the battery. Considering how powerful it is the battery could go pretty fast. On the other hand the reviews I've read have said that the battery lasts for about 3-4 hours, which is about the same as my old laptop (possibly slightly better), and that worked fine for me. Damn this thing is huge though, could be a little uncomfortable to take to class, but definitely worth it for the hardware.