Laptop shopping

(just curious) Why not buy a desktop instead of a laptop?
Because my wife doesn't want a desktop.

I still plan on building a desktop machine in the near (but near enough) future, but my wife needs a portable machine.

EDIT: I'll probably get another laptop eventually, but I want to build my desktop gaming rig first.
 
How about a scratch and dent or refurbished Dell. 15 minutes only.. after you visit..


http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...arch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&cs=22&puid=b02d449a

•Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz)
•Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
•XPS L502X
•640 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
•4 GB DDR3 ECC SDRAM 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
•8X DVD +/- RW Drive
•NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB graphics
 
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Since I'm only going to have one computer, I would prefer a laptop do I could use it when we travel but mostly take it to work to do some business there.

Thanks for the input everyone!
 
I actually stand behind the Dell scratch and dents. The price to power ratio is completely unbeatable. The warranty is the same as new. (even better as its usually the next day in home support, not mail in depot) You get 21 days no questions asked return. And for the most part the scratches are all on the bottom and you could never tell. Plus you can combo it with a 20-30% off from Dell Outlet Twitter and you get screaming deals.
 
After the premature passing of the GeForce 8400M in my wife's old HP Pavilion, I'm inclined to go with the AMD set. (The $100 savings doesn't hurt, either.)

My last laptop was an HP, with a NVIDIA video card, and had major issues with it. What I found out was HP cheaper out on the paste that holds the heat sink onto the GPU, and while playing games, it got so hot that the GPU separated itself from the motherboard. This was apparently a problem with a lot of them.. Thats the reason i will never buy another HP.

My Asus on the other hand, that I purchased to replace the HP when I finally couldn't stand hitting it to get the video to work, has a NVIDIA GPU in it, and it it running great.
 
Since Ember's laptop is, for all intents and purposes, dead-dead, it's time to start looking at laptops!

Okay, so HP and Acer laptops are out. Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, and Samsung are at the top of the pile.

Is Intel HD graphics still terrible for gaming? Or has that changed in the last few years?

Is a quad-core a significant improvement over a dual-core for the average user?
intel hd suck for decent gaming. go with radeon as nvidia is still a huge power sink. quad core will improve overall performance due to being able to handle more things at once. Also many more games are multi-thread aware so yes it helps.
 
intel hd suck for decent gaming. go with radeon as nvidia is still a huge power sink. quad core will improve overall performance due to being able to handle more things at once. Also many more games are multi-thread aware so yes it helps.
What about AMD A6-3420M 1.5GHz + AMD Radeon HD 6650M vs. Intel Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz + Nvidia Geforce GT 630M?

I'd rather go with an AMD GPU, but I don't want to make a decision based on spite (though it's rather tempting, considering the GPU is the ONLY component that's kaput in my wife's laptop).

EDIT: What about this one? It's a refurb, but i7 with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, it's rather shiny.

EDIT#2: DRAT! It's out of stock. And has a 17" screen (which I would want, but my wife doesn't). :(
 
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Out of price range and has an nVIDIA GPU, but otherwise looks good: lenovo IdeaPad Y570 (08623TU)

/sigh

I don't know if I'm shooting myself in the foot excluding nVIDIA GPUs or not. I just wish there were more and less expensive Intel CPU + AMD GPU options.

EDIT: The lenovo IdeaPad Y570 (08622ZU) looks good...until I look at the Newegg feedback. Blar.
 
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I don't think you'll find many with an i5/i7 and an AMD GPU. nVidia has basically partnered up with Intel and ATi has partnered up with AMD.
 
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If we're going to keep it under $700, the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 still looks like the best option IF we're not going to disqualify nVIDIA GPUs.

If we find we're willing to spend an extra $150, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 looks like the laptop to beat.

Thoughts?
 
Sale price____ maybe..... check it out. a wee bit more than what you wanted to spend.

http://www.overstock.com/Electronic...ore-i5-i5-2520M-2.50-GHz/6265673/product.html
I like the price of the laptop...but not the price of the 2-year warranty.

I think we're going to end up buying the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 from Newegg (or whichever reliable online reseller has a better price).

I really, really, really didn't want to give any more money to nVIDIA, but it seems like a choice between a lousy processor and a good video card at a good price, a good processor and an nVIDIA video card at a good price, or a good processor an a good AMD video card at too high a price. Buying a laptop with an nVIDIA GPU and a 2-year warranty may be the least of all evils in this case.

I really don't like hardware manufacturers right now.
 
I would hate to go over budget, but...

It's come down to this:

Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 (1024DMU)
Intel i5-2450M
nVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
2-year warranty, 5-day turnaround

Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 (08626LU) (Review)
Intel i7-2670M
nVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
3-year warranty, next business day

EDIT: Now the question is: Would it be better to buy the less expensive laptop and put the $130 difference toward a 128GB SSD to upgrade the laptop at a later date?

EDIT#2: I really wish we could go and look at these computers in person before making a purchase. :(
 
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