2010-07-16, 02:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 2010-07-16, 05:53 PM by 2147483647.)
I wouldn't recommend HP. From what I heard, HP has many problems. In fact, my sister's HP just broke a few months ago.
My new lappy is the Toshiba L630-S3020, as I've told you. I purchased it from Fry's for 699.99 USD + tax, so its within your budget range. The other one I was considering is the Gateway NV5935u.
The only differences between the Toshiba and the Gateway are:
1. The Gateway has an Intel Core i5-430M. The Toshiba has an Intel Core i5-450M.
2. The Gateway is 15.6 in (39.6 cm). The Toshiba is 13.3 in (33.8 cm).
3. The Gateway weighs 5.84 lbs (2.65 kg). The Toshiba weighs 4.8 lbs (2.18 kg).
4. The Gateway's battery lasts for 4.5 hours. The Toshiba's lasts for 3.4 hours.
5. The Gateway has a built in number pad. There's not enough space for that on the Toshiba.
6. The Gateway has 128MB of dedicated graphics. The Toshiba is completely shared.
I'm not sure about the shipping cost, but I don't think it would be too much. If you don't like either one of these, what you should look for the following:
1. Processor is either Intel Core i5-430M or Intel Core i5-450M - These are the best processors that will fit your budget. The processor determines the speed of your computer. Intel Core i5-430M has two cores both running at 2.26 GHz, so it has a combined total of 4.52 GHz. Additionally, when the Intel Core i5-430M runs into problems, it can temporarily use more energy to boost up to 2.53 GHz per core, for a combined total of 5.06 GHz. Intel Core i5-450M has two cores both running at 2.40 GHz, so it has a combined total of 4.80 GHz. Additionally, when the Intel Core i5-450M runs into problems, it can temporarily use more energy to boost up to 2.66 GHz per core, for a combined total of 5.32 GHz. There are cost differences, but try to look for the i5-450M if it's within your budget.
2. At least 4 GB of DDR3 memory - To explain what DDR3 is, I will draw an analogy. Imagine DDR3 is your desk and your hard drive is your bookshelf. Whenever you turn on a program, it's like your computer is pulling a book off of your bookshelf and placing it on your desk so that it can read it. Your computer will open and read all the programs you've turned on at the time, so the more space it has, the more programs it can handle at one time. 4 GB is the standard for DDR3s in Intel Core i5 computers.
3. A dedicated system graphics memory card with at least 512 MB - This is the cheapest way to fix your solution. What the graphics card does is identical to the DDR3. However, it's completely dedicated to graphics (display). Basically, anything that shows up on your screen has to first be processed by a graphics compartment. If your memory card does not have a dedicated space for graphics, then it will share it with the DDR3. What this means is that if don't have a graphics card, and you're running enough programs that you use up 512 MB of space, then your DDR3 will pull out that 0.512 GB from your DDR3, and you will only have 3.488 GB for your other processes. If combined, you hit over 4 GB, your computer will lag.
4. Hard drive space of at lest 320 GB - Since you're always complaining about not having enough memory to store your movies lol.
5. A DVD drive - Make sure you have this. Most 15.6 in (39.6 cm) have it, but you really have to check for anything below 14 in (35.6 cm). I was lucky to find a 13.3 in (33.8 cm) with a DVD drive, which is part of the reason I bought the Toshiba and not the Gateway.
6. (Optional) If you choose not to get a dedicated system graphics memory card with your computer, then you should upgrade your DDR3 memory. Usually, upgrades come at 2 GB at a time. This may or may not be cheaper, depending on what computer laptop you buy. The advantage of this is that, say you upgrade DDR3 memory once; you will have a combined total of 6 GB to process both programs and graphics. However the disadvantage is that the memory is still shared, which means that traffic is higher.
So based on what you said, and the above (6) items to look for, here are some possible laptops you can explore:
Intel Core i5 (2.26-2.4 GHz)
1. Gateway NV59C57u (750 usd)
2. Gateway NV5924u (800 usd)
3. Toshiba L630-ST2G01 (850 usd)
4. Acer Aspire 5070 (Not sure on price)
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz)
1. Gateway NV5820u
Intel Core i3 (2.13 GHz)
1. Toshiba L655-S5075 (750 usd)
2. Gateway NV5911u (750 usd)
3. Gateway NV5928u (750 usd)
I'll update the list as I find more.
My new lappy is the Toshiba L630-S3020, as I've told you. I purchased it from Fry's for 699.99 USD + tax, so its within your budget range. The other one I was considering is the Gateway NV5935u.
The only differences between the Toshiba and the Gateway are:
1. The Gateway has an Intel Core i5-430M. The Toshiba has an Intel Core i5-450M.
2. The Gateway is 15.6 in (39.6 cm). The Toshiba is 13.3 in (33.8 cm).
3. The Gateway weighs 5.84 lbs (2.65 kg). The Toshiba weighs 4.8 lbs (2.18 kg).
4. The Gateway's battery lasts for 4.5 hours. The Toshiba's lasts for 3.4 hours.
5. The Gateway has a built in number pad. There's not enough space for that on the Toshiba.
6. The Gateway has 128MB of dedicated graphics. The Toshiba is completely shared.
I'm not sure about the shipping cost, but I don't think it would be too much. If you don't like either one of these, what you should look for the following:
1. Processor is either Intel Core i5-430M or Intel Core i5-450M - These are the best processors that will fit your budget. The processor determines the speed of your computer. Intel Core i5-430M has two cores both running at 2.26 GHz, so it has a combined total of 4.52 GHz. Additionally, when the Intel Core i5-430M runs into problems, it can temporarily use more energy to boost up to 2.53 GHz per core, for a combined total of 5.06 GHz. Intel Core i5-450M has two cores both running at 2.40 GHz, so it has a combined total of 4.80 GHz. Additionally, when the Intel Core i5-450M runs into problems, it can temporarily use more energy to boost up to 2.66 GHz per core, for a combined total of 5.32 GHz. There are cost differences, but try to look for the i5-450M if it's within your budget.
2. At least 4 GB of DDR3 memory - To explain what DDR3 is, I will draw an analogy. Imagine DDR3 is your desk and your hard drive is your bookshelf. Whenever you turn on a program, it's like your computer is pulling a book off of your bookshelf and placing it on your desk so that it can read it. Your computer will open and read all the programs you've turned on at the time, so the more space it has, the more programs it can handle at one time. 4 GB is the standard for DDR3s in Intel Core i5 computers.
3. A dedicated system graphics memory card with at least 512 MB - This is the cheapest way to fix your solution. What the graphics card does is identical to the DDR3. However, it's completely dedicated to graphics (display). Basically, anything that shows up on your screen has to first be processed by a graphics compartment. If your memory card does not have a dedicated space for graphics, then it will share it with the DDR3. What this means is that if don't have a graphics card, and you're running enough programs that you use up 512 MB of space, then your DDR3 will pull out that 0.512 GB from your DDR3, and you will only have 3.488 GB for your other processes. If combined, you hit over 4 GB, your computer will lag.
4. Hard drive space of at lest 320 GB - Since you're always complaining about not having enough memory to store your movies lol.
5. A DVD drive - Make sure you have this. Most 15.6 in (39.6 cm) have it, but you really have to check for anything below 14 in (35.6 cm). I was lucky to find a 13.3 in (33.8 cm) with a DVD drive, which is part of the reason I bought the Toshiba and not the Gateway.
6. (Optional) If you choose not to get a dedicated system graphics memory card with your computer, then you should upgrade your DDR3 memory. Usually, upgrades come at 2 GB at a time. This may or may not be cheaper, depending on what computer laptop you buy. The advantage of this is that, say you upgrade DDR3 memory once; you will have a combined total of 6 GB to process both programs and graphics. However the disadvantage is that the memory is still shared, which means that traffic is higher.
So based on what you said, and the above (6) items to look for, here are some possible laptops you can explore:
Intel Core i5 (2.26-2.4 GHz)
1. Gateway NV59C57u (750 usd)
2. Gateway NV5924u (800 usd)
3. Toshiba L630-ST2G01 (850 usd)
4. Acer Aspire 5070 (Not sure on price)
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz)
1. Gateway NV5820u
Intel Core i3 (2.13 GHz)
1. Toshiba L655-S5075 (750 usd)
2. Gateway NV5911u (750 usd)
3. Gateway NV5928u (750 usd)
I'll update the list as I find more.