laptop

[tailz]

pretty sure i want a laptop for college. Although it will be for gaming and school use. i can spend quite a bit on it. Up to 2k although i would really like for it not to be that much. Any suggestions? (I wont be buying until about May so anything that comes out around then is cool too)

[thrash_head]

Gaming - Alienware/XPS M170

School use: XPS M140/any basic laptop

I had a acer and it was nice, but i wanted bright view so i sold it and got a m140 from dell, i'm still waiting on it to come in :D

[ass*assassin]

the bright view displays are nice, but you are going to be paying a lot extra for them..

personally, i would prefer a little more horsepower over a nicer display..

[Forgotten]

I'd like to note something about the XPS M140 since I see people recommending it so much. I did the research and ordering of my mom's laptop recently. Anyone who is thinking of getting the M140 should instead take a look at the 630m. It's available in the small business section instead of home/home office. It is the exact same laptop with a different name. The thing is, when Dell has crazy deals, they tend to be only for Inspirons while the XPS line has a separate deal that isn't as good. So when I got the 630m, the Inspiron deal was valid, and identical configurations had the 630m $200 less. It might have even been more, I don't remember. The only actual difference is that the XPS line does have a "special" customer service department, but it's not worth it.

And in response to ass, upgrading to the bright display was only $29 at Dell - definitely worth it.

Edit: I just noticed that you said you bought an M140 thrash. I strongly suggest cancelling it or returning it if you can get around the restocking fee. My mom originally bought a 710m without asking me about it first. Luckily she managed to return it without the fee and ended up saving in the neighborhood of $400 - $500 by getting the 630m. If you keep an eye out for a good Inspiron deal, you will certainly save a good amount.

[Telos]

dell is def the way to go, especially since they are like the only company to offer flexability in key areas for gamers (read: video card). I play tfc on my dell laptop (widescreen ftw) and it runs great.

[thrash_head]

Well I didn't get a 630m because they didn't have "instant" savings. It was a 250 MIR. I only pulled 900 out of my bank account and by the time i was ready to order, dell changed there instant rebate to a MIR. I have to have this laptop ASAP because i have a few clients that i need to be working with, but cant because I have no laptop :(

The XPS M140 only cost me $904 and i got a free DJ Ditty. So it wasn't that bad of a deal.

[Forgotten]

Yeah that isn't bad then. When my mom ordered her's, there was $400 instant savings on a laptop >$1599, and then the warrenty she got had an extra $169 MIR.

[thrash_head]

Is that on the XPS? or the 630?

[illskillz]

damn, i'd be lucky to spend 2k on a car

[Forgotten]

That was the 630. It was 1.73 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB, 14.1" True Bright WXGA, DVD-RW, and 3 year warrenty + damage/drop coverage, less than $1200.

[thrash_head]

Nice, I got the same processor, 512 ram, 60gb hd, 14.1" True Bright WXGA, DVD-RW, and 1 year warrenty. I'm hoping that its going to run good. My acer did great, it was just hard as hell to work during the day because the thing didn't have bright view or anything..

[Forgotten]

Yeah the monitor is really nice. It's also lighter than I thought it was going to be. The only thing that took some getting used to is the mouse buttons. They have a really soft touch and don't really "click." The other nice thing is I got her the bigger battery to get over the $1599 mark. It gets 7 hours of battery life, which is really nice. I think it gets 4-4.5 hours of life with the standard battery, which is still good for a laptop.

[thrash_head]

Yeah, 7 hours of battery life is rape. Does she have a 9 cell? 12 cell? I just got the one that came with mine and its a 6 cell. Should be good for 3-4.5 hrs. My acer had a 1 hr batter life, which sucked bad... As for the mouse, for most apps i am going to buy a mini mouse, i was looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826147006

I got my Dell DJ Ditty 512mb in today. I might write a review over the laptop/DJ ditty when my laptop comes in.

[Forgotten]

She has the 9 cell battery I believe. The only problem with it is that it sticks out of the back by maybe an inch, maybe less. I wouldn't care except the site didn't mention it like it did with other configurations. Not a big deal though because when it's open and in use, you can't tell.

The mouse looks good and cheap. My girlfriend has the Logitech notebook mouse: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104152 I like it a lot because the cord wrapping into the mouse took up less space than the big retractable ends. It's more expensive though. I like the Belkin wireless notebook mouse the best. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008N6QS/002-0122961-1508041?v=glance&n=172282 My mom and my girlfriend's roommate have it; it costs way too much though.

[thrash_head]

Oh wow, that mouse looks good! I might cough up the 40 bucks for that one.