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Thread ID: 106814 2010-01-24 09:25:00 Advice on New Laptop Chris09 (15218) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
851358 2010-01-24 09:25:00 Budget up to the maximum of $3000, including all GST/Freight

Wanting High Graphics, for gaming while studying and away from my beast at home this year. Otherwise I would stick with my average laptop already, but wanting to treat myself and get something real good. Games including Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age Origins, Company of Heroes, Crysis, Battlefield Bad Company 2 - out March etc.

Looking at Dell.co.nz,

Studio XPS 16

HD DISPLAY 15.6" Edge to Edge Full High Definition(1080p) Display with TrueLife™-Obsidian Black edit
Build My Dell
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, turbo up to 2.8GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit (English) edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee™ Security Center (Multi-Language) - 30-Day Trial Version edit

Dell Recommends

CAUTION ! You have not selected any security protection for your new Dell PC.
Add McAfee SecurityCenter pre-loaded today! Help protect against Viruses, hackers, identity theft, and more from the moment you turn on your PC.
Upgrade to McAfee™ Security Center 10 (Multi Language) - 2 Years [add $93.37]
MEMORY 6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB) edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATA 7200RPM Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability edit
VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 - 1GB edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARD Dell 1520 Wireless-N card edit
Accessorise My Dell
SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 9.0 (Does Not Include Microsoft® Office 2003/2007 Software) edit

Dell Recommends
Microsoft Office Home & Student
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 can enable you to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations and manage your information and notes in one place.
Upgrade to Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007(English) [add $123.75]
Protect My Dell
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1-year XPS Premier Service with 1-year CompleteCover edit
DELL SERVICES: DATASAFE BACKUP SERVICE Dell Online Backup 2GB edit
DELIVERY CHARGES Standard Delivery: Delivery 9am-5pm - Monday to Friday (excl. public holidays) edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Base Studio XPS 1645 Base (Direct)
Keyboard Dell™ Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English)
Item included in the System Camera Software
Item included in the System Sensible Vision FastAccess Facial Recognition Software
Item included in the System Directship Info Mod
Item included in the System Systerm Resource Media
Item included in the System System Drivers
Item included in the System Tech Sheet (ANZ)
Item included in the System Adobe Reader 9.0
Item included in the System Dell™ PC-Restore
Item included in the System WINDOWS-LIVE
Item included in the System System Regulatory Label
Item included in the System Mod Specs Info (New Zealand)
Item included in the System APCC Ship Mod
Item included in the System Power Cord (ANZ)
Item included in the System Discount is only valid if the corresponding upgraded item is selected above
Item included in the System Limited time offer valid until this Friday with payment. No further discounts
Item included in the System Integrated Fast Ethernet 10/100/1000
Item included in the System ExpressCard Slot, (DOES NOT SUPPORT PC CARDS)
Item included in the System Integrated 2.0 mega pixel web cam
Freights NB-OS-CTO Handling & Insurance charges(New Zealand)
Power Options 90W AC Adapter
Microsoft OS Labels Windows® 7 Label
Label Options Intel® Core™ i7 Label
Ctl 1st LTO 1
Dell Services: Remarks Laptop Batteries Carry 1 Year Warranty Only From Invoice Date
Dell Services: Remarks Dell's Terms and Conditions apply
Other Software DataSafe Local 2.0 Basic
Dell Services: Dell Remote Access Dell Remote Access, free basic service
AUDIO SOLUTION Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster® X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution
BATTERIES 9-cell (85WHr) Lithium Ion Primary Battery
BLUETOOTH MODULE Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth

Comes at $2,549.001

Would this be suitable, or could you possibly link me to other/better options. I've had a bit of a search, but I find this to be the best looking, easy and simple, and the cheapest... I find it difficult to find gaming laptops, any better within the price range.. this may completely suck, and you may have an awesome find - and I'll be like pew pew - sweet as sugar!

However, I may be incorrect. Please advise if you can guys.

I'll be getting rid of MacAfee, why they insist of having it on your PC, I cannot grasp. NOD32 FTW!

Thanks
Chris09 (15218)
851359 2010-01-24 09:42:00 Budget up to the maximum of $3000, including all GST/Freight

Wanting High Graphics, for gaming while studying and away from my beast at home this year. Otherwise I would stick with my average laptop already, but wanting to treat myself and get something real good. Games including Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age Origins, Company of Heroes, Crysis, Battlefield Bad Company 2 - out March etc.

Looking at Dell.co.nz,

Studio XPS 16


Comes at $2,549.001

Would this be suitable, or could you possibly link me to other/better options. I've had a bit of a search, but I find this to be the best looking, easy and simple, and the cheapest... I find it difficult to find gaming laptops, any better within the price range.. this may completely suck, and you may have an awesome find - and I'll be like pew pew - sweet as sugar!

However, I may be incorrect. Please advise if you can guys.

I'll be getting rid of MacAfee, why they insist of having it on your PC, I cannot grasp. NOD32 FTW!

Thanks

I purchased a dell laptop, becasue it was cheaper than the competition, and you could build it online. However teh build quality was poor and the keyboard flexed. Also the media buttons only lasted a year before they stopped working. Not to mention that the bag I got included with it, was too small for the laptop to fit into, and the customer service to resolve that problem was crap. Would steer clear from them.
robbyp (2751)
851360 2010-01-24 17:42:00 Wanting High Graphics, for gaming



Tat sentence doesn't sit well with the title, laptops are not high end gaming machines, why people insist on trying to get what is un obtainable beats me. If you want to play games build a desktop
gary67 (56)
851361 2010-01-24 19:10:00 I purchased a dell laptop, becasue it was cheaper than the competition, and you could build it online. However teh build quality was poor and the keyboard flexed. Also the media buttons only lasted a year before they stopped working. Not to mention that the bag I got included with it, was too small for the laptop to fit into, and the customer service to resolve that problem was crap. Would steer clear from them.

So do you have a recommendation Robbyp?


Tat sentence doesn't sit well with the title, laptops are not high end gaming machines, why people insist on trying to get what is un obtainable beats me. If you want to play games build a desktop

Gary, I have a beast right now, at home, that I use for my gaming. This year I am away for studying as I said, and I cannot take my desktop. My laptop now can't even play Warcraft III at low res. So I'm looking at one that can play those games at least.

Do you have a recommendation?
Chris09 (15218)
851362 2010-01-24 19:22:00 Well you probably wont get anything faster, than the one you posted in the 1st post. Speedy Gonzales (78)
851363 2010-01-24 19:53:00 You will be hard pressed to get a higher-spec laptop within your budget. But don't expect to play those sort of games on max settings etc and high FPS. Playable FPS with reasonable settings, should be no problem though. inphinity (7274)
851364 2010-01-25 00:45:00 So do you have a recommendation Robbyp?



Gary, I have a beast right now, at home, that I use for my gaming . This year I am away for studying as I said, and I cannot take my desktop . My laptop now can't even play Warcraft III at low res . So I'm looking at one that can play those games at least .

Do you have a recommendation?

Toshiba would be my no . 1 recommendation . Excellent build quailty and they rank well for reliability . I would also rate Asus ones quite well, and you tend to get more for you buck with Asus, so price should be comparable with dell . I would also rate HP higher models, as being well built . You do get what you pay for .
robbyp (2751)
851365 2010-01-25 01:01:00 Asus or Toshiba, or high end HP.

www.playtech.co.nz

www.playtech.co.nz

www.computerlounge.co.nz

www.computerlounge.co.nz
wratterus (105)
851366 2010-01-25 01:19:00 Toshiba would be my no.1 recommendation. Excellent build quailty and they rank well for reliability. I would also rate Asus ones quite well, and you tend to get more for you buck with Asus, so price should be comparable with dell. I would also rate HP higher models, as being well built. You do get what you pay for.
latest figures from consumer are:
Sony
Apple
Dell
Acer
Toshiba
HP/compaq
Asus.
plod (107)
851367 2010-01-25 03:23:00 latest figures from consumer are:
Sony
Apple
Dell
Acer
Toshiba
HP/compaq
Asus.

I don't think consumer are all that good these days, and they don't have the resources to do proper in depth testing. They used to be totally independent, but they are now allowing sponsors.
What was that ranking for, reliability or value or specs, and are those ratings from best to last? There are better reviews out their, and infact one major review rates Asus as the best for reliability and quality based on users feedback.
robbyp (2751)
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