Laptop Customization Advice

[Chief Rum]

Hey everyone, my turn to get a laptop.

I checke out some of the more recent laptop threads here, and I am leaning toward going the Sager route. I was looking at some they have at that zotipc siteor whatever it is. They allow a lot of customizability, which I love. But I'm a little lost deciding what options are beat for me.

Although I am sure I will ocasionally take the laptop with me, for the most part this is a desktop replacement purchase. I'm not a hi-end graphics gamer (I am mostly doing text sims), but I like the option to game, so I am looking for a laptop with a good card and a decent size screen and good res.

They throw out some options I am uncertain about:

memory: 4 gb or 8?
Processor: what's the diff between the i3, i5, i7, etc. Dual core? Quad core? What real diff does it make?
If 15" or so is my min screen size, is that good for running a decent graphics game? Or shoul I get bigger?
Hard drive: SSd and optical bay drive and external hard... What's my best values here? Best sizes for these options?
Ports: how many ports (like USB ports) do laptops tend to come
with? Should I be looking ahead to ports to use a hand mouse, connect a bigger monitor another drive? Etc.?
I'd I don't have a blu-Ray at all, should I consider a blue Ray drive so I can play blue Ray movies on the laptop and connect it to my tv?
If my apt. Will be Hooked up for wifi (verizon) do I need to be concerned beyond a bsic network card setup?
Sound card? Sound system setup? Another port for speakers etc.?


Are there questions here I should be asking that I am not?

I am open to spending a little maybe $1000-1200. Not really looking to bust the bank though.

Primarily, I'll be doing text sim gaming, working at home, web surfing, Mayr watching movies, and so forth, but I tend to aim slightly higher than I need when I buy computers.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
office work, word processing and web surfing.

[CrimsonFox]

USB ports - at least 3. More is even better as everything's usb. It is not uncommon for one of them to burn or short out.

i5/7 at least.

15" screen is good. if you go 17" it's fricking heavy and you can always plug into a bigass monitor.

nvidia v500+ series video chip is a good idea.

Mine cost 1000 myself from costco.
It's a del. A word about bluray...it will be SLOW for burning and ripping cds and such. Technology hasn't seemed to be there yet. Go with a fast DVD/CD burner.

Most laptops I found do not have a sound card. Even the really kickass laptops. Most are integrated sound card with a simple speaker/mic port. That works fine. If sound and music are uberimportant, get a mac. builtin sound wolks fine for games and movies as long as you have extrenal speakers.

RAM: The more ram the better. IF you find a good one with 8 you won't regret it!

Processor: the difference of course is they get faster. dual and quad core seem to be standards nowadays. I don't really know the difference but with windows 7 you're gonna need a good processor/memory size.

HD: Most systems have huge drives which obviously is good. An external is always good.

oh yeah, do NOT get an hp laptop. Heard from computer people there that they get returned a lot.

[Comey]

You could also review the new Dell line coming out. It's an ultrathin line that has some excellent specs, for about $1099 to start (I think).

Right now seems to be a good time to go with more brand-name companies, like Lenovo and Dell; there are some excellent machines out there for a very affordable price. I'd look at a 15" i5 with 8 GB RAM; to be honest, within your budget, you may be able to fit in a hybrid setup for the HD (SSD/HD). You can also likely find a high-res screen within your budget as well.

I suggest looking around at Laptop Reviews - Notebook Reviews and Netbook Computer News & Reviews, most definitely their forums. Every time I needed to make a decision on a laptop, I went there. Found the perfect choice for me.

As far as HP goes...they're solid machines, but it's not for everyone. I got an Envy 15 and returned it, but only because the Sony Z came about (it is, without a doubt, the best machine for me).

[stevew]

Make sure to add a beer tent

[Comey]

I would also check slickdeals...some excellent deals going on right now.

[Drake]

I picked up a Sager 5160 in March. It's my first experience with them...and this machine is fantastic. It's an i7 with 8 gigs or RAM, full HD screen, blah, blah.

I've never owned a PC anywhere close to it. It performs on-par with the Alienware rigs I've been around, but saved me about $5-600 on the configs.

Note on the i7's, though: if you've got an option to upgrade your thermal paste (which most Sager resellers offer), do it. The Sandy Bridge architecture is showing evidence across all manufacturers of running hot (like getting into the 90C range under very heavy loads for extended periods of time). I've never been able to push mine over 80C even with extensive benchmarking, but I'm not doing super-intensive video editing or playing Crysis 2 or anything.

[Chief Rum]

Thanks, guys! Just a quick little bump in case anyone else wants to offer some more advice. I am likely to order direct from here at my office this morning, so not much time left.

I'll give the details on what I order here after I order it.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Drake

I picked up a Sager 5160 in March. It's my first experience with them...and this machine is fantastic. It's an i7 with 8 gigs or RAM, full HD screen, blah, blah.

I've never owned a PC anywhere close to it. It performs on-par with the Alienware rigs I've been around, but saved me about $5-600 on the configs.

Note on the i7's, though: if you've got an option to upgrade your thermal paste (which most Sager resellers offer), do it. The Sandy Bridge architecture is showing evidence across all manufacturers of running hot (like getting into the 90C range under very heavy loads for extended periods of time). I've never been able to push mine over 80C even with extensive benchmarking, but I'm not doing super-intensive video editing or playing Crysis 2 or anything.

Thanks, Drake! Where did you go to get your Sager? And, yeah, when I first checked out the Sager options, the heat thing was an option and I was planning on having that.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I can't give too much advice about the most current options.

As always, though I support the Sager purchase. I got mine from powernotebooks.com. I got it back in Dec. 2008. I had to nuke and pave it last december, but other than that, it's been great. Still plays everything I want to play. I will be getting another one when the time comes.

My brother bought a Sager from powernotebooks.com in January. He's been thrilled with his as well.

They are a good company. Very responsive. I have also heard good things about xoticpc.com, but have never used them.

[Comey]

Dell XPS 15 Laptop: Intel Quad Core i7-2630QM 2.00GHz CPU, 6GB DDR3, 750GB HDD, 15.6" (1920x1080) LCD, 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M, Blu-ray + DVDRW, WiFi N, 6-cell Battery, Win 7 Pr - Slickdeals.net

[CrimsonFox]

newegg.com

[lungs]

Got my Sager from xoticpc.com

Haven't had a bit of problem with it so far and am very happy with its performance.

[Drake]

Realizing I'm late (back) to the party, Chief. I got mine from pctorque, but I've heard great things about xoticpc.com. I was going to go with xotic right up until pctorque ran a special one-day deal on the day I ordered that saved me an extra $50.

From the various forums I visited when looking at the options, the general consensus seemed to be that all of the resellers for Sager are pretty damned good, and as long as you don't order directly from Sager (whose customer service apparently sucks balls), you're golden.

[Chief Rum]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I unfortunately didn't see the last posts (after H_Blue) until this morning, but I had placed my order by then anyway.

I pretty much got something out of every post to that point, except no beer tent. I ended up going with a Sager 5160, same as Drake, and I got ti from powernotebooks, like H_Blue. CF's post helped narrow down the specific options I was looking at, and Comey's post of the laptop reviews helped as well. So, go team.

Here's what is en route to me (straight from my purchase confirmation email), all told $1,149.

1 Sager NP5160 Custom Built Gaming Laptops - $1,149.00
15.6" FULL HD (1920X1080) LED LCD w/nVIDIA GeForce® GT 540M w/1GB GDDR3 - nVIDIA Optimus Switchable Graphics
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0~2.9GHz, 45W) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
8GB (2 SODIMMS) DDR3/1333 Dual Channel Memory
500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive - Seagate XT NCQ Hybrid w/4GB SSD
Combo Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
4-in-1 Memory Card Reader (MS/MS PRO/SD/MMC)
Integrated 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN + Bluetooth™ V3.0 Combo Card
6-cell Smart Li-ion Battery (62.16Wh)
Windows 7 Premium - (64-Bit installed - 64 and 32-bit CD included)
Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter
1-Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Support
NO Dead Pixel Guarantee
NO HDD in Optical Drive Bay
NO External USB Optical Drive
NO Spare Battery
NO Microsoft Office Software
NO Spare AC Adapter
NO 12V Auto Adapter

Looking forward to getting it!

Thanks again.

[Kodos]

I've been researching and configuring laptops too, and your Sager 5160 looks very similar to the one I'll likely pull the trigger on. My configuration has the default screen, and the 750 GB HD. Been debating going with the 80 GB SSD + 500 GB HD.

I also keep second-guessing myself and thinking I should maybe get a desktop instead. Damn me and my indecision.

[dwardzala]

If you're weighing the laptop/desktop decision, think of it like this:
You can use your laptop on a desk (with your big monitor even) but you can't really use your desk top on your lap (or take it with you easily).

[stevew]

If it doesn't have a beer tent, you didn't customize it properly.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by dwardzala

If you're weighing the laptop/desktop decision, think of it like this:
You can use your laptop on a desk (with your big monitor even) but you can't really use your desk top on your lap (or take it with you easily).

Yeah. I just wonder how much I will really take it with me.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Yeah. I just wonder how much I will really take it with me.

I have a 15.4" screen for my laptop. It's not huge, but it's big enough that it's not super easy to carry it around. I rarely take it places. If I am travelling, it's usually either for work (and I bring my work laptop) or with my wife, so I don't need to bring it. I took a trip to Chicago to visit a friend. I took the train and played Football Manager the whole time. That was fun.

While I will likely never go back to a desktop, however, is because the freedom it allows me to game in my own house. With my desktop I always had to game in my office, but now I play games anywhere, typically in my family room. If my wife wants to chill out and read a book on the couch, we can be in the same room and I can play my computer games.

I've ended up using my computer a lot more often because of this. So, the investment has been worth it.

[dwardzala]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Yeah. I just wonder how much I will really take it with me.

I picked a laptop to have a portable machine to take around the house in addition to mobility out of the house.

[dwardzala]

Dola,

I have had my Sager for two weeks now and other than a couple of minor things (the number pad is laid out akwardly, and the boot list order needed to be changed), I amm thrilled with it. I also bought from PN, and their service was top notch as well.

[Comey]

Originally Posted by dwardzala

I picked a laptop to have a portable machine to take around the house in addition to mobility out of the house.

Wow, you just sold me on laptops. I'll take five!

[dwardzala]

Originally Posted by Comey

Wow, you just sold me on laptops. I'll take five!

Yeah, sometimes I am known as mister obvious.

[Kodos]

Finally pulled the trigger from XoticPC.

1x Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HN

- Warranty: 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime XOTIC PC 24/7 Toll Free Telephone Tech Support
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's + Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included with OS Purchase
- Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Spare AC Adapter: Sager NP768x Spare AC Adapter
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Wireless Network: Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Optical Drive Bay: ~ Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included)
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA II 300 - 32MB Cache)
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Thermal Compound: - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- Ram: ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)- Special
- Graphics Video Card: nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- Processor: - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- Display: 15.6” HD+ 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1600x900) Super Clear Matte Type Screen

[I. J. Reilly]

Woohoo, got the go ahead from the wife for a new laptop. So after spending most of today (work? what?) on notebookreview.com and a few other sights it looks like this thread was all I needed. The Sager NP5160 looks like it will be exactly what I’m looking for. I don’t really know that much about this stuff so couple questions to bounce off the FOFC brain trust:

How much difference is there between the matte and glossy screens? Is it just a personal preference?
Will the i7-2630QM use a full 8GB of RAM? I’ve seen conflicting comments on different boards.
A few of the sites offer a no dead pixel guarantee for $100 for 30 days. That seems like a lot of money for only 30 days of coverage, so how common of a problem is this?
Regarding the hard drive: is the size just about how much it can store and the RPM’s about how fast it responds? Does this even have anything to do with performance?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

How much difference is there between the matte and glossy screens? Is it just a personal preference?
Will the i7-2630QM use a full 8GB of RAM? I’ve seen conflicting comments on different boards.
A few of the sites offer a no dead pixel guarantee for $100 for 30 days. That seems like a lot of money for only 30 days of coverage, so how common of a problem is this?
Regarding the hard drive: is the size just about how much it can store and the RPM’s about how fast it responds? Does this even have anything to do with performance?

Awesome!

1. I am not sure about the screens. I just went with whatever was standard and have had no issue with the screen.

2. Not sure about 8 GB.

3. I didn't buy the dead pixel guarantee and never had an issue. So, based on my limited experience I wouldn't bother.

4. As for the hard drive, I think size and speed are the main thing. Unless you throw down a ton of money on a solid state drive, I don't think you'll really notice too much in the way of performance differences. SSDs are, apparently, insanely fast and really have a big impact on performance. (I have never seen one in action, just read about them.) Beyond that, I don't think there is such a huge difference.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I must admit, despite the fact that my 2.5 year old Sager is still humming along just fine, I find myself specing out a new one every month or so.

[SteveMax58]

On the 8GB RAM question. I believe that is more relevant to the motherboard than the CPU. Meaning, it is up to the mobo's capabilities as to whether it can use all 8GB of RAM (as well as your OS).

I'm not an expert or hardware engineer but that's my understanding anyway.

[Kodos]

I hate glossy screens due to all the reflections, so I think matte is the way to go. Especially if you ever use it outdoors.

[I. J. Reilly]

Argh, and now we’re back to the negotiating stage. I think my wife is the only person in the world who hates spending money more than I do. Oh well, at least I have a pretty good idea of what I want now so the next time she accidently says yes I can pull the trigger before she changes her mind.

Thanks for all the input guys.

[tyketime]

Are any of the sites running special financing deals (12-24 months with 0% interest)? I find that an effective way to ease the pain from an outright purchase up front.

[I. J. Reilly]

Oh no no no. That would never work, and I’m not sure if they are even offering it or not.

Funny story about buying my wife a new car this summer; in the past we have always paid cash, her philosophy is if you can’t pay cash then you can’t afford it. As an accountant this simplified approach has always really bothered me, but not nearly as much as arguing with her about money so I just let it go.
But with rates so low this time around I finally convinced her that we would be fools not to take advantage. So after a lot of haggling we get to 3.25% and we start doing the paperwork. The dealership finance guy comes to the part about how much money we want to put down and my wife instantly spits out a number that’s roughly 2/3rds of the purchase price. And the guy looks at me like “you just beat me up for an hour and a half so you could save 50bps on a 10k loan?” I just shrugged and nodded towards my wife, which of course got me a lecture about misogyny later.
The only thing to do now is wait her out. She’ll fall in love with some shoes or a handbag sooner or later, she always does.

[SunDevil]

Damn it. I tried to stay out of this thread, but I couldn't. I have been thinking about a new laptop lately, thanks for the specs.

[Chief Rum]

For anyone who cares, the laptop that resulted from this thread is finally arriving today. I can't wait to get hoem and play with my toy. I am hoping the delivery guy will deliver it to my apartment leasing office, so I don't have to chase it down at the UPS plant.

[Drake]

I've got a Sager 5165 for my son on order at xoticpc that I'm hoping will be done in the next week or so. I've got a 5160, and I'm already a bit jealous of his 2 gig nVIDEA GT 555 vs the 540 mine shipped with.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Damn it. I tried to stay out of this thread, but I couldn't. I have been thinking about a new laptop lately, thanks for the specs.

LOL... I have absolutely no reason to start down this road, and yet... I'm already thinking of ways to justify it to Mrs Tyke.

[DanGarion]

After have my 17in Dell 8200, I will never get anything smaller. I'm able to tolerate my work laptop's 15 inch screen but I love the larger screen for my personal computer.

[tyketime]

Could any of you with the Sager laptops post your experience with specific games? I'm looking for a more portable gaming machine, but want to make sure it'll run some of the newer games (Witcher2, Rift, Starcraft2, etc.). Any experience you have with setting levels, fps, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[SunDevil]

Great customer reviews of the PowerNotebooks site.
PowerNotebooks.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings

I just ordered a new laptop. Was planning on getting a Sager but ended up getting another brand. I did a bunch of research on my plan on buying a Sager, and had never found anything bad about them. Everyone seemed very happy with their laptops. But I can not pass up this setup.

1 MSI GT780R Gaming Laptops MSI GT780R Gaming Laptop
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) MATTE LED backlit Widescreen LCD
nVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M 192bit w/1.5GB GDDR5
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0~2.9GHz, 45W) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
Stock Thermal Compound - FREE IC Diamond to CPU + GPU w/CPU Upgrade ONLY
16GB (4x 4GB) DDR3/1333 Memory
500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
RAID 0 Enabled
Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/Softwares
Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC/XD/MSPRO/MS/MM
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 130 Wireless Card + Bluetooth 3.0+HS
Windows 7 Premium - 64-Bit Pre-installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter

MSI US & Canada 3 Year + 1 Year Global Parts & Labor Warranty + 1 Year Accidental Coverage + Lifetime Tech Support

Subtotal: $1,649.00
Shipping/Handling via Next Business Day $105.00
Cash discount $52.62
Thank you for choosing us to meet your computer needs.
Sales Tax: $0.00
Total: $1,701.38

I would highly recommend PowerNotebooks.com. Great experience and Donald Stratton was very knowledgeable and helpful.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by tyketime

Could any of you with the Sager laptops post your experience with specific games? I'm looking for a more portable gaming machine, but want to make sure it'll run some of the newer games (Witcher2, Rift, Starcraft2, etc.). Any experience you have with setting levels, fps, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

I think the most recent games I've played on it are Risen and Civ 5. No hiccups with either one. I got the nVidea 540m 1 Gig card, so it's relatively middle of the road for a laptop GPU.

I run both of those games with maxed out settings. I also just put together a fully modded Oblivion install for my kids that absolutely humbled my Thinkpad with an ATI HD Radeon card (forget which one), and running it on Ultra High settings hasn't been an issue.

I'm also not seeing some of the higher temps from the Sandy Bridge architecture that are being reported about various manufacturers.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Great customer reviews of the PowerNotebooks site.
PowerNotebooks.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings

I just ordered a new laptop. Was planning on getting a Sager but ended up getting another brand. I did a bunch of research on my plan on buying a Sager, and had never found anything bad about them. Everyone seemed very happy with their laptops. But I can not pass up this setup.

I would highly recommend PowerNotebooks.com. Great experience and Donald Stratton was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Never heard of the MSI laptop, but it looks like an awesome rig at a good price. Both my brother and I bought our laptios through PowerNotebooks and dealt with Donald. Great guy, knowledgeable and good customer service. He actually remembered who I was when my brother ordered his machine two years after I ordered mine.

I second that recommendation.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Great customer reviews of the PowerNotebooks site.
PowerNotebooks.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings

I just ordered a new laptop. Was planning on getting a Sager but ended up getting another brand. I did a bunch of research on my plan on buying a Sager, and had never found anything bad about them. Everyone seemed very happy with their laptops. But I can not pass up this setup.

1 MSI GT780R Gaming Laptops MSI GT780R Gaming Laptop
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) MATTE LED backlit Widescreen LCD
nVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M 192bit w/1.5GB GDDR5
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM (2.0~2.9GHz, 45W) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
Stock Thermal Compound - FREE IC Diamond to CPU + GPU w/CPU Upgrade ONLY
16GB (4x 4GB) DDR3/1333 Memory
500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
RAID 0 Enabled
Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/Softwares
Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC/XD/MSPRO/MS/MM
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 130 Wireless Card + Bluetooth 3.0+HS
Windows 7 Premium - 64-Bit Pre-installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter

MSI US & Canada 3 Year + 1 Year Global Parts & Labor Warranty + 1 Year Accidental Coverage + Lifetime Tech Support

Subtotal: $1,649.00
Shipping/Handling via Next Business Day $105.00
Cash discount $52.62
Thank you for choosing us to meet your computer needs.
Sales Tax: $0.00
Total: $1,701.38

I would highly recommend PowerNotebooks.com. Great experience and Donald Stratton was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Have you had a chance to play around with it enough to give us a first impression? Did they ship and deliver in one day?

[SunDevil]

Yes they did ship and deliver in one day. But you will have to talk on the phone with them to make sure what you ordered extra (aka not stock) is something they can do in a couple of hours. The delivery guy shows up at their place at 5/6pm (PST) and I received the laptop the next morning at 10am. They are located in Nevada and I am located in Phoenix.

First Impressions:
- Most powerful computer I have owned, let alone a laptop.
- Runs really quiet even though I have settings set to max on most games.
- Only gets warm on the back left side of the laptop. It's cool everywhere else. Can actually have this in your lap and not get 3rd degree burns.
- I am use to Dell laptops so the keyboard is something I am still getting use to. It seems the keys are depressed a little more into the keyboard, and the whole layout has your hands closer together.
- Minimal junk software initialed installed on this machine, only took about 10 minutes getting rid of it all.
- Actually had Donald Stratton call me up the day the laptop was delivered to make sure it made it and I was happy with it.

Overall I am very happy with the laptop and my experience and would recommend PowerNotebooks.com regardless of what machine was ordered.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Overall I am very happy with the laptop and my experience and would recommend PowerNotebooks.com regardless of what machine was ordered.

I was afraid you were going to say that...

[tyketime]

This is my first post using my new MSI GT780R Gaming Laptop. I loaded up and played Witcher 2 last night with absolutely no hiccups or slow down at all. I'm gonna load Starcraft 2 soon.

So far I am really liking the SteelSeries keyboard. I already have a SteelSeries Merc keyboard for my desktop which I am thrilled with. It is much quieter than my previous laptop, has a built-in webcam, and kicked ass on the Passmark performance test.

I'll update this again as I play around with it more.

Thanks SunDevil for the link and your comments.

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

oh yeah, do NOT get an hp laptop. Heard from computer people there that they get returned a lot.

Sorry for bumping this from so long ago, but does anyone know what the issues are with HP? They are running some pretty good online coupons, like 25-30% off.

[sovereignstar v2]

All of the most popular brands have had issues in the past and individuals will always have their own personal horror stories. I wouldn't be afraid of what one person says about a particular brand. Here is the latest reliability data from Consumer Reports fwiw.

[I. J. Reilly]

I pulled the trigger; the HP deal was too good to pass up. Here’s what I ended up with for $940:

HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
• • 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• • 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• • FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• • 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• • 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.5 hours of battery life +++
• • 15.6" diagonal Full HD HP Anti-glare LED Display (1920 x 1080)
• • FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• • HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• • Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN with Wireless Display Support

I’ll be interested to see what the system works like with 6GB of RAM, I would have liked 8GB, but it’s only $25 or so to upgrade it later if I want.

If anyone is interested the online coupon code is NBP61449 for 30% off. I think it runs through 7/24 and I’m not sure what all it is valid for.

[DaddyTorgo]

I've had an HP laptop for the last 4+ years at this point. Still running fine (although the fan is long since busted and I haven't bothered to have it fixed for some reason, so it runs hot).

Been fine for me.

That's cool IJ - thanks for the code - I may pull the trigger myself (need a newer machine for work).