[newbee]

hey guys, i need some input. i want to buy a new laptop but cant decide what brand to get i am 95% decided that i want the HP dv7-6c90us. its awesome looking, black aluminum chassis, and the specs are great for what i do. (light gaming, video, music, internet etc). i know hp doesn't have the best track record so i want to get some opinions on what you would buy. i have a max budget of $1,200, and i dont want to go lower than the hp specs(the same or better). the specs on the hp are:

2nd generation Intel® Core i7-2670QM Processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB 5400RPM hard drive
Radeon HD 7470M switchable graphics with up to 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 5093MB total graphics memory
17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)

[LiveBrianD]

If you do light gaming, you want a machine with a dedicated GPU (with this price range, I don't think the AMD APUs are the best option). I also wouldn't recommend HP - I know a guy who's HP laptop died after 1.5 years, and others on this forum aren't happy with them. Also, that i7 is quad-core, but 2.2GHz. A faster dual-core CPU might be better. I'd look into the Thinkpad T520 with the nvidia NVS4200 gpu and i5 CPU - those thinkpads are really well built and have great keyboards (I'm typing this on my thinkpad x120e btw). The only thing is that the GPU isn't quite as good as the ati 7470M in the hp. Also, you should note that it gives you win7 pro by default, but you almost certainly will be fine with home premium (you save $50 this way). Also, waldojim noted that he saved $300 off a $1600 lenovo machine by asking one of the agents for a discount. (he's told people in other threads to ask him for the name of that agent if you want to buy a lenovo machine btw) Another thing to look into is the Lenovo Ideapad Y570 - it has a geforce 550M and you can get it with an i7 if you want.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 31 March 2012 - 06:47 PM

[newbee]

this is why i HATE buying a new laptop. there is sooo many to weed thru. some are good, some are bad, all of these are bad, all of these are good. the one with this in it is good but the one with this in it is bad. its frustrating and disheartening. i just want a killer all around machine that looks cool, doesn't feel cheap and plastic and will last at least 4 years. it sux and its a shame that even when you spend $1200 on a computer (which in my book aint cheap) you have to cross your fingers and HOPE it works when you get it, then you hope it lasts more than one year.

[LiveBrianD]

Here's the thing - Thinkpads are built like tanks, and are meant to last. They cost more, but there's a good reason for it. Most of them (except for the Edge, x100e, x120e, and x130e I think) have metal rollcages, which prevent motherboard flex. They feel pretty sturdy. The only thing is that you might not like the plain black design (personally, I like it).

[newbee]

i prefer black, and preferably not all plastic. i like the brushed aluminum style chassis.

[waldojim]

newbee, on 31 March 2012 - 07:37 PM, said:

i prefer black, and preferably not all plastic. i like the brushed aluminum style chassis.

Thinkpads don't use anything but ABS for the outside case. Namely because it reduces the amount of heat transferred to you. They are easily among the best built machines you will ever touch though. And depending on what you need out of a machine, they can be quite affordable too. If you really want aluminum though, check out the Lenovo U400. They rock an i5 (or i7), an AMD 6470, and 8GB of ram under $1000. the 6470 isn't exactly an extreme performance card or anything, but it works for light gaming.


http://shop.lenovo.c...3%3A00004F69%3A

[coastie65]

newbee, on 31 March 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

hey guys, i need some input. i want to buy a new laptop but cant decide what brand to get i am 95% decided that i want the HP dv7-6c90us. its awesome looking, black aluminum chassis, and the specs are great for what i do. (light gaming, video, music, internet etc). i know hp doesn't have the best track record so i want to get some opinions on what you would buy. i have a max budget of $1,200, and i dont want to go lower than the hp specs(the same or better). the specs on the hp are:

2nd generation Intel® Core i7-2670QM Processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB 5400RPM hard drive
Radeon HD 7470M switchable graphics with up to 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 5093MB total graphics memory
17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)

Hi. Those specs are good. You are right in HP's track record. You may want to look into a Toshiba at the comparative specs and see what you can find. The Lenovo W520 is a good model, but slightly higher priced than your budget. We have one member who has one and is completely happy with it. ASUS may or may not be good as well.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 01 April 2012 - 05:23 AM

[LiveBrianD]

Toshiba is good according to some reliability surveys, along with asus, but I know a guy with an older one (Pentium 4) that has overheating issues due to a bad design, along with a partially broken power jack (you have to wiggle it to make it work), and their build quality (at least with the ones I've looked at) seems cheap.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 01 April 2012 - 06:02 PM

[coastie65]

Here you go: http://www.tigerdire...Sku=P764-173100 It is a refurb, but I have both a desktop and a laptop that are both refurbs and they have both done well and I have had no complaints. Yeah, sometimes you can get a lemon, but that is the case with New as well. If something is going to be wrong, it wil be out of the box and there is no problen with returning it. To be honest, my Gateway Desktop have to be RMA'd because it wouldn't boot. No problem, RMA'd the thing and got a replacement that has been doing quite well.

[users1]

This has been very good, if I buy this

[lawyerfish]

coastie65, on 01 April 2012 - 05:23 AM, said:

newbee, on 31 March 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

hey guys, i need some input. i want to buy a new laptop but cant decide what brand to get i am 95% decided that i want the HP dv7-6c90us. its awesome looking, black aluminum chassis, and the specs are great for what i do. (light gaming, video, music, internet etc). i know hp doesn't have the best track record so i want to get some opinions on what you would buy. i have a max budget of $1,200, and i dont want to go lower than the hp specs(the same or better). the specs on the hp are:

2nd generation Intel® Core i7-2670QM Processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB 5400RPM hard drive
Radeon HD 7470M switchable graphics with up to 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 5093MB total graphics memory
17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)

Hi. Those specs are good. You are right in HP's track record. You may want to look into a Toshiba at the comparative specs and see what you can find. The Lenovo W520 is a good model, but slightly higher priced than your budget. We have one member who has one and is completely happy with it. ASUS may or may not be good as well.

I second the ThinkPad W520 recommendation, and would add the T series (with dedicated graphics) as a very slightly cheaper option, with lower graphics performance accordingly (than the W520).

[orlbuckeye]

newbee, on 31 March 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

hey guys, i need some input. i want to buy a new laptop but cant decide what brand to get i am 95% decided that i want the HP dv7-6c90us. its awesome looking, black aluminum chassis, and the specs are great for what i do. (light gaming, video, music, internet etc). i know hp doesn't have the best track record so i want to get some opinions on what you would buy. i have a max budget of $1,200, and i dont want to go lower than the hp specs(the same or better). the specs on the hp are:

2nd generation Intel® Core i7-2670QM Processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB 5400RPM hard drive
Radeon HD 7470M switchable graphics with up to 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 5093MB total graphics memory
17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)

I bought a HP 17.3" laptop with 1600 x 900 and I was disappointed. Now I have an Acer AS8950G which I love that has a 1920 x 1080 screen.