Laptop Help

I'm trying to buy a laptop unfortunately nowadays you get the onboard Intel graphics nonsense.

I've seen this Sony Vaio for £798 probably being able to get it for around £650

It has a 8400M GT, I've been looking at laptops with an 8600 but they are simply out of my price range. I'm basically looking at it to run Guild Wars (and 2 when it comes out) and WOW, but I may want to play more games in the future and thats the problem plus the CPU only has 2mb cache.

Crux is I've also found a Dell for £729 (DELIVERY CHARGE FUCKING £60) which does have the 8600M GT but I want quality which is why I'm not sure of Dell.

DELL:

Spoiler:

Components
BASE Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 4 MB L2-cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English edit
HARDWARE SUPPORT 1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return edit
COLOUR CHOICE Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish without camera edit
LCD 15.4" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™ edit
MEMORY 2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024] edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive edit
GRAPHICS CARD nVidia® GeForce™ Go 8600M GT with 256MB DDR2 dedicated graphic memory edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr

SONY

Spoiler:

Accessories Included AC Adapter, Battery & Power Cord
Audio Features Yes
Bluetooth No
Box Contents PC & Accessories
Brand Sony
Built-in Webcam Yes
Card Reader Yes
Firewire No
Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
Hard Drive 120GB (hybrid 5400)
Hard Drive Size 160Gb
Laptop Colour Silver
Memory Size 2Gb
Memory Type 2x 1Gb
Number of USB Ports 3
Operating System Windows Vista™ Home Premium
Optical Drive DVD Dual Layer Rewriter
Output VGA
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo (T7250)
Processor Bus 800
Processor Cache 2048 Advanced Smart Cache
Processor Model Number T7250 Mobile Intel PM965 Express Chipset
Processor Speed 2GHz
Product Depth 25.4 cm
Product Height 3.45 cm
Product Range Computing Hardware
Product Sub Category Laptops
Product Weight 2.8Kg
Product Width 35.6 cm
Remote Control Included No
Screen Size 15.4"
Screen Type X-black LCD
Software Load VAIO Music Box, Windows Media Player 11, SonicStage Mastering Studio 2.4, Adobe Premiere Elements 3, VAIO Content Importer / Exporter, WinDVD BD 8.0 for VAIO, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5, Google Picasa, Easy Media creator 9, Click to DVD 2.6, Adobe® Reader® 8.1, Adobe Standard 8, Microsoft® Works 8.5, Microsoft® Office Trial 2007 (60 days Try & Buy), Norton 360 (with 60days free virus updates), VAIO Recovery Utility - HDD recovery (hidden partition), Skype, Google software package
TV Tuner No
Wi-Fi Yes

Jam it back in, in the dark.

What is your question?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Which one should I choose; the Sony is almost £100 cheaper but the Dell has better specs (T7500 4mb and 8600GT), am I stood to gain alot by choosing the custom Dell? ( Its bigger and I'm not sure about quality)

I don't game much I just want it to be able to run Guild Wars 2 when it comes out.

I'd love to hear from someone who has the newer Dell 1520 inspiron laptops.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I personally have bad experience with Dells, and my friends have recently bought some Sony Vaios (the model is FZ17G - Asia only). The sweet thing about this laptop is its super-bright LCD screen compared to most other laptops. Unfortunately I think this type of laptop may be beyond your price range, at around SGD2499 or £860.

As such, I'm just giving you two generic suggestions:

1. Which one has better service options, where you live? Depending on how (un)lucky you are, you might need this option.
2. You said gaming is not so important, and the differences of processor speeds are not very significant at any rate. Both the model specifications look similar enough, so I suggest that you walk into a store and try around the laptops. Which one are you more comfortable with? Which one has a better layout?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Problem is if I'm spending so much money I would rather get the laptop with the better specs but as you so point out I'm not sure of the quality of Dell, it would be nice of you could actually point out what problems you had with them.

The Dell costs £729 the equivalent Sony would cost £1,100 in terms of specs but each has its pros and cons. Heres a link to that SONY The Dell is the inspiron 1520.

DELL

Pros: Cheap, Better specs 8600M GT, screen has better resolution, processor has 4MB of cache which is better than 2MB on the sony)

Cons: more expensive by £100, heavy, does not look as nice, not sure of quality, 8600GT only has DDR2 and not DDR3 memory.

SONY

Pros: Light, beautifully crafted, the screen is amazing, cheaper than the Dell.

Cons: HDMI is useless without a Bluray drive, processor only has 2mb cache, 8400M GT, repairs cost a bomb.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Well, my company used to use Dells way back. Each laptop has a unique problem. One has a weak hinge on the monitor. Another had dead pixels. One had a DEL key that won't work (considering it was running Win2000 that's quite problematic). One had a defective spacebar. One had a faulty hard disk. You know

As for Sony, I don't have any anecdotal tale to relate. I guess they're charging a premium for their brand name. Perhaps you should decide based on the quality of servicing available to you. As a laptop user for many years, I have learned that you'd be extremely lucky to have a machine that won't exhibit some kind of problem in a year's time.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Some things I'd like to add:

- Toshiba seems to have poor-performance, poorly built laptops at their lower end, whereas their higher-end (and thus offered at a premium price) laptops are of high quality. I don't think Sony is as bad, but their budget models tend to have few features or simply modest performance.

- Few notebook brands offer as good laptop LCQ quality as Sony does. Apple perhaps.

- In general, Dell offer good service. At least, for corporations. I think they tend to be a bit quicker in handling service requests.

- 2 MB cache shouldn't be a dealbreaker. Cache used to make alot of difference, but its impact seems to be more marginal these days.

- No notebook is perfect. Every one has its strengths and weakness, and you will have to give up on the idea of having a perfect notebook (that even goes for the most expensive ones). As trite as it may sound, you need to pick based on what you deem is most important. If you want to keep options open for gaming, get the Dell. If screen quality is your thing, get the Sony. I don't think Dell has bad screens, by the way -- so perhaps Dell is your best choice.

- See if you can check the notebooks out in a store. You know the specs, but what about the LCD (brightness, vertical and horizontal view angles), build of the notebook (materials used, lcd hinges) and layout (usb ports, utp port, extra buttons etc)?

FELIPE NO

Deciding go for the Dell found out the sony's 8400m GT only has 64mb memory dedicated for it.

Instead of inspiron I've seen an XPS 1530 beautiful, slim and the same price and specs as the inspiron. (If i buy from small business section)




Only 1 problem it has a resolution of 1200 x 800 with no option of higher resolution, (but it is superbly clear). Can someone tell me will that be totally shite or shall i go for the inspiron which has 1440 x 900 on a 15.4" screen.

So does 1280 x 800 really look that bad compared to 1440 x 900 on a 15.4" screen. This goes out to the general population of GFF.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Depends how good your eyesight is. I'd prefer the 1200x800.

If you're having trouble deciding between the two, walk into a computer store and look at the laptops physically. Touch them, feel them, make love to them. Buy the one that appeals to you the most.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Unfortunately you can't buy the Dell in the shops, only online from Dell.

Most amazing jew boots

Aren't Dells now buyable on Best Buy and Walmart?

How ya doing, buddy?

Those chains don't exist outside of the US.

I'd go with the Dell. I've got quite a few friends with Latitudes and XPS - Two years ago I was of the opinion that Dells were universally total shite, but I've heard nothing but good things since. They're not very pretty (my friend's 17" XPS is twice the thickness and weight of my MBP and has slightly lower specs), but they're robust and give you more bang for less buck... Quid.

Vaios are really quite dire. They come full to the brim with bloatware - I inherited an old PCG ultraportable model from my mother, and immediately did a clean install of XP to wipe out the shitty software suites that they'd thoughtfully bundled. Getting drivers for the damn things is also a nightmare - Took me a few days of searching to find absolutely everything, and when eventually I'd got it running to an OK degree, I discovered that they don't actually provide the drivers for the webcam. Or the volume buttons. Or any of the function keys. Drivers from Sony? You'd have more luck with blood from a stone.

The batteries they provide are quite poor, too.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Sadly yes in the UK you can only get a Dell online.

I was speaking idiomatically.

i have a 14" dell laptop with 1280x800. I like it, would actually prefer a smaller screen. It's tiny compared to my desktop (1680x1050). I also don't game, so can't say anything for that.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

hey, i'm in the same conundrum myself, except i'm torn between three sources.
the dell and these;

pcspecialist:
PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK - Custom PCs, Custom Computers, Custom PC, Custom Built Computers, Gaming PC

and the asus c90s which i have my doubts about, and have posted about, here's the spec;

asus c90s;
ASUS c90s mrk3 Asus C90s gaming laptop E6700 160GB Laptops PCs and Displays

its totally upgradeable and as such has several versions, but very good value for money.

edit: oh yeah, what is your price range? i've just been taking it at £700 to £800.

How ya doing, buddy?

Well on building up my XPS M1530 its about £829 (£100 off if you order before the 19th)

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System


For both the Asus and the PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK if you want to game the 8600m GT is only clocked to 400mhz and has only DDR2 memory.

Whereas for example of the XPS it is clocked to 700mhz and has DDR3 memory even though it only has 256mb dedicated it is a better choice. On the other hand if you don't care the Asus is great value however I've heard alot of problems with it plus it has a huge fan sticking out the back which is noisy. The only thing I'm mulling over is the resolution I still have 3 days to decide.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Quote:

Well on building up my XPS M1530 its about £829 (£100 off if you order before the 19th)

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System


For both the Asus and the PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK if you want to game the 8600m GT is only clocked to 400mhz and has only DDR2 memory.
Whereas for example of the XPS it is clocked to 700mhz and has DDR3 memory even though it only has 256mb dedicated it is a better choice. On the other hand if you don't care the Asus is great value however I've heard alot of problems with it plus it has a huge fan sticking out the back which is noisy. The only thing I'm mulling over is the resolution I still have 3 days to decide.

yeah the laptop card is better. have you found any specs for the 8600 gt card on the asus? i can't find it anywhere. it isn't in the laptop or PC card sections on nVidia's site

if you want a good review check out this guy's at notebookreview.com Asus C90S Review and OS shootout! - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion. the only problems i've heard are of graphics card compatibility, which could be an issue in the future i guess.



personally i'm just in favour of the asus as there's no time limit and its very good value for money, especially for the resolution. if it comes to it and the graphics card isn't good enough i'll email asus for compatible cards and buy another one.

edit: just found this thread in the same forum, very exciting stuff, mentioning the very card you want;
Making a Purchase: C90S vs G series - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion

another edit: the GDDR3 256mb 8600 GT has been released for the asus c90s, but i can only find an american seller so far, and as it will be a PC card it should perfom better than the NV 8600m GT.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Problem is it will cost you alot to buy the gpu wouldn't you rather just get the DDR3 version when you buy the laptop? I want a laptop pre customised; not buy it then spend another £250 upgrading it thats £1000.

My main gripe is that noisy ass fan vent that sticks an inch out of the back because it has cooling issues.

Also if you do a search on that site you will find one C90s user who after 4 months has bits falling off his c90s a few also said the same; alot of people have had various problems so thats why I'm gonna pass. The same thing put me off the Dell inspiron 1520.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

well i just noticed that the shops in glasgow so i think i'll go see them tomorow and ask him a few questions, like how the hell he put a quad core in it without exploding. and if he could get the ddr3 card c90s. but if i was you i would go for the dell especially with the time limit and everything.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

From what I've read you can only go up to 3GB of RAM otherwise the C90s doesn't turn on with a battery and that it will only currently accept dual core.

What budget are you on because if you buy it and replace the parts the price goes up big time. You could buy a barebone but the problem then is to find suppliers for all the parts and then even more so those pesky drivers.

Being £80 cheaper with WXGA+ it is tempting though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Quote:

From what I've read you can only go up to 3GB of RAM otherwise the C90s doesn't turn on with a battery and that it will only currently accept dual core.

What budget are you on because if you buy it and replace the parts the price goes up big time. You could buy a barebone but the problem then is to find suppliers for all the parts and then even more so those pesky drivers.

Being £80 cheaper with WXGA+ it is tempting though.

right now my laptops permanently plugged into the wall anyways and it has 2 hours battery life so i wouldn't hav any problems with that. i've started thinking as well, maybe the dell is slightly better, there does just seem to be too many doubts about the c90s. the thing that bothers me is the reliability and not to mention extra costs, which i think could be worth it, being PC components, it should last longer and perform better than the dell when installed with the DDR3 card. that would probably take it near the £1000 mark, which for a laptop with the spec that you'd have would stil be a good deal, but only because of the screen.

edit: i'm sure 2gig of RAM is enough to run most heavy weight processes (i don't use vista)
another edit: my budgets between £800 and £900-950, i noticed as well the laptopsandpcs site has upped the price of the c90s, because my bookmarked page and the websites current pages prices are different, so it might not be £80 cheaper any more, sucks

I was speaking idiomatically.

the guy at the shop said that he couldn't get a hold of an asus c90s wit the 8600 GT with the DDR3 memory, and that asus brought out an update for the BIOS supposedly to allow for quad core support and that it worked fine, i asked about overheating and he said it wasn't a problem.

i'm just gonna wait for the better asus c90s to come out before i buy one. i'm in no rush.

so did you order the dell? they seem to be overwhelmed at the minute, they say its gonna take at least two weeks to deliver.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Hopefully order it tonight.

I don't believe that, from what I've been told it gets hot and noisy. Check out some sites to see if they have modded it, I'm sure somebody has so its smaller and quieter, looks easy enough to.

Check out the 4 fans which stick out an inch from the back: i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/170358-500-344.jpg



EDIT: If you order over the phone you get the 1440x900 screen and the guy gave me another £50 off after I pleaded with him I'm a student, THATS £859 DELIVERED. W0000000000000000000000000000T!. Est time of delivery before 15th January.

Most amazing jew boots

Quote:

Check out the 4 fans which stick out an inch from the back: i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/170358-500-344.jpg



EDIT: If you order over the phone you get the 1440x900 screen and the guy gave me another £50 off after I pleaded with him I'm a student, THATS £859 DELIVERED. W0000000000000000000000000000T!. Est time of delivery before 15th January.

the fans don't bother me, i won't be leaving the house with it anyways. good haggling to get the £50 off by the way, the old student excuse, always works.

well am gonna try and find a release date for the DDR3 asus. i need to get some stuff before the laptop anyways. but i don't ever think i'll find a better value laptop than the c90s, so i'll just wait until it drops its prices even lower then buy.

oh well am gonna go push my NV geforce go 7200 to its limits. 32mb of pure gaming power!

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?