College-Bound and Origin?

[Aeons]

So I'm getting a new laptop for college, and I was hoping to maybe get some general advice/approval/criticism from you guys about the notebook I picked out.

Uses
-Major in computer related fields (ex. engineering/graphics design/etc.)
-Moderate Gaming
-Desktop Replacement (I won't have a desktop or room to keep one)

(Hopeful) Requirements
-Relatively Portable/Durable (I'll be moving around the campus a lot)
-Decent battery life (lasting maybe a class or two)
-Fairly future-proof (I probably won't be able to afford another computer anytime soon)

Here are the specs of the laptop I was thinking about, an Origin Eon 15-S:

-1920 x 1080 15.6" LED Backlit Glossy LCD Screen
-Single 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 485M
-Intel Core i7-2720QM Quad-Core Processor (2.20GHz), 6MB Cache
-8GB Kingston HyperX Dual-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
-240GB OCZ Vertex 3 - Solid State Drive (1 TB USB 3.0 External)
-6X Blu-ray Reader/8X DVD+/-R/2.4X +DL Super-Multi Drive / Power DVD 7
-Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit Edition
-3 Year Warranty

Total: $3,478

I have an Astro A40 Audio System for Dolby Digital 7.1 Sound.

I'm thinking about a Logitech Performance Mouse MX and a Razer Kabuto Mousepad. Furthermore, I plan to get security software (leaning towards Kaspersky Pure) as well.

Any thoughts or comments on this setup would be greatly appreciated! Is there anything I'm missing? Anything I should get rid of? Thanks!

 

[mnewsham]

Get a cheap $500 laptop and spend 1.5k on a kick ass gaming desktop (that would kill that laptop im gaming)
total cost: $2,000

You will NOT be getting TWO classes of battery life out of ANY gaming laptop so dont even try it xD

You are much better off getting a "work" laptop and a gaming desktop saves money and the desktop is MUCH more powerful

 

[pilzner]

I think you are overdoing it, at that price point money really starts to evaporate.

And forget the future proofing part. Buy a $1000 dollar laptop and put the remainder in savings, maybe even invest it. Take it out 2 years later for another $1000 dollar laptop, and then again 2 years after that.

Here is the (decently capable) laptop I'm considering atm:

http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/g...aptop-2011044/

 

[Aeons]

Thanks for the quick replies so far. I would love to get a high performance desktop with a cheap laptop as you guys have suggested. The only problem is, the dorm I'll be living in is pretty tiny (and I'll be sharing it with a roommate). Considering all the junk we already have planned to put in there, I sincerely doubt I'll be able to fit in a desktop/monitor setup. Furthermore, I'll probably be using the Adobe CS Suite in-class and I'm not sure if a cheap laptop would be able to handle it. Are there any laptop-esque alternatives for me to consider if you guys think the price is a bit too high?

 

[mnewsham]

a small 22-24" monitor and a mid tower case would fit most anywhere

 

[Emulex]

macbook and a desktop dude. thats how it goes.

 

[heymrdj]

Let me warn you all right now that thinks the dude is getting a desktop in a Dorm Room. STOP. Please. Sharing a room with a roomate and even possibly fitting two desktops in is a joke, and alot of places come with only one cat 5 port with no switch allowed to be plugged in. A DTR laptop is really best.

OP what you're asking for is going to be extremely pricey, getting any decent gaming expectations without "evaporating" money as another user said is a very thin line. From my experience it's best to lower your desires for high end gaming and get used to lower resolution (most laptop panels aren't that great anyway). Though I did pay 3,800 for my last DTR.

As for getting any decent battery life, you're going to need spare batteries definitely to get a couple classes. When my 9550t was new (2.2Ghz Core2, 4GB Ram, 8800GTm, 17", dual 320GB black 7200RPM drives in software raid, Vista Ultimate) I could get approximately 3.2 hours brand new in power saving mode with the screen dimmed surfing the web on the big 9cell batter. You're going to have to go with the biggest battery options they have, and then still probably a second pack and maybe an external charger to make life easier. You're going to be lugging 12-15lbs by the time you're done. Is it worth it? For me it was. I love my 9550 more than any other computer I've owned, even more than this 6 core gaming rig, just because it's so much power in such a small area.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Let me warn you all right now that thinks the dude is getting a desktop in a Dorm Room. STOP. Please. Sharing a room with a roomate and even possibly fitting two desktops in is a joke, and alot of places come with only one cat 5 port with no switch allowed to be plugged in. A DTR laptop is really best.

I know plenty of people who put two gaming desktops in a dorm without a problem and you couldn't make a dorm room much smaller than the ones they had. A lot of places have at least two network ports as well.

 

[heymrdj]

I know plenty of people who put two gaming desktops in a dorm without a problem and you couldn't make a dorm room much smaller than the ones they had. A lot of places have at least two network ports as well.

Most of the colleges are using fairly standardized floor plans these days. The two-to-a-room plans involve two beds, one on each side of the room along the wall, then a shared nightstand with the two beds, one desk on one side of the room, a minifridge with a microwave on top on the other side of the room, and then a small common area with a door to get out into the hall, the common area holding a closet (one on each side) for each person, a shower/toilet on one side, and a sink/mirror/vanity on the other side.

http://gsw.edu/~admissions/OaksResidenceHall.shtml

IPFW, IU, AI, UGA, UGS, and SBU are all the same from what I've seen. Just my own personal experiences.

Also remember that if the roommate disagrees with it being brought in (make sure the system is blacked out OP) they can make a case for you to have to remove the offending system. The roommate system is 50/50, and if our roommate fusses about how noisy your system is or that sort of thing, there's things that can happen to get in your way.

 

[Tom]

Get a cheap $500 laptop and spend 1.5k on a kick ass gaming desktop (that would kill that laptop im gaming)
total cost: $2,000

You will NOT be getting TWO classes of battery life out of ANY gaming laptop so dont even try it xD

You are much better off getting a "work" laptop and a gaming desktop saves money and the desktop is MUCH more powerful

Alienware m11x battery is good for 8 hours. At least the C2D version. Costs about $600.

Can play games well enough for somebody who should be studying or getting laid, not playing games. Even a nerd can get laid at least once with the $3000 left over cash.

 

[Aeons]

As for getting any decent battery life, you're going to need spare batteries definitely to get a couple classes.

Okay, thanks for the idea then (and thanks to others who gave advice)! Given my current specs, would anyone be able to give me an estimate about how long a single battery would last?

As for the topic of the size of the room I'll be in, I sadly have to say my dorm is far smaller than the one heymrdj posted (3/4 to 1/2 the size). Also, as a note, any money I save on this wouldn't actually go to me; rather I'm simply saving money for my parents (Graduation gift). That's not to say that I want to needlessly waste money, but it means that I couldn't actually spend any extra money that I don't use on this.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Let me warn you all right now that thinks the dude is getting a desktop in a Dorm Room. STOP. Please. Sharing a room with a roomate and even possibly fitting two desktops in is a joke, and alot of places come with only one cat 5 port with no switch allowed to be plugged in. A DTR laptop is really best.

Hmm. I did. I had a 386DX-40 clone box, and my roomie had a Packard Bell 486-33.
We didn't have a TV or stereo equipment, but there was enough room for our computers. There were two desks in the room (supplied).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Most of the colleges are using fairly standardized floor plans these days. The two-to-a-room plans involve two beds, one on each side of the room along the wall, then a shared nightstand with the two beds, one desk on one side of the room, a minifridge with a microwave on top on the other side of the room, and then a small common area with a door to get out into the hall, the common area holding a closet (one on each side) for each person, a shower/toilet on one side, and a sink/mirror/vanity on the other side.

They put a bathroom in each dorm? That's kinda wasteful of space. No wonder.

 

[heymrdj]

They put a bathroom in each dorm? That's kinda wasteful of space. No wonder.

From what i see in the late 80's GA anyways started doing away with shared dorm buildings where the showers and baths were down the halls. They instead started placing shower stalls and a toilet right in the room.

Also VL, when you had those systems, laptops weren't actually affordable by students. Now they are pretty much as common as the cell phone for college students, so colleges are capitalizing on that appropriately.

 

[Surutcra]

OP, you can get the same specs as that Origin in a Sager NP8150-S1 for $2269 (Origin's are just rebranded Sagers anyway. Which btw are great laptops)

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8150s1-clevo-p150hm-p-2981.html?wconfigure=yes
Vertex 3 240gb $430
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...rtex+3&x=0&y=0
Subtotal: $2699

Also, the gtx 485 has very little to no significant difference in performance from the 6970m. Save yourself the $250-500 and get the 6970m. Would bring your subtotal down to $2450 for the same performance.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-17x-r3-6970m-vs-460m-vs-485m-real-tests.html

You could also save a lot of money on the OS ($150) by getting a student discount or some other deal.


Personally I would get the 2630qm, 6970m and upgrade the monitor to the 95% gamut matte screen (its really nice) other then that, for around $2400 that would be the pefect gaming laptop for me (however I could do without the vertex 3 and get an intel 80gb for boot and 500gb for secondary saving myself about $350)

 

[fuzzymath10]

As a 2010 grad, I would try to avoid a DTR for many reasons:

1) When I got my netbook in 2009, I started carrying it a lot more often than my 14" D630 that I got in 2008, which in turn I carried around a lot more than my 15.4" Inspiron 8500 (a pretty good gaming laptop as of 2004, the year before I started). Size and weight matter when you're on campus and have other stuff like notebooks and textbooks.

2) Find a model that you can use feasibly without the AC adapter. My D630 had almost 10 hours of battery life with the bay battery. An AC adapter adds weight + bulk (especially with powerful laptops), and restricts where you can use it (our libraries were always packed and all the outlets were taken).

If you cannot go the laptop + desktop route, try to find the most efficient 13-14" laptop that can still game reasonably but not destroy your battery. The Alienware might be one of the few that can fill this role. I would avoid getting a larger + shorter battery life laptop just for the sake of having processing+graphics power. Any $800 laptop is powerful enough. Also get an SSD in there.

 

[Surutcra]

I totally agree with Fuzzymath. I used to have a dell xps 17" that i would lug around everywhere back in 2006, worst investment I've ever made. High end laptops go obsolete quick and they just generally don't age well (eventually it just died, high power discrete graphics don't necessarily help the lifespan of your laptop). I'm actually waiting for my Sager np5160 which is a 15" 1080p 2630qm 8gb 540m for about 1k from xoticpc (only about 5lbs). I'm still going to school and have to lug my laptop everywhere so this is the best of both worlds, compact and high performing. I can see myself still loving this laptop in 3-5 years aswell.