Need a new laptop... Again

[RobertPters77]

So yeah, my 14 month old G73 finally crapped out on me. Even after a second motherboard replacement. The shop can't find what's wrong exactly. So Instead of wasting another 300$ to fix it I'm gonna buy a new laptop.

I need;

17.3" Screen Minimum
1600x900 Resolution(1920x1080 preferred)
Sandy Bridge i7 Quad core
HD5850M graphics or better
4gb Memory Minimum
500gb Hd minimum
3+ hours of battery life

Budget is 1.75k

I was thinking about another Asus g73 like this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ASUS+-+L...0g73&cp=1&lp=3

It has all I need. But I want to try something different.

I was also thinking about the toshiba
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834214279

I'm even considering Acer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834215007

 

[Zen0]

A Macbook Pro 17" would suffice, though it would be about $500 over your price range (student price).

 

[RobertPters77]

Three problems with the MBP.

1. The hardware is weak for the price. Gpu is worse than what I currently have. I prefer 1920x1080(16:9) over 1920x1200(16:10) because it's a much wider aspect ratio.

2. I have no use for the mac os. I can only think of one app that works better on the mac's at work than my pc at home. And I use it rarely. To fully take advantage of the mac I'd need to install windows 7 on it. Which is another 200$ added.

3. My gf is pressuring me into buying mac for hermyself. She can use her student discount. But I'd rather get a PC.

 

[gsaldivar]

Unfortunately Lenovo discontinued their 17" with the rollout of Sandy Bridge, otherwise it might have been a perfect fit for you. However, they do offer the W520 which has 1920x1080 in the 15.4" size. I have one myself and absolutely love it... up to 16GB of RAM, quad-core i7 Sandy Bridge, I swapped out the DVD drive for a second hard drive and plan to add the mSATA as soon as they are back in stock over at Newegg. It doesn't meet your specs exactly, but its worth looking at if you are flexible on the screen size.

Unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations in the 17" size. I really can't stand the current trend towards cheap "flat" chiclet keyboards. I have found them terribly uncomfortable to use. Maybe I'm just spoiled from too much Thinkpad use... Good luck!

 

[996GT2]

Dell XPS 17 meets your criteria for well under $1.75k. A configuration with 2 GHz Sandy Bridge Quad Core + 6 GB RAM + NV GT 555M 3GB + 6GB RAM + 500GB HDD + 1080P screen + 9 cell battery is only about $1275 before coupons.

Another option is the HP Envy 17. From what I've heard, the Envy lineup is very well-built. A configuration with 2 GHz SB Quad core, 6GB RAM, HD 6850M, dual 640GB 7200 RPM HDDs, and 1080P screen is only about $1600 before coupons.

 

[RobertPters77]

I want to avoid Dell and HP consumer grade laptops. I've had too many bad experiences with them to count.

 

[gsaldivar]

The Alienware 17" might be an option if you don't mind the dopey "skullcap" styling, but it's still a Dell...

 

[996GT2]

I want to avoid Dell and HP consumer grade laptops. I've had too many bad experiences with them to count.

Well...I doubt Asus or Acer are going to be better in terms of quality compared to something like an HP Envy.

You might want to step up to a mobile workstation like the HP Elitebook if you want something with substantially better quality...but a 17" mobile workstation is going to cost you big time.

Personally, my recommendation would be to get the 15.6" Thinkpad W520. Yes, it's a little smaller than 17, but it comes with the option for a 1080p screen and you can always plug in an external monitor. Thinkpad build quality is way ahead of all the consumer laptops out there from any other manufacturer. Plus, the W520 is actually capable of getting 8+ hours of battery life, unlike the 17" laptops (the Envy only gets about 3 hours with the 9 cell). There is also the option of adding an mSATA-SSD in addition to the main hard drive...so you can essentially have a dual-drive 15" system without an increase in the size of the laptop. Add the fact that the Quadro 2000M in the W520 is on par with the HD 5850, and I think the choice is pretty clear.

If you make an account at lenovo's SPP site (lenovo.com/spp), you can save quite a bit on a W520...even more than educational discounts, I believe.

EDIT: Here's a sample W520 configuration using Lenovo's SPP site. Add another 4GB DIMM for ~$35 and you're all set.

btw, Laptop magazine tested a similarly configured W520 to have over 9 hours of battery life in their wi-fi surfing test, using the standard 9-cell battery.
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-w520.aspx?page=2

 

[Zen0]

Three problems with the MBP.

1. The hardware is weak for the price. Gpu is worse than what I currently have. I prefer 1920x1080(16:9) over 1920x1200(16:10) because it's a much wider aspect ratio.

2. I have no use for the mac os. I can only think of one app that works better on the mac's at work than my pc at home. And I use it rarely. To fully take advantage of the mac I'd need to install windows 7 on it. Which is another 200$ added.

3. My gf is pressuring me into buying mac for hermyself. She can use her student discount. But I'd rather get a PC.

Well, you're kind of stuck. If you want to continue down the road of crappy plastic consumer quality Asuses, Dells and HPs, then you can...

1) You get more pixels. You don't like more pixels? Yes, GPU is a little weaker (GTX260M level) versus a 5850M, but conversely a 5850M is not much faster either.
2) Yes, you'll have to get Windows 7 to game on it
3) OK

 

[Brainonska511]

Well, you're kind of stuck. If you want to continue down the road of crappy plastic consumer quality Asuses, Dells and HPs, then you can...

It's kind of funny, when I got my Asus notebook, the W and V series notebooks were fantastically built. My W3J is going going to be 5 years old in June: still going strong, though I am starting to look for a replacement myself, just because of its age and speed. It's a shame they've resorted to mostly plastic, disposable junk.

 

[Tom]

I want to avoid Dell and HP consumer grade laptops. I've had too many bad experiences with them to count.

Yea, it sounds like your Asus was a really wonderful product.

my grandkids use a Dell 1318 daily. It gets tons of abuse, been dropped several times. Works perfectly for more than 3 years.

I'd look at the Alienware m17x for what you're looking for. I have an m11x and it's very well built.

 

[alent1234]

I want to avoid Dell and HP consumer grade laptops. I've had too many bad experiences with them to count.

they are all made in China by slave labor. even macbooks are made by foxconn and the rumor is that quanta is designing next year's model

 

[alent1234]

Three problems with the MBP.

1. The hardware is weak for the price. Gpu is worse than what I currently have. I prefer 1920x1080(16:9) over 1920x1200(16:10) because it's a much wider aspect ratio.

2. I have no use for the mac os. I can only think of one app that works better on the mac's at work than my pc at home. And I use it rarely. To fully take advantage of the mac I'd need to install windows 7 on it. Which is another 200$ added.

3. My gf is pressuring me into buying mac for hermyself. She can use her student discount. But I'd rather get a PC.

how are MBP GPU's weak? i was checking benchmarks and the radeon 6750 1GB in the new ones outperforms the 2GB geforece 540GT in the dell xps line

 

[RobertPters77]

@zeno

You've never used a g73 have you? It's the best laptop I ever owned. Just because a laptop is made with plastic, that does not make it bad. The new MBP's have problems with overheating because of the all metal unibody design.

1. It's not about pixels. It's about screen real estate. Refer to these.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2374/aspectratios6xw.gif

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/3065794828_3d35513ce7_o.jpg

16:9 gives you better peripheral vision awareness over 16:10, in exchange for a slight vertical space loss.


2. Not just games, But tons of Windows only software.

3. Alright.


@tom

It was. It really was.

 

[RobertPters77]

how are MBP GPU's weak? i was checking benchmarks and the radeon 6750 1GB in the new ones outperforms the 2GB geforece 540GT in the dell xps line

Weak compared to what I need it for. And weak price wise. The MBP starts at 2500$ with the 6750. The XPS starts at 900$ with the GT540.

 

[alent1234]

See what you mean after I priced it out. The top end 15" and the 13" models are good deals this year the others not so much.

 

[996GT2]

@zeno

You've never used a g73 have you? It's the best laptop I ever owned. Just because a laptop is made with plastic, that does not make it bad. The new MBP's have problems with overheating because of the all metal unibody design.

1. It's not about pixels. It's about screen real estate. Refer to these.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2374/aspectratios6xw.gif

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/3065794828_3d35513ce7_o.jpg

16:9 gives you better peripheral vision awareness over 16:10, in exchange for a slight vertical space loss.


2. Not just games, But tons of Windows only software.

3. Alright.


@tom

It was. It really was.

Pretty sure tom was being sarcastic there...

OP, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. We've suggested some very capable alternatives, but it seems like nothing appeals to you more than another Asus. So, it seems like the logical thing to do here is to...

...get another Asus...

 

[Ns1]

Three problems with the MBP.

1. The hardware is weak for the price. Gpu is worse than what I currently have. I prefer 1920x1080(16:9) over 1920x1200(16:10) because it's a much wider aspect ratio.

2. I have no use for the mac os. I can only think of one app that works better on the mac's at work than my pc at home. And I use it rarely. To fully take advantage of the mac I'd need to install windows 7 on it. Which is another 200$ added.

3. My gf is pressuring me into buying mac for hermyself. She can use her student discount. But I'd rather get a PC.

well if you had a mac and spent $200 on applecare you'd have 3 years of trouble-free laptop usage (assuming you're within 20 miles of an apple store)

walk in, drop off laptop, pick up 3 days later fixed. easy peasy.

 

[Zen0]

@zeno

You've never used a g73 have you? It's the best laptop I ever owned. Just because a laptop is made with plastic, that does not make it bad. The new MBP's have problems with overheating because of the all metal unibody design.

1. It's not about pixels. It's about screen real estate. Refer to these.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2374/aspectratios6xw.gif

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/3065794828_3d35513ce7_o.jpg

16:9 gives you better peripheral vision awareness over 16:10, in exchange for a slight vertical space loss.


2. Not just games, But tons of Windows only software.

3. Alright.


@tom

It was. It really was.

Used one? Owned one. Couldn't play anything for long without grey screen crashing or locking. It was the worst Asus I've ever owned, and I've owned nearly every G iteration.

The screen, while decent, comes nowhere close to MbP quality, brightness and contrast. This is the HD screen I owned, the one BestBuy sold was pure shit.

Laptops, I've owned em all.... Let's talk about Alienware M15x and M11x quality and issues heh...

 

[alent1234]

well if you had a mac and spent $70 on applecare you'd have 3 years of trouble-free laptop usage (assuming you're within 20 miles of an apple store)

walk in, drop off laptop, pick up 3 days later fixed. easy peasy.

where do you buy applecare for a MBP for $70?

 

[Ns1]

where do you buy applecare for a MBP for $70?

sorry, fixed.

didn't realize it was different pricing for different products.

 

[RobertPters77]

@996GT2
I considered all suggestions. And checked out all the manufacturers web pages. Nothing appeals to me as much as the asus and toshiba. Asus I admit I'm biased towards because I had such a good experience with it.

@Ns1
Nope. The damage was my fault. I don't blame asus for it dying.

@zeno
What? I've never had a problem with mine. Did you somehow block the rear exhaust ports?

The screen I like, but it's not enough to justify paying the price premium.

I. Will. Not touch alienware.

 

[996GT2]

@996GT2
I considered all suggestions. And checked out all the manufacturers web pages. Nothing appeals to me as much as the asus and toshiba. Asus I admit I'm biased towards because I had such a good experience with it.

@Ns1
Nope. The damage was my fault. I don't blame asus for it dying.

@zeno
What? I've never had a problem with mine. Did you somehow block the rear exhaust ports?

The screen I like, but it's not enough to justify paying the price premium.

I. Will. Not touch alienware.

Well, then your decision has been made already. No need to ask on a forum, is there?

 

[Zen0]

Well, then your decision has been made already. No need to ask on a forum, is there?

" Even after a second motherboard replacement. The shop can't find what's wrong exactly."

Such a wonderful experience.

 

[Zen0]

@996GT2
I considered all suggestions. And checked out all the manufacturers web pages. Nothing appeals to me as much as the asus and toshiba. Asus I admit I'm biased towards because I had such a good experience with it.

@Ns1
Nope. The damage was my fault. I don't blame asus for it dying.

@zeno
What? I've never had a problem with mine. Did you somehow block the rear exhaust ports?

The screen I like, but it's not enough to justify paying the price premium.

I. Will. Not touch alienware.

Do you even own a G73?

It has one of the largest amount of GPU issues ever experienced in any released system.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/