The College Laptop Game *POLL*

[d2arcturus]

I know what you're probably thinking: "you don't really need a laptop for college", and for some people that very well may be the case. I, although, am in a different situation. My college program requires the student to have their own laptop to bring to class, and take it back to their dorm/apt/etc, as all in-class work/projects/assignments are done on the laptops.

They also don't go easy on you with the specs, recommended are:
-Pentium M 2GHz (P4 3GHz) or Better
-1024MB of RAM
-60GB HD
-DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
-10/100/1000 Ethernet
-802.11b/g Wireless
-14" XGA or better
-2 or more USB 2.0
-Windows XP Pro Upgrade is Provided by the School

I've decided on a 15.4" screen, either WSXGA or WUXGA, as it will be the best size for carrying it around yet having a big enough screen for games and movies. I have a desktop, so on the lappy I only plan to play games like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft.

I've narrowed the desicion down between 3 laptops, and am having a tough time deciding which to choose. Weight does not bother me at all.

Sager 7620:
15.4" WUXGA
Pentium 4 550 3.4GHz w/ HT
Mobility X800 GDDR3 or Go 6800 GDDR3
1024MB DDR400 (2x512MB)
60GB 7200RPM
DVD/CD-RW Combo
3.5" Floppy (in SmartBay)
10/100/1000 NIC
802.11g Wireless
3-in-1 Card Reader
Windows XP Home
12-Cell Battery
Targus Backpack

Pros
-Best gaming performance
-SmartBay that can hold extra battery,
CD-Drive, Hard Drive, etc.
Cons
-Heat
-Thick
-Low batt. life

Sager 3880:
15.4" WUXGA
Pentium M 760 2GHz
Go 6600 128MB
1024MB DDR2 (2x512MB) 533MHz
60GB 7200RPM
DVD/CD-RW Combo
10/100/1000 NIC
802.11a/b/g Wireless
4-in-1 Card Reader
Windows XP Home
12-Cell Battery
Targus Backpack

Pros
-Longer battery life and
-Thinner than 7620
Cons
-12-Cell batt. is too big Pic1 Pic2
-Weak graphics

Acer Ferrari 4000:
15.4" WSXGA
AMD Turion ML-37 2GHz
Mobility X700 128MB
1024MB DRR333 (2x512MB)
100GB (Assumed 5400RPM)
DVD Writer/CD-RW Combo
10/100/1000 NIC
802.11b/g Wireless
5-in-1 Card Reader
Windows XP Pro
8-Cell Battery
No Case

Pros
-Smallest of three
-Free mouse
Cons
-WSXGA instead of WUXGA
-Slower hard drive

If other Pros/Cons can be pointed out it would be appreciated, thanks for the help.

 

[duckdown]

I'd pick the Ferrari, but it costs a fortune here in Canada ($2700 with taxes for the 4005 model)

Turion is a definite cool feature too

 

[imported_Kensai]

I like the 3880.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Kensai
I like the 3880.

 

[Wall7486]

If weight does not bother you at all, then I don't see why DELL XPS is not in your list. The 7620 uses desktop processor, and that's a big no no for heat and battery life efficiency. The 3380 is good overall, if your satisfied with a 6600Go and decent performance then it is your pick. I'm not a big fan of the Acer series, due to their slow hard drives and bad experience with them.

I think it comes down to what's ur budget?
If you can go all out and weight is not a problem, then a XPS is a good way to go.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Wall7486
If weight does not bother you at all, then I don't see why DELL XPS is not in your list. The 7620 uses desktop processor, and that's a big no no for heat and battery life efficiency. The 3380 is good overall, if your satisfied with a 6600Go and decent performance then it is your pick. I'm not a big fan of the Acer series, due to their slow hard drives and bad experience with them.

I think it comes down to what's ur budget?
If you can go all out and weight is not a problem, then a XPS is a good way to go.

Did you see the desktop system he will have? a VERY nice and kickass one. IMO, since he is going to have such a nice one, his laptop should FIRST be as light and portable as possible. IMO there is no need to have such a big laptop since he will have his desktop there at school.

 

[d2arcturus]

Originally posted by: Wall7486
If you can go all out and weight is not a problem, then a XPS is a good way to go.

I considered it, and weight is not a problem, but the XPS screen is too big (17"), I rather have something smaller and more manageble to carry around.

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Did you see the desktop system he will have? a VERY nice and kickass one. IMO, since he is going to have such a nice one, his laptop should FIRST be as light and portable as possible. IMO there is no need to have such a big laptop since he will have his desktop there at school.

Yeah the desktop will be my gaming machine, I just want the lappy to be a good enough performer to play most MMOs, which is what I play when I go to lanparties.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: d2arcturus

Originally posted by: Wall7486
If you can go all out and weight is not a problem, then a XPS is a good way to go.

I considered it, and weight is not a problem, but the XPS screen is too big (17"), I rather have something smaller and more manageble to carry around.

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Did you see the desktop system he will have? a VERY nice and kickass one. IMO, since he is going to have such a nice one, his laptop should FIRST be as light and portable as possible. IMO there is no need to have such a big laptop since he will have his desktop there at school.

Yeah the desktop will be my gaming machine, I just want the lappy to be a good enough performer to play most MMOs, which is what I play when I go to lanparties.

Wait...I didnt know MMOs were even played at lan parties..what is the point of that?

Anyway..yeah..I think you should concentrate more on portability rather than a "desktop replacement" machine, which is wy I like the 3880.

 

[d2arcturus]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Wait...I didnt know MMOs were even played at lan parties..what is the point of that?

Anyway..yeah..I think you should concentrate more on portability rather than a "desktop replacement" machine, which is wy I like the 3880.

It's not as much of a conventional lanparty as it is a bunch of guys drunkily playing WoW all in the same room. On weekends it's more fun that way :laugh:.

The only reason I am still considering the 7620 is for the SmartBay. It has the ability for twice the battery life, another HD, or another optical dive.

 

[GTPoompt]

I'd take the 3880 IMO. Looks real nice.

 

[miketheidiot]

Sager 3880

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: d2arcturus

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Wait...I didnt know MMOs were even played at lan parties..what is the point of that?

Anyway..yeah..I think you should concentrate more on portability rather than a "desktop replacement" machine, which is wy I like the 3880.

It's not as much of a conventional lanparty as it is a bunch of guys drunkily playing WoW all in the same room. On weekends it's more fun that way :laugh:.

The only reason I am still considering the 7620 is for the SmartBay. It has the ability for twice the battery life, another HD, or another optical dive.

Meh, how often will you not be near an outlet for an extended period of time? I can only think of road trips or flights.

Oh, and did you notice the fact that the standard batterylife of the 7620 is already more than half of the 3880s (7620 - Primary Battery Life 1 to 1.5 hour.........it is 3-4 on the 3880)? It would REQUIRE the extra battery to even get near the standard 3880s battery life. IMO that takes that out of the equation.

And for another HD or optical drive...you could just get a nice extrenal bay and throw in whatever you wanted (HD, DVD burner) whatever.

 

[remagavon]

IBM T43P. 5hrs of battery life will be a godsend, and it has a 1600x1200 lcd which will be great for programming. A solid keyboard/interface/good build qualitry are much more important than hauling it to a lanparty to play an mmo. If you have a nice desktop system then seriously just haul that around when you need to game. A heavyweight laptop is not the best thing to bring to class. Also remember that a lot of the heavy gaming laptops have extremely loud fans, which will annoy the hell out of everyone in your class (unless they have similar laptops). My T23 which has a moderate fan was noticable and somewhat distracting, luckily it was silent most of the time (idle/msword).

Give it some thought.

 

[DanDaMan315]

I've always had a soft spot for the Ferrari, that's what I'd go with for sure.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

You must go to some whack college because with all my EE and CS courses we dont need to bring our laptops anywhere--and mind you I don't go to some crappy school with a crappy EECS program.

That said I say you should buy a HP NC6000 (like an IBM T42) and use it for everyday work. Get a desktop in ADDITION for power gaming. Don't waste on your laptop.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
You must go to some whack college because with all my EE and CS courses we dont need to bring our laptops anywhere--and mind you I don't go to some crappy school with a crappy EECS program.

That said I say you should buy a HP NC6000 (like an IBM T42) and use it for everyday work. Get a desktop in ADDITION for power gaming. Don't waste on your laptop.

Uh..did you read everything? He already has/will be building a very nice gaming desktop, but he still takes his laptop to lans to play some mmorpgs and the such.

 

[Topweasel]

Since I am wearing one of my Ferrari Formula One polos and I have only used AMD CPU's since i sold my celery 366, I would have to reccomend the ACER. The Funny thing is they were designed by ACER to supply Ferrari at the request of AMD (who sponsors Ferrari). ACER decided that they would work a Ferrari license out of this. They then decided to sell the machines that they were building for AMD/Ferrari to everyone. So in reality your buying a highly devloped system for use with very important technical data of cars going 230 MPH. If it were a Normal ACER i would say spit on it, but it is not a Normal ACER and is above and beyond the most realiable and trustworthy product to every leave ACER.

 

[Topweasel]

Awesome Just noticed the cover is actually CarbonFibre, That is both pimp and cool.

 

[Pabster]

I'd take the 3880.

 

[d2arcturus]

I was looking at the T43 but the 3DMark 05 score makes me want to cry.

 

[amdskip]

I have an X31 Thinkpad. It has a 12" screen and I bring it to every class that allows students to use a a laptop (most don't allow it). I have played WOW on this thing and it has no fancy graphics or anything. I would get a T43 in a heartbeat if I was buying a new laptop.