amck77
06-06-2009, 05:16 PM
Hey everyone,
Sorry to have another "which laptop shall I go for thread" but i'd like some advice/ help on choosing, its starting to do my head in.
To begin with I was all for a 13inch MacBook, but now i've looked around, I've seen better value for money on other brands that are actually better then the MacBooks. Though this has got me wanting more and more features :P
I got these questions from another forum I was looking at which seam pretty useful:
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
£0 - £900 maybe a bit more if its exactly what I want.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
13" - 14"
3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
UK - Probably off the internet.
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Not really as I've only ever had one laptop - a Comapq which has a pretty bad build quality so I'm a bit warey. I want something which is solid.
5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Browsing the internet, skype, word processing occasional game.
6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
I will be taking the laptop places like uni so I want it to be as light as possible. Will be used as my main PC.
7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
Sometimes, mostly FPS like Counter-Strike Source. Pretty much all I play. Would be good if it could play more recent stuff also.
8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the merrier! Min 3 I guess...
9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Don't mind to much.
10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows Vista for now. Maybe Linux on SD cards if it had a card reader built in.
Screen Specifics
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271#resolution) would you prefer?
1280x800 would be ok I guess, don't think you get much more on a 13 inch screen...
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271#glossy)?
Don't mind, Would like an LED one though for battery power saving...
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Sort of, but mostly something that isn't going to break or scratch to easily as it will be moved about quite a bit.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Quite along time, so would like futured proofed things like DDR3...
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
A decent size as I can always upgrade it my self, I also have a terabyte drive which everything is on so wouldn't matter to much. Would rather stay away from SSD though since there waaaaay to expensive atm...
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
Yes - DVD-RW don't think I'd use a blueray enough for it to be fesable.
Other things I would like are:
Backlit keyboard
Maybe an SD card reader
Something nice and light weight and will not break easily
Wireless N
Bluetooth
Possibly a port replicator for the future as this will be my main computer and I plan on plugging it into my larger monitor, hence i'm ok with the 13inchs.
Firewire is not important to me.
I hope i'm not asking to much, I know i'll probably have to comprimise on some of the features I want, but something close to that would be really good!
I've just been looking at a Dell Studio XPS 13, but i read a review which didn't rate its keyboard very highly.
Also saw a few nice Samsungs, but i've lost track of which ones... :S
But anyway, it will be much apreciated for and help you might be able to give me.
Thanks again!
Alex
http://i.dell.com/images/global/general/spacer.gif
Sorry to have another "which laptop shall I go for thread" but i'd like some advice/ help on choosing, its starting to do my head in.
To begin with I was all for a 13inch MacBook, but now i've looked around, I've seen better value for money on other brands that are actually better then the MacBooks. Though this has got me wanting more and more features :P
I got these questions from another forum I was looking at which seam pretty useful:
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
£0 - £900 maybe a bit more if its exactly what I want.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
13" - 14"
3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
UK - Probably off the internet.
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Not really as I've only ever had one laptop - a Comapq which has a pretty bad build quality so I'm a bit warey. I want something which is solid.
5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Browsing the internet, skype, word processing occasional game.
6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
I will be taking the laptop places like uni so I want it to be as light as possible. Will be used as my main PC.
7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
Sometimes, mostly FPS like Counter-Strike Source. Pretty much all I play. Would be good if it could play more recent stuff also.
8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the merrier! Min 3 I guess...
9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Don't mind to much.
10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows Vista for now. Maybe Linux on SD cards if it had a card reader built in.
Screen Specifics
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271#resolution) would you prefer?
1280x800 would be ok I guess, don't think you get much more on a 13 inch screen...
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen (http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271#glossy)?
Don't mind, Would like an LED one though for battery power saving...
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Sort of, but mostly something that isn't going to break or scratch to easily as it will be moved about quite a bit.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Quite along time, so would like futured proofed things like DDR3...
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
A decent size as I can always upgrade it my self, I also have a terabyte drive which everything is on so wouldn't matter to much. Would rather stay away from SSD though since there waaaaay to expensive atm...
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
Yes - DVD-RW don't think I'd use a blueray enough for it to be fesable.
Other things I would like are:
Backlit keyboard
Maybe an SD card reader
Something nice and light weight and will not break easily
Wireless N
Bluetooth
Possibly a port replicator for the future as this will be my main computer and I plan on plugging it into my larger monitor, hence i'm ok with the 13inchs.
Firewire is not important to me.
I hope i'm not asking to much, I know i'll probably have to comprimise on some of the features I want, but something close to that would be really good!
I've just been looking at a Dell Studio XPS 13, but i read a review which didn't rate its keyboard very highly.
Also saw a few nice Samsungs, but i've lost track of which ones... :S
But anyway, it will be much apreciated for and help you might be able to give me.
Thanks again!
Alex
http://i.dell.com/images/global/general/spacer.gif