What Laptop?

[maticman1093]

First off, I am not sure where to put this. So moderators, move this to where you see fit. Thank you

So my parents are getting me a laptop for a graduation gift and I was wondering what you guys think would be a good one. I am looking for school and media oriented, but still be able to play some high end games. It must also be a Microsoft PC and over $700 due to the fact that I can get a free Xbox 360 ;D

So please post the computer and the link so that I may look at it.

Thank you
Matic

[Trig]

Link: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230021

This thing's a beast at an AMAZING price. Plus you can sell the router it comes with to get a little cash back.

EDIT: It may be too big for you though if you wanna lug it around.

[jay]

Well, this would be the right place for you to post this. Also, if you were thinking Mac for anything other then media use, I would have just deleted your post. PC all the way.
It may be over your price range but I recommend that you get the i7 version of this:
www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Screen+size&v1=Over+16.9&series_name=ENVY17_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/Over_16.9/ENVY17_series
HP has some amazing deals other than the above link too, I guess the above is just a best case thing. Just shop around the website and make sure it has an i7 processor.
Warning though, expect to need a cooling pad to stop any i7 you get from overheating.
A faster i5 will be better for intensive gaming then an i7 because few games/programs can run in multiple cores, but for school and media oriented stuff you totally want an i7.

[Trig]

The 5870 mobile out-performs the 6850M, which that HP has. I don't think spending $400 or more dollars to get that HP is justified...unless you want to pay for aesthetics or your loaded out the bum with cash. The ASUS I linked has an i7 processor and a better (I use the term lightly) GPU. The only negative thing is that the catalyst drivers can be kinda suckish, but both cards in the laptops linked are ATI.

[jay]

They do not sell the one I bought anymore but I spent way more then I should have. HP really isn't bad, you just have to shop their site to find their deals which end up being quite good.
Speaking from experience, the aesthetics are mostly pointless. HP does have some nice aluminum cases though unlike Dell for example who seems to make EVERYTHING out of plastic(Even on their higher grade models). Ohh, and Alienware is a joke.
A 1.73 GHz i7 really isn't to great, it isn't bad but quite pointless. With current tech, such little power in each core kills you.

[Trig]

Although the CPU may be slower, the GPU is the most important part of the computer when it comes to most games, and there is not a large enough increase in performance to justify the price gap (in my opinion). Also, if he wanted he could overclock the cpu to 2.0ghz, which is what the 2630QM runs at normally. The only thing that you may want to consider is that the 740QM will give you less battery life and will run hotter. Anyways, its all up to you Matic!

[kdogg]

I'm liking the specs on the new Lenovo Thinkpad X1... It's Lenovo's IBM based stab at the Apples's Mac Airbook.

shop.lenovo.com/us/products/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1/index.html

I've got one on pre-order now.

I remember the first time I tried a Lenovo Thinkpad... OMG!!! The keyboards are the best thing I've ever seen on a laptop or notebook computer. Even there Ultraportable/Netbook's have the best keyboards I've ever seen. You should go to the store and try typing on one.

I'm typing this on a Lenovo X120e Ultra-portable now.

[jay]

The little nub mouse things freak me out, like I haven't ever figured them out.

[maticman1093]

Thanks guys. I'll look at each one and see what can get me that 360