Can't decide on whiat new laptop to buy

[linsjean]

Hi,

I am now ready to buy a brand new computer, another laptop. I am not that big into gaming or huge video editing. There are some things that I know I want like the following:

- Windows 7 (I do not want to transition from Vista to Windows 8)
- 64 bit version
- at least 4 gigs of RAM
- At least 500 GB HD
- willing to spend $900 to $1,000 for a laptop
- prefer an HP, but ok with a Dell
- at least 3 USB ports that are 3.0 in power and an additional one that could be 2.0
- built in webcam
- i5 processor
- straight keyboard (not interested in the ergo type slanted KB)
- DVD player, DVD writer, DVD burner
- backlit keyboard

I was speaking to an HP sale rep today via live chat and at one point she said this, ""It comes with SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support. However, since this is customizable, you can choose to have either Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner or Blu-ray writer & SuperMulti DVD burner" I'm not familiar with some of these terms, so not sure was double layer support or the other stuff means. Before I buy, I must learn the lingo, lol

I know I am leaving important facts out, but I am hoping to gather some opinions from many and then make my decision. I have spent hours looking at reviews and still confused.

thanks!

[PCVSNotebook]

Hi,

You missed the major things to mention :

1- Size of LCD ... 11 inch ? 12? 13?14?15?17?

2- Type of LCD , TN? MVA ? IPS (the best viewing angle)

3- Resolution of LCD ... 1366x768? 1600x900 ? 1920x1080?

4- light and slim or heavy and powerful , or in the middle of this and that?

5- battery life important or not? battery removable or not (for carrying extra battery) ?

6- do you want dedicated VGA that can switch with HD4000 for battery life or not ?

7- GO windows 8 on laptops it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE especially with touch screen !

8- Lenovo Thinkpad are better than anything from HP and DELL ... you will never regret using a Thinkpad !

9- GO SSD , it is CHEAP today ! and within your 1000$ budget .

10- do you want ultra low voltage i5 ? or normal i5 ?

11- why do you need 3x usb3 ? you will miss alot of good notebooks if you insist on 3 usb3 ports .. most have 2 usb3

Please reply fast

Edit:

check those , are the best IMO

1- Lenovo Thinkpad T430/T530 series

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...ef-id=products

2- Lenovo thinkpad Twist series

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...1EC325&redir=y

you will never regret using a Thinkpad !!!

as for harddisk and SSD , you can get a 256G SSD cheap today and replace the mechanical drive ..

[linsjean]

Hi,

You missed the major things to mention :

1- Size of LCD ... 11 inch ? 12? 13?14?15?17?

2- Type of LCD , TN? MVA ? IPS (the best viewing angle)

3- Resolution of LCD ... 1366x768? 1600x900 ? 1920x1080?

4- light and slim or heavy and powerful , or in the middle of this and that?

5- battery life important or not? battery removable or not (for carrying extra battery) ?

6- do you want dedicated VGA that can switch with HD4000 for battery life or not ?

7- GO windows 8 on laptops it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE especially with touch screen !

8- Lenovo Thinkpad are better than anything from HP and DELL ... you will never regret using a Thinkpad !

9- GO SSD , it is CHEAP today ! and within your 1000$ budget .

10- do you want ultra low voltage i5 ? or normal i5 ?

11- why do you need 3x usb3 ? you will miss alot of good notebooks if you insist on 3 usb3 ports .. most have 2 usb3

Please reply fast

Edit:

check those , are the best IMO

1- Lenovo Thinkpad T430/T530 series

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...ef-id=products

2- Lenovo thinkpad Twist series

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...1EC325&redir=y

you will never regret using a Thinkpad !!!

as for harddisk and SSD , you can get a 256G SSD cheap today and replace the mechanical drive ..

I should have said this in the beginning. At home, I use my laptop almost like a regular desktop computer with external KB, external speakers, external mouse. I have so many things to plug in that I use a hub. I only take it with me to work sometimes so I like the portability and like bringing it to places where they have WiFi once in a while, but since this is a big investment for me, I would like to get the best for my buck. I also have an external HD.

1. LCD - I guess 15 "
2. TYpe of LCD - IPS
3. Resolution of LCD - whatever is best
4- light and slim or heavy and powerful , or in the middle of this and that? - Middle
5. battery life important or not? battery removable or not (for carrying extra battery) ? - I want the battery to be removable. Battery life up to 4 hours or better
6- do you want dedicated VGA that can switch with HD4000 for battery life or not ? - Yes, but it doesn't have it, it's not a deal breaker
7- GO windows 8 on laptops it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE especially with touch screen ! - OK, but I hope someone can teach me how to use it straight from the box
8- Lenovo Thinkpad are better than anything from HP and DELL ... you will never regret using a Thinkpad ! - Wondering why they called it a Thinkpad, lol. but ok
9- GO SSD , it is CHEAP today ! and within your 1000$ budget. - OK
10- do you want ultra low voltage i5 ? or normal i5 ? - I guess normal. I want better performance. I have had to do two complete recoveries with this Vista laptop!
11- why do you need 3x usb3 ? you will miss alot of good notebooks if you insist on 3 usb3 ports .. most have 2 usb3. - OK, 2 usb3. Just thinking of how I can plug in everything I have, including a printer. And sometimes I get "Your device may work better using higher USB." I have just the 2.0's.

So, does the T430 have all these options? The one for $799? I would hate to lose my Office Suite on my current laptop, but I'm thinking of keeping my laptop, but it would be a hassle to keep switching. I would like a wireless mouse and wireless kb, but can get those things anywhere.

James, thanks for your input.

So, whatcha think?

(edited for spelling errors)

[James]

1. LCD - I guess 15 "
2. TYpe of LCD - IPS

Sadly your answer to number 2 means that you will not be getting a Lenovo. They no longer make anything with IPS panels*. Which is very sad and troubling.


*Edit: Except for the X220, which is a 12" 4:3 format system that other than the screen, is very subpar in my opinion.

**Edit2: What devices are you using that are complaining about USB2.0 being too slow? (curiosity question)

[linsjean]

Sadly your answer to number 2 means that you will not be getting a Lenovo. They no longer make anything with IPS panels*. Which is very sad and troubling.


*Edit: Except for the X220, which is a 12" 4:3 format system that other than the screen, is very subpar in my opinion.

**Edit2: What devices are you using that are complaining about USB2.0 being too slow? (curiosity question)

What do you think about this laptop? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+ENV...47#tab=reviews

To answer your questiion, whenever I plug in my external Logitech webam, I get that message of being too slow, or my mouse or my keyboard, everything. tell me how I can get to my specs to show you what I have now on this Vista laptop?

[James]

What do you think about this laptop? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+ENV...47#tab=reviews

To answer your questiion, whenever I plug in my external Logitech webam, I get that message of being too slow, or my mouse or my keyboard, everything. tell me how I can get to my specs to show you what I have now on this Vista laptop?

Your keyboard and mouse should never complain about USB 2.0 being too slow. Free program called CPU-Z, or you could just right click on My Computer/Computer and select Properties.

[PCVSNotebook]

What do you think about this laptop? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+ENV...47#tab=reviews

To answer your questiion, whenever I plug in my external Logitech webam, I get that message of being too slow, or my mouse or my keyboard, everything. tell me how I can get to my specs to show you what I have now on this Vista laptop?

thats no IPS ... I will look for one for you within your specs .. but I am afraid for what you have asked, will reach 1200$ price point.

edit : Get the Lenovo T530

Here are the specs

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/te...t-series/t530/


Here is the Shopping link

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...FB&action=init

Choose the 799$ one , then Customize , BE SURE to CHANGE THE SCREEN TO 1920x1080 for 250$ more ... this has FULL COLOR GAMUT , UNIQUE among notebooks !


Thats 1050$ as is and is GREAT , you can add SSD later on !

you can change the specs as you see fit as well.

This note book BEATS anything in the market ! for its Price and durability ... you CAN spill hot coffee on it and then a glass of water to clean the coffee and leave it to dry ! and it will be as new !

[PCVSNotebook]

Sadly your answer to number 2 means that you will not be getting a Lenovo. They no longer make anything with IPS panels*. Which is very sad and troubling.


*Edit: Except for the X220, which is a 12" 4:3 format system that other than the screen, is very subpar in my opinion.

**Edit2: What devices are you using that are complaining about USB2.0 being too slow? (curiosity question)

The T530 has a full color gamut option , I assume thats an IPS ...

Check the specs here

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/te...t-series/t530/

[James]

The T530 has a full color gamut option , I assume thats an IPS ...

Full Color Gamut != IPS

You assume incorrectly unfortunately. Full color gamut TN panels are popular on "premium" laptops. But they are still TN panels. Go off-axis, and your colors wash out and eventually invert. Most laptop providers tout their horizontal viewing angles, which are nearly pointless in a laptop setting. Vertical viewing angles are much more vital, and the weakest point for TN panels. Full color is great, but if you can only see it while sitting directly in front of the screen within a very small viewing angle, it doesn't do much for you.


*Edit: In reality I might be much too harsh about this. It comes down to what you can deal with personally.

[James]

I can second a Lenovo T430. I have the T420, and I'm kind of sad I didn't wait for the refresh to USB 3.0 ports.

That being said, my only complaint with 14" laptops is the subpar panels in them. Even lenovo's "premium" 14" panel is 1600x900 TN display with god-awful viewing angles. With a 15" display, you have more of a chance of finding a replacement screen/upgrade that is IPS and you can actually use without having it at a very specific spot in front of you. I recently tried to use my T420 on the airplane. It was too close, and thus I couldn't see anything on the screen because of a too-sharp viewing angle. Irked me to no end.

*Edit: I got a fairly basic T420, was around $700. When I added in my own 240GB SSD (Mushkin Chronos Deluxe) and 16GB of RAM, it was right at $1000 total price.

[James]

Intel 4 Series Express Chipset datasheet

The 4 Series chipset supports 12x USB2.0 ports natively, so I doubt you have 1.0 ports on your laptop.

[linsjean]

ok, now I am unhappy since I took this brand new laptop out of the box (bought it fro Best Buy online). It is an HP Envy m4 Notebook PC. No numerical keyboard and Windows 8 -NEVER, ok I won't say never but not ready for it. I do not like hitting the Windows button key to get to all apps and then tryign to find my desktop. Can't even X out of any window. Nope, won't do it. I have been under a lot of stress trying to navigate this OS. I want Windows 7. Only option is for me to return it to a Best Buy store in my town (which we have) and return it for an exchange. Maybe someone can go to bestbuy.com and find me a decent laptop around $850 or so, even $950 after reading this entire thread. I hope they carry a lappy with windows 7!

[PCVSNotebook]

ok, now I am unhappy since I took this brand new laptop out of the box (bought it fro Best Buy online). It is an HP Envy m4 Notebook PC. No numerical keyboard and Windows 8 -NEVER, ok I won't say never but not ready for it. I do not like hitting the Windows button key to get to all apps and then tryign to find my desktop. Can't even X out of any window. Nope, won't do it. I have been under a lot of stress trying to navigate this OS. I want Windows 7. Only option is for me to return it to a Best Buy store in my town (which we have) and return it for an exchange. Maybe someone can go to bestbuy.com and find me a decent laptop around $850 or so, even $950 after reading this entire thread. I hope they carry a lappy with windows 7!

you should get a touch screen notebook with a windows 8 ...

to close apps you can wither ALT+F4 , or move the mouse pointer to the left upper corner and a list of opened programs will pop and you can close them there by right click.

to access opened programs , move the pointer to the upper left corner , you will get all opened progrmas to choose to move to (you can still use alt_tab as well)

you can work all in desktop mode just like in Win7 btw ...

anyways , get the Thinkpad T530 .... it comes with Windows 7 option. and is a great Notebook. and get the full HD screen option. it is available in BestBuy but I cant find the Full HD screen

anyways here is what i found in best buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-...530&cp=1&lp=14




they come with windows 7

can you return it for full refund ? or just replacement?

and do you want a 15 inch or 14 inch one ?

Edit : do you want a numerical keyboard with it ?

[linsjean]

you should get a touch screen notebook with a windows 8 ...

to close apps you can wither ALT+F4 , or move the mouse pointer to the left upper corner and a list of opened programs will pop and you can close them there by right click.

to access opened programs , move the pointer to the upper left corner , you will get all opened progrmas to choose to move to (you can still use alt_tab as well)

you can work all in desktop mode just like in Win7 btw ...

anyways , get the Thinkpad T530 .... it comes with Windows 7 option. and is a great Notebook. and get the full HD screen option. it is available in BestBuy but I cant find the Full HD screen

anyways here is what i found in best buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-...530&cp=1&lp=14




they come with windows 7

can you return it for full refund ? or just replacement?

and do you want a 15 inch or 14 inch one ?

Edit : do you want a numerical keyboard with it ?

Looks like a great laptop.
15 inch is what I would like.
Yes, I want a numerical KB
I can only get a credit or exchange.

Thanks!

[PCVSNotebook]

Looks like a great laptop.
15 inch is what I would like.
Yes, I want a numerical KB
I can only get a credit or exchange.

Thanks!

Hi Again ,

ok here is the situation , if you insist on numeric pad , then you will not accept the Lenovo ThinkPad T530 , the Thinkpad edge mite come with one i will check , but it is lower grade than the T530 I dont like it...

the T530 is one of the best notebooks ... you can buy a separate numeric pad and use it with it if you wish.

the other options are like this ,

I found these two notebooks very good and both are in Bestbuy ,

1- the Lenovo Y500 .. it is not a ThinkPAD , but is good and comes with full HD screen , 650M Graphics , and an optional bay in which you can add another harddisk/DVD/ or even asecond VGA card in the future. lol sadly it is new so it comes with win 8 by default .. oh and it comes with I7 quad cores.

here is the Link to it

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo--...&skuId=7900048

2- The Sony S series , is nice , has very good IPS monitor , and comes in white color which girls like alot ..

the white

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+V...specifications

the black

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony---V...&skuId=6949638

ofc with windows 8 as well..

now you have 3 options ,

Thinkpad T530 with win7 and no numeric pad.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-...530&cp=1&lp=14


or

the Lenovo Y500 , i7 4 cores , full hd display with numeric pad but also with windows 8

or

the Sony S series , has IPS full hd display , numeric pad, i5 , and windows 8 lol ..

The ThinkPad T530 , you can ask them to get you the one with Full HD screen from Lenovo ... I guess they can do that.

as for the Numeric Keyboard , you can get somthing like this as well

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834995516

or this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823700033