Buying a new Laptop...QUITE a few questions.

[dartingd]

Okay, I'll just stary by saying THANKS to anyone who gives a good response. Here's the questions:

1)Processor-Intel Dual-Core or new i5/i7 processor? What about the AMD Dual-Core?
2)Graphics card-NVIDIA or ATI? 512 or 1G? Also, is there a certain "level" I should stay above on model numbers? I want my laptop to be able to play Starcraft 2 when it comes out, but other than that, it will be used mainly for programs like the Office apps and Quickbooks type things.
3)Where to get it?-I have been shopping on Newegg.com, but haven't really been able to decide what's what, lol.
4)Brand-I've looked at ASUS, HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Toshiba. Are there any of those I shouldn't be looking at? Any I should?
5)Price-Based on what I put in here, what would be a price I could find where I should jump on it? I honestly want to keep it in the realm of less than $900, but I've seen some with dedicated graphics at 1G with a dual-core for like $650.

Thanks again for any help. Please feel free to throw in any other things you think I should be looking for.

*Edit-reps for advice

[Maki]

If the heaviest thing u r gonna run is Starcraft 2 the a core 2 Duo would work just fine, get at least 4 GB ram and at least a 9400 graphics card, your biggest issue is gonna be finding one under 650 with a good graphics card and not an on-board that shares system memory. AMD vs INTEL is more of a preference and same with Nvidia and ATI. Most ones with a decent graphics card will have the matching CPU and RAM. So start by finding one with the right card and right price and the rest should follow.



But personally.......Get a MAC

[600 Double R]

ive had bad experiences with amd processors so i wouldnt recommend them. also ati graphics are crap for the most part. not too fond of asus laptops but the others mainly lenovo are good. for the most part you can get a damn good setup for under your budget. where are you located? look into microcenter theres one in smyrna and one in duluth i believe? microcenter.com they have awesome deals and sales all the time. i built my desktop from everything there.

[TougeGTR-33]

dude get an asus. go to best buy. any asus will be able to handle starcraft on high settings. Get one with 1 gb video memory and intel duo core works fine with me. get at least a 500 gb hard drive and 6-8 gbs of ram. you will be able to find one in your price range there.I bought an asus with a terrabyte hard drive and 8 gbs of ram and a 2gb video memory for just 1K.

[dtmcnamara]

if you want gaming go with ASUS like said above. Hp had a 30% failure rate last year, Lenovo skimps on their screens and dont even give you 1920x1080 resolution, Dell gaming pc...lol....well thats all I have to say, and Toshiba has been having an overheating problem with their new laptops.


Here are the ones I would do in order from best to still bad ass just not the best...lol
Asus Computer International G73JH-X2 Notebook
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327059

Asus Computer International N61JQ-X1
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327048

Asus Computer International UL30VT-A1
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327054

Asus Computer International UL80VT-A1
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327053

[91LudeSiT]

@ resolution on those

[cpearson]

ASUS make excellent gaming rigs at an affordable price. In my opinion, I'd definitely stay with an Intel processor, 64 bit architecture, AT LEAST 4 gigs of RAM, a 7200 RPM HDD, and a dedicated Nvidia GPU. I just picked up said machine for the Wifey from newegg.com for $649.

[dtmcnamara]

and a dedicated Nvidia GPU

I was agreeing with you until I saw that last thing. Why go with Nvidia when they are being beat by the ATI cards right now? Im not saying spend an extra few hundred bucks on one, but if you had the choice between the ATI card and the Nvidia, go ATI. DDR5 memory, and the Direct X 11 will last you longer than the slower, hotter, DDR3 Nvidia Direct X 10 cards.

[Gwb]

I was agreeing with you until I saw that last thing. Why go with Nvidia when they are being beat by the ATI cards right now? Im not saying spend an extra few hundred bucks on one, but if you had the choice between the ATI card and the Nvidia, go ATI. DDR5 memory, and the Direct X 11

You do realize we're talking about laptops right?

DDR5 memory,

You are not going to get GDDR5 ram at the price point he mentioned. You are only going to get up to the radeon 4500 series (ddr2/3) and you're still pushing the limits of his budget.

and the Direct X 11

lolwut

will last you longer than the slower, hotter, DDR3 Nvidia Direct X 10 cards.

lolwut. Where do you get your opinions from man?

[dartingd]

I got an Acer on newegg with an ATI 1gb video card and a new i5 processor for 800. The same laptop went up in price 30 min. later by 50 bucks. Regardless, the laptop has 64bit Windows 7 and, one of my favorite things, a number pad (Accounting major).

[dtmcnamara]

When was the last time you looked at Laptops. The entire 5000 series card line is out, all with DDR5, and all showing lower temps and better performance, and yes I know we are talking about laptops, I have a G73 ASUS laptop and I researched a TON before getting it, also I sell these and test them all day long so where do you get your information from?