Help me pick a Laptop for College

[Fishboy]

I've been looking at laptops for college lately, and I was wondering if I could get your input.

What I want:
-Core 2 Duo T8100 or better
-3GB RAM
-120GB Hard Drive or bigger (no preference on RPMs)
-14.1" or 15.4" screen (preferably Matte/Anti-gloss)

And I'm contemplating on whether or not to invest in a good video card. I want to be able to play some games, even if on lower settings.

Here are 2 that look good to me:

Dell Inspiron 1520: https://ecomm2.dell.com/dellstore/ba...ecomm@dell.com
(will upgrade RAM to 3GB or 4GB myself; I can get this for $800 after coupon [expires 6/12].)

ASUS M51: Newegg.com - ASUS M51 Series M51Sn-X2 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T8300(2.40GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS - Laptops / Notebooks

What do you think? Do you have any other recommendations/suggestions?

[rhino56]

i like asus for sure, i have 2 of them that have been running with no problems.

[Fishboy]

The ASUS notebooks look really nice (and great bang for the buck), but I ended up going with a Dell Vostro 1500. It's really meant for small business, but I got to order it anyway, heh. I decided to steer away from the gaming a bit (I have a 360 for that and my home PC). I did get a dedicated graphics card though--an upgrade from integrated graphics at least and should be able to run older games. The battery life should be pretty good too (especially when compared the the ASUS which supposedly gets poor battery life; that also deterred me a bit). Hopefully I'll be more productive at college, lol.

Anyway, here's all what I got.

Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Processor (2.1 GHz). The T9300 was $150 more, but I didn't think it was worth it for a 25-35% gain in performance.
3GB DDR2 RAM
Nvidia M8400GS graphics card
160GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive, 7200RPM
9-cell battery
8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+R write capability
15.4" Anti-Glare Screen
Windows Vista Home Premium (meh, I might "downgrade" to XP Pro)

Well, that's it. I hope I'll be happy with it and that it will last me at least a couple years.

[Fishboy]

I made some changes.

Instead of a T8100, I went with a T9300 ($150 more). I also upgraded the network card from a Dell 1395 to an Intel 3945 (extra $39). Instead of Windows Vista Home Premium, I went with Windows Xp Pro which also includes Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade ($120 more).

The original price was about $1050 after tax. The updated price is about $1360 after tax. I think the upgrades were worth it. I know, for about the same price I could have gone with a ASUS notebook with a nice graphics card, but the anti-glare/matte screen, 9-cell battery, and 7200 RPM hard drive on this Dell were big selling points for me.

[rhino56]

Originally Posted by Fishboy

I made some changes.

Instead of a T8100, I went with a T9300 ($150 more). I also upgraded the network card from a Dell 1395 to an Intel 3945 (extra $39). Instead of Windows Vista Home Premium, I went with Windows Xp Pro which also includes Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade ($120 more).

The original price was about $1050 after tax. The updated price is about $1360 after tax. I think the upgrades were worth it. I know, for about the same price I could have gone with a ASUS notebook with a nice graphics card, but the anti-glare/matte screen, 9-cell battery, and 7200 RPM hard drive on this Dell were big selling points for me.

it sounds like you did really well for the $$

[Fishboy]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the cost, considering my school (UVa) was offering similar setups for around $2,000.