[Advice] New laptop

Supa · December 20th, 2012

It's been a while since I shopped for a laptop, but it's coming up on my current laptop's 6th birthday here soon, and it's getting a little bit sluggish.

Currently have a 2008 Macbook with an Intel Core 2 Duo clocked ridiculously low, with 2GB of RAM and a NVIDIA 9400M GS 512MB integrated chip. It's only got 150GB of space, which isn't enough anymore.

What I'm aiming for is an i7-2630QM, at least 6GB of RAM and a dedicated onboard chip. I'd like to keep it below $1,000, but I can probably afford to go over that.

Windows 7 would also be great to have, but having looked on both Amazon and Newegg, I can't seem to find a laptop that isn't pre-loaded with Windows 8. >_>

D3matt · December 20th, 2012

Unfortunately you'll have a hard time finding a computer with Windows 7 loaded on it. Clearance items might still, or else sites that sell customized laptops might offer Windows 7. Barring that, you'll have to install your own Windows 7 and find your own drivers (which is not that big of a deal these days, most of the stuff just works with built-in Windows drivers anyway)

Supa · December 22nd, 2012

Yeah, I'm just trying to cover all of the basics. What I'm looking for is personal experiences from people who have owned the laptop they're suggesting.

I don't really want a gaming laptop, as I'm not looking for a desk laptop that requires a shit ton of space.

***Pethegreat*** · December 22nd, 2012

Both of my brothers have had good luck with Lenovo laptops in the $800-1000 range.

Amazon.com: Lenovo Y580 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dawn Grey): Computers & Accessories

My brother has the previous version of this laptop with sandy bridge and a GTX555 and loves it. If you enjoy your current laptop you can drop more memory in it and upgrade the hard drive for far less than the price of a new laptop.

Supa · December 22nd, 2012

I'm pretty sure I looked at those because the price to performance ratio was incredible, but it didn't support 1920x1080, so I disregarded it as a choice. :/

D3matt · December 22nd, 2012

Honestly I think you'll have a difficult time with your quest for a "non-desk-size" laptop with an i7, 6GB, dedicated graphics, and 1920x1080. That sounds pretty much like a textbook gaming laptop to me.

Supa · December 23rd, 2012

More or less, but I'm looking for something not super clunky. I already ruled out the ASUS gaming series laptops for that reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pethegreat

Both of my brothers have had good luck with Lenovo laptops in the $800-1000 range.

Amazon.com: Lenovo Y580 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dawn Grey): Computers & Accessories

My brother has the previous version of this laptop with sandy bridge and a GTX555 and loves it. If you enjoy your current laptop you can drop more memory in it and upgrade the hard drive for far less than the price of a new laptop.

I actually just found this on Slickdeals, but they've apparently got another one that comes with a max resolution of 1920x1080, and there's a $400 off coupon right now. Might just pick that up.

So I picked that up. $970 after tax, which is an incredible price. Free shipping, and it was originally $1,300.