Help!! I Need a New Laptop (Seriously I do)

[DarkStarr]

My old laptop is a P4 2.8 Ghz 768 Mb Ram 60 Gb 5400 RPM IDE Hdd with BS intel graphics.

I am looking for something around $500 - $800 max. It doesn't need to be a gaming beast that's what my desktop is for. It needs to be a decent performer and preferably be closer to the $500 mark, absolutely no netbooks and it would be used for Photoshop, Dreamweaver, C++ compiling, Firefox, and if the GPU allows some light gaming.

Currently I am looking at an ASUS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220753

A couple Toshiba: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114939

The second Toshiba: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214030

and this one, but the battery life is a bit low on it but it is pretty powerful: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114907

Anyone have any advice or suggestions? Personally I like the ASUS the best but if there is something with similar specs for less (as long as its not an HP or Dell) I would consider it.

 

[Tharic-Nar]

If you want battery life, an Acer Timeline (like the Aspire 4810T) will net about 7-8 hours 'productivity' or about 4 hours with a DVD with a 14" screen, so notebook territory. Price start at 400 and got to 900 i think, depending on model. The problem is it doesn't perform as well. But anything will be better than a P4, seriously, an Atom outperforms a P4 these days (quite embarrassingly).

 

[DarkStarr]

Battery life is not a real concern just as long as its 2+ hours lmao and both the top Toshiba's offer something like nearly 4 hours.

 

[bluelight2]

(Edit)

 

[DarkStarr]

Thanks for that great insight of a post there buddy.......

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Thanks for that great insight of a post there buddy.......

he's a board spammer for ads and stuff. He's got ad links embedded in his emoticons. Useless, and we get them on the TKC forums every now and then.

Anyway, I have a Gateway (yes, I cringe at the name too) NV5929u. This thing is seriously bang for your buck. It's got an Intel Core i5 930M with turbo boost, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD and the only downside is Intel HD Accelerator Graphics. You said some light gaming, and it works fine for that, unless you're trying BC2. lol. I could get around 170fps in Half Life 2 Deathmatch with everything maxed out. I use photoshop and this seriously works perfectly for it. Newegg stopped selling these last month, but Amazon still has them for the same price ($650). Oh by the way, these were mislabeled by Gateway as their NV5927u model, so that's the reason it's cheaper than it should be. I took advantage of that mistake and I am greatly satisfied with this laptop.

http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-NV5929u-mislabeled-NV5927u-computer/dp/B0036FFH4A

 

[DarkStarr]

That one does look nice but I do like big screens, maybe I have gotten a little spoiled with my 32" desktop LCD XD I will keep looking but I feel myself leaning towards a ~17" laptop, since it wont really get too much lap use, more table and I have the perfect case I wanna get for whatever I end up getting, its an aluminum case, something like this (the local one in stock was a bit different) http://www.officemax.com/office-supplies/bags-cases/computer-cases/product-prod1700383 since I don't want my new laptop damaged or anything when I carry it around lol

Maybe I am going a little overboard with the case but my fiances laptop was in a case and the screen was shattered somehow so hard case it is.... maybe ill get some handcuffs..... and cuff it to me when I am carrying it.... yes no? hahaha that would really be a touch overboard tho

Also I wonder how fast I will fill up my laptops drive (when I get it ofc)? I really wonder since I feel I need a large one but I fet the same way with my desktop and ended up with 3 TB and have less than 1 TB used.........

 

[Tharic-Nar]

Maybe I am going a little overboard with the case but my fiances laptop was in a case and the screen was shattered somehow so hard case it is.... maybe ill get some handcuffs..... and cuff it to me when I am carrying it.... yes no? hahaha that would really be a touch overboard tho

Now that I know what's really on your mind...

For the 17" range at the $500-$800 mark, you're pretty much limited to last generation and before components. I will warn you that 17" shouldn't really be considered a laptop, they're more 'Desktop Replacement', they have the performance but they weigh a tonne and have terrible battery life.

First up is an Acer Aspire with a Phenom II quad @ 2.1GHz 4GB RAM and AMD 5650 mobility with 1GB VRAM, LED backlit screen, etc. 7.3lbs in weight and 2.2 hours battery... well, you did say you weren't going to carry it around much... It's a performance beast compared to most in this price range, but 2 hours... think hard about how mobile it really will be, you might be able to get away with it.
Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115864
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7552G-6061-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B0041RSFKU

One of the Toshiba's you posted would be next on the list (2nd one, the triple core I think). Just to let you know, that after using a 17" laptop before, sure the screen is nice, but they are not mobile and they suck on battery life. Seriously, 7 or 8lbs on your arm or shoulder for more than 10 mins and you'll start to feel it. 17" should really be Desktop Replacement, Laptops are the 14-15" range.

 

[DarkStarr]

Yea I am looking at bags and cases maybe I'll switch to a real backpack for it, not sure yet . and meh my laptop is pretty dang heavy, 7.7 lb hahaha that's crazy, but it was pretty dang good when it was new.