What laptop should I buy?
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If you want a "gaming" laptop then $500 to $650 simply isn't sufficient.
I recommend you consider increasing your budget or lowering you expectations. Also you mention nothing about what screen size you want, other features etc so its really impossible to help you.
I recommend you consider increasing your budget or lowering you expectations. Also you mention nothing about what screen size you want, other features etc so its really impossible to help you.
There are many choices available. Before you start comparing, it is worthwhile to consider what features are most important for you:
A) how big a screen would you like?
B) how light does it need to be? (A and B are often in conflict) Are you going to carry it around a lot, or just leave it sitting on a table?
C) how fast does it need to be?
D) do you need discrete graphics? (usually more expensive, but useful for games)
E) do you have a preference for the mouse-replacement (I can't use touchpads very effectively so I am pretty much limited to Lenovos). Getting an external mouse can be an option.
F) is battery life important to you? Many of the cheaper laptops use desktop processors that suck a lot more power. Also larger batteries weigh more than lighter ones.
G) external connections -- are you going to want to hook up lots of things to it (such as external harddrives, televisions/monitors, a mouse, headset, projectors etc). Some laptops don't have very many connections. Check in particular for the number of USB ports and whether the video is VGA/HDMI or one of these other newer ports.
H) Do you need bluetooth? (convenient for transferring files between laptops, hooking up a headset or sharing your internet connection from your cell phone)
Once you have answered these questions, scan the available laptops for ones that meet your requirements.
You will probably find that the laptop you want is much more expensive than you had hoped to pay. In this case, go back to the questions above and see where you are willing to compromise.
Hope this helps.
A) how big a screen would you like?
B) how light does it need to be? (A and B are often in conflict) Are you going to carry it around a lot, or just leave it sitting on a table?
C) how fast does it need to be?
D) do you need discrete graphics? (usually more expensive, but useful for games)
E) do you have a preference for the mouse-replacement (I can't use touchpads very effectively so I am pretty much limited to Lenovos). Getting an external mouse can be an option.
F) is battery life important to you? Many of the cheaper laptops use desktop processors that suck a lot more power. Also larger batteries weigh more than lighter ones.
G) external connections -- are you going to want to hook up lots of things to it (such as external harddrives, televisions/monitors, a mouse, headset, projectors etc). Some laptops don't have very many connections. Check in particular for the number of USB ports and whether the video is VGA/HDMI or one of these other newer ports.
H) Do you need bluetooth? (convenient for transferring files between laptops, hooking up a headset or sharing your internet connection from your cell phone)
Once you have answered these questions, scan the available laptops for ones that meet your requirements.
You will probably find that the laptop you want is much more expensive than you had hoped to pay. In this case, go back to the questions above and see where you are willing to compromise.
Hope this helps.
I went with this Thinkpad Edge 15 with dual core AMD CPU and 2Gb of ram (later today 8 
It been a month and am really happy camper. It a beast and Ubuntu fly on it, I would not say it a gaming laptop but as a workhorse you can't really get much better for $522.
It been a month and am really happy camper. It a beast and Ubuntu fly on it, I would not say it a gaming laptop but as a workhorse you can't really get much better for $522.I went with the Thinkpad Edge 14 (0578-HXU) recently with an i5 processor. It's a lot faster than my X300 and I'm a happy camper as well. It came in at around $1000 once I added all the options.
Thinkpad Edge current models: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/slbook.pdf
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge website: http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/products/professional-grade/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/index.html
EDIT: my main complaint would be that the i5 models don't seem to come in Glossy Red.
Thinkpad Edge current models: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/slbook.pdf
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge website: http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/products/professional-grade/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/index.html
EDIT: my main complaint would be that the i5 models don't seem to come in Glossy Red.
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The source has a laptop for $469 after rebate ($499 pre rebate). It has a 1Gb ati 5650 discrete graphics card that will play nearly anything at full res. I picked one up for my son a couple of weeks ago and its amazingly fast. The build quality is not up to apple standards but you won't find anything else in this price range with similar specs. Btw, the cpu is actually an i3-380m.
Product Summary:
Intel Core i3-370M processor
4GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive
15.6" HD Ultrabright TFT LCD Screen
1GB Discrete Graphics (ATI 5650)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Product Summary:
Intel Core i3-370M processor
4GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive
15.6" HD Ultrabright TFT LCD Screen
1GB Discrete Graphics (ATI 5650)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
There is NO real "gaming" laptop for $500-650. Now depends of the game also, but if you want a new high end game you will need a budget in the $2000 range for a laptop.If you can settle for older games (2-3 years old) with medium PQ settings then something in the $800-1000 will do also.Again, I speak about real games not "kids" games here.Hi, I want to buy a new laptop and I dont know how to go about doing so. I don't know what to buy because because I am looking for a gaming laptop between $500-$650. Is there any you might reccomend?
Anyway , whatever you buy look for a laptop with a new Sandy Bridge CPU, and go as high as your budget let's you, but don't expect mirracles if you want games.Games are probably the most demanding applications for a PC and require high end discrete graphic cards, fast CPUs and lots of memory. As an example of gaming laptops look at the DELL Alienware series.All amufacturers have a few categories of laptops: mainstream, bussiness, multimedia, and games ("games" beeing the highest end).Good luck in your search.
PS . If you can settle for a desktop you can get one with same performance as a $2000 laptop for half the price...
I just got a Toshiba Satellite laptop at work. I thought it was cool at first that there was full number pad on the right side. But I immediately realized how they did it, by shortening the SHIFT keys. I can't type on this thing at all. Total disaster. Anyway, make sure the keyboard works for you.
HP G6 15.6" Laptop featuring AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M (G6-1B28CA)
VISION A6 Technology from AMD with AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M Accelerated Processor and 6GB DDR3 system memory
640GB hard drive
Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Pre-installed Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
HDMI, USB 2.0 and memory card connectivity option
Dave
VISION A6 Technology from AMD with AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M Accelerated Processor and 6GB DDR3 system memory
640GB hard drive
Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Pre-installed Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
HDMI, USB 2.0 and memory card connectivity option
Dave
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