Laptop for work & play?

HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
edited June 2009 in Hardware
Hey All,
Looking into a laptop for both as title says.
I have never owned a laptop, so please bear with me.
Is there such an animal for work & play? Something with a little zip?
I'd like to spend no more than $750-$800 tops.
I will be using excel, and MS office programs like document imaging,printing and such...business
Other software programs for reading electrical prints...business
Not sure what programs the company uses yet.
Also want to set up skype or similar program for video chat/conference...business/leisure.
Will be watching Hulu video streaming...leisure
Will be using wireless very often, so that's an important feature that needs to be good.
Other features that are important.. Flash Memory support, HD size>at least 150GB Sata, CD/DVD read & writable, minimum 2G ram.
Would like to be able to play a little TF2 or similar games when I can connect to an Ethernet or fairly fast IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g ...leisure
Nothing so extreme as Crysis or anything.
I've been looking for a couple weeks or so now.
Also, I'm following threads on laptops here and at other sites.
I have found a few laptops that are bargains I think.
But I don't know who the good manufacturers are for warranty/support/repair/tech help etc.
Here's one I found for $500.
Is this a good deal or can I do better for a couple hundred more?
Toshiba Satellite L355-7905 17" Laptop Bundle with Case & Flash Drive

Flash Drive
(Kingston 4GB DataTraveler Mini USB Flash Drive, Black)

Targus 'Shield' Backpack for 17'' Laptops, Red & Black

Toshiba 17" Satellite L355-S7905 Laptop PC with Intel Celeron Processor 585

# Intel Celeron processor 585
# 2.16GHz, 1MB L2, 667MHz FSB
# Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset
# Configured with 3GB PC6400 DDR2 SDRAM (both memory slots may be occupied); maximum capacity 4GB
# 160GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive
# DVD SuperMulti ( /-R double layer) drive supporting 11 formats Maximum speed and compatibility: CD-ROM (24x), CD-R (24x), CD-RW (16x), DVD-ROM (8x),
# DVD-R (Single Layer, (8x), DVD-R (Double Layer, (4x), DVD-RW (6x), DVD R (Single Layer, (8x), DVD R (Double Layer, (6x), DVD RW (8x), DVDRAM (5x)
# 17.0" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display at 1440 x 900 native resolution (WXGA )
# Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M with 128MB-1342MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
# Built in Wireless LAN WiFi 802.11b/g for broadband internet access (Requires a signal.) Wired LAN 10/100Mbps for connection to a broadband modem or wired connection.
# Microsoft Vista Home Basic
Not worried about vista on it. That will change to Win 7.
Guess I will have to find drivers from the manufacturer after purchase, if Win 7 doesn't pick up the hardware.
Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance friends.
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Comments

  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2009
    If you want any kind of gaming don't go with a celeron processor. Also a 17" screen with the integrated video card is also useless for any kind of gaming.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Ahh, Thanks kryyst.
    Didn't think of the integrated video.
    I would like a 16-17" screen though.
    I have been looking at some with dedicated video cards.
    Toshiba Satellite .
    Just wish I could find something with 7200 rpm sata drive.
    Or something that's at least on the upper scale of fast for HD's.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Fully agree with Kryyst on the dedicated cards, preferably ATI, IMO.
    HD3650 is pretty good, only gamed at fairly low res on it though.
    3-4GB of ram is very much recommended. 3GB is becoming quite popular in laptops.
    You are right on about the 7200 rpm drive too, better performance although with a slight decrease in battery life. Although when gaming, you are plugged in anyway.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Thanks for the input Ryder.
    Yepper, Most I'm looking at have 3-4G of ram.
    Does anyone make a laptop with a 7200 rpm sata drive or would that be something I'd have to change out?
    Here's another I was looking at...
    Toshiba Satellite A355-S6935
    I don't even know if Toshiba is a good brand or not, so if anyone has one let me know what you think.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Go to one of the big players and customize a laptop for your needs. Most customize-your-own shops around offer 7200RPM HDD upgrades; check Lenovo, HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Snarkasm wrote:
    Go to one of the big players and customize a laptop for your needs. Most customize-your-own shops around offer 7200RPM HDD upgrades; check Lenovo, HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc.

    Tried customizing at all the known big names and they all get me over $1000.

    Any ideas, comments on MSI laptops?
    I didn't even realize they made laptops till now.
    Specs seem pretty reasonable for price. $699.99 after $50 rebate.
    Anyone used them or own/owned one?
    I have used and am using their MB's and graphics cards. I'm happy with those.
    MSI EX625-227US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P7350
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Sorry about that, missed the price request.

    Not sure how likely you are to get 7200 in a package at that price, but they might be cheap enough to swap out yourself. If you go that route, you can keep the 5400 and put it in a small enclosure to be a portable drive, as well.

    As far as MSI, most people like their netbooks, and the notebook you posted does look like a good deal. I'd probably rock it on that budget.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    I would definitely look at lenovo. they tend to be quite customizable and they have a bunch of different models to choose from. often, there are also rebates available online.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    +1 for MSI, heard good things about them.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2009
    The killer is you are looking for 16-17" screen. You want high end output on a low end budget. What your looking for doesn't really exist without cutting corners somewhere.

    But check out the Lenovo SL500 series. They come in 14.1 and 15.4 screen sizes so they are slightly smaller then your ideal. However you should be able to come close to your budget. They are well built laptops though and offer excellent customization when you build them through the lenovo sight. They are comparable to Dell Vostro's price wise but are way better machines.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    I'll jump in again on the Lenovo love train - they're great machines, with fantastic support. If it can fit in the budget and has what you want, go for them - they won't disappoint.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Thanks Snark,
    I'll probably end up installing a 7200 sata and use the original for backup as you suggest.

    shwaip,
    Thanks, Yepper, Already tried them.
    For what I can get in the MSI laptop I linked to I would be over $1000.

    Ryder,
    Thanks for the input bud,
    I read some reviews and reports on MSI after I found this laptop and seems they get pretty decent marks.
    Unless I find a better CPU/ HD/ GPU/deal than the MSI laptop, I think I may go with it.
    Seems to have a decent 2.0MP webcam, good sound sytem too.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Well,
    After looking for deals, rebates, etc., on all the brands/models and what you get..
    I've come to the conclusion that for what I want I have to go up a little on cost.
    Tell me what you all think of this MSI GT725-074US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) .
    Specs seem pretty good...
    7200 rpm sata, dedicated gpu ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 among other nice features.
    It's about $350 more than I want to spend, but it will last a few yrs.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2009
    Seems like a pretty big deal, should do everything you want it to do.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Thnx kryyst,
    Let me ask you a question. Probably a dumb question, but I'm new to laptops.
    Can a standard wired or wireless mouse be used on a laptop?
    I'll use the pad for some things but I don't want to use a mini mouse for it.
    If I don't have to.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    100% yes.

    If the laptop has a built in bluetooth adapter (many do now days).. no need for USB dongles either, you just associate a bluetooth mouse with the laptop.

    I use wired and wireless mice with my laptops all the time. :)

    They just have to be USB, most new laptops do not have a PS/2 port.

    EDIT: Holy typos.. moar coffee!!
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Ahh, OK, That's great. It has bluetooth. I also have a few different mice I can use on it then.
    Thnx Ryder.
    Oh, BTW, Admins can move this over to hardware.
    It was a duh moment. Putting it in software I mean.
  • miragemirage
    edited June 2009
    Hawk wrote:
    Well,
    After looking for deals, rebates, etc., on all the brands/models and what you get..
    I've come to the conclusion that for what I want I have to go up a little on cost.
    Tell me what you all think of this MSI GT725-074US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) .
    Specs seem pretty good...
    7200 rpm sata, dedicated gpu ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 among other nice features.
    It's about $350 more than I want to spend, but it will last a few yrs.

    That MSI looks very good. HD 4850 is a very nice powerful GPU but I would google about its potential heating problems in that laptop first. Just to be sure, not that I know any problem with mobile 4850. A 8600MGT is like a fire thrower in my Vostro 1500. I must admit that I overclocked it to 650MHz and modded the cooler. But it was still bad without any mod and oc.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Thnx for the input on that mirage.
    I didn't find much on the gpu overheating but still my first thought was get a laptop cooler along with it.
    Bought the NZXT SILVER Aluminum Notebook cooler at the same time.
    I did research coolers quite a bit.
    Thought this would be a good addition to help extend the life of the laptop.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Concerning the hard drive, just find one eBay or Craigslist and clone the laptop's stock drive once you have the computer configured the way you want it. Laptop drives, even 7200RPM, aren't as expensive as they previously were, unless you are looking for the high capacity models. If I used my laptop more than just occasionally, I'd definitely make an upgrade to 7200RPM.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Thnx Leo,
    I went a little higher on my spending and upgraded to the MSI GT725-074US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) and it has the 320GB 7200 Sata.
    The one in mirages quote of me.
    It's got pretty much everything I want in a laptop. Except Win XP Pro.
    And I wasn't going to pay extra to get that on there.
    After I get it loaded the way I want drivers/trial software removed, office software installed, etc and backup Windows Vista Home Premium.
    I'll just put Win7 RC1 on it and reinstall my software.
  • Dilbert-FirestormDilbert-Firestorm Nuclear Wasteland, Gretna, LA New
    edited June 2009
    Hawk wrote:
    Thnx Leo,
    I went a little higher on my spending and upgraded to the MSI GT725-074US NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) and it has the 320GB 7200 Sata.
    The one in mirages quote of me.
    It's got pretty much everything I want in a laptop. Except Win XP Pro.
    And I wasn't going to pay extra to get that on there.
    After I get it loaded the way I want drivers/trial software removed, office software installed, etc and backup Windows Vista Home Premium.
    I'll just put Win7 RC1 on it and reinstall my software.


    how much was it and where did you buy it? include links.
  • Dilbert-FirestormDilbert-Firestorm Nuclear Wasteland, Gretna, LA New
    edited June 2009
    kryyst wrote:
    If you want any kind of gaming don't go with a celeron processor. Also a 17" screen with the integrated video card is also useless for any kind of gaming.

    what is the issue with integrated video with regards to gaming?
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    It just isn't sufficient to get any reasonable framerates, and it usually shares system memory. Your gaming experience will be infinitely better with discrete graphics.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    This one has no problem with gaming or anything else.
    I plug in my USB Logitech G5 gaming mouse, it picks it right up and away I go.
    This laptop actually runs as good, if not better than my desktop.
    Difference- Desktop has bigger monitor.
    Desktop--
    NZXT Air Flow King case
    MSI K8TNeo MB/AMD Athlon 64 3400+ ClawHammer CPU /2250 MHz
    Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu CPU Cooler
    Corsair TX650W PS
    2X1G OCZ PC3200 (200 MHz) 2.5-3-2-5
    1X WD 36G SATA Raptor-Win XP/ 1X WD 160G SATA-Win 7
    NEC DVD_RW ND-3550A
    Mitsumi 7in1 Card Reader
    ATI Radeon PowerColor HD 3850 AGP 512MB GDDR3
    Samsung Syncmaster 23" Widescreen LCD
    Sound Blaster Audigy/Bose Media Mate speakers/Playtronics headset
    Logitech MX700 Duo KB/Mouse combo
    Logitech G5 gaming mouse

    Laptop--
    Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
    CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4G
    Screen 17" WSXGA+
    Memory Size 4GB DDR2
    Hard Disk 320GB 7200 rpm Sata 3.0
    Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
    Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 Resolution 1680 x 1050
    Graphic Type Dedicated Card
    Video Memory 512MB DDR3 VRAM
    Communication Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN
    Card slot 1 x Express Card
  • Dilbert-FirestormDilbert-Firestorm Nuclear Wasteland, Gretna, LA New
    edited June 2009
    just wondering, is there a reason why you didn't look at this particular toshiba laptop?
    TOSHIBA Satellite P305-S8919 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T9550(2.66GHz) 17.0"

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114649

    at $1200, it is $151 cheaper than your MSI purchase. Its T9550 CPU is ranked in the top 100 according to the CPUMark benchmark ranking website.
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Toshiba> LAN 10/100Mbps

    MSI> LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
    I hook to my 6.0 DSL when at home for speed while gaming or when I need to DL large files.
    Toshiba> Audio
    Sound volume control dial
    Built-in microphone
    Speaker > Built-in harman/kardon stereo speakers

    MSI>Audio
    Built-in microphone
    HD Audio quality, Dolby Digital Live
    Speaker> 4 speakers + 1 subwoofer
    Toshiba>Graphics Card
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650

    MSI>Graphics Card GPU/VPU
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850
    Toshiba> HDD
    RPM 5400rpm

    MSI>HDD
    RPM 7200rpm
    Toshiba> Display Type
    Wide XGA+
    Resolution 1440 x 900

    MSI>Display Type
    Wide SXGA+
    Resolution 1680 x 1050
    Toshiba> Monitor Screen
    17" WXGA+

    MSI>Monitor Screen
    17" WSXGA+
    Toshiba> Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
    No Win XP driver support.
    So you can't install Win XP if you don't have drivers.
    It might Take Win 7, I'm not sure.
    All the business programs I'll be running are 32bit.

    MSI> Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
    Win XP driver support/Yes
    But I'll be putting Win 7 on it when I'm ready to change over.
    I've been using Win 7 on 2 desktop pc's and it's been doing very nice.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    I gotta say, I picked up one of MSIs laptops and I've been nothing but impressed by it. Granted, I got a lower end one (EX630) because I just needed something for computing on the go, not necessarily gaming, but the overall experience with it so far has been solid. My only complaint has been battery life. I only get about 2 hours. I think that's mostly because I took Vista off and installed CrunchBang and Linux doesn't support the Nvidia hybrid graphics yet so I'm always using the more powerful (and power-hungry) 3d graphics chip.
  • Dilbert-FirestormDilbert-Firestorm Nuclear Wasteland, Gretna, LA New
    edited June 2009
    looks like there are trade-offs involved to get to that price point.

    Looks like ZipZoomFly has one too, but $10.00 cheaper. :) It appears to have the same features.

    http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009866


    did you get your new laptop?
  • HawkHawk Fla Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Yep, Looks like the same deal except it advertises a 6 cell battery.
    Mine is 9 cell.
    Yes, I got the new laptop. Been using it for a week now.
    After cleaning most of the garbage/ bloatware/ try this for 30 days then buy it crap, etc off the hard drive it runs great.
    Very smooth and fast. I'm very pleased with it.
    Oh, And I forgot to mention the MSI has bluetooth.
    The Toshiba does not.
    Over all, I'm very happy with the new laptop.
    It's also upgradable for the future too.
    It will take a higher CPU and the graphics card is replaceable.
    I also like that it has Turbo and Power Saver modes.
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