New Laptop (subtitle: death to MSI)
So, it happened, my 2nd MSI laptop is officially dead. Okay... dead is an overstatement. It still works just fine as a computer but one of the hinges broke apart completely.
So now I'm shopping for a new laptop. I have a set of fairly stringent wants for this and would like some input so I don't make the mistake of buying without due diligence and end up with another pain in the ass like my 2 MSI laptops were.
Requirements:
* < $1500
* 14" to 16" screen (seriously, I want this thing to have a decent sized screen, but still be portable)
* AT LEAST 1600x900 resolution
* CPU and GPU that will game reasonably well (I don't usually put things on ultra-high settings and I definitely don't expect to be able to do AA or anything like that, but I do expect games to be playable on mid to high settings at native resolution)
* From a company that actually provides reasonable support for their products
Would like, but will live without if necessary
* Backlit keyboard (I use my laptop in bed quite a bit while my girlfriend is sleeping, this would make doing so about a million times easier)
So far, my 2 main contenders were the HP Envy 15 and the Alienware m14x. Lately, however, I've been leaning toward the Alienware because the HP Envy's GPU isn't as good as the Alienware and requires special drivers from HP, which haven't been updated since November. Additionally, the 1080 LCD on the Envy apparently has a noticeable red-orange shift.
Thrax had mentioned Sager, which looked promising except that there was a 20-25 business day wait to ship the model that looked most promising to me. Since I can no longer haul my current laptop around with me, this is unacceptable.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Also, if anyone wants to buy my old MSI, I'll give you a great deal on it. It still works, the only problem is that the blown out hinge makes it so you can't really close it. It would have to be a box that is set up somewhere and not moved. (specs: i5 2.6GHz, 4GB, Radeon 5850M, 1680x1050, 500GB HDD)
So now I'm shopping for a new laptop. I have a set of fairly stringent wants for this and would like some input so I don't make the mistake of buying without due diligence and end up with another pain in the ass like my 2 MSI laptops were.
Requirements:
* < $1500
* 14" to 16" screen (seriously, I want this thing to have a decent sized screen, but still be portable)
* AT LEAST 1600x900 resolution
* CPU and GPU that will game reasonably well (I don't usually put things on ultra-high settings and I definitely don't expect to be able to do AA or anything like that, but I do expect games to be playable on mid to high settings at native resolution)
* From a company that actually provides reasonable support for their products
Would like, but will live without if necessary
* Backlit keyboard (I use my laptop in bed quite a bit while my girlfriend is sleeping, this would make doing so about a million times easier)
So far, my 2 main contenders were the HP Envy 15 and the Alienware m14x. Lately, however, I've been leaning toward the Alienware because the HP Envy's GPU isn't as good as the Alienware and requires special drivers from HP, which haven't been updated since November. Additionally, the 1080 LCD on the Envy apparently has a noticeable red-orange shift.
Thrax had mentioned Sager, which looked promising except that there was a 20-25 business day wait to ship the model that looked most promising to me. Since I can no longer haul my current laptop around with me, this is unacceptable.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Also, if anyone wants to buy my old MSI, I'll give you a great deal on it. It still works, the only problem is that the blown out hinge makes it so you can't really close it. It would have to be a box that is set up somewhere and not moved. (specs: i5 2.6GHz, 4GB, Radeon 5850M, 1680x1050, 500GB HDD)
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Comments
I'm starting to think that Sager is probably going to be my best bet, and I'll just have to wait until mid-April for it to arrive. I don't like this though =/
Core i7 2670QM (Quad core w/ turbo)
2GB AMD Radeon HD 7690M GDDR5
8GB RAM
750GB 7200 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive
9-Cell Battery
15.6" 1920x1080 Display
Blu-ray player
HP 2-year Care Pack House Call Service with Accidental Damage Protection
$1424
(benchmark source: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html)
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=7090588
I think I have a new frontrunner. This is exactly why I come to Icrontic and ask these things.
I probably wouldn't put an SSD in it though. I tend to horde data (also, it will be dual booting Linux as soon as I get it), so an SSD doesn't really cut it for me unless I have a large amount of traditional storage to back it up. Also, I still have a sour taste in my mouth from the plethora of SSD failures I had to deal with when I was in our restore department... especially the OCZ Z-drives.
Aside from some trouble charging my debit card (dern daily spending limits), everything went smoothly. HP even called me directly, and I was able to conference in my bank, to work out the payment issues. Now I just need to wait for it to be built, which will apparently not be until early April
Glad I asked for input from you guys. @QCH, you da man.
Just FedEx the laptop to me at EPIC and I "promise" to ship it back after I'm done with it.