Looking for a high end machine

manchine

I'm looking to get a higher end machine.
It'll be used as the main "PC" in the house, most of the use will be for the usual things - word, excel, interweb... but it'll be also used for video editing and if I'm honest, games

Why not get a desktop? - Just don't have the space to leave it set up. Both myself and herself are used to using laptops and like the idea of pushing it under the sofa when it's not in use.

I've got about 2K to play with, the plan is to buy with the least RAM and then make it up with extra from www.crucial.com.
The machines I've been looking are these:
Dell XPS 1710: Bit pricey - but has all the bells and whistles
Alienware M5550: Cheaper than the Dell (!!) but only comes with a 7600 (256MB) gfx card. (is the nVidia 7600 any good?)

Also had a look at Acer, the travelmate 8204 and Ferrari, but these don't have the core 2 duo chips (better for video the reviews say)
Rockdirect have nice machines but they're more expensive than dell. Dunno much about HP, Tosh or Asus machines.

Anyone got some recomendations?

Moojuice

If you are interested I am selling this:

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=2907

Its a Dell XPS, I use it for games and audio recording and I have done video editing on it too. It does all fine and any game I have played on it runs supurbly.
Dell XPS M170 Gaming Laptop
2.26 GHZ Dual core Intel Processor (Centrino)
2 Gig of Ram
256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX Graphics card
Sony 8 Speed Dual Layer Dvd Burner
100 Gig 7,200 Rpm Hard Drive
6 Usb Ports
1 Firewire Port
17 Inch Screen (1920 x 1200)
Wireless adaptor built in
S Video out etc with included adaptor
Windows XP Home
7 Months Old so still under warranty
Still has plastic wrap on surface of the screen
Runs Oblivion, hitman, Fear, Prey etc perfectly.

If you decide to get the XPS 1710 new I would highly recommend it, the XPS laptops are great also DELL own ALienware.

TerrorFirmer

The 7600 is good for current games but not as good a future investment as you could opt for, especially if you plan using this as your main machine. Its someway behind the 7800 and 7900 cards you can get in the XPS.

If you really plan using this as your main machine and want it to be able to play games now and in the future at good levels, you're going to have to spend every cent of that 2k - I always say it, are you positive you can't get a desktop? Because for about 50% the price of an eqivilent laptop you'd get a desktop that would perform the same...

Also, the RAM thing would only work with cheap low end laptops....most mid to high end laptops come with sufficent ram as standard.

If you're happy to play games at average medium settings, 1200 would get you a great laptop. What sort of games do you play? FPS games often require the latest bleeding edge but RTS titles typically get by on the crappiest of hardware

How much editing do you do and how much of a priority is it?

Villain

Get an IBM Z60, excellent spec and build.

Hugh_C

manchine wrote:

but it'll be also used for video editing

If you're serious about video editing (I do so for a living) you need to use the industry standards of either FCP or some member of the Avid Media Composer family.

FCP is astonishing, for that you'll need to switch. MacBook Pros are awesome.

manchine

HavoK, hughchal:
The editing will be more for home use than anything else, maybe a bit more but nothing I'd call industry standard.

Thanks for the info on the 7600.

Moojuice:
thanks for the link, I'll keep it in mind. Right now though I'l kinda dazzled with the shiny new ones

To a certain extent I'm trying to future proof the thing too as I'm likely to have is for a while - hence looking for the higher spec than I 'need'.

manchine

Came across this - seems to be fairly up to date as a rating of GFX cards:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568

Might be usefull