13.3 laptop advice

Ronan

Hi,

I'm looking to get a new laptop, nothing too big in size so I'm aiming at a 13.3" model, but I do want it well spec'd and to have decent video capabilities. So far I am leaning towards:

HP Pavilion DV3

Also, I've not completely ruled out the Mac Book Pro, but does it warrant the extra €250 odd?

I've kinda fallen behind with all the changes in recent years but want to make it as future proof as I can, hence the i3 HP model, but any advice greatly appreciated.

nin2010

I have been looking for something similar. Two other options are the Alienware M11X and the Acer Aspire Timelinex 3820T. They both have better graphics cards than the compaq you are looking at but the alienware's CPU isn't great and there are different versions of the Acer laptop, you need to get the one with the ATI 5650m rather than integrated graphics. I haven't been able to find a company in the UK or Ireland that sell that version but there's a few in Germany online that ship here.

There are rumours of the M11x becoming available with the i series cpus and Geforce optimus(switch between integrated and discrete graphics when needed automatically) this summer which would make it a really sweet little laptop if that happens.


http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-M11x.26202.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Aspire-3820TG-434G64n.30106.0.html


You can search for reviews on that website with the search feature and specify 13.x lcd and do graphics card comparisons in the tips section. It's pretty good for figuring out how good a laptop is for gaming.

Ronan

Thanks, that is a handy site. Personally I think the Alieanwares are over priced for what they are and seeing as I won't be doing any hardcore gaming on it, the gfx card doesn't need to be top notch, I just don't want an integrated card. The Acer does look great but at that price I think I would go MacBook Pro direction.

nin2010

Ronan wrote: »

Thanks, that is a handy site. Personally I think the Alieanwares are over priced for what they are and seeing as I won't be doing any hardcore gaming on it, the gfx card doesn't need to be top notch, I just don't want an integrated card. The Acer does look great but at that price I think I would go MacBook Pro direction.

Alienware normally is overpriced but the M11x starts at 800euro which isn't bad for what you are getting. All the videos show good game playback too despite the cpu.

consultech

If you're feeling absolutely ridiculous there's always the new 13.1" Sony Vaio Z series for between €1500-2500 with ridonkulous specs and 6hrs+ battery life. I'm not sure what the Graphics card is like though as this wasn't NB to me when I was pricing it up.

I was nearly talking myself into it before I copped the fook on.

If you're so inclined and know someone with a postal address in UK who you trust; You can supe the hinges off it on sonystyle.co.uk and get an i7 and 8GB DDR3 with sides for ~€2200 before seperate UPS etc. Like I said though, you'd have to be menthol to spend that kind of cash.

Ronan

I might be mental but I'm not stupid I'm really coming around to getting a Macbook pro, I keep trying to talk myself out of it, but then I keep coming back to it!!

consultech

Ronan wrote: »

I might be mental but I'm not stupid I'm really coming around to getting a Macbook pro, I keep trying to talk myself out of it, but then I keep coming back to it!!

Like me and the Vaio!!

hare05

Another one you might want to look at is the HP Envy 13 or the up and coming Envy 14.

The Envy 13 is as expensive as the Macbooks, but the screen is amazing and it has decent power for a ULV laptop. Good graphics too. $1399 + tax + delivery. It's well overpriced, but the screen is 410nit with 82% color gamut. If you understood that, get it. If you don't, you don't need it go for something else ^^

The Envy 14 will be Core i5 with a 5650 graphics card and will be significantly cheaper. But that releases in the USA on the 27th of June, so it will be hard to get over here for a while. $999 + tax + delivery I think.

What you'll be getting is a laptop with significantly better specs than the Macbook and a similar build quality. The i7 versions of the Envy had heat problems, but I've heard that the latest Macbooks can boil water so that might not be too much of a decider

Anyway, it's one more on the list for consideration.

Ronan

Thanks, that envy 13 is a very nice machine, but the '410nit with 82% color gamut' means nothing to me so as you say, time to move on. The Envy 14 looks great, but as you say it will be a while until we probably see it over here, I say I will have cracked by then
As for the Macbook heat, I've seen the old ones in action and they do get toasty, I'm hoping the new pro's are a little better.