Advise (on new computer)

I haven't bought a new computer in a long time. So...

Are Dell Laptops good? I have my eye on this computer (specs)

Software & Accessories
MICROSOFT: SOLUTION Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
MICROSOFT: SOLUTIONS No Productivity Software Requested
INTERNAL: OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
PROCESSOR: 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
MEMORY 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
HARD DRIVE: 640GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M (128-bit) 1GB (Quad)
FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
- Integrated 1.0 mega pixel widescreen HD Webcam
DISPLAY: 15.6" High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™
SYSTEM COLOR: Switch by Design Studio - Diamond Black
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card
Adobe Reader: Adobe Acrobat X Reader
SOUND OPTIONS: HD Audio 2.0 Support SRS™ Premium Sound
WIRELESS CARDS: Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030, 1x2 bgn + Bluetooth


Comments/Suggestions please. I will use it as a college student (yep thats me) so games and school work and internet (music streaming etc...).


EDIT: Oh crud I thought I posted this in the Software forum (what I get for so many open tabs).

 

Dell is good as a brand. However, the 5400 RPM HDD is very slow especially on boot. 6GB RAM IS not needed, 4 is enough. The processor is excellent compared to the rest of the components, they are not in balance with such a high end CPU.

What is this going to be mainly used for?(never mind, you answered it)

You posted it in the right place despite yourself.

 

Thanks for the information.
What about this one? Most of the games I play are on facebook, I have a xbox 360 and PS3 so I dont really play games on the computer anymore.

MICROSOFT SOLUTION: Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE: 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) edit
SYSTEM: Inspiron 15R English FastTrack
PROCESSOR: 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
MEMORY: 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
HARD DRIVE: 750GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
VIDEO CARD: Intel HD Graphics/HD Graphics 3000 with up to 1.6GB Dynamic Video Memory
FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE Integrated 1.0 mega pixel widescreen HD Webcam
DISPLAY: 15.6" High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™
Adobe Reader: Adobe Acrobat X Reader
SOUND OPTIONS: HD Audio 2.0 Support SRS™ Premium Sound
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030, 1x2 bgn + Bluetooth
BATTERY OPTIONS: 48 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery


I figured the 6gm ram was to much, but dell computers come self made basically and there are very few options that I can change.

 

What about Sony laptops? Are they good and if they are what about these specs:


Intel® Core™ i3-2310M processor (2.10GHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
15.5" LED backlit display (1366 x 768)
NVIDIA® GeForce® 410M (512MB VRAM) dedicated graphics
320GB (5400rpm) hard drive
6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
CD/DVD player / burner
Standard lithium-ion battery (5300mAh)



PS: Do I really need 6gb's or ram? Will 4gb's be ok? Its a $80 difference, and im not sure how much I would need.

 

For what It's worth.

-> http://smidgenpc.com/2010/04/23/the-best-laptop-brands-a-comprehensive-review/

I'm of the camp, a Dell? My experience with them. Won't happen again.

 

Hi

Personally, Sony Vaio laptops I've found to be not built very well case-wise, and are overpriced. Dell laptops are okay, but their quality is only really in their Business-grade machines.

It seems to be getting harder to find quality laptops. I have a friend who recently got an MSI machine that seems to be good. Asus also make good laptops, though they tend to be a little bit heavier (more solidly built).

 

Thanks for all of the replies, I have only had gateways and toshiba laptops. I loved gateway but "built" wise it fell apart to fast. The power adapter (ac adapter inside attached to the mother board) fried and was extremely expensive to get fixed. Im not a fan of toshiba at all. Ill look into the Acer and see what I can find out. All and all I like sony products and samsung products. Price wise I might have to go with sony unless one of the other brands snags my eyes.

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

BTW any advice on processors? The only thing I don't really understand about the "innards" of laptops are those. Whats the difference between I3, I5, I7's?

 

Where can I buy Asus laptops, or customize them? From what I have read they seem pretty good. Thanks =)

 

If possible, find out the WEI (Windows Experience Index) of any laptop you are interested in.

If you can't physically check out the WEI, then ask the seller for a printout of the WEI for each laptop you are interested in.

The WEI is only a guide but will quickly sort out the performance specs of your choices.

See What is the Windows Experience Index?
at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-is-the-Windows-Experience-Index

Hope this helps to narrow down your choice. :cool
Obviously price, battery life, keyboard etc., personal service and personal preference are part of your final choice.

Hope this helps.

Bazza

 

Also, check out:

How to buy a laptop on a budget
http://majorgeeks.com/page.php?id=26

A tutorial from MA, at MG.

Bazza

 

Oooooops, double posted.

Bazza

 

Thanks for that.

Whats the difference between AMD Radeon 6640M vs NVIDIA GeForce 410m?

Its come down to 3 computers and 2 of them offer those video cards included in the price.