Its That Time Again! Laptop Selection?

[newb]

You guys helped me pick out the last one I got a few years ago. Now Im lookin at a new one. Im just lookin to replace what I have with an updated rig. Ill be usin it the same, mainly web browsing and streaming, along with photo and video editing. Multi tasking is big. I usually have a few programs open while editing, then get on the web to take breaks. My current setup has a 15.6" display, and its been great so Im looking to stay around that size. HD size isnt a huge factor, I keep everything on a USB 3.0 external. Looking to stay under $1000 also.

So, are the Intel Core's still the processor to have? It looks like I have a lot of options loaded with the i5. Is there an AMD option I should look for?

So, Ive come up with these 3 options. In order of how I think they fit my needs.

ASUS F75VD-EB51 17.3" Notebook - Newegg.com

Great price. USB 3.0. A little extra screen size. Are all the components decent?

HP Pavilion dv6t-7000 Quad Edition Entertainment Notebook PC | HP® Official Store

Decent price. 2 more USB 3.0 ports (really not important at this point). A screen size I know I can work with. Is the processor really that much better? How about the video card? How does the optical drive compare to option 1 (again, not really important at this point)? Also, I currently have an HP and have loved it from day 1.

ASUS A55 Series A55A-NB51 15.6" Notebook - Newegg.com

Best price. Same working screen size. No USB 3.0, but I know I can work with it. Seems to have the lowest level of components outa the 3, all around. True?

Open to suggestions on more options. Aesthetics are a factor too. In the past that ruled Acer out, and thats why I didnt list anything from them.

 

[Briansol]

a $299 off the shelf acer will stream and everything else you want it to do. eveyrthing above and beyond that is either something .001 seconds faster and more money for little reason.

i'm a programmer and professional pc user if you will.
i have a $350 machine.

 

[newb]

Lol, that works for me. What machine do you have?

 

[eg6sir]

I have a Toshiba... i like it

 

[TurboMirage]

HP spectre xt

Also been looking at the lenovos t304u??? Model MacBook Air fighter.

 

[Briansol]

I got it at staples off the shelf when it was on sale a few years back. came with windows 74gb of ram, and a decent amd proc. it does everything i need it to do. It would probably suck ass for games, but that's not what you are building either.

 

[newb]

Ya, I do no gaming at all. I still need a decent display though. Its gotta be sharp and have true colors. Or at least give me the ability to adjust.

 

[eg6sir]

The Toshiba i have is only $400.. got it for $250 black friday

 

[eg6sir]

Toshiba Satellite C855D-S5357 Notebook Laptop:Amazon:Computers & Accessories

 

[newb]

Sweet, thanks for the link.

 

[eg6sir]

the specs for ya

AMD Dual Core E-300 Processor 1.3GHz
4GB RAM, 320 GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive (5400RPM)
15.6" HD Display, AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics, webcam
Windows 8, 9.53" D x 1.31" H x 14.96" W, 5.5 lbs
DVD SuperMulti Drive Supporting 11 Formats, 802.11b/g/n

 

[TurboMirage]

thats a workstation for bitches....

here is one that picks up bitches for you -
HP Envy XT Spectre Ultrabook | HP Spectre XT

 

[eg6sir]

$1200 vs $375.. i would hope it would be better

 

[TurboMirage]

its awesome from an admin standpoint.

i have fucking HOURS of battery life. it is crystal clear and super lightweight. its BLAZINGLY fast. the audio sounds great, and i can plug it into my TV.

then when i get bored i can play a game at a decent FPS. plus it charges my phone even when it is off

 

[eg6sir]

annnnd from a non-pc gamer/ admin stand point, all that is absolutely pointless.. its called a wall charger, works when my computer is off too.. battery life is either or, if you fly a lot or hang out at the nearest starbucks like all the hipsters.. then yea, battery life is a must.. usually an outlet isnt too far away

 

[TurboMirage]

well if you're just going to piss off on the internet all day why not get one of those fancy schmancy cromebooks?

 

[Briansol]

real hipsters walk around with their goalZero in their backpacks

 

[TurboMirage]

real hipsters walk around with their goalZero in their backpacks

i was going to say i dont think hipsters have $$ to spend on that kind of cool stuff, but then again they buy macbooks........

hell, i'd love a solar charger!

 

[endlesszeal]

it really depends on what you want to do. if you want to transcode media ie .avi to .mp4 or anything like that, i'd pick up a core i5/i7 with quicksync. this makes life very easy.

if you're going to game a little (farmville doesnt count) and dont want a dedicated GPU (worst battery life, cost more)i'd look at AMD's A-series, preferably a "quad-core." nvidia with intel and optimus is good too, but cost much more. it switches between onboard and dedicated to save battery life.

also, id recommend getting an SSD. at least a 128 GB from Samsung, Crucial or Intel and you're gravy. boot up times and file transfers are crazy fast compare to any hard disk available. lastly, i cant remember the last time i used an optical drive. a blu-ray would be nice if you need that sort of thing, but i stream/dl everything so it doesnt matter too much to me.

really, any AMD/Intel solution Intel Pentium or AMD A6 or higher will be swell.

 

[TurboMirage]

i have an LG usb bluray drive for just such occasions that i need to backup some shit or watch high def mooovies.