Upgrading basic laptop a good idea?

[Landon08]

Here's the required form,

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
Preferrably under 800

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
US

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like:
b. Dislike: HP

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Yes, but not a big fan

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Internet browsing + very very light gaming. (I don't really care about gfx card)

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Taking it to and from college

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Yes, mostly just combat arms (very low demanding game). I don't really care that much about "the gaming experience".

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
3+ hours would be nice, but not too concerned about it.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Ok to not see it
11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like. You may also wish to take a look at the notebook screen guide for more information.

Doesn't really matter

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No

15) When are you buying this laptop?
ASAP

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
Preferably 5+ years

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
320+ gigs

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
Just CD/DVD drive.

====================
Hi all, I'm in the market for a new laptop and I have been comparing on Newegg, tigerdirect, etc... But it seems like the best deal is on ebay. Here is the laptop that I am thinking about getting:
Samsung R540 - 3.33GHz i7-620M 4GB 500GB 7200rpm 5.3lb - eBay (item 370485907713 end time Mar-20-11 20:00:46 PDT)
My only concern is it looks like upgraded a relatively cheap laptop and put a better processor and hard drive in it. Which is good because I don't really plan on using the laptop for any heavy gaming or anything (so a good video card doesn't matter to me), I just want it to start up and run fast. My question is do you think this will cause problems? It just seems like he put a Ferrari engine in a Geo, which I'm not sure if that relates to computers at all. So any input that you have or advice/opinions are all very much welcomed! Thanks.

[User Retired 2]

My only concern is it looks like upgraded a relatively cheap laptop and put a better processor and hard drive in it. Which is good because I don't really plan on using the laptop for any heavy gaming or anything (so a good video card doesn't matter to me), I just want it to start up and run fast. My question is do you think this will cause problems? It just seems like he put a Ferrari engine in a Geo, which I'm not sure if that relates to computers at all. So any input that you have or advice/opinions are all very much welcomed! Thanks.

It's not cheap when you consider can get a i7-640M 14" HP DM4t for $775. Far more portable for your to/from college needs. Better build than the Samsung too. Have an $50 HD6370 option too if you want to do some minor gaming.

[Landon08]

It's not cheap when you consider can get a i7-640M 14" HP DM4t for $775. Far more portable for your to/from college needs. Better build than the Samsung too. Have an $50 HD6370 option too if you want to do some minor gaming.

What I meant by "cheap laptop" is that it's base price is relatively cheap when you buy it at any store. He just made modifications to it (put processor and HD in it) to make it a faster computer.

I really don't like the 14" screen. I watch TV shows and movies on my computer, which really makes a bigger screen worth it to me. I really don't mind lugging it around on campus. I'm also buying a computer backpack with a separate space just for the computer. And as I mentioned I really don't like HP, their brand just seems cheap to me, and I've had multiple friends with multiple problems with them. I just can't buy one.

My top priorities are:
Fast start up
Able to run multiple windows quickly

Lowest on the list:
gfx card
blu-ray player
portability

Thanks for your input though!

[Charles P. Jefferies]

The Samsung R540 is a pretty bad laptop:
Samsung R540 Review
I wouldn't recommend it regardless of the asking price.

I know you said you don't like HP, but take a look at the Pavilion dv6t - it has a larger 15.6" screen. Keep an eye out for coupons. You should easily be able to find one under $800 with good specifications. Office Max and Office Depot often have very good out-the-door prices.

[Landon08]

Hmm, I'm not sure I trust that reviewer
Just kidding!
Ok that does make sense, I definitely do not want a bad build quality.
And I know HP is the cheapest, but I just honestly will never buy an HP. The only reason I was looking at this Samsung is I first found this one in newegg first: Newegg.com - SAMSUNG RF510-S01 NoteBook Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
It seemed to get very good reviews. (I really like the fast start feature). I also looked at ASUS, and acer that had almost identical specs, but this one seemed to get the best reviews, or the fast start feature put it over the top. Any suggestions about this laptop? I'm wondering if the build quality is the same as the 540 (it looks like it is).