Need a new laptop for work and play

[Awumpa]

1) What is your budget? $650 CAN before tax 2) What size notebook would you prefer? c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator. Canada
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? a. Like: Asus b. Dislike:
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed? Yes I don't mind refurb at all
6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook? Occasional games, HD videos,
7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both? Both
8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games? What ever I have that will run, source games, minecraft, SR3, Bf3?,
9) How many hours of battery life do you need? 5+ while just browsing or watching videos
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? on-line without seeing it is OK
11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc. Win7 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. Higher the better for me. 1366 x 766 is all I'll find though ;_;
13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen? Don't care Build Quality and Design
14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? Not really
15) When are you buying this laptop? this week 16) How long do you want this laptop to last? 4-5 years
Notebook Components
17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive? 320gb min
18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive? Not really

[Awumpa]

bump for help

[Rykoshet]

You can get an HP dv6 for about $699 if I recall with some great specs, including 1080p...

[CowboyCoder]

For programming and to last 4-5 years, I'd suggest a budget business class notebook rather than the consumer grade DV6 which will most likely die the first week outside of it's 1 year warranty.

Take a look at the Dell Vostro 3350 (13"), 3450 (14"), 3550 (15") or the HP ProBook 4330s (13"), 4530s (15.6"). These should be well within your budget and they will last for years.

[CowboyCoder]

Sorry, ignore the post above - I replied to the wrong thread!!! DUH!! These choices won't be much good for gaming.

[Awumpa]

You can get an HP dv6 for about $699 if I recall with some great specs, including 1080p...

I've heard many times over that HP has terrible cooling and to ignore them at all costs, especially if I want to play games. Is it worth it?

[Awumpa]

Found this Canada Computers | Notebooks, Netbooks & Tablets | ASUS U41JF-A1, Notebook (Silver) - Intel Core i3-380M, 14" HD LED, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce 425M 1GB, Optimus, DVD-RW, Wireless N, Gb LAN, HDMI, Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and it seems really nice. Good battery, good GPU, 14", light,and a good 500gb HDD. It's right at the peak of my budget, should I go for it?