Searching guidance about an all-rounder notebook [less than $2500]

[Vip_blast]

I already made a thread before, here it is:

Best Laptop under $2800 - Please advise me.

I'm making this one, because after getting much advices from you guys, I began to learn about the new Ivy Bridge processors that's about to be released, and I had not considered this at all before. Also, I am now open to buy from brands such as Asus, MSI or Sager (as long as I get reliable positive feedback about the products). Previously I have been recommended the Dell Precision M4600 and the Lenovo Thinkpad W520, and while they seem to be great machines, I get the feeling that at those prices, I will pay quite alot for dated hardware as well as rather weak graphic cards (Quadro are not what I'm searching for).

I'm copy-pasting the query form once again, with a few modifications:

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
A. Let's say I can go up to $2500, but I'd prefer to keep it below $2000 if possible.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
A. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen.

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
A. In Europe, most probably in Luxembourg.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Lenovo (or anything good you suggest)
b. Dislike: HP

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
A. No, only brand new.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
A. University work (I will be doing MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering - so I don't think I need CAD stuff), casual gaming.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
A. Both.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
A. Yes, mostly RPG/Action/Adventure games, but I may try other styles as well. A game that I would love to play is Darksiders 2.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
A. I don't really know about this category, so I'm going to say 3 hours?

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?
A. I will be purchasing online, so that's not a problem.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
A. Windows 7.


Screen Specifics

12) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer?
A. A full-HD screen - 1920x1080.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
A. I would prefer Matte as long as possible.


Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
A. Kinda, I'd like something that looks nice (e.g. the Lenovo Thinkpad W series look cool to me).

15) When are you buying this laptop?
A. In May 2012.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
A. 3 years atleast.


Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
A. If I can get SSD, that would be great, else I would opt for 750GB+ HDD. Else you could guide me on how to make manual upgrades that cost less!

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
A. Blu-Ray drive if possible, else DVD burner would do fine.

On the XoticPC website which I discovered 1 week ago, I found two new models, they are the ASUS N55SL-DS71 and the MSI GE60 0N-006US. Both are apparently coming with IVB, and while being pretty powerful, they are also light and sleek. Do you think these are good choices?

[pepper_john]

do you mean you want the latest model? W530 is coming out soon.

[Vip_blast]

I did look for the W530, but by this picture, I feel somewhat disappointed:


I really like Lenovo because of their keyboards, but if they are switching to chiclet style, I would be even more tempted to look at other brands now. :/

[Fat Dragon]

That ASUS only has a mid-range GPU in the 635M (rebadged 555M I believe) - maybe lower mid-range by the standards of AMD 7000 and nVidia 600 series GPUs. The 650M in the MSI should be much better.

[Vip_blast]

That ASUS only has a mid-range GPU in the 635M (rebadged 555M I believe) - maybe lower mid-range by the standards of AMD 7000 and nVidia 600 series GPUs. The 650M in the MSI should be much better.

Do you have any personal opinions about MSI? I have never even seen a notebook produced by them before.

Is there any other incoming models, or existing models that will get upgrades to the new generation of processors, that fits in my requirements?

[Fat Dragon]

I have no hands-on experience with most of the brands people discuss here, MSI is no exception. Their target audience seems to be similar to much of ASUS's audience - gamers looking to maximize bang for buck. My totally uninformed opinion is that neither laptop is likely to offer particularly good build-quality or portability. Within your budget, you can do much better - whether you could do much better at the price point occupied by those laptops I don't know.

[Vip_blast]

I have no hands-on experience with most of the brands people discuss here, MSI is no exception. Their target audience seems to be similar to much of ASUS's audience - gamers looking to maximize bang for buck. My totally uninformed opinion is that neither laptop is likely to offer particularly good build-quality or portability. Within your budget, you can do much better - whether you could do much better at the price point occupied by those laptops I don't know.

The thing is, I am not finding any laptop which fits my specs, and also has a decent graphics card. The best I found was running GT 525m (Dell XPS 15z). If you have any suggestions, please do share.

[danny1manny]

Mr MM recommended these to me: clevo p150em and lenovo y580. These might be something for for. Alternatively, there is the upcoming gigabyte p2542g.

[contradude]

Going to suggest the np9150 again. Great machine and will get ivy bridge as soon as it's available

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

[Vip_blast]

The N9150, while being very powerful, is too much power for my usage. I'd prefer something less powerful, and more portable, that's why I noticed the MSI GE60. It's lighter and has a better battery life as well.