Is it smart to buy a new laptop now?

[powerfull499]

Hi guys.

I have been thinking about buying a new laptop for quiet a while, - 6 months or so, but I'm waiting for the right moment to do it. I know that NVIDIA has just released their new 600m-series for laptops, so I'm in a dilemma because Windows 8 is in the offing (in the autumn I think).

What do you think? Should I wait for Windows 8 and future hardware, or is it fine to buy a new laptop right now?

Suggestions are greatly appreciated! :-)

Thank you very much.

Kind Regards,
Peter

[V_Chip]

Hi guys.

I have been thinking about buying a new laptop for quiet a while, - 6 months or so, but I'm waiting for the right moment to do it. I know that NVIDIA has just released their new 600m-series for laptops, so I'm in a dilemma because Windows 8 is in the offing (in the autumn I think).

What do you think? Should I wait for Windows 8 and future hardware, or is it fine to buy a new laptop right now?

Suggestions are greatly appreciated! :-)

Thank you very much.

Kind Regards,
Peter

Wait a few weeks for Ivy Bridge and the computers that are released with it.

If IB doesn't interest you, it's release will drop the prices of current Sand Bridge computers.

[powerfull499]

Sorry for being stupid, but can you give me a quick outline of the difference between the Ivy Bridge and the Sand Bridge? I tried to wiki it but it seems a bit messy.

Are there any other new hardware improvements that are coming in 2012 and are worth waiting for?

[V_Chip]

Sorry for being stupid, but can you give me a quick outline of the difference between the Ivy Bridge and the Sand Bridge? I tried to wiki it but it seems a bit messy.

Are there any other new hardware improvements which are coming in 2012 and are worth waiting for?

Primarily? Faster. Intel HD 4000 IGP.

It's new.. sorry not much of a specmaster.

Don't quite have the specs on hand. There are many threads that discuss the benefits however.

[ZaZ]

While it's true IB will be faster and offer a bit more battery life, it'll only be faster if you're pushing it. If you're just doing normal stuff, it'll perform the same as SB. SB already does quite well in the battery life department. Another important IB feature is USB 3 is now incorporated into the chipset. All laptops should have USB 3 ports. Some SB laptops like my X220i don't have them.

[rekeyroberts]

heres some info on sandy bridge and previous processors that might help

[rekeyroberts]

oops here you go Notebook Processors - Notebookcheck.net Tech

[powerfull499]

Thanks for all the answers!

I don't care about the battery life since I will mainly use for gaming (a desktop replacement). Is the Ivy-Bridge worth waiting for when it comes to gaming?

[idiot101]

NO.

But you will need to wait for the latest Kepler cards to release though. You will have a nice bump in performance per watt and the laptops will run cooler and will offer better gaming performance for lower specs. The cards to look forward to are the GTX660M(release should be with IB), 680M(Expected in August) and the new AMD 7970M(built on the 28nm process). The 660M and the 7970M will be available in about a couple of weeks.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/26...-24th-of-april

[cmick25]

*Windows 8 will bring some nice improvements, but I just hope they won't mess too much with the desktop intended (as in NON-TABLET) side of the OS. But, not that much of an improvement that would make up for a minimum of 6 month wait (you know, first Windows 8 gets released, some laptop lines launch on the same date, then we wait for the reviews, then we see that in 2-3 months time better spec units will come out, and then there is Christmas/New Years period and discounts, etc., etc.)

*similar thing with Ivy bridge- all the first laptops available with IB won't necessarily be the best of the whole bunch available between April and November. "idiot101" says they will run cooler. I hope they will. But, will they? All of them? Will you jump on the first chance of buying IB powered laptop, without reading some reviews, posting here, asking for advice. First you need to be assured that IB in a laptop of certain specs is stable, top performance, etc. Then, the compatibility and "co-operation" of CPU and (new line of!) GPU needs to be top notch, right? Then, when all that has been check, you'll want to make sure the build quality is good, screen doesn't suck, etc...

So, yeah it is a process.
I find it a bit funny when people say "oh, don't buy now, in a month, or so, Ivy bridge is out..." Yeah, but the situation isn't exactly the same as it is when Apple is launching an iPhone/iPad, is it?

It is a free market. You can be the first buyer/tester of IB laptop. You might be lucky, or unlucky. There's no set rules.

If I were person in question, I would do one of the following (in order of preference ):
a) buy a Sandy bridge laptop now with the available graphic card, and enjoy the benefits of the presently available tech, instead of hanging on forums, and waiting for a good reason to wait a bit more, or to jump a bit blindly on the bandwagon of the newest, promising, but not much user tested, quality assured tech
b) buy a Sandy bridge laptop around summer, after we learn more about new cards in real life
c) if I weren't rushed at all, buy an Ivy bridge laptop with a new graphic card around November- all the real life experiences, ratings and recommendations on the CPUs, graphics, and particular models released over the previous 6/7-month period will be there, as well as some holiday discounts, cheaper Win 7/Win 8 upgrade deals

In short, if you now buy a good laptop for the money and then compare it later on with those new laptops available for the same amount of money, I hardly think you'll be having a good reason for saying "Darn it, I should have waited." As one of the posters said, you'll only feel the advantages if/when you push the laptop(s) to their upper limit of performance, and really don't believe there is more than 5-10% of us who really run our machines so hard and to that extent most of the time.