Reliable notebook around $1000/£625 [US/UK]

[psychonauthun]

Hello there, fellow members. As it's obvious, I'm asking for your help choosing my next notebook. Please find the filled in "what should I buy form" below.

1) What is your budget?
$1000/£625

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Between 14" and 16".

3) Where will you buying this notebook?
US or UK, but webshop only. I live in Hungary, but can arrange the shipping for myself from both countries, so domestic shipping is fine in either of the chosen countries.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
PCs only, I'm not planning on buying a MacBook.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Yes, no problem. However, I wouldn't buy a "scratched or dented" notebook (Dell has this category in its webshop outlet, not sure about the other manufacturers).

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Bit of Photoshop and video editing, bit of gaming (running the newest games on highest settings is not a priority), audio and video converting. And also lots of other things, but nothing that even a $400 notebook can't handle.

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?
Yes, I'd like to play some games. Basically from Morrowind to Skyrim, from GTA III to GTA IV.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Around 3 I guess... Not the highest priority, but it would be great to have the opportunity to buy a bigger battery in the future (6->9 cell upgrade).

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?
Perfectly fine to buy it online without seeing it.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 7, but I already have one at home, so there is no need for a preinstalled one. It's not a disadvantage either.

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer?
Anything above 1366x768, altough I'd prefer FullHD, if possible.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte, but a glossy isn't a dealbreaker either.

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Well I wouldn't buy a pink one...otherwise, it's not so important. I like the look of the Dell Precision series though.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Sometime between tomorrow and the end of July. I have the money, but if it's worth waiting for the Ivy Bridge i5 (or something else), I'd definitely consider it.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
About four years.

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
Atleast 320GB, but the bigger the better. If it has an SSD, it has to be atleast a 128GB model.

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

+1: current candidates:
-Dell Precision M4600 (outlet) - with i5 and Quadro (thinking about FirePro also)
-HP dv6tqe - with Ivy Bridge i7 and GeForce GT650M


Thanks for all your help in advance.

Regards,
psychonauthun

[pepper_john]

Thinkpad T420 or T520 with enhenced graphics

[psychonauthun]

Thanks, will consider that. Unfortunately, Lenovo's outlet is currently offline, but will check it tomorrow to see those ThinkPads.

In the meantime, I checked the new ones, and it's pretty much impossible to buy a Txxx with an FHD screen for under $1000.

[madferrit]

same situation here. been looking at Sony's SE series. sleek, light, Full HD IPS screen - it's got it all. not sure about gaming performance though.

Sager NP6165 looks pretty juicy on paper, but it is quite bulky.

not sure whether I should wait for Ivy Bridge, but getting the laptop in 3 weeks or so would be very nice. still looking for alternatives

[psychonauthun]

Sony isn't bad either, but the VGA is very weak. And it's just under $1000, so even if they had the option to change the 6470M (which I couldn't find), it would be over the limit with an acceptable model.

It would be out of the question, but the FullHD IPS panel seems like a big advantage. Worth considering, but I think the VGA is going to be a dealbreaker in this case.

On the other hand, Sager looks cool, I'm going to look into it a bit deeper.

Thanks for your help, any other recommendations?

[madferrit]

guess we're helping each other out

at the moment I seem to be pretty settled with a Sager. I'm also considering the 17" model (6175 I believe). if you can stretch your budget a bit NP9130 would be a better choice with its GTX670 graphics.

been also wondering if I should look into those MSI and ASUS laptops.

[psychonauthun]

Out of the question, $1300 with some upgraded (but needed) components.

Also, I would be happier with a Dell, as they offer 3 years of next business day worldwide warranty.
I'm not sure about Sager, but I've never seen one here in Hungary, and to be honest, haven't even heard about them before. The notebook is cool, don't get me wrong, but there is absolutely no support here - which means that if it gets broken, I have to send it overseas, which is atleast $100-150.

So I guess it's also eliminated because of possible warranty issues.

But if you live in Canada or in the States, it seems good.