20 replies to this topic

[CJ]

I'm going to buy a new laptop for myself this time, but the thing is I didn't follow the updates on the new and upcoming hardware, so I was wondering if some of you knew what graphic card I should choose for said laptop.
Right now I'm thinking of getting one with a AMD Radeon Mobility HD5650, but I'd like to know it's nVidia equivalent, or whether AMD is going to release a better GC (Which seems unlikely from what I read since the 6000M Series is pretty much the same GPUs as the 5000M series with just a different name...)

Also, what brand would you advise me to buy? I'm actually hesitating between Sony and Toshiba, since they seem like the only reliable companies which still sell 17" laptops...

[Alias]

Buy ASUS or Toshiba. Sony is way too overpriced.

My laptop has a 5730, which is pretty much just an overclocked 5650. It runs just about everything on high/highest detail, and ATI drivers are far more reliable now than they have been in the past.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

I have a Sony VAIO E, its actually the cheapest one with that spec, 5650 is indeed a great card.

[CJ]

 Alias, on 3 Dec 2010, 10:53, said:

Buy ASUS or Toshiba. Sony is way too overpriced.

My laptop has a 5730, which is pretty much just an overclocked 5650. It runs just about everything on high/highest detail, and ATI drivers are far more reliable now than they have been in the past.

Sadly I don't see to find any 17" laptop with a 5730, however since I just got informed that I won't be able to get the laptop before January that might change...

 ΓΛΡΤΘ&#, on 3 Dec 2010, 11:22, said:

I have a Sony VAIO E, its actually the cheapest one with that spec, 5650 is indeed a great card.

Just wondering, what resolution are you running on it? A friend of mine has a 15.6" Vaio with a resolution of 1920*1080, and I personally find that stupid when I see the size of the screen...

Right now the only two noticeable PCs I found are these :
Sony Vaio VPC EC 3M1E/BJ
Toshiba Satellite L670-1DG
And I honestly fail at seeing any difference between the two except the price... Any ideas on what could be causing this apart from the fact that, as Alias said, Sony tends to sell overpriced stuff?

[Futschki]

Yesterday I bought an HP Pavilion Dv7-4070 it has an ATI Mobility Radeon 5650, and it is indeed a great card... oh and the laptop is great you can look up its specs, and it's not that expensive ...

[CJ]

 Futschki, on 5 Dec 2010, 18:32, said:

Yesterday I bought an HP Pavilion Dv7-4070 it has an ATI Mobility Radeon 5650, and it is indeed a great card... oh and the laptop is great you can look up its specs, and it's not that expensive ...

Thanks for the tip but I ain't buying an HP another time, already got screwed twice by their poor quality PCs and their more than awful customer support...
BTW, their price isn't that expensive compared to some Toshiba laptops with the same specs

[Futschki]

Uhm, well I am a computer technician, and I'm in the HP and Toshiba technical department, I can't deny HP had a very poor series (practically all dv thousands such as dv2000, dv6000 and dv9000). But as of last year, their quality got significantly higher, especially with those new series they're pretty good.

As for customer support, I don't know, since well in Lebanon, customers rarely refer to the main company (HP or Toshiba), they use the help of official resellers such as the company I work in, and I can't complain about that

[CJ]

Just did a (not so) quick search on HP laptops, there aren't any models available which meet my expectations in French stores (it must be a non digital store so I can get the TVA refund from the customs )
I guess that solves the problem

[BeefJeRKy]

HP ENVY 17 has a 5850 btw

[Alias]

 CJ, on 4 Dec 2010, 4:23, said:

 Alias, on 3 Dec 2010, 10:53, said:

Buy ASUS or Toshiba. Sony is way too overpriced.

My laptop has a 5730, which is pretty much just an overclocked 5650. It runs just about everything on high/highest detail, and ATI drivers are far more reliable now than they have been in the past.

Sadly I don't see to find any 17" laptop with a 5730, however since I just got informed that I won't be able to get the laptop before January that might change...

Why do you need 17"? Mine is 16", for the record.

Using my very dodgy French, I've trawled a website.

Here is the closest laptop I could find to mine: (this is the same series as mine, just a model downgrade in the 16"s)
http://www.topachat.com/pages/detail2_cat_...in10046002.html

Here is a 17" from the same series, with 5730 and i7:
http://www.topachat.com/pages/detail2_cat_...in10045039.html

Edited by Alias, 06 December 2010 - 01:33.

[Futschki]

Scope's suggestion is like the best you can get but it's kinda expensive, if you can pay for an envy 17, I'd say definitely go for it

[Alias]

 Futschki, on 6 Dec 2010, 18:46, said:

Scope's suggestion is like the best you can get but it's kinda expensive, if you can pay for an envy 17, I'd say definitely go for it

Pay twice as much for something marginally better which will break twice as quick, sounds like a good idea to me.

[CJ]

 Alias, on 6 Dec 2010, 11:06, said:

 Futschki, on 6 Dec 2010, 18:46, said:

Scope's suggestion is like the best you can get but it's kinda expensive, if you can pay for an envy 17, I'd say definitely go for it

Pay twice as much for something marginally better which will break twice as quick, sounds like a good idea to me.

Exactly my thoughts, I've seen the price of the Envy 17 3D but I'm not that crazy (plus I must keep the price under 1000€)
Also if I were to buy something at that price I'd take an Alienware Mx-15
As for your suggestions, the first one has an nVidia chipset which is fairly weak compared to the 5650 (40% less FPS on most games according to the benchmarks) and the second one is a bit expensive

BTW, what do you guys think of Packard Bell? Is it a good brand? Cause I found this one which has pretty much the same specs but a better graphic card...
http://www.surcouf.com/portables-netbooks/...ilter=ListeNum6

[Alias]

As I said, that's the model down in the same series. I'm sure you can find it in Europe somewhere.

Packard Bell is HP-lite.
Stick with an Asian manufacturer.

Edited by Alias, 06 December 2010 - 16:12.

[CJ]

Actually I forgot to post that I found a good Acer model after I posted that... Thanks for the help once again
http://www.ldlc.com/...PB00107288.html
It has a slightly less powerful i5 processor, but in return it has 2x500GB HDDs and runs on a HD5850, so I guess I'll choose this one if I don't manage to get a reduction coupon on the Toshiba

[Alias]

I'd be careful with Acer too, they tend to be the dodgiest of the Asian manufacturers, but if you think the risk is worth it, then go for it I guess.

If you look at the tests the 5850 is only marginally better than the 5650/57xx, and those benchmarks work off CPU too. Most of the computers with the 5850 are i7s, whereas yours is an i5 (not to say i5s are bad, I use one after all), but I don't think it will make nearly as much difference as you think. Laptop cards are a lot closer in performance than desktop cards.

[CJ]

I don't think it's worth the risk, since you told me to "Stick with an Asian manufacturer" I kinda thought would be a good choice :o
Also, I'm aware that the benchmarks depend of the CPU as well, the thing is I noticed a difference of about 10 FPS in general between the two configs, so I thought it might be worth it...

The lack of decent choices in the 17" category is making me reconsider buying a smaller screen laptop BTW, but I probably should pause the search for now and wait until January, maybe there'll be more choice then (even though I doubt it >_>)
Anyway thanks for your help guys, much appreciated

[Alias]

To be honest I don't see why you would want a 17" to begin with. But yeah, as with always with computing stuff it is good to wait a couple of months, I did when I bought mine. I am glad I did as I got this, what was (incidentally) the first laptop released with a 5730.

Edited by Alias, 07 December 2010 - 02:16.

[BeefJeRKy]

Personally, I've found carrying my 16" laptop to be a major pain. My next notebook will be in the 11-13" range. Possibly even a Macbook Air.

[CJ]

 Scope, on 7 Dec 2010, 23:22, said:

Personally, I've found carrying my 16" laptop to be a major pain. My next notebook will be in the 11-13" range. Possibly even a Macbook Air.

You mean that uberpriced thingy? If I were to pay that price for a laptop I'd take the AlienWare M11x, seriously...

BTW, a friend just sent me this suggestion : http://www.surcouf.com/portables-netbooks/...ter=ListeNumNaN
17" monitor, i7-740QM and NVIDIA GT425M for only 1000€, it's by far the best laptop I've seen yet for this price.

[Alias]

And it's ASUS too, you have my backing.