Looking for a laptop

GEC: Discuss gaming, computers and electronics and venture into the bizarre world of STGODs.

Moderator: Thanas

Post Reply
User avatar
Oscar Wilde
Padawan Learner
Posts: 340
Joined: 2008-10-29 07:36pm

Looking for a laptop

Post by Oscar Wilde »

As per the title. Looking for something mostly for notes and whatnot for school, but would also like some gaming functionality.

Looking to keep it in the 400-500 range.

Can anyone recommend anything?
It's funny how every Cracked reader seems to change occupation in between reading each article, so that they always end up being irrefutable field experts in whatever topic is at hand.-Dirty_Bastard, cracked.com commentator
User avatar
LadyTevar
White Mage
White Mage
Posts: 23446
Joined: 2003-02-12 10:59pm

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by LadyTevar »

I use a notebook from Asus, one of the Eee PC line. It's got 1.6GHz and 2Gig Ram. I can play WoW on it with little trouble.
Image
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
User avatar
Skgoa
Jedi Master
Posts: 1389
Joined: 2007-08-02 01:39pm
Location: Dresden, valley of the clueless

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by Skgoa »

The problem with recommending anything is that there are vastly different products that qualify as "laptop". Do you intend to also do work on this computer? Do you care more for mobility (i.e. small and light) or ergonomic? (i.e. big screen and big keyboard.)
EeePC is a netbook, those are relatively small and cheap, but that also means they have tiny screens and you can forget about most games. Is the ability to have it on your desk during a lecture a factor for you? Have you thought about getting a tablet? Those don't have a keyboard, but most come with great handwriting recognition.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
Economic Left/Right: -7.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.74

This is pre-WWII. You can sort of tell from the sketch style, from thee way it refers to Japan (Japan in the 1950s was still rebuilding from WWII), the spelling of Tokyo, lots of details. Nothing obvious... except that the upper right hand corner of the page reads "November 1931." --- Simon_Jester
User avatar
Zaune
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 7540
Joined: 2010-06-21 11:05am
Location: In Transit
Contact:

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by Zaune »

LadyTevar wrote:I use a notebook from Asus, one of the Eee PC line. It's got 1.6GHz and 2Gig Ram. I can play WoW on it with little trouble.
Same here. I recommend them highly, not least because amongst all the usual extraneous junkware that every off-the-shelf PC manufacturer feels compelled to waste several gigabytes of disk space on is a genuinely useful CPU-management app that can either extend the battery life by about half an hour or squeeze a bit of extra performance out of the system for gaming or whatever. Make sure you get the latest patches downloaded before you try it though, it had a tendency to crash the computer spectacularly (screen scrambled and full of snow like the graphics card was going boom, no response to Ctrl-Alt-Delete etc) in the first few weeks.

Oh, and don't get a white one if you can avoid it, they pick up stains and fingermarks like you wouldn't believe.
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)


Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
-- fgalkin


Like my writing? Tip me on Patreon

I Have A Blog
User avatar
xthetenth
Jedi Master
Posts: 1192
Joined: 2010-02-20 12:45am

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by xthetenth »

I'm quite loving my notebook from Asus too. Granted, I was kind of forced by what I wanted (Hello 1080p screen in a stupid small chassis so I can get nice clear text even when small for the way I tend to deal with coding work) to get an Asus or spend way more, but the construction seems very solid, its got nice cooling, and it's a powerful selection of hardware in a relatively cheap and mobile chassis. I also agree with Zaune, this is the first computer where I've actually decided to manually gouge out most of the shovelware rather than going to ground zero. Who'd have thought that a vendor power management program could actually include features not that easy to deal with from inside windows? It's also got a pretty solid keyboard, no Thinkpad keyboard but very typeable with solid feeling keys (that are attached really well, unlike most other keyboards I can think of, including a certain Thinkpad which had recurrring issues with its spacebar ever since I accidentally pulled it off.

Short version is as far as I can tell, Asus delivers a solid computer for a very competitive price with a surprisingly non-shit bloat situation.
User avatar
Zixinus
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 6663
Joined: 2007-06-19 12:48pm
Location: In Seth the Blitzspear
Contact:

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by Zixinus »

I got mine since 2009 and so far, it only got minor problems: one of the touchpad's botton doesn't work and the webcam's cable from inside is damaged (and it's apparently a super-special cable because the laptop's repairmen can't get it). But essentially, it's functioning well enough and I kept most of the driver software.

If I can give you advice on that, avoid the Seashell line. You can't swap batteries.

You can register with Asus for getting easier access to drivers and have some tech-guy answer some minor problems.
Credo!
Chat with me on Skype if you want to talk about writing, ideas or if you want a test-reader! PM for address.
User avatar
xthetenth
Jedi Master
Posts: 1192
Joined: 2010-02-20 12:45am

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by xthetenth »

Zixinus wrote:I got mine since 2009 and so far, it only got minor problems: one of the touchpad's botton doesn't work and the webcam's cable from inside is damaged (and it's apparently a super-special cable because the laptop's repairmen can't get it). But essentially, it's functioning well enough and I kept most of the driver software.

If I can give you advice on that, avoid the Seashell line. You can't swap batteries.

You can register with Asus for getting easier access to drivers and have some tech-guy answer some minor problems.
If I nuke and pave (read when if your answer is yes) can I get the drivers on it easily?
User avatar
spooky spice
Redshirt
Posts: 39
Joined: 2011-08-04 01:55pm
Location: nowhere

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by spooky spice »

I have an Acer that I bought just over 3 years ago, and I'm very happy with it. not so happy with Vista, but the actual machine is fine!
"Did I not just us the word 'puzzling'?"
Dianikal
Redshirt
Posts: 2
Joined: 2011-08-11 04:46am

Re: Looking for a laptop

Post by Dianikal »

spooky spice wrote:I have an Acer that I bought just over 3 years ago, and I'm very happy with it. not so happy with Vista, but the actual machine is fine!
Acer is ok, but you might have some prblems with the back in future. Asus is more reliable. I like Dell or HP.
Post Reply