Laptop advice needed!

Forums: Computers, Laptops, Video Card, Computer Advice
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My old laptop fried! 3 years is a pretty good run I guess.

I'm looking for a new laptop and have narrowed it down to two models:

ASUS N61JV-X2 16-Inch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00352LQYO/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Specifications
# Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
# Display: 16-inch HD LED-backlit Widescreen (1366 x 768)
# CPU: Intel Core i5-430M processor 2.26 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.53 GHz
# Graphics: NVIDIA Optimus-Enabled: NVIDIA GeForce GT 325M with 1GB DDR3 VRAM + Intel GMA HD
# Wireless Data Network: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz)
# LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
# Memory: 4GB DDR3 (up to 8GB)
# Storage: 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive
# Optical Disc Drive: Super Multi DVD drive
# Camera: 2.0 Megapixel
# Speakers: Altec Lansing speakers with SRS premium sound
# Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
# Card Reader: : 1x 8-in- card reader (MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS-Pro-Duo)
# Input/Output: 1x HDMI output, 1x Headphone-out jack (SPDF support), 1x Microphone-in jack, 1x Express Card 34, 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert, 1x USB 3.0 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports, 1x E-SATA
# Battery Pack: 6-Cell
# Dimensions: 14.98 x 10.33 x 1.08 (W x D x H)
# Weight: 6.38 lbs
# Color: Brown

Cost, 920.

Second choice:

Toshiba Satellite A665D-S6059 LED TruBrite

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-A665D-S6059-TruBrite-16-Inch/dp/B003MVZ8CE/ref=sr_1_29?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286320771&sr=1-29

The specs on this one are similar, with two key differences:

- 1.6 GHz AMD Phenom II P920 quad-core processor (with AMD M880G Chipset and 2 MB L2 cache)

- ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics, 1gb video memory.

Cost, 770. 150 bucks cheaper is a big difference; is it worth it to pay for the better processor on the ASUS?

----

Now for the questions:

Can anyone report on the performance of the Intel i5 vs. the Quad-core AMD Phenom? I know the i5 has a faster clock speed, but is there a large real-world difference?

Any bad experiences with Toshiba laptops or Customer support? Same goes for Asus.

Any experience with Radeon 1 GB graphics card vs. Geforce 1 GB?

Thanks for any and all responses in advance.

Cycloptichorn

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I know that in Canada at least, Toshiba has a good return policy. Can't comment on anything else sadly. Good luck.

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@Cycloptichorn,

I have an older Toshiba. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processor, 1.80 GHz with the Radeon graphics card. I've never had any trouble with it. It will slow a bit if I'm doing extensive video editing -- I just save my work, reboot and I'm good to go.

I'm curious what brand is your current laptop that fried after 3 years?? I'll be getting a new one soon, too...something with a better graphics card and a BD reader and I'll use this one mainly for browsing the net and word processing. Unless I go with a desktop model, I'll probably get another Toshiba.

2 Replies

@Irishk,

Many laptops fry 2 years plus because of too much heat. If you use it frequently, 3 years is pretty good, sad I know.

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I have a Sony Vaio. Have had it for about 1 1/2 yrs now. Very, very pleased with it.

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@Cycloptichorn,

Speaking to Toshiba reliability. I have a Toshiba that still runs fine after 14 years. Got it in 1996. I use my desktop almost 100% now but would buy Toshiba on my next laptop.

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@Irishk,

How much older? I want to have a fast-running machine that is capable of playing some games and doing some light video editing, so.... 4 gigs of system memory and 1 of video memory ought to be enough, I mean, sheesh.

Do you like the design of the keyboard and trackpad?

My other computer was a Acer aspire - I guess it's a little inaccurate to say that it 'fried,' but it is making a rather horrible noise at the moment. It had some overheating problems (I kept finding screws that had MELTED their way out of the bottom) and started acting a little erratic a while back. It's just unusable at this point. Overall I like the Acer a lot, though it was hardly a performance machine, I did run it a lot and do quite a bit of traveling with it.

The Toshiba +150 bucks is looking attractive. I guess I'll read some more reviews and then probably order that, an external HD, and an HDMI cable, for less than the other one would have been total.

But then I keep reading great reviews of the Asus... and that the i5 processor really is a lot faster.. aaargh

Cycloptichorn

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@Cycloptichorn,

I bought this Toshiba in 2006, so closing in on 5 years. It's been a workhorse...first thing I did is disable sleep mode or hybernate mode and enabled 'always on' since I can't afford to have it power down when working on videos. It's probably on an average of 18 hours/day...just about every day. The first couple of years I used a cooling pad and that does help. Certain tasks make it run hotter than others, of course, and unless I'm in a hurry I'll try to let it cool some when I can.

I don't game, so don't know much about that except I'd probably want something that could be easily upgraded. I like the keyboard and trackpad of this machine a lot. The two main reasons I want to splurge on a new one is a bigger harddrive (this one is only 160GB) and a newer optical drive. This one is amazingly quiet, but I guess most laptops are. Mr.Irish has a Dell for work and an HP for personal use. They're ok, but I like my Toshiba better (because I'm used to it, I'm sure).

For your purposes, I'd probably go for the Asus, especially if you've determined it's faster. If it had a Blu ray drive and the HD was doubled, I'd seriously consider it, myself. Let us know what you decide on.

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Laptop advice needed!

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