Getting first laptop, and moving to Japan, need a little help!

[MugsyGoten]

Alright guys, Ive been reading around for a long time, and Ive finally decided to post.
Here is my situation, Im a 2nd year college student, and next year I am studying abroad in Japan for 10 months, you know to learn the language and whatnot. Here is my dilemma...I just found out that I cant bring my desktop with me, and that makes me really upset. The good news is, that I get to buy a new laptop because I found a friend that will buy my current desktop off of me for about $650. So then I got to looking around, first at Alienware and Sony, until I realized that they were kind of junky or overpriced, you know the usual stuff, plus I dont really care for packages along software, thats why I stay away from Compaqs and stuff. BTW my last/current computer was custom made by a local computer store that I frequented, and its been magnificent, i kinda dont wanna see it go. It seems you guys dont really like Alienware anyways, so Im in the clear as far as all that goes.
I was on some other forum, and they told me to go ahead and check out Sager's website...I didnt think much of it because I had never heard of them, but I checked anyways. What I found was desktop-style laptops at amazingly affordable prices. So I called up a rep over at www.powernotebooks.com where I ended up in all this mess. He was a really cool guy and didnt sound like a salesmen at all. He didnt push anything on me, and he told me to actually wait 3 or 4 months before buying. This is why...

I use my computer for writing papers (obviously, but I think my old Acer 120MHZ could pull that off), surfing the net (more than I probably should), downloading a hell of a lot of things, talking on AIM, storing digital camera pictures, e-mailing them at times, watching movies/listening to music, burning CDs, and playing a Dance Dance Revolution emulator I have called Stepmania (part of my diet, dont ask). This is about it, plus I have been known to get into the occassional hyped up game when it comes out. Im sure Ill be all about Doom 3 when that comes out, and I dont know why I havent gotten into Age of Mythologies yet...I think I play too much DDR. But gaming definitely needs to be there, in part of the whole scheme.

Like I said, I talked to the rep, I think his name was Donald, Im not 100% on this one, and he said to wait 3 or 4 months, when I'll be able to get a P4 3.06 GHZ (the multithreading deal really sold me on this), 128MB Mobile ATI Graphics card i think, a newer screen with a wide viewing angle, and a bunch of other tech stuff that I cream over. But one thing that he made sure to tell me is that I dont need the best comp that they have out now, as I wouldnt need the TV tuner, some port (may have been serial, I really dont remember), and I could cut down from 12lbs to 9lbs. He also said not to worry about battery life, I dont know why, but I think he reckoned it to only 10% of laptop usage time uses the battery I believe. The thing is, I dont know how much mobile computing I'll be doing when Im in Japan, or what I would even use it for. Ive been looking at these Centrino processors, and I think theyre a cute idea and all, but I dont think it would have enough beef to play the ever-so-sexy Doom 3. I looked up these wireless internet points also, and I saw that there wasnt one in Nara Japan, where I'll be living, so I thought the Centrino thing to really be useless by my...using.
So this is where I stand now, I really dont know what to get when I do get my laptop, although Sager/Power Notebooks looks to be VERY promising. I am certainly hoping to not pay more than $2,000 for it, because that means a hell of a lot of my summer job money would be going towards it, but if it has to be $2,000, then I guess it has to, the last thing I want to do is get a laptop that will need to be upgraded, word on the street is that its pretty tough/expensive to do this. I have a pretty good idea that I wanna get something of this caliber when I actually decide to buy, but its a huge decision, and I want to make sure I get this right. Im gonna stop writing now, as I fear many of you have looked at the size of this, my first post, and decided that Im retarted for writing so much. I just wanna make sure I get this right and give you all (the experts), all of the information you would need to give me an excellent and precise decision. If I've left anything out somehow, please let me know, and I will most definitely fix/append it.

EDIT: I dont know if an extra battery is really going to be an issue, but then again I dont know how much I will be using this thing without a plug. Im going to get an airplane plus for when I fly to.from Japan...so I dont know what I should do about the extra battery either

[GroundZero3]

are you going to be moving around with the laptop or is it just gonna sit on the desk?

Sager laptops are designed to be desktop replacements, hence why some use desktop processors and weight a hefty 9 - 12 lbs. which can get annoying very fast if you move it around

If the laptop is not going to be moving around i say get the sager. Fast, afforable nice systems


but if you will be traveling freaquently i.e taking it to the school from where your living or use it on the road i would say sager is not the best opionion. I would look into the Toshiba or Dell systems.

http://ltsu.net/wificountrylist.htm

try looking around here for access points in Japan. From the quick search they have a couple im not familar with Japan but maybe this info could help

[the jester]

Hi Mugsy

First question, why can't you bring your desktop to Japan? Power's nigh on identical - friend of mine ordered in the states and had it delivered here (Japan) and it is still working (he's stateside now but my sister-in-law appreciated the going-home sale)

Next up, why not try Toshiba Direct when you get here - buy a quality PC configured for non-Japanese people at a competitive price - parts and upgrades oh so easy when the brand is recognized

Nara is not going to be the heart of wired Japan - what people use here is a service called AirH (maybe more language practice than you're wanting right now) which is part of the mobile phone service and delivers 128kbs but coverage depends on where you are - Nara should be OK but of course you have the whole mobile pricing structure to hassle with

Hope that gives you some thoughts - if nothing else a nice laptop is going to be sweet given the amount of space you are likely to get in your accommodation

[MugsyGoten]

Ok heres what I picked up, I figure that none of those access points are anywhere near where I will be. I also figure that I may be taking my laptop around with me more than I initially thought. I dont know if Centrino is a good idea or not in that respect. But then again, I mean the Sager just seems awesome, and when the Mobile ATi 128 9700(?) comes out Ill be able to throw that into the mix...minus the battery power though. Basically I still need a lot of things answered. I was told on another forum that in 3-4 months, Centrinos will be at about 1.8GHZ, and thats more than enough to play Doom 3. I guess thats not my big issue, my big issue is will it still be ok to lug around a 8-9 lb laptop wherever I may go. Now that I think of it, that may be a bad idea, but I have never actually been laptop shopping, maybe I should look into that tomorrow. Yeah I think Ill do that. Thanks again guys, and keep up the comments, I like what Im seeing here.

[kieran]

either you get a "real" desktop replacement, which is bulky and has short battery time, but can handle the latest games-for now.
or:
you go for thin and light, with less performance, but decent battery times.

or you get both, but pay more for it.


centrinos are expensive, but actually are faster than a p4 with the same frequency, consume less power, and have wlan interated, supposedly using less energy than an extra card -but you should know this by now.


when you decide, what kind of computer you are looking for, i think you will get a couple of suggestions, but for now what you are saying is: "i don't know how much i'll be lugging it, i may want to play the latest games, i may buy a centrino, i have some money, but cant tell how much i'm willing to pay..."
be more specific:-)

[MugsyGoten]

its so hard to be specific here...I guess what I am looking for is the desktop replacement, I dont play a lot of games, but will in the future. Im not so much concerned about the portability factor, and I think the Centrino keeps sounding like a better idea everyday. I just dont know how the Centrino handles games...

[kieran]

info for centrino
http://www4.tomshardware.com/mobile/20030205/

in the beginning phase a centrino is still quite expensive.
it doesnt offer more speed yet, but uses less power than a mobile p4, much less than p4.
for now, centrinos will be only in buisness pc's, i think, though dell bought out one recently with a ati9k, which is fairly good(only 14inch screen), but the new graphics cards will be far better, of course. also the sager 15inch screen centrino is awesome.
if you want a desktop replacement i guess the question is, how much money you can or want to spent.
toshiba
dell
sager
offer nice computers

i have a dell myself, desktop replacement8200, bulky, been happy with it so far.
but i have only heard positive things about sagers here, so the advice that donald guy gave you may be your best bet.
desktop replacements at good prices is what they do, so i would do what he tells you. wait for the next graphics card, cooler screen, if you can.
another thing:
i wouldn't go without wlan.
costs just a little bit extra, but gives you a huge benefit. i decided to put up a wireless network for me at home and have been happy about that decision at least once a day since then.right now im lying in my bed, writing this...
so don't worry about hotspots-also they get more by the day.
also big harddisk! get as much as you can. laptops all have way less harddisk than desktops, so this is going to be the first thing to annoy you if you use it to for instance store movies and use mp3.

[MugsyGoten]

Thanks a million Kieran, Im almost completely sold on the Sager...and I think now after I researched Tom's Hardware for an hour, Im going to go with a Centrino. The thing is that Im probably going to be buying in about August or so, so hopefully the prices drop a little bit...and by the way I want to spend $2000 or less.

[kieran]

a friend of mine just ordered the travel mate 800
also an awesome computer, but expensive

[MugsyGoten]

whats the travelmate 800? Would I want to think about this for what I do with my computer?