College/Gaming Laptop Selection

kowspot2000 · June 8th, 2008, 03:42 AM

Hello, I'm new here and was wondering if you guys could help me.

I'm going off to college in a few months and my current laptop is dead and it would cost more to fix it then to get a new one. I will need a new one for college/moderate gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer but i like to game it up on occasion. I have narrowed my choice between these three, but haven't been able to decide, so please help me.

the choices are:

Newegg.com - ASUS M51 Series M51Sn-B1 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 3GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS - Laptops / Notebooks

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire AS7720-6844 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5450(1.66GHz) 17.0" Wide XGA+ 2GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm HD DVD-ROM / Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS - Laptops / Notebooks

and

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire AS7720-6381 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 17.0" Wide XGA+ 3GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT - Laptops / Notebooks

Since it will be for college it must be portable i know, but i don't want an underpowered machine, plus i love laptops with the side num-pad. Please help me out

osprey4 · June 8th, 2008, 07:24 AM

Your first stop should be your prospective college or university to see if they offer educational discounts on certain brands. Not only will this save you money, but you can get a longer warranty. You're definitely going to want a 4-yr warranty with accident coverage.

Regarding those particular selections, a 17" machine is not something you're going to want to carry around campus. Better to get a 14" or 15" machine with an external monitor and keyboard.

BipolarBill · June 8th, 2008, 09:32 AM

Yah.

Dell has some sweet laptops. They have gaming notebooks and notebooks that game. You can save money by getting the latter. All it really needs is XP, 2-4GB RAM and an whatever nVidia video upgrade is availabe. I got a Vostro with XP, 2GB and an 8600GT for $750 recently. It games nicely.

Invest in an external hard drive and an extra battery. They are necessities.

jamhough22 · June 8th, 2008, 01:01 PM

If it was looks i would go for the second/third one...
If it was power/proformance i would go for the first one...

but thats just me....

carl33p · June 8th, 2008, 01:14 PM

Dont buy a 17" if you plan on EVER moving it. Osprey has the right idea with buying an external moniter. Which also gives you dual moniters when you use it.

Dell usually has some of the best prices. And, atleast my college, did offer discounts when purchasing through Dell. A 9-cell battery is a good upgrade, for extended use. You really only need 2GB of RAM, and if you ever wanted to upgrade its dirt cheap anyways.

An 8400GS is the minimum GPU you'll want. The 8600GT or 9500GS would be better.

kowspot2000 · June 8th, 2008, 01:47 PM

thanks so much guys, i think ill look around at dell and invest in an external monitor for my dorm. Thanks soooo much. If you have any more ideas please keep them comin, id like to hear some more of your suggestions!

oh and if you guys have and laptop suggestions youd like to make, like specific models and such, please feel free to make them

osprey4 · June 8th, 2008, 08:06 PM

If I may ever so humbly suggest this article: Buying a laptop computer for college

Hai · January 13th, 2009, 05:33 AM

kowspot2000, here is more to come as you requested for your future reference. One crucial thing to take note is the graphic card if sometimes you want to play some new games. It should have a sticker on the palm rest. Good card always have a sticker. Quoted from:
Laptop Computer Selection Criteria - Tipskey

Big_Daddy · January 13th, 2009, 09:04 AM

My experience is that gaming on a laptop is a kludge. You are better off buying two machines.