Big, Bad Laptop...

[RAHK]

To make a long story short, I have access to a lot of money to spend on a laptop. A LOT of money. I have looked around and the "best" system I could find was a Dell and... that ain't happening. Other than it being anything other than a Dell (or a Apple), there are no real restrictions. I would appreciate the best laptop in the $1-$5000 range and the best laptop in the $5000-$50000 range. I need this thing to do everything and I need it to still be more than a paperweight in 4 years. My biggest problem is that I know SQUAT about computers. RAM, overclocking, tetrabytes, etc. are just words that I have heard and have the vaguest grasp of their meanings, if that. So, that just leaves me with the question:

 

 

 

If you had $50,000 USD that you could ONLY spend on a laptop, which incredibly fast, over-powered, disgustingly sweet, best of the best, assuredly over-priced, hunk of top-of-the-line junk would you buy?

 

 

 

P.S. A link would be nice. Thanks in advance. :D

[Nadril]

Jesus christ man, where did you get that kind of money? :lol:

 

 

 

Anyways... the problem with a laptop is it's probaly already going to be fairly outdated in a few years, just because you can't realy keep laptops up with PC's. However, as far as the best laptop I can find right now:

 

 

 

Wow.. I might need to get back to you on this one. I'm looking at newegg and the most expensive one there is a sony laptop.

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834117291

 

 

 

It still would get outdated fairly fast.. just a 7600GT and those are going for quite cheep right now.

[RAHK]

Jesus christ man, where did you get that kind of money? :lol:

 

 

 

Anyways... the problem with a laptop is it's probaly already going to be fairly outdated in a few years, just because you can't realy keep laptops up with PC's. However, as far as the best laptop I can find right now:

 

 

 

Wow.. I might need to get back to you on this one. I'm looking at newegg and the most expensive one there is a sony laptop.

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834117291

 

 

 

It still would get outdated fairly fast.. just a 7600GT and those are going for quite cheep right now.

 

 

 

Might as well explain, lol. I am using the VA's VocRehab program to take courses for a 4 year degree. The problem is, I paid $1200 and 4 years of my life earning the GI Bill. Since I have no real use for it anymore I figured that I would use it to get a laptop for school if I can. Up to $50 grand can buy a lot of laptop but only if I can find it, lol.

 

 

 

The Dell (YUCK) that I saw sounded better from the reviews but I don't know about the specs: http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_XPS_M1710_ ... ml?tag=sub

 

Aside from the fact that its a Dell, this quote worries me "the best gaming performance you'll get from a laptop with a single graphics card. " Does this mean that THIS laptop is limited to one, that all laptops are limited to one, or that 2 or more is possible but very difficult? :?

 

 

 

I have a weekish to decide I believe. :)

[tunaboy692004]

lol. That dell is over priced quite a bit.

 

 

 

If i was you i would check out newegg.com

[Cruiser]

You can spend all the money in the world on a laptop. It'll still be obsolete and beat to death by the tech 4 years from now. No amount of money is going to fix that. You're better off buying a midgrade laptop and saving money to upgrade again later if you have that much money to spend.

 

 

 

Newegg would be a good starting place to browse around, even if you can't order it from them due to location. It'll give you good idea of what you can get for the prices listed, what brands have good ratings and so on.

[zonda]

Omg I wish I had $5000 to put into a computer.... i haet yu0

[username388]

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

[Stuart_G]

Falcon NorthWest make some pretty damn sweet laptops and they are rather expensive and have quite good specs, so you might find something for your liking there.

 

 

 

Can get a custom one with an FX-60 and 512MB 7900Go with 2GB RAM and 2 120GB hard drives for around $6,400 and there still other stuff you can customise after that, so if you have the money to burn and want a pretty uber laptop, you might want to have a look at their stuff.

[RAHK]

lol. That dell is over priced quite a bit.

 

 

 

If i was you i would check out newegg.com

 

 

 

I don't care if what I am buying is worth half what I pay as long as it is the best. I can't use the money on anything else so it doesn't matter.

 

 

 

You can spend all the money in the world on a laptop. It'll still be obsolete and beat to death by the tech 4 years from now. No amount of money is going to fix that. You're better off buying a midgrade laptop and saving money to upgrade again later if you have that much money to spend.

 

 

 

Newegg would be a good starting place to browse around, even if you can't order it from them due to location. It'll give you good idea of what you can get for the prices listed, what brands have good ratings and so on.

 

 

 

From my understanding this is a one time deal unless I go for a masters or something (which I can't afford to do now). I don't mean that I want a laptop that will be competitive 4 years from now (I know that is impossible); what I want is a laptop that is likely to be sufficient to run your average program then. Four years ago my laptop was substandard and now it is a fancy paperweight compared to today's laptops. I just want to start higher than I start then, if you get my meaning.

 

 

 

Newegg sounds great and all but I don't really have enough computer spec knowledge to utilize it properly. I can get that more is usually better, lol, but it is all gibberish to me. I am one of those people who don't like learning a part of something. I prefer learning everything in as short a time as possible. I am starting a degree in Computer Sciences so I will learn all that I need starting in 2 weeks, lol. Until then I would like to rely on the advice of the computerphiles of this community. Haven't been steered wrong yet. :D

 

 

 

Omg I wish I had $5000 to put into a computer.... i haet yu0

 

 

 

$50,000 not $5,000. :P I doubt you would go to Iraq, jump out of planes, and run 40+ miles a week for 4 years to get it. :wink: That is all a story for another day, though.

 

 

 

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

 

 

 

Ah, good point. I want something that could do 3 basic things. 1. Run nearly all types of "average" programs. 2. I want it to laugh at anything game/graphic related. I want to forget what lag is. :lol: 3. I want it to be able to perform anything that you think I would need to get a 4 year Computer Science degree. My first class is C+ or something. Supposedly I need no knowledge beforehand... which is a very, very good thing, lol.

 

 

 

Falcon NorthWest make some pretty damn sweet laptops and they are rather expensive and have quite good specs, so you might find something for your liking there.

 

 

 

Can get a custom one with an FX-60 and 512MB 7900Go with 2GB RAM and 2 120GB hard drives for around $6,400 and there still other stuff you can customise after that, so if you have the money to burn and want a pretty uber laptop, you might want to have a look at their stuff.

 

 

 

Those looked pretty fancy especially with the paintjobs. I don't really know how good they are, though. Since I don't know the relative importance of each spec I have been baseing my opinions off the most negative/positive view that has been posted. Taken with a grain of salt it seems a relatively decent indicator.

 

 

 

Thanks so far people. :D

[Stuart_G]

If you got one of the FNW Laptops, something along the lines of this would be around the top of the range for laptops spec wise and what not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, if you have all this money to burn, why not consider a Laptop and Desktop PC?

 

 

 

Ill take another look around and see if i can find anything better than the one ive listed above though.

 

 

 

Edit: I just realised that Alienware might be worth a look. Even though their Desktop PCs are over prices junk, you cant build a laptop so something like this could be what your after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realise none of that means nothing to you, but yeah, other people here will know what it means and they can agree with the parts there or disagree and hopefully provide a better alternative.

[Chris]

Quite honestly I'd try and find someone who does a core 2 duo laptop.

 

 

 

If it were me, I'd be buying a ROCK laptop. But I'm not sure if they're just a British manufacturer or not.

 

 

 

http://www.rockdirect.com/configureNote ... -T76&bID=2

 

 

 

Take a quick look see.

[RAHK]

Quite honestly I'd try and find someone who does a core 2 duo laptop.

 

 

 

If it were me, I'd be buying a ROCK laptop. But I'm not sure if they're just a British manufacturer or not.

 

 

 

http://www.rockdirect.com/configureNote ... -T76&bID=2

 

 

 

Take a quick look see.

 

 

 

Looked but no clue how that compares to the others mentioned. Is there a sight that lets you customize it down to every last detail? Then I can just get a list of the absolute best from you guys and plug it in.

[Nadril]

Falcon Northwest would be a great bet. They make very good laptops :) .

 

 

 

The falcon's you can customize fairly well I think.

 

 

 

Also check out that Rock site chris mentioned, looks good as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Generaly the top video card your going to get for a laptop right now will be a 7900GS. As far as ram goes I'd say about 3GB max for it.

[insane]

I bought a $900 dell laptop 2 years ago, and I'm pretty sure that in 3 years it will still run "your average program", and it's definitely going to get me my 4-year comp sci degree (2nd year atm). Programming language compilers/editors are pretty much just text-editors.

 

 

 

Though as far as gaming is concerned, it's garbage :P

[RAHK]

I bought a $900 dell laptop 2 years ago, and I'm pretty sure that in 3 years it will still run "your average program", and it's definitely going to get me my 4-year comp sci degree (2nd year atm). Programming language compilers/editors are pretty much just text-editors.

 

 

 

Though as far as gaming is concerned, it's garbage :P

 

 

 

So anything school-related is basically covered if I get a good gaming laptop? Well that is good to know, lol.

 

 

 

So 3 GB and a 7900GS video card? What about the processor? What is the best speed (?) and best choice (I think Athlon and Intel are my options, right?) between those two?

 

 

 

From what I have seen so far it is sounding like the falcon is the best choice unless somebody can explain the alienware's stats to me. :oops:

[wahoo]

As far as I was aware, intel have made core 2's for laptops, or are making them, so I would wait till laptops are available with core 2's and get one of those.

 

 

 

Also, i prefer fnw over alienware. I don't know if the alienware if dual core or not, if it isn't then fnw is the way to go :P

[Nadril]

As far as I was aware, intel have made core 2's for laptops, or are making them, so I would wait till laptops are available with core 2's and get one of those.

 

 

 

Also, i prefer fnw over alienware. I don't know if the alienware if dual core or not, if it isn't then fnw is the way to go :P

 

 

 

Yeah if you can get a "dual core" intel processor it's the better choice. However, other than that i'd get an AMD. (such as an AMD FX-60 or whatever the top one is atm)

[Stuart_G]

The thing that occured to me is the FX-60 is a desktop chip, thus it will use more power which means faster drain on the battery and more heat. On the other hand, the Turion chip in the Alienware system i specced is a chip which is made for laptops which means less power consumption and lower temps.

 

 

 

I could be wrong though, but i havent heard of any FX-60's being designed specifically for laptops, so im guessing it is just going to be a modified desktop chip which does have its advantages and disadvantages over a Turion powered laptop.

 

 

 

So, is power consumption a big deal to you? Do you need the battery to be able to last for long amounts of time?

[RAHK]

I will need the battery to last for roughly 4 hours without being plugged in. My current laptop's battery is so messed up that it lasts 45 mins which isn't even a full class. :x

[Nadril]

Eh we may have a problem.

 

 

 

it's going to be hard finding a great laptop that has enough battery power for 4 hours.

[Guest XplsvBam]

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

how the hell could you spend $10,000 on a computer that sucked at anything?

[Nadril]

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

how the hell could you spend $10,000 on a computer that sucked at anything?

 

 

 

easy.

 

 

 

Those PC's are made specificly for 3d programs such as 3d studio max, ect. ect. Many graphic designers use them.

[Guest XplsvBam]

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

how the hell could you spend $10,000 on a computer that sucked at anything?

 

 

 

easy.

 

 

 

Those PC's are made specificly for 3d programs such as 3d studio max, ect. ect. Many graphic designers use them.

so you are telling me that those computers wouldn't be able to run video games? my little laptop runs video games and 3dsm...

[Nadril]

What are you using this laptop for? There really is no best computer, I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming, or build a $10,000 computer that's not for AutoCAD. So first of all, what are you using it for?

how the hell could you spend $10,000 on a computer that sucked at anything?

 

 

 

easy.

 

 

 

Those PC's are made specificly for 3d programs such as 3d studio max, ect. ect. Many graphic designers use them.

so you are telling me that those computers wouldn't be able to run video games? my little laptop runs video games and 3dsm...

 

 

 

I quote:

 

 

 

I could easily build a $10,000 computer that sucks at gaming

 

 

 

It probaly could run games, yes, but it wouldn't run them near as good as a normal PC could, the video cards aren't made for gaming.

[insane]

Most classrooms will have AC plugs. Just sit close to a wall.

 

 

 

However, if they don't, and battery life is the biggest issue, then get a Mac :P they've got great battery life. You can get windows for Mac now.