SRL Archive - Discussions & Debates

So I'm a nub at computers, just want to get the opinions of some more savvy peoples :)

I am looking for a great laptop for college that will last for 5 years+. Currently, I have narrowed it down to these 3:

The Alienware M11X

Software & Services
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit) edit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010 edit
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i5 520UM (3M Cache, 1.066 GHZ with 1.866 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable
VIDEO CARD 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M
LCD PANEL 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
NETWORK CARD Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
WIRELESS CARDS Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless

The Studio 14

Software & Services
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) edit
VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 1GB edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200 edit
HD DISPLAY 14.0” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera and Facial Recognition edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0

and the Macbook Pro 13'

# 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
# 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
# SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
# Microsoft Office Mac 2008 - Home and Student Edition

Now what I don't fully understand is the processor. such as the speed differences and whether it's i5 or i7, you know.

Thanks to anyone who can help :S

If not doing design, I don't recommend a mac. The studio 14 seems to be the fastest, but 14" might not be as portable as you want for college.

What do you plan on using your laptop for?

PS: I do not recommend buying a gaming laptop.

Just buy a mini. Great for school and cheap.

+1 for Studio. Keep in mind that if any laptop goes 5+ years without anything needing to be replaced it's quite lucky, and in 5 months everything will be obsolete anyway (yet still more than enough for typing docs etc).

After 5 months, the only people that would think everything is obsolete is an absolute computer gamer/nerd. For normal people like me and Runaway his laptop will be above average for a while, especially for a school laptop.

Any would suffice really, but I'd go with the Studio.

[QUOTE=Camaro';744329]After 5 months, the only people that would think everything is obsolete is an absolute computer gamer/nerd. For normal people like me and Runaway his laptop will be above average for a while, especially for a school laptop.[/QUOTE]

Yea but I said it just in case because the M11X is a gamer/nerd laptop.

From: Boreas
Yea but I said it just in case because the M11X is a gamer/nerd laptop.

Got it :)

Yes, I think I'll go with the studio.

I think it wins in the long run and it's cheaper than the other two by quite a bit!

Thanks for the opinions guise.

Just a … tip although you probably already ran and bought it… Don't expect a laptop to last for 5 years, you will be disappointed.

Mine is 6 years old, and i've had to change parts and stuff (by professionals), for over 400€. The computer was 1.100€ though so… well worth it.

Also, skip windows if you can, and if its only going to be for school.

If battery life is important, MacBook Pro unless you're going to get a 12-cell battery for any Windows laptop. Seriously, windows laptops don't have a very good battery life. I myself use a Windows laptop with a 12-cell battery to make it last about as long as a MacBook Pro.
If you need applications that are only available on Windows, then you're kind of stuck with it.
Looking at your specs for Windows laptops, I don't think a 6-cell battery would last for more than 4 hours for the Studio. The Alienware has such a low clock speed I wouldn't get it.

I would NOT go for the Alienware or Mac. Too damn expensive for a laptop, even the Studio might be overkill. You should go with a netbook or something for college, something you can take to class and won't be a $2,000 loss if it gets stolen/broken.

Just get a Notebook or Netbook. Thier light cheap and best of all they can handle Microsoft Word 2007

:)

Thats all i use it for. Notes/Powerpoints/ BIG ass portable HD.

Good luck carrying a computer thats going to cause back problems later on.
Unless your back pack has the softest straps money can buy.
haha

I would wait til Ontario or Zacate if I were going to buy a netbook.

I wouldn't buy any Atom garbage - save yourself the trouble.

Hey i have an Atom!

It runs perfectly fine!

don't dis the Intel.

Even though im a big AMD fan :D

From: Squancy
Hey i have an Atom!

It runs perfectly fine!

don't dis the Intel.

Even though im a big AMD fan :D

I'm not dissing Intel, I am dissing their trash known as Atom.

I would never run Atom as a desktop/laptop system. Though I think I will be making a Atom home server soon. Be pretty pimp to have a Router + Proxy Server for cacheing and a NAS all in one.

The new generation of Atom CPUs are better, but not good enough.

I have the MacBook Pro 15" and I don't think it is too big at all. I know a lot of people that have to constantly charge their PCs and my Mac can go all day @ school without being charged (which is very convenient) and I like my Mac just overall. The little features that it has also are pretty nice. I also like the bigger track pad while doing school work.

From: Capricorn
I'm not dissing Intel, I am dissing their trash known as Atom.

I would never run Atom as a desktop/laptop system. Though I think I will be making a Atom home server soon. Be pretty pimp to have a Router + Proxy Server for cacheing and a NAS all in one.

The new generation of Atom CPUs are better, but not good enough.

lol wtf atom for desktop?

ew. There only good for netbooks/notebooks. There small and powerfulf or something that doesnt require alot of power to run. Thats what the point of this processor. To save battery life but still be powerful to run shit.

If you have the money to spare, easily get the Alienware M11X looks absolutely amazing, and has amazing specs. but if you are trying to save a little money, id go for the Studio 14.

inb4macfag :P

The Studio 14 looks like a good machine. I wouldn't go with the alienware personally. The only alienware laptops that I have seen are extremely bulky and for a school computer that would be a HUGE pain in the ass and would probably not fit on 90% of desks in lectures.

The MacBook is a slim and sleek computer overall and the studio 14 doesn't look bulky. Either would be good. If you don't want to spend the money for the Mac I would go with the studio 14.

Mac… prices are … undescribable…



and, my god ! Those performances !



Soooo going to buy a mac now :3.

tl;dr :

From: Squancy
lol wtf atom for desktop?

ew. There only good for netbooks/notebooks. There small and powerfulf or something that doesnt require alot of power to run. Thats what the point of this processor. To save battery life but still be powerful to run shit.

No, atom cpus dont run shit, cause they suck. Really. Suck. If you look around there are plenty of desktops running atom cpus, and yes, they suck. Intel has been trying to get x86 into the mobile and embedded market for a long time, and they havent been able to because they offer too little performance for too much power consumption (as well as concern about viruses on x86, but thats not really the reason).

The new amd netbook and home/shit server cpus coming are looking very nice.

From: Dervish
Mac… prices are … undescribable…

and, my god ! Those performances !

Yeah, only Apple could get away with selling old generation components (Core 2 Duo) at new generation prices.