I need a laptop.

[Kon]

I used to think there were no real downsides to a desktop, and quite a few to a laptop. But my life has changed in about 5000 different ways since I got my last desktop 3 years ago, and portability would be very nice to have indeed. The problem is, I've been very out of touch with hardware since around the GT200 series. I also don't know anything about which brands are good and which are usually crap.

So I am taking your recommendations. If possible, I'd like to aim for around $800 so I can get it relatively soon. Although I know I need a fairly demanding rig, so I'm willing to look at the $1000-$1100. I could probably swing that without having to delay things for too long.

It NEEDS to run the following well on the go:

Virtual DJ, Pro Tools, Photoshop, Premier

It'd be great if it could also handle Illustrator, Flash, and AfterEffects.

As far as games go, I just would like it to run some of the older games I have now. Medieval 2 would be nice on the go.

[M.Steiner]

I don't know a hell of a lot about laptops so I'll let the people that do chime in with full spec recommendations but one thing I'll note;

As far as games go, I'd like some coming games like Battlefield 3, Skyrim... to run smoothly on decent settings...

For the prices you mention I would think that's highly unlikely. Laptops really aren't meant for gaming and unless you get the best of the best GPU for one I can't see you playing a game like Battlefield 3 on decent settings. We might not know the system specs just yet but even the very top end may struggle on max 1920x1080.
Take the Radeon HD 5870 for instance. Right now that's still a great desktop card and capable of playing current and new games at high settings at a decent (1080) resolution. The 5870 Mobility version for however?. Well my 5770 was superior and I've already replaced that since it struggled to run the newer releases at acceptable settings and performance.

For the gaming side of your laptop I would say to look for one with either a GeForce GTX 485M or Radeon HD 6970M since a desktop seems to be out of the question. I wouldn't go any lower than that personally, go much lower and you might as well play the console versions imo as you'll be turning shit down here there and everywhere

[Kon]

Well in that case I suppose I could do without. Most of my games are from 2006 or earlier, so it's not so much of an issue. I really need this less for gaming and more for running the above apps.

[BlueFlames]

Remember that the beefier the hardware, the heavier and more power-hungry your laptop will be. "Desktop replacements," especially ones targetted toward gamers aren't as mobile as the manufacturers might lead you to believe, with double-digit weight figures and a two-hour battery life. Moreover, as MS said, even these machines don't come close to desktops in terms of performance, so they wind up being a pretty lousy compromise, all things told. I'd recommend that you consider what applications you'll need to use, while away from a desktop, and gear your hardware search toward that, rather than toward recent/upcoming game releases. Once you have it, then look into what games will run on it, for when you do need a time-killer away from home.

Many moons ago, I needed a laptop for word processing and mobile internet access, so I looked into ultraportables and got a Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad X60. Sure, it barely runs Civilization IV and Neverwinter Nights (1) at their lowest settings, but again, for a laptop, especially when you already have a desktop, gaming should be a secondary concern. The Thinkpad (still) does what I need it to do; under light load a fully charged battery lasts eight hours, and at four-and-a-half pounds, I don't wind up with one arm longer or one shoulder lower than the other.

That's about as close as I can get to a recommendation. Not being up-to-date on laptop hardware myself, all I can say is that my five-year-old Thinkpad hasn't failed me yet.

[Kon]

Thanks for the input, guys. I've updated my post to reflect what I absolutely need the thing to do. Audio and video editing are a must. Graphic design programs running well is strongly preferred. I think I will still need at least a moderately decent dedicated card in there, but you are right in that I don't want a 20lb "desktop replacement" that weighs more than my desktop. A 12-cell battery would be nice, but I know that drives up the price significantly.

[BlackDove]

Audio and video editing are a must. Graphic design programs running well

Hahahaha, no.

This is the best you'll do for $800.

This is about the best you'll do for $1100.

You need big boy money for the things you want. Around $1500-2000. And even then, it's too stupid of a margin for a laptop. A $900 desktop blows them out of the water.

[Cyma]

I have to agree with BD..

For the type of software you need, if you are using the latest release of them and not a few years old, laptop at 800-1100 will be running them but it wont be smooth..

I had to buy a laptop for work for network/server admin and payed 1600 for it, that was 3 years ago.. It runned no:1 the apps for back in that time.. Now the new ones are running but very slowly..

I got my laptop at www.ibuypower.com since i wanted and a gaming laptop but also be able to customize it for the work needs..



A desktop on the other hand would probably make all those thing running alot better.. If you allready have a laptop you can always use some remote tools to connect to your pc at home and do what you need..

[Kon]

I have talked to a friend in the school Computer Science department, and now I've got many more options open to me as a result of the university discount.

Here's what I thought to be the best buys I came across. Please tell me if these are actually good deals or not. As I mentioned, I am kind of guessing on the latest hardware.

HP Pavillion DV7T Quad Edition series - $934.49
Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard)
17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone

Possible Upgrade:
$150 more gets you i7-2720QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) - I spy with my little eye something not worth it.


Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d 15.6" - $899.10
Intel11 Core111 i7-740QM Processor ( 1.73GHz 1333MHz 6MB )
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 1GB
6 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
15.6" HD Wide LED - 3D 1366x768
500GB 7200RPM HDD
6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery
DVD Recordable drive

[BlackDove]

They're both "good deals" insofar as that they're a waste of money, sure.

The graphic cards in both of those are trash. The 1100 I linked you at least has the 5850, which is a mobile version of what is actually a competent chip (less so when mobile tho). Also has a 1080 screen.

But I can't recommend any of this personally, because I would not buy any of it myself. It's like saying "Yeah, that's good", while at the same time thinking "Wouldn't buy any of it even if I was flushing money down the toilet every day for the hell of it". It's disingenuous. The only "good" laptop that I'd recommend is something along the lines what T-Bird did - he bought a laptop that was at the price/performance crossing point if you were to graph out the parabola. I think he paid something like $700-800 and got something decent/okay for the money and needs, none of which were desktop-application oriented (at least I hope not).

You want Premiere Pro 64bit? After Effects? Photoshop? CAD? CAM? 3D modeling? Video encoding? 1080? Audio encoding?

Please explain to me why you need those out there in the wilderness for two hours while the battery lasts, as in, why it has to be portable. Where is it that you plan to use these programs? And why? Need to be in the sunshine while you do this?

[Kon]

This computer will mainly be used for the following:
-Basic functions: Writing, internet, music, movies.
-Graphic design: Photoshop, Illustrator, some Flash. Not that intensive.
-Audio editing.

Can the HP listed above at least do all of those things well?

Video editing is of least concern, as I can handle that at school if need be. The problem is, school resources aren't available over the summer, or if I travel at all. Here's a nice list of my problems:

• * In the next year or two, I plan to study abroad. It's pretty much a sure thing unless my grades take a nosedive. I will be working on my own projects, and won't have many school resources available to me.
  
  * In the same period, during the summers I'll hopefully be doing internships where I need to do this stuff. It'd be nice if I could lock myself in the office all night like I do with the school labs, but I wouldn't count on it.
  
  * I live at least 45 minutes away from most people I do this stuff with, making collaborative work impossible unless it is done in the highly restrictive atmosphere of the school lab.
  
  * School video lab uses Final Cut, a Mac-only program. Which means I cannot work on something at home if I start it at school.
  
  * Which in turn means I spend ridiculous hours there. At one point, 24 hours straight with only a food break. The norm is more around 8-10 hours at a time, but that's still bad.
  
  * Especially when it takes me 2 hours to get home late at night, due to reduced transportation options.

And people wonder why I'm not on IRC as much these days.

All in all, I think the HP is good enough for what I need right now, so I am leaning towards just biting the bullet on the graphics capacity and getting that. However, there are the still lingering "what-ifs" about my future needs. That said, I'm not so sure the 65% price jump for a comparable model with the 6850 is anywhere near worth it.

[BlackDove]

* School video lab uses Final Cut

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we need to be serious about this, as you're about to blow a rather significant chunk of money (for you).

Technically, whatever it is that Final Cut shits out should be importable into Premiere/After Effects, as well as editable in Photoshop (if they're images) and the like. Just needs to be exported/saved as a right type of file. Though the work product you'd have to provide yourself (cuts and keyframes).

Yes, the HP that you can get for $934 is probably your best bet.

If I had to choose anything out of this whole mess, I'd probably go with that one. Even though it's an entry level Sandy Bridge, it performs on par with "ultra" ones from the i7's before the refresh. The 8GB of that RAM will do okay as well when it comes to juggling a large pile. The only downer is really the graphic card. It's not horrible, but it's not really good either. And (probably related) I don't like that the screen isn't 1080, but you probably won't miss the extra pixels, even though it is the standard.

Yeah, in the end, my suggestion will be that you go with that.

Lacrimosa dies illa,
qua resurget ex favilla
judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce,
Deus: pie Jesu Domine,
dona eis requiem. Amen.