Looking At A New Laptop

[Heatheranne]

I would like to get a new computer and have done quite a bit of research so far. I was thinking of getting a Mac but am used to PC's. All of the equipment and software that I have now, is PC or PC compliant, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to change. I also like to play games and PC's are better for games than Mac's are - at least, that's the information that I've gotten so far.

 

Here are the specs for the laptop that I am looking at right now. It's a little pricey and a bit of a screamer but will have to last me for at least five years, probably more. I would appreciate any feedback on it, especially if you see that there is something missing that I should have. :-)

 

HP Pavilion 17dot3 Intel Core i7-720QM

 

FEATURES:

 

The Intel Core i7-720QM Processor and 6GB of DDR3 system memory help you tear through even the most demanding tasks, from video editing to HD gaming and more

 

Store all your media with a seemingly endless 1TB (2 x 500GB) storage capacity

 

View high definition content in a big way, thanks to the 17.3" LED-backlit widescreen display

 

NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M graphics with 1024MB dedicated graphics memory ensures outstanding video performance for games, HD video and more

 

Enjoy the incredible sharpness and detail of your favourite movies anywhere with the built-in Blu-ray ROM/Super Multi DVD burner combo drive

 

Create personalized, silkscreen-quality DVD and CD labels with LightScribe

 

Easily connect the laptop to your big screen HDTV with an easy and simple HDMI cable (sold separately) and use it as a Blu-ray player for your home theatre

 

Transfer data to and from your portable digital devices with the 5-in-1 memory card reader

 

Surf the net wirelessly with faster speeds and further range thanks to 802.11N wireless connectivity

 

Transfer or stream content to and from your portable devices with Bluetooth wireless technology

 

An 8-cell lithium-ion battery provides extended battery life

 

Chat face-to-face or capture video clips using the HP Webcam and integrated microphone

 

This model comes equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

 

Please Note: This product contains both English and French operating instructions and system software. In this context GB or Gigabytes refers to 1 Billion Bytes. The actual formatted capacity will be less.

 

 

[SandiC.]

Its super that you are getting a new laptop. I see you considered a mac, but had hesitation about switching. I was the same way until a few months ago. For the same reasons, but not sure about the game thing. I went ahead and made the switch to my macbook pro and it is so much better than any other laptop or pc desktop I've ever had. The big software switch for me was CS. Adobe allows a cross platform exchange if you submit a letter of destruction. A bit of a hassle to do it, but it only took about a week for my mac version of CS4 to arrive. I was worried about microsoft office, but macs pages is so similar and you can save as word document. Now that I've actually used it, I actually like it much better. The other differences were really easy to switch to and are very intuitive and not that dissimilar to windows based programs. I'm not a big gamer, except facebook games and again, I've found they are better on the mac. The only program I had that I couldn't switch to the mac was family tree maker. I haven't checked to see what is available for mac with genealogy software yet, on my to do list. My only regret was that I didn't do it two years ago. If you have an Apple store near you, make an appointment for a personal shopping session and see what its all about.

[kerryveale]

sounds like a wonderful laptop! I have an HP Pavilion 17" laptop and have been very happy with it.

[sunnie2004]

You know I just did a 5 page report on this and it's sibling processor and motherboard

 

I have pros and cons of both

IMO and it is completely my OPINION please understand this:

 

1st : If I had the money to spend on any pc/MAC I could possibly get with software to go with it hands down I would go with the mac desk top.

2nd: Both the i7 andits sibling i7802QM (the sibling and upgrade) i7902q (something ) is built on a fabulous architecure and it seems like hey this is so cool and works like a dream and its back ground predicessors say so. But in reality IMO they will come out with neater woo woo processors and in a year or so this processor will be so cheep compared to what you paid you will feel cheated. There is also a i7902 model and I am not sure if this is desk top or lap top.

 

As for what it does and how it responses to the user needs the concept s just Awesum!! The concept is if you are only using so much processor and the tempeture is cool enough the other processors kick in and Turbo Boost kicks in in and you get greater performance for you buck. It is made for a gamer so Yep it is super cool and one of the latest technology for PC. You can get a 17 in HP for &1,800 with all the bells and whistles you could want i7802QM . MAC and PC breaks no matter what some break easier than others but so do cars and other items we buy. I am not sure what a MAC cost because if I go look I "NEED" and will cry like a baby till hubby gets tired of me whinning and it just can't happen yet. I do know the MAC is pretty costly compared to PC but there graphics are so well known for outstanding qualities. I am not sure of MAC warrenty and to me it is just as imortant as the Pc/MAC it self how long and how much tdo I have to pay for extensive warrenty and how do I get it repaired ...Oh yea one more thing to think about ...battery life PCvsMAC especially with this family of processors. I do know the i7802qm is approx. 1 hour batter life on a solid charge but ou always have the option to disable the hyperthreading on this too to extend the life of the battery. disabling the hyperthreading will not decrease the performance all that much not to worry.

 

Best of luck and if you would like more information on the i7 please let me know I will be most happy to share!

 

Caren

[JenniferZ]

Zowie! Sounds like a GREAT deal; I have had good luck with HP models and Consumer Reports has rated the Pavilion favorably. The only thing I would do is make sure the programs you own will run with the 64-bit Home Premium version of Win7.

[sunnie2004]

You would love the 802.11n it is the newest and fastest wireless it is cool as can be and the other thing

there is a con with windows 7 You must enable autorestore utility ..in the event you need to reinstall the windows 7 software so far according to Microsoft you must purchase a new key to reinstall the Operating system. If you eable the autorestore utility you won't because it will automatically be restored not a reinstall of windows. I am hoping that Microsoft changes this rule because all thir other OS you can freely reinstall your windows on your original PC unless you need to purchase a new Motherboard.

 

So sorry this is alot of useless information unless you need t then it is not useless LOL but if it was me I would look at the sizes of laptops and do a vs against each other. along with warrenty and what it will cost to upgrade your software you already have just not adobe .

 

ok I am rambling! I will stop

[Heatheranne]

Wow! Great responses everyone. Thank you so very much! I appreciate the feedback. :-)

 

As I said, I did do quite a bit of research before I found the laptop that I mentioned. Both Mac sales reps and PC sales reps have told me that Macs are not good for gaming. They didn't say why but I expect the same thing that makes them safe from viruses, is what affects games from playing properly. That's just my opionion, but I'm stickin to it until I learn otherwise.

 

Geneology was also mentioned to me and my understanding is that Mac is no good for it either, but I don't have the slightest clue why. I don't do Geneology, so it's not a biggy for me. I was also told the PSP doesn't work on a Mac and I use PSP9. I'm not sure that I want to buy Photo Shop and do the changeover to that as well.

 

If I didn't play games, I might consider the Mac. As for ease of use - I'm pretty used to PC's now. My PC guy told me that I just need the higher version of Vista 7 for my sofware to be compatible, so if I have to upgrade Windows7 in order to play my games and use other software that I've collected, that is what I'll do. It'll still be cheaper than a Mac, although the difference in the pricing seems to be closing. What really makes the Mac so expensive is having to replace all of the software.

 

I use auto restore on both PC and latop, simply because they are PC and laptop! I'm not fond of the idea that you can't get the program discs any more and I know that won't change back. Microsoft just doesn't like you to reformat and reload your program. They're too afraid that you'll put it on another computer, instead of the one it was on. They provide a software file that you can burn and use to start from square one, if your restore doesn't do the job but it's not quite the same as the original discs.

 

I realize that PC's are a better bang for your buck than laptops, but I use my laptop more. The PC is also a dinasour and will have to be replaced at some point. Right now it's the laptop that I would really like and don't expect to be able to get it until after Christmas. Until then, I will gather more information and make my final descision when I have some cash saved.

[SandiC.]

seems like the gaming thing is the clencher here. I have never gotten into that at all so know nothing. sounds like the one you're considering has all the bells and whistles that will fit what you want to use it for. Its always good to get a new piece of equipment. Guess that's why there are so many makes and models out there, the right machine for what you want to do with it. And sounds like you've really done your homework. So get out there and get it already, so we can hear your review. LOL.

[Heatheranne]

Thanks Sandy, for the support in my project. I'll probably not be able to get it until after Christmas, but I will definately be letting you know when I finally have it home. :-)