Anyone else feel we are getting jibbed?

munka · 24th September 2004, 3:31 PM

I am really finding it hard to find a notebook that gets me excited in Australia, and if I do its 5000 bucks worth.

Everyone wants to sell you a boring Pentium-M with Intel extreme graphics, I have found an Acer Aspire for a pretty good price but it has drawbacks like 256Mb memory as standard.

The only exceptional value notebook I can see is the TPG notebook, which is a rebadged EMachine.

I am looking for something like the Acer Ferari series. Athlon 64 Mobile or a Pentium M Dothan, good batery, 15" screen and atleast a 9600Pro or equivelant and atleast 512Mb DDR. Dell dont do to bad either. Its just whenever I look at what they can get in Japan or USA i feel shortchanged by up to $1000 and thats enough for a plane flight to singapore or almost japan.

I have decided that I want a notebook but I am thinking right now of getting a 2nd hand one and using that for uni and MSN and random junk and keeping my desktop for games and everything else.

Nevac · 24th September 2004, 3:34 PM

Go Dell, I'm rally like my new Inspiron 8600 and its a Pentium M with a 128MB Radeon 9600 it cost me $3 912.

Skit · 24th September 2004, 4:14 PM

I know how you feel mate. In the lower end of the laptop market it's down to a chunky desktop replacement which has high end graphics etc and low portability or the centrino light laptops with low end specs made for mobility.

I was looking at laptops last night in the $2500 - $3000 range and I was finding a lot of the $3000 laptops were no better than a laptop sub $2500 laptop in terms of specs...

I'd buy the $2500max laptop and spend the ~$2000 you save on an awesome desktop for gaming. It's pretty much what I'm going to do.

Also due to the fact it's reasonably hard to find a laptop with a serial port, high battery etc. But it does make the short list easier to come to.

Btw, I think i'll end up with a HP nx5000. Nice alrounder, good price and has everything for a portable Techie laptop. But that I mean plenty of communication options and long bat life etc etc.

jimbow · 24th September 2004, 6:20 PM

If you're planning to keep another box for games, or are happy with the selection (which is much, much, much better than it used to be), get a mac. A powerbook or even ibook will have everything you could possibly need in a uni laptop, plus more. If you buy it through the online apple store, or certain retailers apple offer a student discount as well, which is in the region of 10% iirc

Zzapped · 2nd October 2004, 8:39 AM

The current IBM T41 has a radeon 7500 onboard which is far from what you want , but a good lappy nonetheless.
You are correct though, its a poor excuse for a card and unless you are paying an arm and a leg then you wont get much at all

Cheers

bryn · 5th October 2004, 8:03 PM

PM Sent.

24th September 2004, 3:31 PM	#1
munka Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Perth Posts: 2,099	Anyone else feel we are getting jibbed? I am really finding it hard to find a notebook that gets me excited in Australia, and if I do its 5000 bucks worth. Everyone wants to sell you a boring Pentium-M with Intel extreme graphics, I have found an Acer Aspire for a pretty good price but it has drawbacks like 256Mb memory as standard. The only exceptional value notebook I can see is the TPG notebook, which is a rebadged EMachine. I am looking for something like the Acer Ferari series. Athlon 64 Mobile or a Pentium M Dothan, good batery, 15" screen and atleast a 9600Pro or equivelant and atleast 512Mb DDR. Dell dont do to bad either. Its just whenever I look at what they can get in Japan or USA i feel shortchanged by up to $1000 and thats enough for a plane flight to singapore or almost japan. I have decided that I want a notebook but I am thinking right now of getting a 2nd hand one and using that for uni and MSN and random junk and keeping my desktop for games and everything else.

24th September 2004, 4:14 PM	#3
Skit Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: freo.wa.au Posts: 2,102	I know how you feel mate. In the lower end of the laptop market it's down to a chunky desktop replacement which has high end graphics etc and low portability or the centrino light laptops with low end specs made for mobility. I was looking at laptops last night in the $2500 - $3000 range and I was finding a lot of the $3000 laptops were no better than a laptop sub $2500 laptop in terms of specs... I'd buy the $2500max laptop and spend the ~$2000 you save on an awesome desktop for gaming. It's pretty much what I'm going to do. Also due to the fact it's reasonably hard to find a laptop with a serial port, high battery etc. But it does make the short list easier to come to. Btw, I think i'll end up with a HP nx5000. Nice alrounder, good price and has everything for a portable Techie laptop. But that I mean plenty of communication options and long bat life etc etc. __________________ ::Web Blog http://skit.id.au, Community http://furycog.net, Perth Game Dev http://letsmakegames.org ::Gaming Steam skitau Xbox skitau

24th September 2004, 6:20 PM	#4
jimbow Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Perth 6051 Posts: 659	If you're planning to keep another box for games, or are happy with the selection (which is much, much, much better than it used to be), get a mac. A powerbook or even ibook will have everything you could possibly need in a uni laptop, plus more. If you buy it through the online apple store, or certain retailers apple offer a student discount as well, which is in the region of 10% iirc __________________ Jimi W Charles Babbage (1791-1871): On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.

24th September 2004, 3:34 PM	#2
Nevac Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brisbane Strathpine Posts: 1,537	Go Dell, I'm rally like my new Inspiron 8600 and its a Pentium M with a 128MB Radeon 9600 it cost me $3 912.

5th October 2004, 8:03 PM	#6
bryn Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,427	PM Sent.