Buying New Notebook - mainly multimedia & some gaming?

JebusJones · 23rd June 2006, 2:19 PM

So it's nearing the end of the financial year and I have a chance to mess around with my salary package. I'm thinking of getting a new notebook through salary sacrifice - even though (and don't tell the Man) it won't really be used for work much.

It'll mostly be for surfing the web, watching multimedia and playing games. The games I'd want to play on it would be mostly ones like the new Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic games, but if it could play things like FarCry, FEAR and Quake 4 at a respectable trot that'd be cool too.

I'm looking at the Asus A7Jc as it seems to be a great all rounder especially with the media card slot and built-in TV tuner (though the weight is a bit of a bugger).

Anyway, not being totally au fait with the new batch of 3D cards, is the ATI Mobility™ Radeon™ X1600 256MB GDDR3 a good fit for the above requirements?

If not, can anyone recommend a notebook of similar ilk that has a better graphics processor? Preferably currently under $3500 if possible, but willing to go higher if the product is worth it.

Also, what's the best overall notebook review site that takes multimedia and gaming conerns seriously in their reviews?

Gus the Mus · 24th June 2006, 8:52 AM

Check out Dell 9400 series on their website, you can get one with basically the same specs as the asus but with a 7900 graphics card & 3 year warranty including accidental damage for about the same money & that's delivered. I've got one & it's great.

Kelvin · 25th June 2006, 9:11 PM

Another vote for the 9X00 Series...

Bought a 9300 earlier this year... perfect desktop replacement if you can put up with 3.6kg.. search the forums.. minimal compliants about these series (except for backlight issues)... plenty of information about upgrading and repairing...modding etc...

checks202 · 25th June 2006, 10:51 PM

ok, ffs...

What is it with Dell.. I have nothing against them but does everyone have to suggest Dell..
By owning a Dell your a common as it's such a common brand for people to buy, just like Falcon, just like Commodore etc. Be different.

Besides Asus are better brand imo.

Doppelganger · 26th June 2006, 6:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by checks202

ok, ffs...

What is it with Dell.. I have nothing against them but does everyone have to suggest Dell..
By owning a Dell your a common as it's such a common brand for people to buy, just like Falcon, just like Commodore etc. Be different.

Besides Asus are better brand imo.

Because they have the 7900Go, it isnt some bullshit brand loyalty.

Varuna · 26th June 2006, 10:59 AM

They also have a nationwide NBD onsite repair service.

Tekin · 26th June 2006, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varuna

They also have a nationwide NBD onsite repair service.

which is a hell of a lot better then ASUS's "maybe we might be able to get your laptop back with the keyboard working within 1-2 weeks....maybe"

may have been an isolated incident, still a pain in the arse.

and they're comparitively cheap.

I mean, hell, i wouldn't buy a dell desktop, but on the larger LCD monitors, some of their projectors, and some of their higher end laptops, they have really been doing well in the last year or so.

Varuna · 26th June 2006, 11:26 AM

With Core 2 Duo there are a lot of funky Dell desktops coming in better formfactors. They're bringing out a mac mini sized machine with X1400 graphics pretty soon.

AusKWiKsAnD · 26th June 2006, 2:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tekin

which is a hell of a lot better then ASUS's "maybe we might be able to get your laptop back with the keyboard working within 1-2 weeks....maybe"

may have been an isolated incident, still a pain in the arse.

and they're comparitively cheap.

I mean, hell, i wouldn't buy a dell desktop, but on the larger LCD monitors, some of their projectors, and some of their higher end laptops, they have really been doing well in the last year or so.

Aye, I was just saying this in another thread, but who else apart from Dell sells Notebooks that have high resolution monitors?? And if they do, find me one thats less than double the price of an equivalent Dell. I like my high resolutions so the Dell I've just ordered (Latitude D820) is coming with the 1920x1200 15.4" monitor.

The only provider I could find who did higher than 1280x1024 was Toshiba on one of their tablet models, with a 16"+ montor (1440x980, I think) and the thing cost $6000.. Bah!

Now I've just gotta get the money for one of those 24 or 30 inch Behemoth LCD's and I'll be a happy man.

Tekin · 26th June 2006, 3:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AusKWiKsAnD

Now I've just gotta get the money for one of those 24 or 30 inch Behemoth LCD's and I'll be a happy man.

heh. you have to come over and see mine. they're kinda cool!

dells high end notebooks are really quite good. and even if you want to say that their components are perhaps more likely to fail, their warranty and support services (while a bit minimal, based more upon the "send it to us and we'll send you a new one" concept of RMAing) are just as good, if not better then anyone elses as well.

AusKWiKsAnD · 26th June 2006, 3:38 PM

Yes, definitely.

If I've heard anything about Dell its that their notebooks are not quite as hardy as the other brands, especially the guys who make notably "tough" PC's like IBM, Toshiba or Compaq even...

Judging by the look of my current Toshiba, I'm scared shitless to think what this Dell lappy is gonna look like in 2-3 years time though :P This old compaq's been through hell, been dropped a few times (I actually managed to throw it once too), so its got a couple of splits and breaks. Still good as new though.

Thumbs up for the sub $200 Compaq Armada :P

Varuna · 26th June 2006, 4:49 PM

Dells are better built than the flimsy Toshiba Satellites. Sub vintage Compaq though, those were some nice machines in their day.

AusKWiKsAnD · 26th June 2006, 4:56 PM

Ah yea, I should have said that... I was talking about their "tough" models, Compaq Armada's of the time had aluminum tops (I think its aluminum) which were fantastic compared to the Presarios..

In the same way Tecra's are a LOT better than the Satellites and Thinkpads just have a name for themselves :P

JebusJones · 26th June 2006, 5:02 PM

Well I was at JB on the weekend and saw the Asus A7J and I must say apart from being HUGE it's a beautiful looking notebook. Do the Dells come with that same glass-like screen?

Also, is there much of a performance difference between the ATI & nVidia notebook offerings?

SLATYE · 26th June 2006, 5:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JebusJones

Well I was at JB on the weekend and saw the Asus A7J and I must say apart from being HUGE it's a beautiful looking notebook. Do the Dells come with that same glass-like screen?

Also, is there much of a performance difference between the ATI & nVidia notebook offerings?

Each company has a name for their 'glossy screen'. Dell calls it TrueLife, and it's available on most of their laptops.

To compare video cards, have a look on the ORB. The Radeon X1300 and X1400 are almost exactly the same speed as the Geforce Go 7300 and 7400 in new things (3dMark 2005/2006) - but in older versions the Geforces win by a huge margin (11,000 3dMarks versus 6000).

23rd June 2006, 2:19 PM	#1
JebusJones Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brunswick, Melbourne Posts: 1,332	Buying New Notebook - mainly multimedia & some gaming? So it's nearing the end of the financial year and I have a chance to mess around with my salary package. I'm thinking of getting a new notebook through salary sacrifice - even though (and don't tell the Man) it won't really be used for work much. It'll mostly be for surfing the web, watching multimedia and playing games. The games I'd want to play on it would be mostly ones like the new Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic games, but if it could play things like FarCry, FEAR and Quake 4 at a respectable trot that'd be cool too. I'm looking at the Asus A7Jc as it seems to be a great all rounder especially with the media card slot and built-in TV tuner (though the weight is a bit of a bugger). Anyway, not being totally au fait with the new batch of 3D cards, is the ATI Mobility™ Radeon™ X1600 256MB GDDR3 a good fit for the above requirements? If not, can anyone recommend a notebook of similar ilk that has a better graphics processor? Preferably currently under $3500 if possible, but willing to go higher if the product is worth it. Also, what's the best overall notebook review site that takes multimedia and gaming conerns seriously in their reviews? __________________ A fart is just your arse applauding.

24th June 2006, 8:52 AM	#2
Gus the Mus Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Melbourne 3805 Posts: 804	Check out Dell 9400 series on their website, you can get one with basically the same specs as the asus but with a 7900 graphics card & 3 year warranty including accidental damage for about the same money & that's delivered. I've got one & it's great. __________________ Folding@Home 70K Club Folding@Home 5 Million Points Milestone! Addicted to folding club member #43

25th June 2006, 10:51 PM	#4
checks202 Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sydney - CBD Posts: 165	ok, ffs... What is it with Dell.. I have nothing against them but does everyone have to suggest Dell.. By owning a Dell your a common as it's such a common brand for people to buy, just like Falcon, just like Commodore etc. Be different. Besides Asus are better brand imo. __________________ Time to update people i've traded with with no problems: crazie69,chunksoul, beesa888, Spitfire, Sillen, Apocalypse, Jon187, hungryman, Rickster, glenn_styles, kona_boy, getiton, mickeylieu, auslagger...

26th June 2006, 10:59 AM	#6
Varuna Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydneys Northern Beaches. Posts: 1,050	They also have a nationwide NBD onsite repair service. __________________ If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.

26th June 2006, 11:26 AM	#8
Varuna Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydneys Northern Beaches. Posts: 1,050	With Core 2 Duo there are a lot of funky Dell desktops coming in better formfactors. They're bringing out a mac mini sized machine with X1400 graphics pretty soon. __________________ If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.

25th June 2006, 9:11 PM	#3
Kelvin Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 1,668	Another vote for the 9X00 Series... Bought a 9300 earlier this year... perfect desktop replacement if you can put up with 3.6kg.. search the forums.. minimal compliants about these series (except for backlight issues)... plenty of information about upgrading and repairing...modding etc...

26th June 2006, 3:38 PM	#11
AusKWiKsAnD Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,655	Yes, definitely. If I've heard anything about Dell its that their notebooks are not quite as hardy as the other brands, especially the guys who make notably "tough" PC's like IBM, Toshiba or Compaq even... Judging by the look of my current Toshiba, I'm scared shitless to think what this Dell lappy is gonna look like in 2-3 years time though :P This old compaq's been through hell, been dropped a few times (I actually managed to throw it once too), so its got a couple of splits and breaks. Still good as new though. Thumbs up for the sub $200 Compaq Armada :P __________________ Dell XPS 1530 Dell Vostro 1700 QNAP TS409Pro w/ 4x1.5TB in RAID5

26th June 2006, 4:49 PM	#12
Varuna Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydneys Northern Beaches. Posts: 1,050	Dells are better built than the flimsy Toshiba Satellites. Sub vintage Compaq though, those were some nice machines in their day. __________________ If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.

26th June 2006, 4:56 PM	#13
AusKWiKsAnD Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,655	Ah yea, I should have said that... I was talking about their "tough" models, Compaq Armada's of the time had aluminum tops (I think its aluminum) which were fantastic compared to the Presarios.. In the same way Tecra's are a LOT better than the Satellites and Thinkpads just have a name for themselves :P __________________ Dell XPS 1530 Dell Vostro 1700 QNAP TS409Pro w/ 4x1.5TB in RAID5

26th June 2006, 5:02 PM	#14
JebusJones Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brunswick, Melbourne Posts: 1,332	Well I was at JB on the weekend and saw the Asus A7J and I must say apart from being HUGE it's a beautiful looking notebook. Do the Dells come with that same glass-like screen? Also, is there much of a performance difference between the ATI & nVidia notebook offerings? __________________ A fart is just your arse applauding.