new laptop, recs ?

[sauce123]

i need to buy a new computer. any recommendations? i guess i dont need anything too fancy, just want to run HEM fast + a bajillion tables + music + idle browsing...

also: do most notebooks have a hookup for a larger monitor? would be nice to be able to hook my laptop up to a 24' or whatever when im at home.

is going to bestbuy/ one of the big chains fine ?

i am impatient.

also: relatively high screen resolution is a must

[a500lbgorilla]

If you go to best buy, decline optimization and all the other crap they try to toss onto the end. For buying PCs, I'd avoid the entire lousy company and buy from an online vendor, though that takes the patience to allow the world to deliver you a laptop.

edit apple may be the best choice for you, I'm not a fan but their entire schtick is "it just works and is pretty." I'm sure walking into an apple store is all it'll take for you to find what you want.

[bigred]

Jack Sawyer is the resident FTR pc expert

[NobleTruths]

Do you really need a laptop? Its nice for the portability, but limits your ability to upgrade components. And repair, when needed, are a bitch.

[jyms]

Do you really need a laptop? Its nice for the portability, but limits your ability to upgrade components. And repair, when needed, are a bitch.

Little hard to take a desktop on an airplane, or to vegas.

There are ways to either hook the external 32" monitor to the laptop. Make sure the video card is maxed out.

[swiggidy]

I got a toshiba and I like it a lot. They run deals all the time not that you would necessarily care, especially if impatient. It has an HDMI port for easy connection to something bigger.

[Jack Sawyer]

also: relatively high screen resolution is a must

Meaning 1920x1080/1920x1200?

This shortens the field considerably.

The undisputed king in this category when it comes to ergonomics and (gasp! for a laptop that size) portability, would be the current Macbook Pro 17. It costs a heck of a lot though, and you would need to install windows on it to run HEM (i have no idea if it has a Mac version).

On the (cheaper) windows side, it's one of these:
Amazon.com: HP Pavilion DV7-3180US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black): Electronics
It runs at 1600x900. I guess you should do a BTO on HP website to get a larger res screen. Dell might have a few candidates as well for BTO.
On the more expensive windows side, it's one of these:
Buy an HP ENVY 17 series notebook PC from HP | HP Official Store
Be sure to choose the 1920x1080 screen when customizing.
And my favorite (costs $3K though). The rest of the equipment in this laptop are pretty much overkill for your needs, but you could customize them as well, but the customizable models are even more expensive, even if you are actually trying to remove hardware.



The problem is, to get a large screen laptop on windows usually means massive compromises have to be made to battery life and notebook heat (should get scorching hot), therefore actual portability is a moot point. Also, higher res screens such as a 1080p in a 15" will offer very very fine details, and unless you have hawk-like eyesight it's gonna be very troublesome.

Little hard to take a desktop on an airplane, or to vegas.

A large laptop, per the screen size requirement, should only be considered *technically* portable. Only the Macbook Pros and HP elitebooks at that size can be considered actually portable, with excellent fit and finish and excellent battery life and also robust warranties. The MBPs are quite light as well, compared with the competition. In the portable laptop world, light is a sought after characteristic.
That said, amuch better combo would be a desktop with a couple of monitors, and a smaller notebook with actual battery life (a la 13"/15") for when you are on the road.

[Ash256]

Yeah if you can afford it the MBP 17" would be really sick, especially if you plan to work with media at any point - those things are built like a brick shithouse and Mac OS tends not to get dragged down over the years like Windows does

If you get the MBP you ought to upgrade the HD to 7200 for an extra fiddy

[swiggidy]

Yeah if you can afford it

lol?

[Sup3rM4N]

Yeah if you can afford it the MBP 17" would be really sick, especially if you plan to work with media at any point - those things are built like a brick shithouse and Mac OS tends not to get dragged down over the years like Windows does

If you get the MBP you ought to upgrade the HD to 7200 for an extra fiddy

zomgg where is ur sig from? i jus got a boner

[Stacks]

zomgg where is ur sig from? i jus got a boner

http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ml#post1948128

[Galapogos]

Yeah if you can afford it the MBP 17" would be really sick

ha! Doubtful, I heard he hasn't had a job in years!

Edit: Weak, totally stole swigg's joke without realizing it...

[Sup3rM4N]

HP Laptop | Staples®

Specs:
17.3” Diagonal HD+ HP LED BrightView WS Display (1600x900)
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 2.20GHz
4GB DDR2
320GB Hard Drive (5400RPM)
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVDR/RW with Double Layer Support
Built-in wireless WLAN 802.11b/g/n
6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Weight 6.72lbs

how is that laptop for online poker? For $500 after rebate and before taxes is a really good deal