Help renton buy a laptop.

[Renton]

I'm looking for a laptop. Problem is i'm in thailand so the customer service situation is kind of dreary here. Also I doubt anything super cutting edge will be available to me here. The computer stores tend to carry Dell, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Sony, and HP.

My requirements are poker with some mild gaming. I'd like to run some semi-demanding games on an external monitor with a reasonable degree of proficiency.

I just need some help with what to expect and what to prioritize over what. It seems like most of the models over 500 usd have a 2gb ati or nvidia card, but I'm clueless on what the model numbers entail. One in ten has a 4gb graphics card. Maybe 20% have a 500gb hd + 24 or 32gb ssd. Most only have a conventional hard drive, and I've seen like 2 sony models that come with a 128gb ssd but no other hard drive.

Regarding SSD, is it something I should attach a high priority to? It seems really difficult to find a laptop that has an additional slot for hard drive so it would appear in most cases that I will have to choose between SSD and HD. Should I go with SSD and use external storage a lot, or what?

I know I'm all over the place here but I'd appreciate any input you can give me.

[MadMojoMonkey]

<caveat> I have done some research online recently looking for a desktop, and am by no means an expert on this subject. </caveat>

The Chipset and the bridges on the motherboard are the biggest factor on running speed.
The same hardware is attached to a Dell motherboard as an ASUS motherboard. The motherboards themselves use the same architecture, and their purported differences are usually exaggerated by their manufacturers. An IVY bridge is an IVY bridge, whatever board it's on.
What to look for in a motherboard is the connections. How many / Where are the following: USB ports, video ports, LAN port, etc.

For a given manufacturer, in general, the higher the number on the graphics card, the more powerful it is.
I've read a lot of contradictory information on how to compare graphics cards, and that little tidbit is the only really practical rule I've come up with.
Also keep in mind that more power correlates to more heat generated. As the cooling demands increase, noise generally does, too. If a quiet system is your goal, you'll likely be sacrificing graphics power to get the noise down.

You will probably want to get one with HDMI out to connect to an external monitor. Of course, your monitor needs to be HDMI, too, but it is the current standard. I don't think DVI offers as much.

I would go with the SSD if it isn't completely impractical to get your total memory up to your needs.
I'm sure portability is a concern. If you put yourself in a position where you MUST have an external hard drive, then that's more stuff to move around set up every time you use it.

Just remember to NEVER use "Disk Defragmenter" programs on an SSD. The reading and writing is what wears them out. For this reason alone, having both SSD and HDD is good, as you'll want to use the HDD for any files that get rewritten frequently.

[Pascal]

MMM, you've simplified it far too much. Saying the difference between motherboards is simply the number of USB ports is completely wrong, but I won't go into that now because it's irrelevant for laptops. As are graphics cards, laptops have traditionally been difficult to judge for graphics and will continue to be.

Renton, key question is budget. How much you have to spend is essential. Linking to some PC stores which are accessible to you would also be useful. Do you have any options for importing it - i.e. getting a friend to buy it and send it to you?

[ChipEaterMan]

For a top poker pro player like Renton I recommend an Asus N550JV-DB72T 15.6" Core i7-4700HQ/8GB DDR3/NVIDIA GT 750M 2GB Touch Laptop





http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-N550JV-...item2a2f997492

[Savy]

I know I'm all over the place here but I'd appreciate any input you can give me.

Ask on a forum dedicated to this type of thing?

I'm not trying to be funny, but making an account on a site like overclockers for example and reading all the info they have there is probably > what anyone else is going to give you.

[kiwiMark]

Ask on a forum dedicated to this type of thing?

I'm not trying to be funny, but making an account on a site like overclockers for example and reading all the info they have there is probably > what anyone else is going to give you.

Dumb advice is dumb. Buy an iPad.

[ChipEaterMan]

And for Savy I recommend this one so he can store his poker tracker database

[Renton]

Thanks for help guys, I ended up going with a Lenovo ideapad y510. It's got an i7, 8gb ram, good removable graphics, and not an ssd. I may switch the hard drive for a 256gb ssd, I haven't decided yet. Other than that, upgrading the ram to 16gb will be happening down the road also.
I loaded up a civ 5 game with max graphics settings and it runs perfectly. Not the most demanding game but not bad either. The previous laptop couldn't run it on minimum settings. So I'm happy so far.

[bode]

lenovo's are nice computers. Thats what we've switched to at work to run Revit/photoshop/rendering programs/etc. you don't need to upgrade the 8gb or RAM but the SSD would be a nice upgrade.

[chemist]

They used to say 'You can't go wrong with IBM'.
Not sure what they are doing now but certainly their Lenovo laptop division are producing good machines, even if they lack design flair and gizmo features they are solid reliable laptops.

I would prefer chipeatermans but the visible display is too small.
And glad kiwimark recognises that 'buy an ipad' is dumb advice, which is dumb.

[NightGizmo]

They used to say 'You can't go wrong with IBM'.
Not sure what they are doing now but certainly their Lenovo laptop division are producing good machines, even if they lack design flair and gizmo features they are solid reliable laptops.

Lenovo is a Chinese company, not IBM. IBM sold it's hardware division to Lenovo in 2005, so the ThinkPads are not really IBM anymore.