Which Laptop to Buy?

[kseeker]

Windows 8.1 is amazingly fast and gives a smooth experience compared to Windows 7.
Boot time is like ~20 sec even on a very slow 5200rpm SATA and (i have heard) is about ~8sec for a SSD. I think the most important thing for a portable PC is the battery life and Windows 8 trumps Windows 7 by a huge margin in this category because of better management of resources. I get around 9-10h with a 6-cell battery.

I second this!

I have been using Windows 8.1 since day one (when GA version was released). It' pretty fast and has no glitches.

 

[pmaitra]

Thanks, @aerokan, @Singh, @Apollyon, and @kseeker.

Ok, so I think SSD is a highly desirable piece of hardware. I need to look into it.

I am debating whether to get a dual SATA (one will be the shadow of the other), or a single SSD. What do you guys suggest?

@Singh, is your 1TB HDD SATA or SSD?

 

[Singh]

@pmaitra I don't have a SSD

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Oh, sorry, I thought you said lapdog. I see that word so often on DFI.

 

[kseeker]

Ok, so I think SSD is a highly desirable piece of hardware. I need to look into it.

I am debating whether to get a dual SATA (one will be the shadow of the other), or a single SSD. What do you guys suggest?

I would prefer SSD anytime in place of SATA disks. SSDs are much faster than the conventional disks.

I don't own a SSD for personal use however, I have installed OS on SSDs in my office network. Some of our High End Servers are running on SSDs and we have given SSD powered laptops to few VPs.

SSDs require bit of a tweaking initially on Windows 8.1, once you are through, it works like a charm.

Please have a look at following articles which talks about SSD tweaking

Windows 8.1 SSD Settings, Etc. » TweakHound

Why Windows 8 and 8.1 defragment your SSD and how you can avoid this – Вадим Стеркин

SSD Optimization for Windows 8 and 8.1 | Back2Gaming

 

[LurkerBaba]

Thanks, @aerokan, @Singh, @Apollyon, and @kseeker.

Ok, so I think SSD is a highly desirable piece of hardware. I need to look into it.

I am debating whether to get a dual SATA (one will be the shadow of the other), or a single SSD. What do you guys suggest?

@Singh, is your 1TB HDD SATA or SSD?

Get a SSD plus a regular 7200rpm HDD. Install the OS on the SSD and keep your movies etc on the HDD

 

[Bhadra]

[slf deleted]

 

[hitesh]

Solid State Drives are damn costly but there R/W speed and shock resistant ,size ,weight make them best option if cost is not a concern .

I am using compaq Cq43 this was the best deal i could get 4 years ago for 22K ,still running good but some times its 2gb ram shows its limit .I 'll recommend it to any one who would not be using this laptop for ->not playing any decent game . some times it hangs up when i open Dreamweaver & Photoshop cs6 the same time.

 

[pmaitra]

Get a SSD plus a regular 7200rpm HDD. Install the OS on the SSD and keep your movies etc on the HDD

I am looking to get a laptop. Let me see if I can get one with one SATA and one SSD. I am looking at Sager.

 

[pmaitra]

Ok, so here is what I could come up with, and I need you all to critique it:

Sager New Custom Laptop:

Display	17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
Video & Graphics Card	Dual AMD Radeon R9 M290X Graphics with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory in CrossFire mode [$350.00]
CPU Processor	4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.40GHz)
Thermal Compound	IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU [$35.00]
Operating System	Genuine MS Windows® 8.1 64-Bit Edition
Memory	8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 1 X 8GB
mSATA SSD RAID Storage Options	Non-RAID Storage
mSATA SSD Drive Slot 1	250GB Samsung 840 EVO Series mSATA3 SSD - as an OS Drive (Primary Drive C) [$225.00]
Hard Drive & SSD Drive RAID Storage Options	Non-RAID Storage
Hard Disk Drive 1	750GB 7200rpm SATA2 Hard Drive
Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case	8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Wireless Network Card	Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
Primary Battery	Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Security Device	Fingerprint Reader
Microsoft Office	Microsoft Home & Student Office 2013 ( Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. ) [$145.00]
Warranty	Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

Thanks!
@Singh, @LurkerBaba, @Virendra, @Known_Unknown, @kseeker, @hitesh, @Apollyon, @bose, @aerokan, @Bhadra

 

[SajeevJino]

@pmaitra

The above one Lacks of Blu ray drive , No mention of External Ports such as eSATA ,HDMI,LAN and USB 3.0



Why not the Alienware

Check for Custom Build Lappy from Alienware

Alienware 18 Gaming Laptop | Dell

 

[bose]

Ok, so here is what I could come up with, and I need you all to critique it:

Sager New Custom Laptop:

Display	17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
Video & Graphics Card	Dual AMD Radeon R9 M290X Graphics with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory in CrossFire mode [$350.00]
CPU Processor	4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.40GHz)
Thermal Compound	IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU [$35.00]
Operating System	Genuine MS Windows® 8.1 64-Bit Edition
Memory	8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 1 X 8GB
mSATA SSD RAID Storage Options	Non-RAID Storage
mSATA SSD Drive Slot 1	250GB Samsung 840 EVO Series mSATA3 SSD - as an OS Drive (Primary Drive C) [$225.00]
Hard Drive & SSD Drive RAID Storage Options	Non-RAID Storage
Hard Disk Drive 1	750GB 7200rpm SATA2 Hard Drive
Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case	8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Wireless Network Card	Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
Primary Battery	Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Security Device	Fingerprint Reader
Microsoft Office	Microsoft Home & Student Office 2013 ( Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. ) [$145.00]
Warranty	Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

Thanks!
@Singh, @LurkerBaba, @Virendra, @Known_Unknown, @kseeker, @hitesh, @Apollyon, @bose, @aerokan, @Bhadra

Very good configuration... If you are using for high end graphics applications or gaming purpose... I would recommend a QHD+(3200x1800) display with 6-cell (91Wh) battery option...

 

[Known_Unknown]

@pmaitra What do you need it for? High end gaming at HD resolutions? Thin and light for long battery life? Or for generic multimedia use?

In either case, I'd recommend not going with Sager/Alienware etc. Go with Asus or Toshiba. Both are extremely reliable and use quality components plus have worldwide distribution and repair centres should you ever need them. Their warranty policies are also top notch. I personally own a Toshiba, which has been going strong even after 6 years! Give Acer/Gateway/Lenovo/HP/Dell a pass. They're mass market manufacturers with shit quality and a lot of QA issues. Sager/Alienware are too niche and don't have a wide global presence, in addition, they're too expensive as well.

EDIT: You haven't posted the cost of the Sager, but is it in this price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231631

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/toshiba-qosmio-x75-a7298.aspx

 

[Apollyon]

Dell Precision M3800 — 15" Mobile Workstation | Dell

I wish I could afford this beauty

 

[pmaitra]

@pmaitra What do you need it for? High end gaming at HD resolutions? Thin and light for long battery life? Or for generic multimedia use?

In either case, I'd recommend not going with Sager/Alienware etc. Go with Asus or Toshiba. Both are extremely reliable and use quality components plus have worldwide distribution and repair centres should you ever need them. Their warranty policies are also top notch. I personally own a Toshiba, which has been going strong even after 6 years! Give Acer/Gateway/Lenovo/HP/Dell a pass. They're mass market manufacturers with shit quality and a lot of QA issues. Sager/Alienware are too niche and don't have a wide global presence, in addition, they're too expensive as well.

EDIT: You haven't posted the cost of the Sager, but is it in this price range:

Newegg.com - ASUS G750 Series G750JS-DS71 Gaming Notebook Intel Core i7 4700HQ (2.40GHz) 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 256GB SSD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M 17.3" Windows 8.1 64-Bit

Toshiba Qosmio X75 Review | Laptop Reviews

My configuration costs around $2,600.

I am using a Sager since the last 5 years, and it is running great. I had an overheating problem. I only had to open it once and use compressed air to clean out the dust that had accumulated, and that overheating problem is gone. I agree though, I think I need to scale down the goodies i have included in my configuration. Let me think about it. I will not be buying it anytime in the next two months, for sure.

 

[hit&run]

Buy ASUS F550L, I bought it couple of moths ago, It has massive battery life and totally silent. The processor is i.7 4500, 1.8 to 2.4 GHz (which on lower side) with 4 GB RAM (can not increase) and dedicated Nividia Geforce GT 720 MB graphic card. Now it is selling for 1250 NZD / 64800 Rupees. Three years extended warranty included. OS is windows 8.1, which is not that bad though a bit a irritating learning curve.

 

[laughingbuddha]

Alienware 17

 

[SPIEZ]

I use W8.1, It's good probably better than W7.

But I still prefer the old W7 like interface.

 

[pmaitra]

This is the Laptop (Sager NP9377-S) I bought a few months back:

Display	17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
Zero Dead Pixel Insurance	Guaranteed no dead or partially-lit pixels for first 30 days of purchasing---Special Promotion Offer!
Video & Graphics Card	Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M GPU with 6GB GDDR5 Video Memory in SLI Mode [$50.00]
CPU Processor	4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.80GHz)---Special Upgrade Promotion Offer!
Thermal Compound	IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU---Special Promotion Offer!
Operating System	Genuine MS Windows® 8.1 64-Bit Edition
Memory	16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 2 X 8GB--Special Promotion Offer!
mSATA SSD RAID Storage Options-	Non-RAID Storage
mSATA SSD Drive Slot 1	120GB Crucial M5 Series mSATA3 SSD - as an OS Drive (Primary Drive C)---Special Promotion Offer!
Hard Drive & SSD Drive RAID Storage Options-	Non-RAID Storage
Hard Disk Drive 1	1TB 7200rpm SATA2 Hard Drive
Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case	6X-Blu-ray-Reader/8X DVD±R/2.4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software---Special Promotion Offer!
Wireless Network Card	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 AC Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Module---Special Promotion Offer!
Primary Battery	Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Security Device	Fingerprint Reader
Microsoft Office	Microsoft Home & Student Office 2013-( Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. )-[$145.00]
Warranty	Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

@Singh, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I forgot.

 

[Singh]

@pmaitra wow ! great specs !