New Lean, mean, computing machine

[Goodonebales]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a little help for a laptop recommendation for my dad. He mostly uses his laptop for Outlook, Powerpoint, word processing, and internet browsing. He also enjoys watching TV shows on Hulu or from network websites. He likes to have the most powerful computer he can afford, and his budget is up to around $2000. If he has to go over for something really special, he'll consider.

Laptops we've already checked out: Dell Adamo, Lenovo X301. Like I said, he wants something small that still packs a pretty hefty punch.

Thanks, all, for your help!

Edit: One more thing. He hasn't gotten the hang of tabbed browsing down yet, and he doesn't like closing windows very often, so he typically has a good 12-15 windows open at once.

 

[95BlackGA]

Newegg.com - ASUS G Series G51Vx-A1 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000(2.00GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 640GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M - Laptops / Notebooks

Perfect laptop. 2.0Ghz Quad Core, GTX 260 1GB, 4GB of RAM, 640GB hard drive. Below budget. 1 year accident warranty for drops, spills, ect...

 

[ricanflow]

This is a better deal, same one i have:

Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology - White/Black - G51VX-RX05

 

[95BlackGA]

This is a better deal, same one i have:

Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology - White/Black - G51VX-RX05

That's actually a pretty good deal. Looks like I need to save up some money...

 

[wootwoot]

^That Asus doesn't seem too great. You're mostly paying for the video card, and even then, the processor doesn't add up.

MSI makes solid laptops. Check them out.

 

[Jorsoft]

When you say he wants something small, how small do you mean? An ultraportable type with a 12 or 13" screen?

 

[ricanflow]

That's actually a pretty good deal. Looks like I need to save up some money...

Yeah it was.

Everything runs smooth and fast, nothing lags. Games run the same as my desktop.

^That Asus doesn't seem too great. You're mostly paying for the video card, and even then, the processor doesn't add up.

MSI makes solid laptops. Check them out.

How is it not great??

Its a very strong machine, i have a gaming desktop with a quad oc'd to 3.6ghz and the 2ghz chip seems just as fast. Very far from slow....not to mention you can oc the chip by 300mhz with the touch of a button if you need the extra power.

ram is fast and theres 4gb, the harddrive is a 7200rpm versus a 5400rpm like most laptops. screen res is also full 720p res, and lets not forget about the 1GB dedicated video card.

Oh and the keyboard is backlit, thats found on very few laptops. Before i bought this i looked at offerings from MSI and Gateway and this blew them out the water.

 

[straightv6]

Yeah it was.

Everything runs smooth and fast, nothing lags. Games run the same as my desktop.




How is it not great??

Its a very strong machine, i have a gaming desktop with a quad oc'd to 3.6ghz and the 2ghz chip seems just as fast. Very far from slow....not to mention you can oc the chip by 300mhz with the touch of a button if you need the extra power.

ram is fast and theres 4gb, the harddrive is a 7200rpm versus a 5400rpm like most laptops. screen res is also full 720p res, and lets not forget about the 1GB dedicated video card.

Oh and the keyboard is backlit, thats found on very few laptops. Before i bought this i looked at offerings from MSI and Gateway and this blew them out the water.

how is the battery life?

 

[ricanflow]

how is the battery life?

Battery life is good for the specs.

The video card pulls a lot of power, ive gotten about an hour and 50 minutes with regular usage. Considering this is a gaming laptop, battery life is good.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

For $1,329 you can get a Thinkpad X200 with the following specs:

Core 2 Duo P8600 )2.4ghz)
Vista Business w/ Free Windows 7 Upgrade
12.1" Display
4gb of DDR3 Ram
250gb 5400rpm HDD
9 cell battery

Lenovo - Customize - Elite ThinkPad X200 with integrated graphics - Components

That system should meet all of your requirements and is well within your budget.