Several QUestions.

[Camden]

Topic says it lol. My latest laptop's finally had it after a few good years, so I'm in the market for a new one. I mostly use my laptop for 2 things - playing games (mainly WoW and counterstrike), and a CAD program.

Reading around on various forums and review boards, including this one, everything seems to point to ASUS, and that their models seem to fall into 3 pricing sort of 'tiers' - around 750, 1k, and 1.2k+ US, many with different specs and configurations


I don't know too much about hardware, but I've looked at the graphics card sticky here and it's helped, but what about the other parts? I know enough that with this stuff you generally get what you pay for - no more no less, but how much of a performance upgrade can I expect from the more expensive models?

I am on a pretty tight budget, but at the same time I'd like something that performs well for what I need and one that I won't need to replace for another 2-3 years or so.


This one really stuck out:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...124204092&skuId=9556072#tabbed-specifications

Reviews from notebookcheck were almost unanimously good, and its gfx card apparently is top notch. Its price is a bit of a stretch for my current budget. Is there a cheaper model that can still offer what I need (IE, is the model I linked a bit overkill for what I'll be using it for)? Or should I try to get nothing less?

Also - I need a replacement as quickly as possible, but depending on what I can save in the future, I may be willing to try to manage for now. How much can I expect to save if I wait until black friday/cyber monday? Significant enough to hold off for another 3 weeks?

Or, with price : performance in mind, would I be better off putting together a desktop?

Thanks in advance

 

[Harper]

I don't know too much about hardware, but I've looked at the graphics card sticky here and it's helped, but what about the other parts? I know enough that with this stuff you generally get what you pay for - no more no less, but how much of a performance upgrade can I expect from the more expensive models?

When it comes down to laptops, you get what you pay for. The only parts that are changable are the hard drive and ram. Just because the factory might be using one brand hard drive one week does not mean that they will be using the same next week.

If you are worried about the quality of parts used on a laptop, then get an Asus or MSI with a 2 year international warranty.

I am on a pretty tight budget, but at the same time I'd like something that performs well for what I need and one that I won't need to replace for another 2-3 years or so.

This one really stuck out:
Asus - Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Blue/Black - G60VX-RBBX05

Problem with laptops is one you get them, you are stuck with them. However what you have there looks like it's goods specs.

Reviews from notebookcheck were almost unanimously good, and its gfx card apparently is top notch. Its price is a bit of a stretch for my current budget. Is there a cheaper model that can still offer what I need (IE, is the model I linked a bit overkill for what I'll be using it for)? Or should I try to get nothing less?

Also - I need a replacement as quickly as possible, but depending on what I can save in the future, I may be willing to try to manage for now. How much can I expect to save if I wait until black friday/cyber monday? Significant enough to hold off for another 3 weeks?

The problem with Black Friday is you are gambling on whether or not the retailer is going to have stock of that product or not, let alone if they are going to reduce the price significantly.

Or, with price : performance in mind, would I be better off putting together a desktop?

You will alway get better bang for buck with a desktop.

 

[Camden]

Thanks for the response. I was really on the fence about whether to get another laptop or settle for a desktop; I think that, given my budget, I'll go for a desktop since I already have a few components that'll let me buy better parts and can upgrade it as needed. Cheers