Laptop Shopping Advice?

I'm looking to buy a laptop... and not even sure where to start looking.

I haven't had to even think about PC stuff in years (since I bought my desktop)...
is there a good place to start looking for one for a PC noob like myself?

Anything I should avoid?
Or any minimums I should definitely look?

Any advice would be great... I can only look around NewEgg and TigerDirect so long before I realize how far it's over my head...

Well I will ask you what you are wanting first. Do you care about size? Want a touch screen? Is hard drive space an issue and you want something that can hold a lot of data? Are you looking for a computer that can do work and play video games or simply browse the internet? Finally what is your price range?

yeah see thats my biggest issue, I'm not sure what i want it for...

I mean Casey and I are still basically internet-less in the new house so its going to be for stopping in at places with Wifi (parents, etc)...

I would like to be able to take it to work, and play things one it as apposed to actually work... the only thing i've really been playing lately is the Binding of Isaac, and I know the new one it coming out this year...

Data-wise, I would like a decent amount of space 750GB-1TB+, but I know USB HDs are there for storage if i need one.

Size, I would prefer something a little bigger than the 15" something closer to like 17

Touch screen, meh... I dont care about

Price-wise... I have a mortgage payment now... so i would prefer not to go crazy... under or around $800 i guess



I hope that helps a little.. I know my biggest issue is, I want to be able to game on things, but its like how much can I really use it for that with no internet...

O Windows 7 or Windows 8?

When you mean gaming are you talking games that will tax the computer or is Binding of Isaac the most difficult game you would expect to play on it? The computer below has a dedicated graphics card and that is what makes it more expensive. If you are planning on playing games but nothing really difficult for the computer to play i can take that dedicated graphics card out and get either a cheaper laptop or bolster the other specs. Even though this laptop is expensive you can see the short comings as it has the devil resolution of 1366 x 768 and only 750 GB of hard drive space.

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-CX61-2PC-499US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00ISKS4A2/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1406557466&sr=1-8&keywords=laptop#productDetails

yeah i think i would rather have something with a higher res... something like 1920x1080...

While I only seem to play Isaac, I know if I had couple handle better games... I definitely would play things on there... and once I get some internet up and running in the new place, I would like use the laptop as my streaming center for things... (not sure how that effects what i need since I have 2 external capture devices I can use etc)

as for the windows that it runs... I dont think I know enough about either to really care that much... my desktop is on Windows 7 and i dont really have an issue with it

If you do windows 8, do yourself a favor and go ahead with the touch screen.

I've got where I like Best Buy for getting computers, as their return policy is good for trying one out and then switching it if you don't like it. I got the surface (not the pro) and decided it wasn't what I wanted and switched it out for an HP split. It didn't ever work right and switched it out for another hybrid. Three weeks- three computers- No problems and no questions asked.

~mrmiller

S7 mrmiller wrote:If you do windows 8, do yourself a favor and go ahead with the touch screen.

I've got where I like Best Buy for getting computers, as their return policy is good for trying one out and then switching it if you don't like it. I got the surface (not the pro) and decided it wasn't what I wanted and switched it out for an HP split. It didn't ever work right and switched it out for another hybrid. Three weeks- three computers- No problems and no questions asked.

~mrmiller

Best Buy and I don't get along on higher end purchases... the last like 3 big items I bought through there have had issues... and its like 35 minutes from my house...

The last time, I bought a monitor/TV, that I had ordered online for pick up... was supposed to be ready at X time... it wasnt... they played dumb... took like an hour to finally get what i ordered... then i'm looking at the box... hole in it... I'm like I not taking it until it gets checked out... the guy unboxes it in front of me... says "looks fine" starts to load it back up... I'm like test it... turn it on... he gives me a go f yourself look and takes it to the side... turns it on... it just popped up the logo and he's like "see its fine" with a sh1tty tude...

I said thanks, and said I really just didnt want to make the hour round trip for something that didnt work and i would just need to come back tomorrow and be mad about... he said (100% serious)... "Well, I'm not here tomorrow, so you can be someone else's problem."

I'm ready to lose my sh1t... but Casey talked me down... and we leave...

I get it home... plug it in... logo screen no problem... thats the only part of the screen that worked... looks like someone had smashed the monitor enough to kill 25% of the screen... and as its on for a few minutes... whole screen goes to hell... Needless to say, I needed to make another 1 hour trip to get a new one... and I told those idiots I was done with them...


Add this to my wife's issue, when she went to get my HD PVR... Ordered online... in stock... in store... ready for pick up... she makes the trip... they jerk her around, per store policy i guess... then tell her... "We don't have that ready... it will be ready tomorrow..."  They basically said... even though its here and in stock and you were told its ready for pick up... its not actually "here"... its prolly on the truck out back and we're not going to unload that right now... so you can come back tomorrow, it will prolly be ready then...


Place is a joke... I don't want to give them one more penny of mine

OK this is the best think I can find with what you are wanting. The Newegg links is the way to go but you can see Amazon is selling it for much more so either its on sale on Newegg which I am assuming or Amazon has not updates the pricing. I know this is right on your prices change but as you are wanting all these specs something will have to give for the price to be lower. I have some other options but none of them have a nvidia dedicated graphics card in them. Newegg has no reviews and Amazons reviews for this laptop are far from perfect, they had to skip corners to make a laptop this cheap with all the specs you see.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834317613

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-17-3-Inch-Laptop-59406328/dp/B00HIY8V0W