OT: Help me with new computer! (PC only. Mac-heads no tks)

[Wired]

My Vaio Laptop took a good spill and is either in need of $500 worth of repairs, or replacement... The laptop has been good to me for four years, and the laptops I'm looking at replacing it are not far behind what I got now. Surprisingly fast even on recent release games (like Fallout Vegas, Dragon Age 2)

Quick specs of old system:
16.4" 1920x1080 screen
Blu-Ray read/write
1.0-3.0 hr battery
4gb PC2-6400 800mhz ram
Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 chipset
2.26ghz 1066mhz/3mb
500GB 32mb cache hybrid hard drive (upgraded)
Intel-Integrated graphics


I'm really confused by the technology advancements... RAM, BluRay, graphics, I understand that...

but, in plain english, how does Turbo Boost work? Whats the diff between an i5 processor and an i7 processor with the same clock speeds?

I have a few options. I've decided on either a Dell or a Sony, with an Asus being a distant third. Acer, MSI, and HP's owned by friends have had way too many issues.

For the most part I seem to be getting specs of:
Intel i5-2410M 2.3mhz Processor with Turbo Boost to 2.9ghz
6GB DDR3/1333mhz processor
Dedicated Graphics card from AMD or Nividia of 1GB (512 on the sonys)
640gb/5400 RPM drive (or 750gb/7200RPM on the dells)
6-7 hour battery life from the 15" models (17" models are 4 hour)
crappy 2 speaker audio (ASUS has Bang & Olufson, one of the Dell's has JBL 2.1)
DVD R/W with the odd one being able to read Blu-Ray. Not a big deal, and with the tray loading ones I SHOULD be able to transfer the BLu-Ray Read/Write drive from my current sony over, just change the cover plate.

The one I would love the most, which is looming out of my price range is:
Dell XPS 15
i7 2630QM 2.0-2.9ghz processor
8GB DDR/1333mhz ram
Geforce GT535M 1GB dedicated graphics chip
750gb/7200RPM drive
DVD r/w
3 USB ports
1920x1080 res on 15.6 screen
JBL 2.1

$1,099 + gst/recycling levy + extended warranty (3 years is $450, mail in service or something stupid if I get it)

Follow up?
Asus N53SV-B1
i5 2410M processor
2.3ghz - 2.9ghz with turbo boost
6GB DDR3/1333mhz ram
GT540M 1GB Nividia graphics
640gb/5400rpm drive
Blu Ray reader
4 USB ports (2 usb3.0)
15.6" display with 1920x1080 resolution
Bang & Olufson 2 channel audio
$1,099 + gst/Recyling $250 for 3 year in store replacement warranty

Sony's Offering:
VVPCF220FDB
intel i5-2410M
2.3-2.9 ghz
6gb DDR/1333mhz ram
Geforce GT 520M 512mb Nivida
640/5400rpm drive
CD DVD r/w
3 usb ports
16.4" screen with 1600x900 resolution
2 channel intel HD audio
$999.99 + $250 for 3 year warranty (in store replacement)

and finally, HP's offering.
DV6-6115ca
intel i5-2410M
2.3-2.9 ghz
6gb DDR/1333mhz ram
AMD 6490M 1GB GDDR5
640/5400rpm drive
DVD RW
4 USB ports
15.6" 1366x768 display
BEAST audio
$799.99 w/2 year mail in warranty


There are other offerings within those (3 sonys, 3 Dells, 2 ASUS's) but these are the most attractive. The nice thing about the Sony and Asus's are that I can buy extended warranty 30 days after I purchase the laptop. While the Dell the extended warranty has to be bought day of.

The Dell's are all mail service, so you get a pretty nicely speced machine, but you don't get the instore service... Sony on the other side of the spectrum will bend over backwards to please you at their outlets. Which is great. And I can drop off my laptop and they take care of the rest.

ASUS I have no experience with, but I would buy through my local computer pro shop that has an over the counter repair/exchange warranty.

[Bandeapart]

I hear from all the basement dwelling neckbeards on 4chan to go for an Asus... even though I ditched PC's and went Mac. Sorry to give my unexperienced opinion. I do know that I had 3 dells completely crap out on me. They're are piles of sh** to me.

[Randy Bass]

I'd wait for the OPC laptop .

[MaxProphet]

i use a dell xps desktop @ work (i7 + 8GB RAM)
it wishes it was fast but it just sucks. but i mostly blame windows 7

the clock speeds are per core so you have to look at the number of cores on the cpu not just the speed (+frontside bus speed, cache etc.)
turbo boost is automatic over-clocking afaik

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

Where's the Mac option? LOL!

[Wendigo]

Without checking the specs too closely I can tell you that the Asus is you best bet for robustness followed cloesely by the Sony. I wouldn't spend a cent on a Dell or HP.

[Bandeapart]

i use a dell xps desktop @ work (i7 + 8GB RAM)
it wishes it was fast but it just sucks. but i mostly blame windows 7

the clock speeds are per core so you have to look at the number of cores on the cpu not just the speed (+frontside bus speed, cache etc.)
turbo boost is automatic over-clocking afaik

I blame Dell. I've had 3 that all went to crap rather quickly. I don't understand what they do to their computers to make them so slow or malfunctioning. I'm still kicking myself that I bought 3.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me three times, I should just kill myself for being so stupid.

[leopoldbloom]

ASUS

[GuitaristZ0S0]

I have an ASUS N53J and its awesome. Best sound from any laptop I've ever heard. Its i7 is ridiculously fast, great graphics and quality to. Battery life isn't great, about 2 hours. But im plugged in most the time. It also stays pretty cool and never really gets to hot. I personally hate macs, and think its pretty damn good. Go get mixcraft and a good fire box and your set for recording!

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

Wired, what are you planning on using the comp for?


I used to use Dell's religiously. They are good computers.

I don't like Sony, HP, or toshiba. I think they are all in the same boat for quality (which I believe is lower than Dell at that price point).

I have never used an Asus. I do know that Lenovo makes some pretty good laptops.


As far as processor... Unless you are doing some heavy heavy stuff (like running Avid), you don't need an i7. You are paying for power that your computer will never use. The i5 can handle anything on the consumer market and beyond.

I do hate Windows 7. If you could get away with it, I would go with the last release of XP. Very stable.

[bassdrop]

I've heard great things about the ASUS line lately as well as Acer and Lenovo- so don't count them out either. Regarding the difference between i5 and the i7, it is not a small one. The better i5's do have Turbo Boost which allows them to bump up the speed in short bursts when needed, as do the i7's. The big difference is the i7 in the Dell is a quad-core with hyperthreading that allows it to handle 8 instruction sets simultaneously at full clock speed. On top of that you get a larger CPU cache. Basically, it's more than twice the processor. And more cores generally means better battery life too.

Out of the three you have listed, the Dell looks to be the clear winner based on the price they can get you a laptop with an i7 in combination with the extra RAM (as long as you don't mind not having Blu-Ray).

[Wired]

Sounds like the Sony is least favorable.

I'm using the computer mostly for photo editing, light audio recording (mostly just 2-4 track demos), some gaming... like to keep up with the latest releases at least midsize settings.

[jangle]

From someone in the business:

HP's quality control is nothing short of appalling. Anything that can be made of cheap thin plastic will be and it will fail/break along with more crucial items.

Dell is a target of critics simply because it's the biggest game in town but their QC remains fairly reliable. I have a big problem with their bait-and-switch tactics with respect to warranty which used to be 3 years (and 3 years is when the problems start) but now is 1 year standard with 2 or 3 years available for a price.

Dell has learned its lesson with call center support nonsense. Some of their centers are still overseas but mostly in the Philippines where the accent is at least intelligible compared to Bangalore. They are big enough to be responsive to warranty issues e.g. a needed part under warranty will ship out same or next day with or without local providers to install.

For the record I'm my second Dell XPS model