I need a new laptop, and my eyes are glazing over... PLEASE help!

[paulmcz]

No, I bought different one but with the same screen type.

I had a IBM T60 some time ago with a matte screen. There was no glare.

[f700es]

Dell XPS17
$1,168
Intel core i5
17.3 HD screen
6 GB dual-channel DDR3
1 GB nVidia GF550M
640 GB HDD
2 year warranty

Bump up to a core i7 and 8GB ram and you are still under $1,500

Man, stuff is cheap these days!

Not as good above but it's a budget unit

[f700es]

Hey Remark does that Xi have a beer fridge in it?

[ReMark]

Hey Remark does that Xi have a beer fridge in it?

No beer fridge but it is nuclear powered. No batteries to recharge. That's a plus.

[MAREBER]

.......................................
System Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium (compare Windows 7 versions); Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise, Business, or Ultimate (SP1 or later) (compare Windows Vista versions); or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later)
• AMD Athlon 64 with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron® processor with SSE2 technology, Intel® Xeon® processor with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology, or Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology
• 2 GB RAM
• 2 GB free space for installation
• 1,280 x 1,024 true color video display adapter 128 MB or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card
• Internet Explorer 7.0 or later
• Install from download or DVD

.................................................. ...

But, I don't really know how to decipher the above into the basics? OR what I should get beyond the 'required' system? This is what I THINK I need?

I was hoping to stay at $1,000 or under
17" Screen
Windows 7 64-bit OS
Core i5
8GB RAM (maybe less)
500GB HD (maybe more)

I found a Samsung QX410-J01 for $788.49


A Dell for $899.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+I...&skuId=1697111

An HP for $1049.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pav...&skuId=1791152

And then there is this Dell for $699.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+I...&skuId=1697102

[ReMark]

If you want to keep the price low drop the amount of RAM to 4GB and get a system with an integrated graphics chip instead of a dedicated graphics card.

[MAREBER]

Any thoughts on this Dell for $629.99?
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17...-17r-combo-mod

[ReMark]

Yeah. I'm not a big fan of hard drives that spin at 5400 rpm and integrated graphics. But I'm not you so if it fits your budget then buy it. Did you check out the Dell XPS17 that f700es mentioned? That will do just fine. I'm not knocking Dell. I've got two laptops from them (both are "Latitudes"). The hard drives spin at 7200 rpm and each have a dedicated graphics card so there is no "sharing' of resources (GPU stealing from installed RAM).

[SLW210]

paulmcz does have a point about outdoor visibility with the glossy screen, I have been there as well, if you are not going to be outdoors it is not to worry about.
Tigerdirect is a good place to start. I have always liked the Toshiba for Laptops (previously used for on the road), previous job I had a IBM Thinkpad when on the job site (now Lenovo) it was well built also. I have a Compaq Presario (now HP) (really old), at home now, still runs good for now.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...asp?CatId=2511
Here is a little less expensive model from Xi
http://www.xicomputer.com/products/PowerGoIntel154.asp

[MAREBER]

I actually do like the Dell XPS 17, but am having a difficult time finding one anywhere near me in Denver. And it won't ship from Dell for a few weeks. I sort of need this THIS weekend!