Computers & Networking

[wyowill]

Hi, as u see in the subject i need help on chosing a laptop. What im looking for is a good powerfull laptop around $700-1000 dollars that has a dedicated memory grafics card so i can run high powered programs like CAD drafting programs, and would also be good at everything else like gameing, school work stuff like that. i got help and have 1 choice witch is Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 16" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive and has a NVIDIA GeForce 310M graphics and Feature 512MB GDDR3 discrete and 2270MB total available video memory for lush images. But im not to sure so u would like some help and some oppinions on what to get. Thanks

[RedWyv3 Best Buy Employee]

Asus Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 17.3" Display / 6GB Memory - Black

Model: G73JH-BST7 | SKU: 1257894

Enjoy video chatting with friends and family using this laptop's built-in 1.3MP webcam or create customized CDs and DVDs with the double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive. Easily connect to the Internet without wires using the built-in WiMAX technology (service contract required). Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded Which Windows 7 edition is best for you? Compare.Intel® 4G WiMAX chipset built in for Internet access to go at next-generation mobile broadband speeds. Learn more about WiMAX. Wireless service plan required; sold separately. WiMAX service not available in all areas.Learn more about Intel® processors. Information provided by Intel.

 4.7 Read reviews (19)

Sale: $1199.99

The 310M processor that you called out is a gaming chip, but a lower end one. You're going to be fighting to get this to work with some of the higher end games. If you can increase your budget slightly, perhaps with the Best Buy credit card, you're going to be a a lot more satisfied with this. Remember, video cards cannot be replaced on laptops, so you want to get what you actually *want* when you buy the machine. I did a lot of research on this one and the specs are exactly on line for what you want to do.

If you cannot increase your budget, I suggest moving to a home PC, which bring you much better specs at a lower price.

[wyowill]

hmm it looks good but im looking for a 15-16" screen so i can tack it places (note: i will use it at home as well), but a 17 would be nice but it just might be a little bit to big to tack around

[wyowill]

also i dont want it to just be for gaming (even tho i will do some) i want for a all around purpose, but ill mainly use it for Drafting and CAD work, witch regures a good dedicated grafics card

[GaryFunk]

I don't know about the 310, but I can tell you the NVIDIA GEFORCE 330M is nice. I bought a Satellite A500-ST6647 in June and it's nice. I have been a Toshiba user since 1991 and this is my 14th unit.

[RedWyv3 Best Buy Employee]

There is positively no difference between a high end gaming machine and a high end drafting machine - they require the exact same core items:

1. Good processor.

2. High memory.

3. Dedicated and good video card.

4. Larger screen so you can see who you kill or what you're drafting clearly!

[wyowill]

would there be a way to up grade the grafics card on the toshiba i looked at or just something else, and sorry if im a bit difficult im not so great at this kind of stuff, and i just want to be sure i get the right laptop

[hockeycanuckjc Trusted Contributor]

As pointed out by the other posters on this thread, laptops have a 1% chance of upgradeability. And even if you could, it would certainly invalidate your product warranty.

[wyowill]

well wile looking for more laptops i found a few more 1 is a Dell - Inspiron Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics witch
Features 512MB dedicated video memory for impressive image detail, the 2nd one was a Samsung - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive with a ATI Mobility Radeon HD545v graphics witch Features up to 1GB GDDR3 memory for lush images. the last one is a Dell - Inspiron Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive with a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 550v graphics witch
Features 1024MB video memory for lush images and vivid detail...those were just some other options i looked at but out of those three witch one is the best.

[Entropy]

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RedWyv3 wrote:

There is positively no difference between a high end gaming machine and a high end drafting machine - they require the exact same core items:

1. Good processor.

2. High memory.

3. Dedicated and good video card.

4. Larger screen so you can see who you kill or what you're drafting clearly!

---

Not entirely correct, high end drafting often requires line antialiasing support, one of the few little things that differentiates Quadros from GeForces.

However, you're NOT going to find any laptop with a Quadro in the OP's price range, except maybe on the used market.