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r/SuggestALaptop•
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Laptop With A Nice Screen, Considering HP ENVY 17

  1. What is your budget?

Up to about $1700 AUD ~ about the same in USD. If I buy from the US, the shipping won't be cheap.

  1. What size notebook would you prefer?

Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

  1. Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

Australia

  1. Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Dislike: Apple, but apparently you guys do too.

  1. Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

No.

  1. What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

It will be mostly for uni work, surfing the web and possibly a bit of gaming if the budget doesn't have to be stretched too much. I study engineering and mathematics, and would like the ability to run technical software like MATLAB and Mathematica reasonably quickly. In short I want something with a reasonable level of performance, but don't require anything blindingly fast. Powerful graphics are not necessary.

  1. Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

It will mostly live at home on my desk, but I would take it to uni occasionally. Basically, portability isn't that important.

  1. Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

The only computer games I own are Half Life 2 era. Being able to play them would be nice.

  1. How many hours of battery life do you need?

Nothing flash, would be happy with a relatively short battery life.

  1. Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Buying online is fine.

  1. What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

I intend to dualboot the laptop with Windows 7 and Ubuntu (my current laptop boots Vista and Ubuntu).

Screen Specifics

  1. From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer?

This is the big one for me. I want a large high res screen. I am fond of multi tasking with multiple windows and my current laptop's 15 or so inch screen isn't very nice for this. Also, it's falling apart a bit.

  1. Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

Don't really mind either way.

  1. Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

A little, but not hugely.

  1. When are you buying this laptop?

In one or two months.

  1. How long do you want this laptop to last?

At least 'till the end of my degrees, which is another 2.5 years.

Notebook Components

  1. How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

Around 1 TB would be nice, but a little lower is OK.

  1. Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

Yes, DVD burner.

I was considering the HP ENVY 17 because it allows you to customize the setup so I can pick a nice 17 inch HD screen without having to have a super expensive and quick machine. I also like the design. I'm not sure if I can get hold of a customised one in Australia, because the HP store will not ship here. I've inquired at a USA retail reselling business to see if they will help me out.

I'm very much open to suggestion.

Posted Nov 8, 2011, 12:26 PM UTC

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BeastInfection•

If you want a nice screen, basically the only options are the IPS panel on lenovo's x series, or the macbook pro. PC makers generally use crappy TN displays.

Edit: Sorry, forgot about the high end latitudes and probooks that hp and dell make. Those have RGB IPS displays and can display 90%< of the adobe RGB spectrum

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MigratedCoconut•

If your only playing half life 2 era games, Intel HD3000 graphics with even a first gen i3 330m will run them fine. Sometimes I think Source games would run on a flippin TI-82. To play those, you don't need to spend much.

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