A hopefully well thought out request for Laptop purchasing assistance

I want to ask for what is probably the 1 millionth laptop, so I figured I would at least try to answer the "FAQ for laptop help" in the "Read Me First" post. I haven't been laptop shopping in years and really don't know what I should be looking/waiting/expecting for my money. I am sort of giving up on my couple year old netbook, and I am wanting enough gaming power that the iPads in the house aren't cutting it.

The biggest thing I am struggling with is what I need for my light (I think light?) games I would like to be able to play on it. Can integrated graphics cover those I called out, or do I need dedicated?

The other thing that I would consider pretty important is Quick On from sleep (or some equivalent mode). I would really like to be able to shut the top and let it stay in that state for an extended amount of time, and open back up and be running in as few of seconds as possible


And here's my answers. Any and all help will be wildly appreciated. Thanks Forum

1) What is your budget?
$400-$600

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
15" - 17" screen

3) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Open to any

4) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
The most taxing will be any gaming (gaming answered in detail below) and some light software development (Visual Studio Express level)

5) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I will mostly store it in our ottoman in front of the couch when not in use. I might take it with me on vacations for use on planes and in hotels, but it will mainly be in stored away, or in my lap.

6) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
I tend to be the person that waits until a game is $20 or less, so nothing super high end (although the option for the future is nice). I just picked up a bunch of stuff during the Steam Sale, my assumed two biggest energy hogs would be LA Noir and Left 4 Dead 2.

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the merrier, but having to plug it in isn't devastating. Like 4 hours of surfing, less if gaming?

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Online is fine

9) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Win 7, I am fine with a $15 Win 8 upgrade (that is a thing for any new Win 7 machine at this point right?)

Screen Specifics

1) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Probably prefer widescreen, but not a must

2) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
B or C from either.
Standard.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

3) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Don't care.

Build Quality and Design

1) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not especially

2) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
The longer the better for sure, I tend to keep my machines for a decent amount of time. 3 years maybe?

Notebook Components

1) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
Bigger the better of course, and although I would love a Solid State, 500+ GB of normal disc is probably more where my head is at for the money.

2) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive?
No dire need.

Quote from scooterwin123 : I want to ask for what is probably the 1 millionth laptop, so I figured I would at least try to answer the "FAQ for laptop help" in the "Read Me First" post. I haven't been laptop shopping in years and really don't know what I should be looking/waiting/expecting for my money. I am sort of giving up on my couple year old netbook, and I am wanting enough gaming power that the iPads in the house aren't cutting it.

You will probably want something with midrange graphics. It sounds like you want something more than 720p, but this will be hard to come by in this price range.

Check out this deal.

Quote from 1992 : You will probably want something with midrange graphics. It sounds like you want something more than 720p, but this will be hard to come by in this price range. Check out this deal.

I was reading through that thread and the graphics might be integrated instead of dedicated? Is it still a good enough deal if that is the case? I am not in a giant rush, more so that I am willing to wait for the right machine at the right price.

And I don't know if I need dedicated graphics or not even I don't know how far the integrated graphics have come

Quote from scooterwin123 : I was reading through that thread and the graphics might be integrated instead of dedicated? Is it still a good enough deal if that is the case? I am not in a giant rush, more so that I am willing to wait for the right machine at the right price. And I don't know if I need dedicated graphics or not even I don't know how far the integrated graphics have come

These are integrated, but amd has come a long way with their integrated graphics. If you can get this for $400 it's a steal. Use GPU Benchmark [videocardbenchmark.net] as a reference for graphics performance.