Hi All,

 I am looking for a Notebook. Something small in size 15.4" screne or so, 250gb HD, 2gb ram, +2.0GHz. For a price <1100. It wont be a gamer but I would like to run CS2 and 3ds max on it hence the 2gb ram and +2.0ghz CPU. Any ideas/ suggestions would be nice.

Thanks!

Here are a few I found just browsing newegg.com:

ZT S1015i NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5750(2.00GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834210013

lenovo IdeaPad Y510(59013782) NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T8100(2.10GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 2GB Memory 250GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner Intel GMA X3100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146443

Acer Aspire AS5920-6574 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T8100(2.10GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 3GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115458

Id say go with the Acer or ZT out of those guys. Its nice to have those 8600M GT chips as well as more ram :)

Another option may be to look at www.ibuypower.com or some of those other custom build sites (maybe even Dell). You may be able to throw the comp you want together for a fairly low price.

If all else fails, there is always Costco! :)

Indeed ZT or Acer.  Since your still on a 32-bit platform the Acer would be ideal just with the memory limitation.  The higher speed of the Acer is nicer though but a $100 price difference between the 2 for something as minor as that is a tough call.

 As well you'll want a 8600M or similar chip for video no matter what.  Intel graphics won't cut it for gaming, or even 3D Max on a large scale.

 

 Yea costco is way cool... I have been looking into Hp i dont know muc about them as a builder but i know alot of people with them at my school.

I would beware of HP, I have known a lot of HP Desktops that have gone bad really quick, and they have poor customer service in my opinion.  I tried to get an Ipod shuffle repaired under warrentee a few years back, it was made by HP and they never returned my request.

I'd shy away from an HP desktop, but they make great notebooks as far as I've ever known.

I'm not a fan of HP... but if you can find a decent specced laptop for a decent price.. go for it.

Another thought.. Toshiba usually has good quality laptops, however, they are usually wayyy overpriced... just keep an eye out for sales and you should find a good computer for a good price.

HP builds some of the coolest-looking notebooks I have seen lately, and if I had the money I would buy another. My Compaq (HP) R4000 laptop has given me no trouble at all. When I decided to upgrade the CPU in my laptop I was pleasantly surprised to find all the disassembly info available on the HP website. If you have ever stripped a laptop down to the bare motherboard then trust me, it is best to have all of the illustrations you can find! HP has done well, IMO. But no matter what laptop you get, Der, make sure it comes with the OS recovery DVD (or at least that one is available for purchase). 

I would say to stay away from Acer and HP -- Acer is just too cheap looking and come with a TON of bloatware. As others have said HP has horrendous customer support and have a lot of "dumb" problems.

If you get an XPS dell's are a good buy -- I got a gateway a few weeks back and this think rocks! Toshiba has a new 64-bit line out (preloaded with 64-bit Windows I mean) but that will run you ~$800 - $1,200; I didn't like the way Toshibas looked in the past but the new line is cool looking! Check em out HERE

I too would recommend that you steer clear of HPs. A friend of mine bought the most expensive notebook they made a little over a year ago, along with an identical one for his wife. He has recently purchased two Dell XPS M1730's to replace the HPs, which he was so disgusted with that he threw both in the trash. I would get a Dell, but ultimately it depends on your budget.

I haven't had any trouble with HP notebooks. I've never owned an HP desktop so I can't comment on that but a lot of my friends have HP notebooks and they seem fine. Until recently, I also had a Compaq R4000. Picked mine up when they first came out about 3 years ago. Wonderful notebook, great quality, and it's still working perfectly to this day, although I don't own it anymore.

I've personally had mixed results with Toshiba notebooks. They have a bit of history with overheating and the gigantic Toshiba logo they all sport vexes me to no end, but that is a personal taste issue. The current line-up looks alright though.

ASUS notebooks are quite nice. I've used a couple and they've all been great. My gf currently owns a 13.3" ASUS W7S (T7500, 1.5GB RAM, 120GB HDD, $1200 4-5 months ago). Great little notebook for a great price. Unfortunately, almost all ASUS notebooks have slightly below average battery life, compared to other notebooks in the same class. However build quality and design is usually top notch. Price is usually also very competative. If you're looking at an ASUS, go for their premium models. They don't usually command much of a price premium compared to their budget line-up but the build quality is significantly better. Probably wan't to stay away from their leather-clad luxury models, just a bit too excessive for a workhorse notebook IMHO. ASUS also offers a pretty killer warranty package, but don't buy it from Bestbuy cause you'll lose the free 1 year manufacturer accidental warranty coverage.

You still can't go wrong with Thinkpads, even after the Lenovo aquisition. Quality is still pretty much as good as always, at least in my experience. You pay a premium but you may consider it justified.

Personally I'd look to Dell for a cheap no-frills 14"/15.4" workhorse notebook. Check out their small business website for the Vostro notebooks. They certainly aren't Latitudes or Thinkpads, but I've played with a couple and it's a pretty solid notebook for a great price. You can find those things on sale all the time. It shouldn't be very hard to put together a Vostro with the specs you're requesting for around/under $1000.

No personal experience with Acer, Fujitsu or LG so can't comment on them.

You shouldn't have any serious trouble with just about any of the major brands if you take good care of it. If you're the type that likes to chuck their notebooks around, you may want to consider a Thinkpad, or something with an aggressive warranty like the ASUS.... maybe look into a ruggedized model.

 Im thinking this one... it looks cool as well...

 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8782089&productCategoryId=abcat0502003&type=product&tab=2&id=1204924952362#productdetail

 Haha we had a customer return that laptop the other day because they said "it looks like someone with a sweaty butt sat on the lid -- I picture it and it makes me sick" <--- Now go look at the laptop again 

Eww, but luckily I can't see it.

 Humm i see what your saying.... Dang, It had some good specs on it too...

XPS 1530 I have it and I love it :)

 I have an HP, It is beat to crap but still plugs away. I can attest though that their customer service leaves alot to be desired. To make a long story short I had a problem with the first one I bought, the mobo was bad. They said they would not replace the machine even though it was only two weeks old. I had to email the ceo (I found the email through google) in order to get it replaced. It was a joke.

HERE is an interesting deal, der. 4 Gigs of RAM, TL-62 Turion. What is interesting is that it has Vista Home Premium 64-bit w/SP1 installed. I don't believe that many laptops come with the 64-bit edition...not even sure if you would want it! Comes with the recovery CD I mentioned in a previous post, and also is capable of wireless N, which is a plus.

The ASUS EEE PC does not fit you? 

Super Dave:

HERE is an interesting deal, der. 4 Gigs of RAM, TL-62 Turion. What is interesting is that it has Vista Home Premium 64-bit w/SP1 installed. I don't believe that many laptops come with the 64-bit edition...not even sure if you would want it! Comes with the recovery CD I mentioned in a previous post, and also is capable of wireless N, which is a plus.

 

 

I was looking at those at bestbuy over the weekend, They are about the same price as well, but the other one was a tl-60 but it did have 4gigs of ram and i assume a 64bit OS, its not really that ig of a deal since i can just go and get a 64bit OS for free from school...lol