Looking for a laptop under $1,400

By Kondrath
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Veteran

Kondrath

Posted
Posted

Hello, all. At a friend's request who was about to be ripped off by buying an overpriced dell, he would now like me to consult "real" computer users to get an good opinion.

This laptop will be used for mainly video and photo editing, audio work (Sonar, Reason, etc.), and possibly some gaming as well. He's looking for it to have Windows XP, if possible. Maximum price range should be around $1400.

He wants around 4 gigs of ram... But I recall XP only being able to recognize 3.25, unless on the 64bit edition. However, don't many programs not function correctly in the 64 bit version? I'm not entirely sure.

So, pretty much the biggest powerhouse he can get for under $1,400.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/681696-looking-for-a-laptop-under-1400/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

Get a desktop. You can get it for way less than any laptop will give you.

Any version of x64 will see 4gb and up.

Most programs have parted over to the x64 architecture, but x32 programs should work fine.

Veteran

Kondrath

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Get a desktop. You can get it for way less than any laptop will give you.

Any version of x64 will see 4gb and up.

Most programs have parted over to the x64 architecture, but x32 programs should work fine.

If it were up to me, I'd get a desktop. But this is my friend, who specifically wants a laptop. Thanks for the info about 64bit, though.

Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

unless you get a good video card, you wont be able to game as he wants. I'd say get an ASUS or Sony.

Why did he get overpriced on a Dell? If you use the coupons, it's manageable.

Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted
Hmm? Most programs? Can you back that statement up?

* VirtualBox 2.0.2 for Windows hosts x86 | AMD64 (only on Windows x64!)

The 2007 Microsoft Office system programs client is a 32-bit application and can run on a Windows 64-bit platform (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista) but there may be some feature limitations as noted in the system requirements below.

Veteran

Kondrath

Posted
  • Author
Posted
unless you get a good video card, you wont be able to game as he wants. I'd say get an ASUS or Sony.

Why did he get overpriced on a Dell? If you use the coupons, it's manageable.

He showed me the laptop he was getting, and it didn't seem all that great for the price.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...ured_xpsnb_deal

HP has a HP dv5t customizable with a 30% off coupon with orders over $999. I'm considering that, maybe.

Proficient

realmccoy

Posted
Posted

Is price the only thing your friend is look at? How about if your friend buys a $700.00 HP with a a 17inch screen and a OK video card and then build a desktop PC with the rest of the money. This way she/he can have the best of both worlds.

This may sound strange like a strange suggestion but I did it and really like it. I use my desktop as a backup machine as well as play games on it.

Veteran

Kondrath

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I got myself this one from Best Buy when it went on sale for $1,250.

Gateway P-7811FX

I love the 17" 1920x1200 screen with the 9800GTS video.

The video card on that looks pretty nice...

Before I decide on one of these, are there still any places to customize an XP laptop?

I thought about customizing this one from http://www.adkproaudio.com/systems/viewsys...fm?recordid=119

I myself will probably get one of those some time in the future, but I don't know if the specs will meet his video editing needs.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • what other retro software do yall use

      By +Eternal Tempest · Posted

      I have a couple to mention, and they still run great on Windows 11 Adobe Lightroom Version 2 Alcohol 120% ISO Buster Pro version 1.9.1 (Still supports HD-DVD too) Nero Burning Rom 8 (Only the burning software, no backup, media converter, etc)   PowerDVD 12 Ultra SPTD (SCSI Pass through Direct Driver) UltraISO WinImage    
    • Linux 7.1 arrives with an NTFS overhaul and major hardware performance boosts

      By zikalify · Posted

      Linux 7.1 arrives with an NTFS overhaul and major hardware performance boosts by Paul Hill The founder of the Linux kernel has just announced the availability of Linux 7.1. This is a stable version of the kernel that will now be tested by various Linux distributions before it is shipped to users through update managers. Some users, like those on Debian, for example, might not get it for a long time, if at all, while Fedora users can expect it in the near future. With Linux 7.1 out on time, the merge window for Linux 7.2 is now open, giving contributors the opportunity to send in major new features that have been waiting for the last two months. Torvalds warned that he is currently travelling and will be in another timezone, so timing for the merge window may be irregular due to timezone differences and limited internet access. Torvalds said that he has already fetched early pull requests to allow him to do some offline work, but the travel could still cause disruption. Right now, he is not planning to extend the release, but did consider it. He said he might later regret not extending, though. In terms of this last week of development for Linux 7.1, Torvalds said there were no major or alarming changes. This week consisted mostly of smaller driver updates to GPU, networking, and sound, networking fixes, trace tooling fixes, and misc minor fixes. The shortlog this week lists fixes for driver bugs, memory leaks, I/O and USB fixes, networking and RDMA fixes, DRM/graphics fixes, and tooling and verification improvements. Specific fixes include USB series heap-overflow and buffer overflow fixes, and multiple use-after-free, memory-leak, and refcount corrections across subsystems such as i2c, zram, gpio, and net. There are fixes for graphics drivers, including amdgpu, i915, and virtio, as well as hypervisor and virtualization tweaks affecting mshv, vmbus, and hyperv. According to Phoronix, anyone running Linux 7.1 should look out for the new NTFS driver, Intel FRED for improved performance on Panther Lake and future CPUs, faster graphics with Intel Arc Battlemage, and improvements for older AMD Radeon GPUs. If you are running Linux on your computer and everything is fine, then you don’t need to worry about updating to Linux 7.1 as a priority; just wait for it to be pushed to you. If you have tried Linux on hardware but it didn’t work properly, trying again with a distro that uses Linux 7.1 could cause Linux to work on your machine, thanks to the new hardware support.
    • Microsoft hides these secret Windows 11 performance boost settings available on every PC

      By contevo · Posted

      you can also do this with this tool: PowerSettingsExplorer made by mbk1969 at 3dguru forum.. I found it by accident researching on modern standby and annoying quirks of it in 2022
    • AB Download Manager 1.9.1

      By Copernic · Posted

      AB Download Manager 1.9.1 by Razvan Serea AB Download Manager is an open-source, feature-rich download manager designed to accelerate downloads, organize files efficiently, and provide seamless control over downloads. With support for multiple connections, resume capability, and an intuitive interface, it enhances the downloading experience for users seeking speed and reliability. The software integrates with various browsers, enabling quick link grabbing and batch downloading. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, ensuring broad compatibility with different file sources. Users can schedule downloads, set speed limits, and categorize files automatically for better organization. AB Download Manager is lightweight yet powerful, making it a great alternative to proprietary download managers. Its open-source nature allows developers to contribute, customize, and improve the software as needed. Whether you're downloading large files, managing multiple downloads at once, or seeking an ad-free experience, this tool offers a practical and efficient solution. Key features of AB Download Manager: Multi-Connection Support – Accelerates downloads by splitting files into multiple segments. Resume Capability – Allows paused or interrupted downloads to be resumed without starting over. Batch Downloading – Supports downloading multiple files at once for improved efficiency. Browser Integration – Captures download links directly from browsers for seamless operation. HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP Support – Ensures compatibility with a wide range of file sources. Download Scheduling – Enables users to automate downloads at specific times. Speed Limiting – Lets users control bandwidth usage for optimized performance. File Categorization – Automatically organizes downloaded files into designated folders. User-Friendly Interface – Simple and intuitive design for easy navigation. Cross-Platform Compatibility – Works on multiple operating systems. Ad-Free Experience – No intrusive ads or tracking for a clean user experience. AB Download Manager 1.9.1 changelog: Added An option to customize notification sounds (#1259) Fixed Ongoing notification was laggy on Samsung One UI devices (#1269) Improved Updated Translations Minor UI/UX improvements Download: AB Download Manager 1.9.1 | Portable | ~80.0 MB (Open Source) Download: ARM64 | Portable ARM64 | Android Links: AB Download Manager Website | Github Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Louis Rossmann suing Samsung over "990 Pro SSD warranty scam"

      By WITHOUT-ME · Posted

      watching him because of the Mr Klinton cat

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      agatameier earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      140
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      90
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      81
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!