Hello folks, Looking for a advice on new laptop. $600.00 CDN range. Intel. No gaming, just surf, music, etc. No smaller than 13" screen. Want something with good audio without having to buy external speakers as i will be traveling with it. No Acer's please. Have been looking at some of the Samsung's, intriguing, seem to get good reviews although i don't know anyone who has one. Here's an example, http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/prod...spx?path=1f630fe8e2727bf41a1ee7b5d4fa4eaaen02 Good deal, no? I've been using am Imac the last few years so haven't really kept up with the latest and greatest. This will be my first laptop. Thanks for any help.
I think that type question is impossible to answer. Anyone who can give an honest assessment of their own notebook would have to own it for awhile. For example, I really like my Toshiba A505 - but it is almost 2 years old now, and it is no longer in production. So is my assessment valid? And anyone who suggests a brand new notebook likely has not owned it long enough to make a valid assessment - nor has it had time to establish a reputation. Samsung makes great monitors and TVs. Does that mean they make great notebooks too? I don't know, but they are not known as good (or bad) notebook makers. I think you should visit a store and see what is available in your price range. Then do some comparing. Some models may focus on a gorgeous display, some may focus on better performance, some on goodies and add-ons. Note that Acer owns Gateway and eMachines so if you want to stay away from Acer, avoid those as well.
The Toshiba A660 or even the A750 can be picked up for about $800 and both are i7 the A660 is 1.73Ghz 1GB Video and 500GB HD the A750 is 2.0Ghz 1GB Video and 750GB HD. I've had the 660 for 9 months and I love it. http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/satellite/P750 http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/satellite/P750/available-models presuming you reside in the US, this site will be ok, otherwise choose your location on the main page
For a decent sound ... definitely look for a model with dedicated subwoofer. I have been looking around myself for a laptop/notebook with decent sound performance. The only way you're going to find that is with a dedicated subwoofer built in for the bass. I've tried out quite a few without a sub and they all sounded lousy. For me, I narrowed it down to Dell's XPS range (not sure which other Dell models are using JBL) but it's as good as it gets. I tried out the Dell JBL system at my local store and I was impressed. To my ears, it definitely sounded the best of the bunch. JBL system is the same as Harman/kardon (same parent company). Toshiba is currently using Harman/kardon speakers in some of their higher end models, as well, but Dell's 15 inch XPS is quite a lot cheaper - and with better standard options: 3.0 USB & 3.0 Bluetooth - i5 processor. I am in UK, but Dell USA says their XPS 15 inch starts at $799 (over your budget I know). I think some of the Sony Vaio range have an inbuilt sub also. With a bit of searching you might be able to find some older models with a dedicated sub, and trade off with lower/older specs in other areas. It probably makes more sense to buy a really good set of headphones and listen to music that way. Because I have found the really decent speaker setup built in is an expensive feature for laptops. I always think it's best to put hardware specs (CPU, RAM, GPU, Connectivity, Screen) first when buying a notebook/laptop. Then work in the sound and so on. But, definitely try out as many as you can. Me, I only really noticed anything decent sounding when I heard subwoofer dedicated models.
I guess that depends on what you call "decent" sound. I have a problem calling ANY sound from a computer system, "decent", unless it feeds a real home theater sound system. Considering the size of speakers in a notebook, and the "umph" of the electronics behind it, looking for quality sound in a notebook (or computer speaker system), IMO, is like looking for the leprechaun's pot o' gold. If sound is a premium concern, then I would use some quality headphones, or pipe the audio out to a real receiver/amplifier and to a speaker system that can do the artists and sound recording engineers some justice.
Thanks all. So true as i'm finding out. I decided to go with the one i linked to. Got the sales person to knock 50 bucks off plus throw in a recovery disk(didn't realize new systems didn't come with one anymore). Should meet my needs hopefully, if not have 10 days to make another choice. Been a while since i used windows(xp was my last) so back to a vast array of security apps once again. Security has been almost a forgotten thing for me the last few yrs so it's like starting all over again. NOD32 served me well for 5 yrs on my last pc so a return visit is in order. Though i've never used it, MBAM is on the list too. I also used Opera for yrs but from what i've read lately, Chrome seems the most secure so i'll give it a go.
I have this plugged into my Toshiba A660 Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro, USB 2.0, THX TruStudio Pro, and i use these - Logitech Speakers - Z-5500D THX - 5.1 500W RMS 10" Sub Remote. This rocks the sassy ass off the walls crisp crystal clear sound for Music/ Movies
I bought an A660 for a project my wife is doing it seems to be a real nice Laptop so far. For sound I run the speaker output into a spare Kenwood amp I had & connect to a pair of 6 in speakers I got at a resale shop it blows away any computer speaker system I have found so far.
