[Baldie]

So my birthday is in 2 days turning the big 22. For my birthday, mixed with money from my family, I am looking to buy myself a laptop and was wondering if any of you in the community have some recommendations for laptops you own or have used in the past.

It needs to be able to do general processing such as word, excel, as well as video editing using Adobe Premiere etc. I would also need it to be able to run Starcraft 2 so I can commentate external to home if need and other general industry stuff.

I'm not necessarily looking for a gaming laptop as the majority of the time I will be using it for work but it would be great if it has the processor and specs to be able to play a few casual games such as SC2, Borderlands etc.

I fly to Sydney on Wednesday 27th February for 3 weeks to work on some projects so would be ideal if I can nail something and get it before then.

Thanks!

Quick Comments

ToRGreenArchon:

Duuude we have the same birthday!!

[ToRDarKnoob]

I dont personally have this laptop but the specs are really good for the price http://www.xoticpc.com/forcemsi-16f3...es-p-4346.html

( would upgrade the cpu and get an ssd with it)

[OSL0rd]

You can consider getting an Aftershock laptop. They make really good laptops and the price is pretty good also.

XMGs are also another choice but they are expensive and need to be shipped from Europe.

I believe Origin also has custom laptops that are not too expensive either. Go check them out.

I don't recommend Alienware, its too expensive for those kind of specs.

Good luck!

[nirvAnA]

yeap I have heard fab things about xoticpc

And if you're ever in singapore ofc the go to brand for custom laptops is aftershockpc!

[Cordance]

I recently got myself a P2532N. The laptop Pig was sponsored with, perhaps that was a major factor in my getting it. It will do everything you asked for an more also came with excel and word but not power point and office. It is also an outdated model now I dont know what the prices are any more. Remember to check out all the sponsors of pros for no other reason than they are Pros sponsors. I was looking at frag lab but I felt they where a bit pricy for what they gave me. Arnt ACL sponsored by frag labs might be able to talk them into something.

To give you a quick few downsides and work arounds Ive found with my laptop. Two USB-3 ports kind of leaves me wishing I had one more ... Both USB ports are next to each other on the right hand side which is where my mouse is so any braided (more rigid) filtered mouse cables (you know those tube things about 50mm down the cable) can be frustrating on small work space. Simple get bigger space, if bigger space on the right hand side is not possible a USB extension is normally a lot more flexible and easier to get out of the way.

Storage space on a laptop is always going to be bad, my work around set up my main computer so I can turn it on and off from my laptop and put in a big storage drive on it. I havent set it up for internet access yet. So if Im planning to travel I can move what I want onto it for any trip I make.

Speaking of internet access, internet access well out and about. Lucky for you you live around Adelaide there are a few companies that have free wireless access in the city and main social hubs. Free is not the quickest but it is the cheapest. I find that my 3g smart phone is more than capable of getting me onto the net and do the stuff I want. Keep in mind Mobile Data is Expensive in Australia and if you go over your limit you can rack up a bill the size of a small car very quickly. I believe that companies now offer sim cards for phones with out phone capability only internet access but I havent needed to look into that yet.

Final thought you might want to nail it down then fly to Sydney and get it. Adelaide will normally charge you a bonus $100 just for it being in Adelaide. You can check pricing online some times a road trip is all it takes to save you money.

Quick Comments

Baldie:

Very detailed thanks!

[x5_dot]

Originally Posted by Cordance

Remember to check out all the sponsors of pros for no other reason than they are Pros sponsors

Excellent point! Not sure if there are any other sponsors out there but definitely check these out first

The cheapest price I found for the Gigabyte P2532N was $1219 from here http://www.itestate.com.au/pages/pro...on&pcode=30947
Jared has used this notebook for a while, mostly for watching streams and website browsing. He's played Skyrim and Starcraft on it too. Only thing we haven't tried is video editing, but given what I can do on a 4-5 year old computer it should perform okay.

+ [Jared's review of the notebook] +

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku16eihprz4

If you're looking for something with better specs, Jared just got a Gigabyte P2542G. He hasn't had time to use it much yet but has noticed the difference an SSD makes in it. Cheapest price is $1552

Other than that, ask the ACL boys how the Frag Labs laptops perform.

Good luck finding one

[Baldie]

I'll ask the ACL guys but PiG's review sounds pretty good without looking into specs a heap and $1200 sounds about what I was thinking as well.