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    Lightest powerful 15" laptop?

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by boe, May 22, 2006.

  1. boe

    boe Notebook Evangelist

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    Hello,

    I currently have a 13.3" sony which has a duo 2GHz processor - relatively happy with the unit. I would like to get a 15" laptop for someone else but they really want it to be light. I want it to be fast. Are there any 15" light 2GHz duo laptops out now or coming in the next month?

    Thanks
     
  2. mystery

    mystery Notebook Consultant

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    Average weight for 15" is 6lbs.. That's not really "light"... Best performance ratio to price if they want to play games looks like the ASUS S96J. Cheap, good build, it looks a bit thick though and weights anywhere from 5.8 to 6.5 lbs as no one really measured it.
     
  3. boe

    boe Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks - from what I've read, i definitely want a 2 or more GHz duo processor.
     
  4. yomister

    yomister Notebook Evangelist

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    If you want lightness... get the V6j. Probably the light/thinnest 15" out there (but it comes with 1.83ghz duo)

    Why do you need a 2ghz? The difference isn't all that great to justify the cost
     
  5. boe

    boe Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm running some databases on the laptop so it would be helpful to get a good speed. It was recommended by the company that creates our financial DB. I appreciate the suggestion. Before we make the plunge - I just want to verify if there are any new ones coming out soon? I heard about the new 13.3" ones coming out from Asus and thought I'd find out about the 15" ones. When I went to shopping.yahoo.com it says the V6j is 1.66GHz.
     
  6. Empulse

    Empulse Notebook Evangelist

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    I'd personally wait for the V1J, which is both, a powerhouse, and a light notebook.
     
  7. Pressure

    Pressure Notebook Evangelist

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    You could also check out the Apple MacBook Pro ;)

    It has a Core Duo T2500 (2.0Ghz) and is fairly light compared to most 15,4" notebooks.

    Not to start a flamewar or anything.
     
  8. mystery

    mystery Notebook Consultant

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    Difference between 1.83Ghz and 2.0 Ghz is sooo marginal that even benchmark programs won't always show you the difference. You're much better off getting a faster HDD or more ram with the money.
     
  9. SRD

    SRD Notebook Virtuoso

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    V6J is prob the best 15in around design wise light and thin. and 1.83 is a much better deal than a 2.0 and the speed difference is impossible to notice.
     
  10. mystery

    mystery Notebook Consultant

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    ^ That is if he doesnt mind the 4:3 screen instead of widescreen :p
     
  11. yomister

    yomister Notebook Evangelist

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    oops... my bad. Yeah, its only 1.66.

    If you really want a 2ghz... maybe look at some of HP business' offerings: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/321957-64295-89315-321838-f33.html
     
  12. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    As I have reported in another thread, the S96J weighs 6.8 pounds on our calibrated digital scale...you can't get more accurate than that!
     
  13. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    What resolution do you want?
     
  14. boe

    boe Notebook Evangelist

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    Resolution - I don't really care anything 1024 or higher would be good but I want the video to have at least 128mb dedicated so I can run Vista reasonably well. It doesn't matter to me if it is wide screen or not.
     
  15. pavlova

    pavlova Notebook Consultant

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    Boe, in my experience databases are generally more RAM-bound than they are CPU-bound, so the V6J may make a lot of sense even though it is 1.66, if you pump it up with 2 gigs of 667-speed memory. I have the machine and think it's quite nice. Definitely light for the screen size. It sounds like you might be a coder/developer... if so, then IMO 4:3 makes slightly more sense than widescreen because you can see a lot of code at a time.
     
  16. mystery

    mystery Notebook Consultant

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    Widescreen lets you have your coding program and internet side by side so you can look up any terms or commands you don't know :p
     
  17. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    Even better is to use an external monitor side by side with your laptop. This way you can use both screens at full screen and you don't have to spend the time resizing your windows.
     
  18. FunK A DunK

    FunK A DunK Notebook Consultant

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    The LG P1 is a really nice laptop... 2.0 Core Duo with 1GB of RAM. It's about $2,000 US, though.
     
  19. boe

    boe Notebook Evangelist

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    My client isn't developing any code but they did recommend 2GHz so I'll get what they ask. I'll want something they can get support/replacement/warranty on in the US so I'll have to skip manufacturers who don't sell in the US.
     
  20. ASG

    ASG Notebook Geek

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    even better is a Matrox DulalHead2Go .... then you can have your notebook display and TWO external monitors hooked up at once :cool:
     
  21. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    Either the PCMCIA VTBook video adapter or the Matrox DualHead2Go will allow you to have two external monitors.

    Everyone at PowerNotebooks.com has 3 monitors because it is soooo much more productive.

    The VTBook has some advantages over the Matrox in that it will allow much higher resolutions on the external monitor (the Matrox is limited to 1280x1024) and it is also a dual head card so that you can actually have a total of 4 (3 external) monitors with it. It also works with the Ultramon utility which makes multiple monitor management much faster and easier, and the Matrox does not.

    Now, if you REALLY want to get exotic...get the VTBook with the dual head cables, AND the Matrox DualHead2Go and you can have 4 external monitors plus your laptop monitor for a total of 5 screens... Now that is productivity to the max!
     
  22. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    Currently the lightest Core Duo 15" or 15.4" with a discrete video card is the 5.7 pound ASUS V6J using the PCI-e nVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 w/up to 256MB TurboCacheā„¢ Memory. That is 128MB dedicated on the card, and it will dynamically pull another 128MB from system memory if and when needed. It only has the 1.66GHz Core Duo processor.

    If you want to go to a 15.4" Core Duo with the PCI-e ATi RADEON X1600 w/256MB and a 2.0GHz T2500 processor then look at the PowerPro A 2:24 (Built on ASUS S96J). It is 6.8 pounds. You will see new pricing reflecting the May 28th Intel Core Duo processor price drop later today...by about 6 PM Pacific Time