Notebook for college freshman

Hello all, I've been looking around for a notebook for a while now, and I have narrowed it down to 3 choices. My notebook will be my primary computer on campus, so I will be using it for alot of things. I would really like it to be light, 14 to 15 inch screen sounds best. Most notebooks can handle things like word processing and email just fine, but I like to play games. I won't be playing everyday, just occasionally when I'm bored. HL2 and CS-source on medium quality with 45+ average fps is what I expect. However, I haven't been able to find any reviews that specifically state whether or not a certain laptop can handle my game expectations. Here are my top choices:

1. Inspirion 6000
-I like that its a 15.4 inch widescreen, good on the weight, and looks pretty good, but the only thing keeping me back from buying it is the x300 video card. Will it be able to handle my gaming needs? Can anybody with this notebook share with me your average fps on HL2 med quality?

2. Latitude D810
-Also a 15.4 inch widescreen, supposedly better built than the I6000, the pointing stick looks nice. Too bad I can't really find reviews about it on this site. How much better is the x600 than the x300? I would like some feedback from D810 users about how their occasional gaming is, and the avg fps.

3. Inspirion 9300
-Screen in my opinion is too big, unless somebody here can share with me their experiences when lugging this thing around. I believe that the geforce go 6800 will be enough for my gaming needs. Only thing holding me back from buying it is that I'm really not sure about the screen and the weight.


Man if only dell made a notebook that was 15.4 inch, lattitude quality, and had a geforce go 6800..... haha
Feedback appreciated! I don't need the notebook until beginning of September. As for the price, the cheaper the better, doesn't really matter.

 

I also am a college freshman, and I spent a long period of time trying to figure out which notebook to get. After having spent several months looking on and off, I decided on the Dell i9300, and I love it. I like to play games on my laptop, and the 6800 with the Pentium M make for the best combination on the market today. Additionally, the i9300 was the best value in terms of price and performance for what I was looking for. Hopefully I can answer a few of the questions that you have.

1. Weight
After having spent the past four years carrying around textbooks that weighed well over 5 to 10 pounds, I was expecting to have a heavy laptop, but I was shocked at the weight of the i9300. Where other similar equipped laptops top the scale at over 10 pounds, the i9300 is between 8 to 9 pounds, and is not that bad. The other great thing is that the AC adaptor is not that large, compared to some of the 2 pound bricks that my friends have to lug around.

2. Portability
With a good backpack or side bag, it is easy to carry around comfortably. What I decided on was a side bag, similar to the Tekmod, that was not overly heavy, along with a backpack for my books and other things. This way, the laptop is safe, and you do not have just one bag that is so heavy that it is tough to carry around.

3. Battery life
I was shocked that with the 9-cell battery, am I able to get over 3 hours of battery life. While this is not Half-Life 2 playing time, it is more than enough to last through several classes in a row. The best option is to stick with the 6-cell battery that comes with the laptop, and add the 9-cell as the additional battery. This way, you have the 6-cell as a back up just in case.

Final Thoughts
I think that all three computers that you have selected are great. As an i9300 owner, I love my laptop, and have been very pleased with it. Most of the people that see it at first thing that it is some huge beast that cannot and should not be portable. All of them say the same thing, the laptop is much lighter and more portable than it looks, and that is before it starts to crush them in frame rates on counter strike.

Feel free to ask any questions that you have. Best of luck in finding the laptop that you want and with school next fall.

 

In many reviews, most people say that the difference between i6000 and i9300 is the 17" screen and gf6800. Generally the bigger the screen, the larger the laptop. It is very bulky to take to class because it will barely fit on ur lap if you're sittin in a college auditorium (so you have to put it on the fold out table). A i6000 with a x300 128mb should get you 30-40fps easy on cs:s and HL2, and be able to get u smooth 30fps on BF2. But remember, games coming out are progressing in higher requirements. Getting a lowend card will limit performance on upcoming games. If you are a serious gamer, Dell purposely equipped i9300 and XPS with high end cards. They're the higher-end multimedia laptop class. Don't get me wrong, i6000 can be one too, just not as powerful.

I'm going to be a sophmore and replacing my i600m with a i9300 soon because I do game alot. I don't plan on bringing it to auditoriums and classes anymore unless I need to. I6000 and 9300 are good desktop replacements; its the choice in specifications that pick ur laptop. I need a powerful video card but I don't necessilary need the 17" screen, but that's the choice I make to obtain the 6800 from dell (without blowin over 2k on a XPS). Also, the i6000 is cheaper than the 9300 by a few hundred. Watch for the coupons they release.

 

I just got a D810. I haven't gotten Battlefield 2 yet, but it can play Battlefield Vietnam on maxed out settings with 64 players with absoloutly no lag or studdering. I waited to get mine when dell was offering one of their one day steals, and I got it for a an extra 500$ off. It is mainly a destop replacement, but it does get great battery life. If you are going to have to lug it around daily, I would seriourly suggest looking for a smaller notebook. The I6000 is about the same wieght and size, the main diffrences being the graphic's card and the case material. Most days a similarly configured I6000 is 400-500$ cheaper than the D810, but if you want a notebook with a stand/port replacator, the D810 is the better choice.

 

Precision M70.

 

haha thanks for the replies guys. I think I'm going to go to the stores, look at three notebooks again, and compare them.... cept I don't think they would have the D810 for display, or the M70. M70 sounds really nice.