NC8430 questions.

I have been searching for my first laptop - one that suits my needs. I almost settled on the NC8430. I realize that since I will be spending alot of my time doing school work in bright lit areas a matte screen is really the only way to go for me. After playing around a little with various glare type models I am sure that using one in a bright class room or outside would strain my eyes too much for my liking. I am also after a laptop that does well when it comes to gaming so. It seems like the NC8430 fits the bill for me. I do have a few questions for the NC8430 owners though.

1. Do you find the 15.4 model too big/heavy to carry around alot?

Since I will have to bring this machine from home to school, school to work and then home once again I am a little wary of the size. The only other "gaming" laptop that I can find with a matte screen is the Compal HGL-30. This isn't really an option for me since there are no places in Canada that sell it and I don't feel like doing the over-the-border thing.

If I want a 14 inch "gaming" laptop it means going with glossy. I don't really like that thought.

2. With the WSXGA+ res, (for those of you with this res) does the text size seem to strain your eyes atfer long periods of time.

I can't find a 15.4 inch model with the 1680x1050 res in a local store - to see if I would like it. Also with gaming, since the X1600 isn't a major power house I figure I would have to scale back to 1280x800 when playing anyway.

I guess that is it for questions...for now.

Thanks

 

1) Check zepto laptops. You get 14" wxga with nv 7600 and matte screen
2) WSXGA is perfect for 15.4"

However as you will be moving around the laptop on a daily basis I would recommend something lighter even with a lower spec GPU.

 

Zepto aren't really an option if he's in Canada.

 

You gotta remember it's made of magnesium and very light. 5lbs.

 

That's one of the main reasons I am leaning towards the NC8430. If I do have to take my laptop everywhere I go the magnesium build of the nc8430 would serve me much better than a plastic.

I won't be hooking it up to an external monitor so maybe the 15.4 inch is the better way to go.

How well does the NC8430 handling going to a non-native res like 1280x800 for gaming?

 

just like any other LCD screen...it should be fine. i'll check it out when my laptop is delivered.

most of my gaming (including Oblivion) is going to be run at 1280 x 800 (non-native for my WSXGA+).

 

1. carrying this nc8430 around wouldn't bother me but if i was moving around as much as you, i think i'd be happier with a 14'

2. this is down to personal preference, i could not deal with wsxga+ but a friend of mine won't use anything that doesn't have that resolution. there's always the option of increasing dpi but i didn't like that (i'm quite picky)

 

as far as the weight goes it is only about 0.5 pounds heavier than the M140 I own...at least according to paper specs.

 

1)It feels incredibly light for its size, but frequent moving around, I wouldn't feel comfortable with it-its just a tad too big
2)If you leave all the display options as standard then yes I feel the text is too small immediately. When I up the DPI to 110%, then it feels comfortable

 

I actually had to lower the resolution and raise the dpi.....I like my text BIG.

 

where can someone from canada order / view a nc8430 in canada with duo2core?

i tried tigerdirect and stuff but they're still jus CD

 

this laptop is great! I carry it to Simon Fraser University every day, and I have had NO complaints. I can run HL2 flawlessly with max settings at max resolution of the monitor, it truly looks amazing! the resolution is great, I thought 15.4 inch would be a bit too big, but I now appreciated it, expecially now that I use this comp all the time with no desktop.