z61p right for me?

Hey guys. I'm new to these boards and came across it as i try to find a laptop for school next year. I've been looking at the z61p and wanted to see what you guys think about it. At first I figured I'd just want a decent media capable laptop but when I saw logitech is goign to be releasing a steeringwheel with a clutch and shifter i knew I wanted to be able to play a few games too. I'm at a loss because I know lenovo is more of a business oriented brand but I figured the z61p's 1900x1200 widescreen and 256mb video card would be good for games and watching dvds etc. I also do a lot of photoshop and photo editing. I know these computers are built real tough so theyd hold up in a college environment and stand day to day abuse. So do you guys think this would be a good computer for me? if not suggestions that cost $2000 or under would be greatly appreciated. the z61p comes in at under $2k because my relative works at lenovo so yeah.... thanks in advance
Oz

 

Sorry, off topic, but...

That's funny timing to release a clutch for driving games, since a lot of high-performance cars now come with (clutchless) manumatic transmissions.

Chris

 

i'd definitely go for it if you can indeed get it at such a low price..just remember that the vid card is business oriented and may not work on all games..it should work on the major ones though..this has the same firegl v5200 thats in the t60p as well right?

 

If you want to game perhaps the HP nc8430 with the x1600 is a better choice. The FireGL card is optimized for CAD, 3D modeling and such, not gaming. Also, the WUXGA screen, while great for gaming and Photoshop, will casue text to be very small. Some do like it, but I would recommend you check out some screens if you can. HP's business class notebook like ThinkPads are well built machines. There is a review here:

Link

Good Luck.

 

High resolution + Games + Laptop video. It'll be great for photoshop, but the fireGL 5200 struggles in games a bit at 1600*1200 (It's adequate for Civ 4 and World of Warcraft so I'm happy enough, but anything heavier would be unacceptably choppy at best) - cranking it up to 1900*1200 will probably get choppy).

I think Zaz' recommendation for the NC8430 is good, and you might also want to consider the NW9440 with the faster Nvidia card might be even better if you're into games a bit newer/more demanding than Civ4 and WoW (course it's a 17 incher so it's heavier,).

 

Alright guys I'll look into that. what about the new asus's that were just released. I forget the model name but there was a 15.4'' in there too