Thoughts on this laptop.

[WDRacing]

I want to get the wifeunit a new laptop. I was looking at this ASUS notebook.

[Kompresshun]

The specs are fantastic on it and I really like ASUS stuff. If you're willing to spend that much, i'd go for it because it'll last you for a long time.

Another suggestion though - We have a Lenovo Yoga and absolutely love it. I'm pretty sure you can get it with the i7 but our i5 does great too. We only shelled out $529 on a refurbished one and new ones aren't that bad either.

[darylzero]

I agree the specs are great on that except the hard drive. It pisses me off that all manufactures keep putting in 5400rpm drives when a 7200rpm drive would probably cost them a dollar more and the speed difference is noticeable.

If you really wanted to make this an even more amazing laptop I would get the Samsung Evo SSD drive and install that! It comes with cloning software that makes it very easy. You would just need an external usb enclosure or something similar to hook up the SSD to the usb port on the laptop and the software it comes with makes it so it's cloned within a few clicks.
Of course you could also wait a year or two then switch to an SSD to make the laptop better than new.

P.S. B&H photo has it for $950

[WDRacing]

The ASUS falls right into my budget Chris. I assumed I'd be spending a bit of cash to get a laptop with high end graphic capabilities. A couple years ago I went the cheap route and regretted it almost immediately. Thing is, I got the nice laptop for myself and bought her a cheaper one. That was a one time learning experience...lol.

This time around I need to get her a nice machine.

[Kompresshun]

I don't think you'll regret getting it but I think you can get something the same or better for less elsewhere. Go to best buy and look - seriously. I've gotten my best deals there and I've purchased almost every single computer I've has from there in the past 6-7 years. The last laptop I bought from there was a Core 2 Duo Toshiba with 4GB of ram and a 500gb hard drive. While it's retired right now it still is blazing fast 6 years later.

Definitely don't get her junk though. That wasn't a smart move sir.

[WDRacing]

I'm not buying it there, that's just the exact model I'm looking at. I'm buying it through the BX and I haz a gift cert for 25% off.

Her Lenovo wasn't junk, it just wasn't what she wanted. No HDMI out, weak graphics card were the two killers.

[Kompresshun]

Then buy it in that case. That will be an exceptional deal.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Looks like a good machine for the price, especially as it has an i7 vs an i5 at that pricepoint.

The only spec I'm not fond of is the 1366x768 resolution, which is pretty damn crummy on a modern machine, even if the display does only measure 15.6 inches.
8GB DDR3 is good (doesn't say how fast it is but that's likely not relevant for your wife's purposes).

Also, if there's an option to get it with Windows 7 instead of 8.1, DO IT. Even with a touchscreen and the "8.1 Update" update, Win8 is a schizophrenic mess.

[Kompresshun]

I have no issues with Windows 8 or above, but I still prefer 7 if given the choice.

[darylzero]

Looks like a good machine for the price, especially as it has an i7 vs an i5 at that pricepoint.

The only spec I'm not fond of is the 1366x768 resolution, which is pretty damn crummy on a modern machine, even if the display does only measure 15.6 inches.
8GB DDR3 is good (doesn't say how fast it is but that's likely not relevant for your wife's purposes).

Also, if there's an option to get it with Windows 7 instead of 8.1, DO IT. Even with a touchscreen and the "8.1 Update" update, Win8 is a schizophrenic mess.

That page he linked to must have the wrong spec listed for the resolution. 1366x768 is a s*** resolution now a days.
According to newegg it is HD 1920x1080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834231115

[MinisterofDOOM]

That page he linked to must have the wrong spec listed for the resolution. 1366x768 is a s*** resolution now a days.
According to newegg it is HD 1920x1080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834231115

Nice! Even more win, then!

[WDRacing]

Looks like a good machine for the price, especially as it has an i7 vs an i5 at that pricepoint.

The only spec I'm not fond of is the 1366x768 resolution, which is pretty damn crummy on a modern machine, even if the display does only measure 15.6 inches.
8GB DDR3 is good (doesn't say how fast it is but that's likely not relevant for your wife's purposes).

Also, if there's an option to get it with Windows 7 instead of 8.1, DO IT. Even with a touchscreen and the "8.1 Update" update, Win8 is a schizophrenic mess.

That page he linked to must have the wrong spec listed for the resolution. 1366x768 is a s*** resolution now a days.
According to newegg it is HD 1920x1080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834231115

Yeah, it's 1920x1080.

Win 7 isn't an option Chris, or I'd certainly opt for it. I love 7.

[float_6969]

Dude, spend the extra money for the SSD. I know you have a budget, but you'll be glad you did. My small story;

in 2011, I purchased a pool and spa company and needed a laptop so I could run quickbooks, store customer info, etc. (I keep the laptop in the truck with me when I'm at work, and then take it inside when I'm not at work to do receiving, pay bill, etc). I was just starting out and had a pretty strict budget for the laptop. I was looking for computers with a 10-key pad. I had basically settled on a Sony Vaio, but I was trying to decide if I should spend the extra money for the SSD. I decided not to spend the money and got the one with the HDD. I now regret that decision every time I open the computer, and ESPECIALLY when I have to restart it. Now if you don't own a computer with a SSD, maybe the time difference won't bother you. For me, I built a PC recently with an i7 quad core and an 120G SSD (for the OS and programs). It takes the PC 15 seconds from the time I press the power button, until I'm logged into my desktop and every program is loaded. The laptop takes about 2 minutes. They're both running the exact same antivirus, same OS, and with one exception, the same background programs. The main hangup is with the Antivirus. It takes my laptop FOREVER to get that thing loaded.

All of that being said, I've had other people use my laptop and they think it's really fast, so maybe the PC just has my expectations set too high. It's honestly become so bothersome that I'll probably replace the HDD with a SDD this year.

SDD's are no joke. The difference is amazing. IMHO, there is no other single piece of hardware in a computer than can make such a big difference in performance.

[WDRacing]

I think the "wait" problem can be solved by just putting the PC to sleep instead of turning it off.

I don't own anything with SDD so...there won't be anything to notice.

Thanks for the opinion though. If I build a rig I'll probably go with SDD.

What sort of cost difference are we talking?

[Kompresshun]

You're probably looking at $100-200 difference, but honestly I don't think it's worth it. Newer hard drives are much quicker and while they're not as quick as an SSD I don't think the average person will really care. I know it never bothers me. Plus you will lose capacity, unless you pony up $300-500 for a large capacity SSD.

I think what you're looking at will serve you just fine for a long time.

[float_6969]

Unless you spend the extra money, most HDD in laptops are only 5400rpm. You can get faster HDD's, but the heat goes up and the battery capacity goes down. That's another thing I didn't think of, you get better battery life with a SSD as well. As for the price difference, yes a 1TB SSD would be outrageous money, but does the laptop need a 1TB drive? I would be willing to bet you could get a 500GB SSD for the same money as that 5400rpm 1TB drive.

OK, I'll shut up about SSD's now

[WDRacing]

When buying a performance laptop, battery life isn't really a consideration to me. I consider it the same way I consider gas mileage. Sure I can get better mileage, but I don't really want to. I prefer something with fun on tap. The best way to provide fun is by having more than enough. Apply that sentiment to all things and you get a happy Brian.

So, with that in mind, I checked, no SSD option available.

[float_6969]

Well that answers that then, LOL