The Mother Board

[Excalibur5]

I recently bought and built my own desktop computer, but because I don't want to carry that back and forth between college (I might bring it up there eventually, but right now, I'm going to only bring up a laptop), I need to purchase a laptop. My price range is probably 500-1000$, but the closer you can get to the lower end of the spectrum, the better. I haven't really been up on the new laptops that are available, so I'd appreciate any advice you have. Obviously, the computer needs to be reasonably small enough to be carried around with me all day, and although a number of the lecture halls provide outlets, most of the classrooms don't have them, so the battery life needs to be long enough to last for a few hours. Also, I have a number of games on Steam, and although I've accepted that I won't be able to play them on Ultra settings (like I can with my desktop computer), I would like to be able to get the most out of them (as long as they are playable, I'm fine). I don't mind sacrificing some hard drive space to reduce price, because I'm probably going to pick up a decent sized external hard drive anyways. That said, the hard drive does need to be large enough to hold, potentially, PDFs and Powerpoints. I know Word Documents don't take up much space, but those two others can.

[littlestraffen]

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-GE60-0NC-006US-15-6-Inch/dp/B007YDHLYE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1343744903&sr=8-4&keywords=msi+gt60

i cant find any cheaper ones on amazon

[c327]

What about the NP6165 from Sager ?

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP6165
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[frogs2345]

Try an HP laptop. Here is one that might work :http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/B5S11UA?HP-Pavilion-dv6-7010us-Entertainment-Notebook-PC
I have one like it. It has very good build quality, very light ,and fast too. Mine boots in 15 seconds to desktop with the stock Hard drive. Stays very cool and has least 4 hours of battery life while playing medium games ( Minecraft, Garry's mod, TF2). For more hardcore games you wont get much out of the battery but it charges very quickly.
If you want to go more high end at the sacrifice of size and weight here is one:http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/B5S15UA?HP-Pavilion-dv7-7010us-Entertainment-Notebook-PC
It has an A10 instead of an A8 and it's a 17.3'' with a larger screen resolution.

[Roach412]

personally - if you're looking for something to just push around in classes for taking notes and little nit-picky stuff, get an netbook. they're cheap and accomplish your needs.

as for gaming, perhaps i don't know your situation...but, what's the point of having a desktop if you don't take it to where you are going to be?

if you really want the best of both worlds i would say you should decide whether to keep the desktop(and move it with you), or just sell it and use that money towards a better laptop capable of accomplishing your needs.

trying to get the best of both worlds on a budget will simply disappoint yourself.

-Roach
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[Karlsweldt]

Newer laptops have good battery life.. 4 hours or more. But get an extra battery with any laptop, easy and quick to switch! If there is a "club" store near you, such as BJ's or Costco, check their displays. Have seen some decent units in the under-$500.00 USD range.
And don't forget to get a decent carry case for a laptop.. so it is not prone to being sat on!!
You could consider a less-expensive smaller-screen laptop, which has video out.. and you could use a larger monitor in your dorm room.. like a 21" LCD/TV model.
Do a Google search for "10 best laptops" to see what the reviews think of them.
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