New Laptop Advice
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@martink said:
Hello all,
I've been looking at laptops recently and think I've settled on this one from Best Buy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+17.3%22+Display+/+8GB+Memory+/+1TB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/2712579.p?id=1218346639131&skuId=2712579. My current desktop at work, an architectural firm, is a Dell Optiplex 755 with an Intel Core2 Duo E4500 @2.2 GHz running winXP. The ASUS from Best Buy has the I7 2630QM processor @ 2.0 GHz with TurboBoost to 2.9 GHz with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card and 8GB of RAM running Windows 7 64 Bit. I will use it mostly for Sketchup, Twilight, and various CAD programs, possibly Revit, as well as maybe giving Lumion or similar software a try. I would appreciate any input or insight, along with any other advice anyone might have regarding this computer and its capabilities based on any similar hardware others are using or have had experience, with good or bad.
Thanks in advance for any help. This forum is the greatest.
Sager, period.
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Your bestbuy laptop looks like a pretty good deal to me for that price range. The Costco option does seem to be a slightly better deal from what I can tell though (I wonder if you have to have a membership to shop online?). I'd say the specs look pretty good for what you're using it for as well.
-Brodie
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Hi Brodie, I am a member of costco, but I have never bought anything online from them, so I'm not sure if you have to be a member, I can try checking for you.
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http://www.costco.com/Membership/MembershipPopup.aspx?lang=en-US
I believe one has to be a member.
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Thanks good to know.
-Brodie
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Given those differences I'd go with the Best Buy option. That's a fairly decent difference in resolution which is one thing. But the integrated graphics card of the Costco laptop is pretty off-putting to me. I had a dell pc with integrated graphics awhile back and it was a pretty crappy experience. Even after I bought a dedicated graphics card the integrated graphics kept getting in the way and couldn't really be totally uninstalled. Maybe things have changed a bit, but given the option I'd not take any chances.
-Brodie
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@unknownuser said:
Sorry to resurrect this zombie, but the topic seems pretty fresh still or at least it is to me!
The Costco A73E vs the Best Buy ASUS G74SX
Costco Best Buy > A73E G74SX > > 1600x900 1920x1080 (big difference for my use) > ~ $900 ~ $1,100 > > ?? GeForce GTX 560M >So it says the Costco device has an Intel GMA HD, but how does that match up?
Jay
Jay,
Thanks for bringing my post back. A slight correction, the BestBuy Asus also has a resolution of 1600x900, but it does have a MUCH better graphics card, although it is a slightly slower version of the regular GTX560m. I'm getting a lot closer to buying this model, just hoping it might drop in price a little more, but even at this price, it seems like a lot of bang for the buck. Thanks also to others who have provided their input.
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Jay,
I found the information while reading the Editorial and Customer Reviews; I didn't see it in the Specs either. Th GTX560 graphics card in the ASUS has a bus speed of 128 bits versus the regular GTX560 which has a speed of 192 bits. It's a little slower card but still better graphics than other laptops in this price range. From everything I've read, the lower screen resolution doesn't make a huge difference, but you can still hook it up to an external monitor for full 1080p HD viewing. I tend to do too much research before I purchase something, and by the time I'm ready to commit it's already obsolete or unavailable. Maybe this weekend.
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timely topic:
I just bought an ASUS A535V laptop from Costco online. They also have a 90 return policy. I want to use the i7 for rendering mainly. BUT I'm having some issues with the Geforce GT 540m graphics card running SketchUp files larger than 2mg.
Strange! because I've never had an issue with Sketchup running any file size on my quad core CPU with a Geforce 8800gt. -
Interesting. What sort of issues are you running into?
-Brodie
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Hm. I have the exact same card (1Gb) in an Acer and have had no issues so far. Fingers crossed!
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@unknownuser said:
Interesting. What sort of issues are you running into?
-Brodie
Its hard to establish a repeating, occurrence. Regardless, the first thing I notice is the orbit tool wont rotate the stuff in the view port which basically makes that entire file unusable. Also when I try to use the orbit tool the mouse leaves a trail of dots on the screen where the mouse has been I will try to get some screen shots shortly. I'm also suspecting that existing scenes in a file may be a cause of the problem. I'm doing more testing before I keep or return this laptop.
p.s. I'm just trying to provide more input to this thread, without being accused of changing its topic
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Hey, MartinK,
I have your exact laptop and love it! I bought it when it first came out (at a significantly higher price), and the young salesdudes were drooling at the mouth as they watched me walk out with what they lusted after. Little did they know that I needed a "gaming computer" to keep up with all my graphic needs!Although I'm in love with it, it wouldn't be fair to omit telling you that sometimes it does crash, but then, I have no idea who or what is to blame for that. Now a couple of keys are also sticking a bit -- not staying down and activated, more like they're harder to press. I'm sure I can find a way to remove the keyboard and clean everything out to alleviate that issue. Other than that, no problems whatever! Love having all this computing power, large screen, etc. Awesome choice! Good luck with yours!
Gigi
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