So finally I've got a laptop, which Ive been meaning to get for school. I go to school for network engineering and everyone else in my program has one, for good reason. The teachers have come to expect us to have one for the most part, despite us technically not needing one for the program.

I've been working full time this summer in an attempt to pay off some debts and get my financial situation back in gear and it looks like it's paid off. Because I have bills and rent and other things to pay for, my budget wasn't as much as I would have liked, but I got something decent for my money. Main requirements were:
- Runs SC2(low is fine)
- Not too big, aiming more notebook style
- <$700.00 CAD after taxes(we have HST D=)
- Decent battery life

I looked around online a bit, and the only things I could find that matched what I needed were sold out or not shipped to Canada or something else. I also don't have a credit card so I took a look in stores. London drugs - HELL NO. SHIT IS HELLA EXPENSIVE THERE. $1500 for i3 processor, crappy graphics card, 3GB ram? fat chance. So I went over to staples.

$599.99(originally $699.99) for:
+ Show Spoiler [Pic] +

+ Show Spoiler [Specs] +

# 2.3GHz AMD Turion II Dual-Core Processor P520 with AMD PowerNow! Technology
# 4GB DDR3 memory; Expandable to 8GB
# 500GB hard drive
# 8x DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer)
# 15.6" HD TFT with TruBrite LCD display with LED backlight
# Windows 7 Home Premium
# 64 bit machine
# ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics
# Integrated microphone and Webcam
# Connectivity options include Ethernet LAN and Wireless LAN (802.11 b, g, n)
# Ports include 3 x USB and Bridge Media Adaptor (SD Card, SDHC Card, MultiMediaCard)
# Up to 3.5 hours battery life
# Energy Star qualified
# Colour: Precious Black with Mesh
# Dimensions: 1.14”/1.49”(H) x 14.96”(W) x 9.84”(D)
# Weight: 5.51 lb.
# 1-year limited warranty

Damn, not too bad for that price. I ended up taking it and I'm quite satisfied. Ready to go back to school! :D

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

August 13 2010 02:43 GMT

Sweet deal! Now you and your engineering buddies can network some starcraft into class.

[Q9]HU

Vietnam21 Posts

August 13 2010 02:44 GMT

This is a good one. Congratulation!

Grobyc

Canada18410 Posts

August 13 2010 02:57 GMT

On August 13 2010 11:43 KurtistheTurtle wrote:
Sweet deal! Now you and your engineering buddies can network some starcraft into class.

Yeah I'm pretty stoked to own them all xD

We set up SC LANs all the time during breaks after class and now it'll be SC2

There's times where we have like 3 hours breaks too, which sucks cause I'm at school for like 12 hours all together, even if I have like 4 hours of class. That's pretty much why I wanted it to be able to run SC2.

edit: Just booted up SC2 and it plays well on medium, woot!

Loser777

1931 Posts

August 13 2010 03:05 GMT

Yes, always get AMD-based laptops when on a tight budget... even the cheap ones will come with discrete graphics!

Snausages

United States529 Posts

August 13 2010 03:21 GMT

man, my laptop cost 900 and it's not even half as good as that one, grats

writer22816

United States5775 Posts

August 13 2010 03:23 GMT

Not a bad deal at all, congrats~!

Grobyc

Canada18410 Posts

August 13 2010 03:30 GMT

Link is here for the item btw:
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=&webid=884400&affixedcode=WW

nayumi

Australia6499 Posts

August 13 2010 03:39 GMT

Pretty good deal I'd say =)

Congrats on your new laptop. Time to own newbs @ low settings yay!

XD

Black Gun

Germany4482 Posts

August 13 2010 04:01 GMT

#10

actually, the leap from low to medium is the decisive one in terms of graphics. the appearance difference between ultra and medium is smaller than the difference between medium and low.

sounds like a really decent deal in terms of bang for bucks.

djcube

United States985 Posts

August 13 2010 04:06 GMT

#11

Congrats on the new pc. Did you try out sc2 yet? I'm curious to see what settings you can play on w/o any lag. Also, I thought Staples went out of business?

Edit: Oh whoops, I was thinking of Circuit City.

FragKrag

United States11565 Posts

August 13 2010 06:51 GMT

#12

shoulda gotten a mac

ieatkids5

United States4628 Posts

August 13 2010 06:57 GMT

#13

nice find. i always feel bad when i see the new technology is getting cheaper because i compare it to mine, but i really shouldnt.

On August 13 2010 15:51 FragKrag wrote:
shoulda gotten a mac

rofl

Black Gun

Germany4482 Posts

August 13 2010 07:24 GMT

#14

On August 13 2010 15:51 FragKrag wrote:
shoulda gotten a mac

for this price, on a mac he would probably have gotten about as much computing power as my cellphone.

macs = overpriced garbage.

zZygote

Canada898 Posts

August 13 2010 07:31 GMT

#15

Nice find! I hope my friend can find a good one like you did

Grobyc

Canada18410 Posts

August 13 2010 07:57 GMT

#16

Well I provided the link to it above, so assuming you're actually from canada you probably have the option to pick up the same one in store, if not online.

On August 13 2010 13:06 djcube wrote:
Congrats on the new pc. Did you try out sc2 yet? I'm curious to see what settings you can play on w/o any lag. Also, I thought Staples went out of business?

Edit: Oh whoops, I was thinking of Circuit City.

It plays great on medium, which is better than i expected =D