Korean Job Discussion Forums

Bob V · Joined: 12 Jan 2004

Hello everyone, I initally posted I wanted a widescreen laptop but I have figured out the specs I want in a laptop now. With these specs and a price range of $1300-$1700 which laptop would be best to get?

-Minimum 2.2ghz P4 (would like a P4M)
-1gb DDR
-minimum 40 GB 5400 hard drive
-ATI 9600 graphics
-minimum 15" screen
-DVD-RW

These are the basics I figured I would want. I will be using the laptop in Korea, so if anyone knows about international warranties that helps too. I decided to buy one here, before I get there. The laptop will be a basic desktop replacement. Gaming, alot of photo editing, some video editing, and your basic web surfing and word processing. Battery life isnt that big a deal but 2 or more hours would be nice. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Bob

Gord · Joined: 25 Feb 2003

Choose to go with the price or choose to go with the specs as you aren't going to get both. What you want doesn't exist.

Shincheon_Blues · Joined: 16 Dec 2003

Gord is correct. The best deal I could find for a notebook with specs close to what you specified was $1905 for an ARM notebook with no OS.

15" TFT SXGA+ ATI 9600 (128MB) Video
Pentium 4 2.6GHz HT
1024MB DDR PC3200
40GB IDE HDD 2.5"
DVD-R/RW/CD-RW/DVD/CD Combo Drive (-R format)
Built in 56K V90 Modem and 10_100 Ethernet
No Operating System
One Year Mail in Warranty
Lifetime Toll Free Laptop Support - Included
Deluxe Carry Case

I doubt that any Korean vendor will be able to beat this price. Anyone know of a better deal?

Guest · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:45 pm Post subject:

You are not going to find many systems with those specs in the price range you want. That volume of RAM and that high of a laptop processor will put you over $2000 for the most part.

And DVD-R write format is something you would generally prefer NOT to have. It will not play all the other DVR formats - especially DVD+R. So if you buy burned DVD's at shops or from a friend, you won't be able to play them. Sure it works fine if you burn your own and play them. But nearly no home DVD player will use DVD-R these days.

Just shop for what you want and you'll find it, with some lee-way ... I've seen comporable price ranges in Yongsan ... but you have to just do it in person and make a good deal

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

Can you even get such a video card in a notebook? That alone will cost a small fortune. Most notebooks come with the 300 range graphics cards.Why don't you check out the one I'm offering for around $1100 US.(check the buy/sell forum) With the extra money you have you can upgrade the RAM or whatever. 1.8 Ghz is not THAT much different than 2.2. I'd be surprised if you could tell the difference for most things.

Guest · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 12:34 am Post subject:

Yea, ATI has been putting out the 9600 series for a while for laptops, but I'm unsure of the pricing.

Basically this guy wants a condensed desktop ... it's asking a lot for a laptop, especially for the pricing.

Tony Danza's Houseguest · Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Location: Osan Dong

Intel� Pentium� 4 2.6GHz (800MHz) Processor
PCMCIA Type II Slot, Support CardBus
1.0GB SO-DIMM DDR 333 Memory
80GB ATA 100 Hard Drive
ATI Radeon 9600PRO 256-Bit M10 128MB DDR AGP
15.4" Wide Screen XGA Plus LCD Monitor w/ 1280 x 800 Max Resolution
Toshiba DVD-RW All-in-One Drive
Internal Li-Ion Battery
Built-In Ethernet Adapter
Built-In Fax Modem
Built-In 1394 IEEE Firewire
Deluxe Carrying Case

(No OS)

1699 + 59 S& H

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3454449271&category=42204

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

Who makes the notebook? Is it a celeron processor?

I personally wouldn't spend $5 on a celeron processor no matter what the speed.

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

I agree. I had a Toshiba once with a celeron processor and that thing sucked. It always crashed and it was slowwwwwwwwww. I thnk Athalon is OK though.

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

Bob V · Joined: 12 Jan 2004

I know that I am asking alot, especially for the price range. But I have seen some out there, also I failed to mention I would consider a refurb if the warranty would still be in effect. Thanks.

Bob

Tony Danza's Houseguest · Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Location: Osan Dong

Check Ebay. I bought my desktop there about 3 years ago and it's still plugging along. Make sure you check the seller's rating, as there are unscrupulous people out there looking to make money off the gullibility of the public. There are literally dozens of little shops set up, and each is competing with the others in the ebay community. I've seen many surprisingly good deals, and many items feature the "buy it now" button, which is a set price that is very reasonable; some others have what's called a "dutch auction" where the seller sets a price for his/her items and says, "Look, I have 20 of these. Whoever wants them at this price can have them." It's very nice, since sometimes when you bid on items it bites you in the rear because there are bid hawks who swoop in with ten seconds left and steal your autographed picture of Don Johnson from his Miami Vice days. Or something of that ilk.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Wow, that is a sweet deal- I'm looking at the ad on EBay and thinking "What's the catch?" I guess the catch is that it doesn't come with an O/S (sold separately) and appears to be a 'no-name' brand so you can't judge reliability/satisfaction... still, those are pretty small catches for the price.