Purchasing/Building a new computer and would appreciate some help

Uruz · 08-03-2009, 12:52 PM

I'm going to be heading up to college soon, and finally got it in my head to put together some portable tech to keep me sane up there.
That being said, I've found that the laptop game is completely different from the desktop one and I'm kinda lost at sea here.
So, the basics:

Budget: 800, but I can probably cough up a bit more if really needed

Screen: 15-16" widescreen if possible, I'm more concerned about having a full keyboard and not having a glossy screen than the actual size.

Brands: Don't care.

Mobility: As few peripherals as humanly possible, as much battery as feasible.

Durability: It's not a factor.

Multitasking: Not too much.

Gaming: It would be nice to be able to play Source engine stuff, but It's not a requirement.

Calculations: I'm going to be using audio mixing/mastering stuff most of the time.

Storage: Nothing insane, 100GB-ish area.

Optical Media: Probably. If it's at the cost of other things, then just a reader.

Operating System: I'll be running XP, but I have my own discs, so whatever.

Location: 'States.

Inputs/Outputs: If at all possible, a 1/4" input would be nice, but it's rare on desktops so I'd imagine it's unheard of on laptops. I can manage with a converter.

This computer will be largely used for audio recording/mixing/mastering, and I've been having a real tough time finding a laptop that handles audio well without peripherals. I'm open to building from barebones, but from the little research I've done it seems to cost more, not less.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Madcatz · 08-03-2009, 01:21 PM

I very much doubt you will be able to find a laptop with anything more than just a standard audio (realtek or conexant) not even the alienwares come with something different, one or two dells have a SB X-Fi, but gloss screens.

Display wise, the high gloss displays are very common due to better picture quality, non-glossy displays i've only seen in more higher end/commerical units but check out this link and it will give you an idea of what not to look for and what each manufacturer calls thier gloss LCD panels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_display

If your ok with getting a laptop with an external audio then I would suggest to look at the
Toshiba L550-S5701
Toshiba P500-ST6821

These HP's have the anti-glare screen option
HP Anti-Glare Commercial laptops

**simpswr** · 08-03-2009, 01:24 PM

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/noteb...cs=19&ref=lthp

Build it like you want it . .

Uruz · 08-03-2009, 03:10 PM

Thanks for the quick response, guys.

Yeah it seems my needs were a bit too far out there, it looks like that Creative X-fi is the closest thing to internal it's gonna get as far as sound goes. Shame.

And that dell builder thing is a nice help too, though some of the prices look a bit weird. I'll do some more research and get back to you guys once I have a build I like the looks of. Thanks for clearing things up.

08-03-2009, 12:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
Uruz Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 32bit sp2	Purchasing/Building a new computer and would appreciate some help I'm going to be heading up to college soon, and finally got it in my head to put together some portable tech to keep me sane up there. That being said, I've found that the laptop game is completely different from the desktop one and I'm kinda lost at sea here. So, the basics: Budget: 800, but I can probably cough up a bit more if really needed Screen: 15-16" widescreen if possible, I'm more concerned about having a full keyboard and not having a glossy screen than the actual size. Brands: Don't care. Mobility: As few peripherals as humanly possible, as much battery as feasible. Durability: It's not a factor. Multitasking: Not too much. Gaming: It would be nice to be able to play Source engine stuff, but It's not a requirement. Calculations: I'm going to be using audio mixing/mastering stuff most of the time. Storage: Nothing insane, 100GB-ish area. Optical Media: Probably. If it's at the cost of other things, then just a reader. Operating System: I'll be running XP, but I have my own discs, so whatever. Location: 'States. Inputs/Outputs: If at all possible, a 1/4" input would be nice, but it's rare on desktops so I'd imagine it's unheard of on laptops. I can manage with a converter. This computer will be largely used for audio recording/mixing/mastering, and I've been having a real tough time finding a laptop that handles audio well without peripherals. I'm open to building from barebones, but from the little research I've done it seems to cost more, not less. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

08-03-2009, 01:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
Madcatz Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,424 OS: XP/7/Server 2008 My System	Re: Purchasing/Building a new computer and would appreciate some help I very much doubt you will be able to find a laptop with anything more than just a standard audio (realtek or conexant) not even the alienwares come with something different, one or two dells have a SB X-Fi, but gloss screens. Display wise, the high gloss displays are very common due to better picture quality, non-glossy displays i've only seen in more higher end/commerical units but check out this link and it will give you an idea of what not to look for and what each manufacturer calls thier gloss LCD panels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_display If your ok with getting a laptop with an external audio then I would suggest to look at the Toshiba L550-S5701 Toshiba P500-ST6821 These HP's have the anti-glare screen option HP Anti-Glare Commercial laptops __________________ memtest86+ \| Hard Drive Diags \| Speed Fan \| Unknown Device Identifier Last edited by Madcatz; 08-03-2009 at 01:31 PM.

08-03-2009, 01:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
simpswr Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: May 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 12,323 OS: XP, Vista, Win 7	Re: Purchasing/Building a new computer and would appreciate some help http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/noteb...cs=19&ref=lthp Build it like you want it . . __________________ Rich MemTest86 \| BenchTest \| Virus/Trojan/Spyware Help How to post a Screen Shot \| PC running slow?

08-03-2009, 03:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
Uruz Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 32bit sp2	Re: Purchasing/Building a new computer and would appreciate some help Thanks for the quick response, guys. Yeah it seems my needs were a bit too far out there, it looks like that Creative X-fi is the closest thing to internal it's gonna get as far as sound goes. Shame. And that dell builder thing is a nice help too, though some of the prices look a bit weird. I'll do some more research and get back to you guys once I have a build I like the looks of. Thanks for clearing things up.