[Locked] Need new laptop for around 670 dollars

Hey guys. Longstory short, I need a new laptop which is capable of playing GTA SA and TF2 decently, for around the 670 dollar price range. Don't care for battery life or storage space. Help me out?

I don't know my specs very well, so I'm depending on you guys!

Cuz of parents, I would preferably like to buy from futureshop or Bestbuy.ca. Newegg is a last resort!

I was thinking of either of these:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/acer-acer-aspire-15-6-laptop-featuring-intel-core-i7-2670-processor-as5755-9674-black-as5755-9674/10180316.aspx?path=ec1d93418937a55f82df1fd6369c00e2en02

Im thinking of this, but im just an innocent bystander who aint know much shit about specs. And the price is pushing it.

Or

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-laptop-featuring-amd-quad-core-a6-3400m-black-dv6-6128ca/10171280.aspx?path=247f5ef1cd05d15e628cdb4baf075466en02

Specs seem too good to be true.. So I've read a comment:

"the only downside is the terrible trackpad, if you hold 2 or more keys down on the keyboard the trackpad is non functional, but overall im happy with this computer"

Isn't that a red flag?

Help me out here! Find a decent laptop on their site for me to buy around the 670 dollar price range or less!

edit:
NOTE I am a CANADIAN! So I can only buy from the Canadian Newegg.

I was thinking of this..
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157945

or

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230184

Or any other suggestions?

Is it worth it? Also, got any better, or cheaper suggestions?

I've also had my eye on this, but it seems out of my price range:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230185

The aspire has shitty integrated graphics. The Pavilion actually has a graphics card and that should be the selling point. No idea about the trackpad. Maybe they can ship to store and you can test it there?

You might also want to consider this which is a little cheaper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158073

For Newegg, I can only buy from newegg.ca because I am Canadian.

Regarding the 2 pressed buttons trackpad thing, I really don't think it should be an issue. I mean, you're going to be using a mouse for gaming anyway, so it's more or less irrelevant. And most definately go for a dedicated GPU if you're using it for gaming.

I, for one, would go for the HP Pavilion DV6-6155CA out of your current selection, because I prefer Intel, and the GDDR5 video ram. But this is more or less an uninformed opinion.

Yeah GDDR5 vastly improves performance over GDDR3 so get that when available. If they have any Sandy or Ivy bridge Intels I would go for that as they just kick the shit out of AMD right now. Also you might want to consider pairing AMD processors with AMD graphics and same with Intel and Nvidia as when paired together they usually have some sort of battery-saving feature for laptops. There might be some that work that way when not paired but I am not sure.

Having the trackpad automatically disable is actually a good thing the way he explains it. I can think of a number of games that use the WASD for movement and you wouldn't want the trackpad to move the mouse accidentally during those games.

Also expand your search for recertified and refurbished and always check the reviews about them before making a decision to purchase. If you can't find any reviews about something on the site try googling it. If a particular model has vastly more reviews over another it may be an indication that model is what is popular and performs better than similar others and should be looked into.

Ivy bridge isn't out yet... is it?

Most trackpads can be disabled manually (a button or similar).
Refurbished is a good idea, and much cheaper. They're practically new, but check to see if they have major defects; scratched casing is one thing, dead pixels(while rare) is another. And check for warranty, some of them go for as much as 2 years, which is a big plus.

As you don't care for battery lifetime, you should just look for the best CPU/GPU you can get in your price range, irrelevant of make/model.

Turns out I can afford this one anyways:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230185

I have my heart set on it, but is it truly worth the money? Note that is the MAXIMUM price range! Anyways, should I buy that, or is there a better one somewhere?

Right then,
#1.ASUS K53SV-DH51 - $789.99
is the one you chose.
#2.HP Pavilion DV6-6155CA - $719.99
has a slightly slower processor (2.3GHz vs. 2.4GHz) but, in my opinion, a better graphics card.
#3.ASUS A53SV-NH71 - $799.99
same as the one you chose, except it has a Quad core i7, and a faster HDD.

I've checked the three websites you mentioned, and these are the ones worth mentioning, considering my experience.
Now, I know you said $789 was your maximum, but for an extra $10 I'd go with the third one. If not, then I'd go with #2. Your choice, in the end.

Thanks!

I might go for the extra 10 bucks one.

As someone working with music often however, music is very important to me. Which of these have better sound? (Additionally, will the mousepad be good, and have scroll?)

Any reasons not to get the extra 10 bucks one?

Honestly, I can't really tell. There's no real mention about the soundcard(of course, they're probably all integrated), nor information about the touchpad.
#1 and #3 seem to have speakers from Altec Lansing, but that's all I can tell.

Can't say anything I didn't say already about the $799 one; aside from the graphics card, looks to me like it beats all the rest in terms of specs.
I don't know much about making music, but I'm guessing any modern laptop should handle Acid, FruityLoops, Audacity or Adobe Soundbooth.

I know the Asus ROG (republic of gamers) laptops are actually designed for good airflow and some have a little subwoofer built in for better sound if you can find one.

I've seen Ivy Bridge in laptops recently. They won't release the standalone processor until April though.

Didn't know that... Cool.



My laptop has a "subwoofer". Which is why I use standalone speakers. I can honestly say I hear no difference between a laptop with one and one without. And if he likes music, he'll most definately not use the integrated speakers.
I mean, sure, they make sound, but it's not exactly a great experience, by any lenghts, irrelevant of integrated speakers/soundcard.

I use headphones. So yeah.

Right now I wanna see whether or not there's anything better than the ASUS A53SV-NH71. I will not buy ANYTHING higher since this is the real limit in terms of price.

So, should I settle on that? Or should I go for something else?

Like I said, that's the best I saw on the three sites you mentioned. Looks like a good one, but if you know any other sites/stores you can use, you should check them all.
And if you know any stores that specialize on refurbished electronics in Canada, you should really look into them. It could save you money, or get you more bang for your buck.