<p>Title says it all, really. I don't see myself gaming a whole lot at college, but I know I'll find ways to push my computer to its limits, power-wise. I tinker, and I'll probably be doing CS stuff if not majoring in it. So I want a laptop to last four years. My home computer is like five years old and still going, more or less, but it'll be staying at home as the family computer. What is the best laptop I can get for under $800?</p>
<p>The graphics card requirement is going to be the problem. There are not that many laptops with a dedicated graphics card-especially under $800. I usually check Buy.com or Amazon. Lasting four years will be tough with a laptop that is at the bottom of the market for graphics card laptops. The only two in your price range at Buy.com are below:</p>
<p>[MSI</a> GX730-043US Gaming Notebook - AMD Turion 64x2 RM70 (2.0GHz) Processor, 17’’ WXGA+ (1440x 900) LCD Display, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 512MB DDR2 Graphics Card, 4GB DDR2 Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, DVD Super Multi Drive, Windows Vista Home Premium](<a href=“Promo Codes, Coupons & Cash Back | Shop 3,500+ Stores!”>Promo Codes, Coupons & Cash Back | Shop 3,500+ Stores!)</p>
<p>[Toshiba</a> Satellite A355D-S6922 Notebook - PSALEU-00D00F - Buy.com](<a href=“Promo Codes, Coupons & Cash Back | Shop 3,500+ Stores!”>Promo Codes, Coupons & Cash Back | Shop 3,500+ Stores!)</p>
<p>if you’re not going to be gaming a lot, a high end video card shouldn’t be a concern for CS majors. i’d spend the extra money on a better processor.</p>
<p>Yeah, you guys might be right about that. I have a feeling that I’ll have a hard time finding a laptop with, say, a reasonably non-reflective screen and non-horrible battery life without cutting the graphics card or spending quite a bit more. Here’s a laptop for $550 (w/rebate), has a Radeon HD 3200:
[Newegg.com</a> - HP Pavilion dv4-1220us NoteBook AMD Turion X2 RM-72(2.10GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Radeon HD 3200 - Laptops / Notebooks](<a href=“Not Found: 404 Error”>Not Found: 404 Error)
Apart from the screen, looks almost identical to the Toshiba (very similar video card, identical processor). Crap battery life though apparently.</p>
<p>yeah thats another thing</p>
<p>ANY kind of gaming is going to annihilate your battery life. its probably the most battery intensive thing you can do on a laptop.</p>
<p>The ATI 3200 is ATI’s integrated graphics card. It is powerful for an integrated card, but still weak compared to dedicated cards.</p>
<p>The 3650 is quite a bit better than the 3200, I believe.</p>
<p>Hey Zepplin, get ready for this.</p>
<p>HP 8710w - $810 no tax in CA (after bing cash back)
[HP</a> Compaq 8710w KA451UA Laptop Computer - Intel Core 2 Duo T9500, 2GB DDR2, 160GB HDD,DVDRW, 17", Windows XP ProVista Business (Open Box) H24-17021 ON at TigerDirect.com](<a href=“TigerDirect Sunset”>TigerDirect Sunset)</p>
<p>2.6 ghz proc with 6 mb L2 Cache
17" screen with 1900x1200
Vista Business
3 YEAR WARRANTY
Quadro 1600M GPU (approx nvidia 8700)
802.11n and BLUETOOTH
7.5 lbs
1.3 inch thick
2.5 hrs battery</p>
<p>honestly, the screen itself is worth it. the 2.6 w/ 6 mb L2 is just icing on the cake. The 3 yr warranty is crucial.</p>