<p>Hey i'm looking for a new laptop. ive decided on a 14" widescreen or smaller, but i can't find one with decent graphics (non integrated). So far my top choices are the sony vaio s series with the 13.3" geforce 6400 and toshiba tecra m3 with geforce 6600, but the sonys i've seen run really hot and reviews say the toshiba has pretty crummy preformance, even with the 6600. does anyone know of any other sub 14" widescreens with decent gpus?</p>
<p>Most important part is the printer ;)</p>
<p>Look at the Toshiba M50/M55 series which has a 14" screen. All the models in stores have Intel integrated GMA 900 graphics but if you customize it online at Toshiba's website, you can get the ATI Radeon X600.</p>
<p>The Asus W3V also has a 14" screen with the Radeon X600 but is much more expensive yet also has much better build quality as well. Check out <a href="http://www.notebookreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.notebookreview.com</a>, it has a huge forum where you can ask people for help.</p>
<p>why don't you just up it to 15.4"? It's not really that much different...</p>
<p>Try looking at the ASUS W3V. Nice screen and decent graphics. You get what you pay for.</p>
<p>I have a Toshiba. I have one of the satellite versions though. Toshiba is an awesome company. I've had this computer for over two years and I've never had a problem. It's still running like I just bought it. I would get a 15-17 inch screen if graphics are that important to you. It's still very portable and light.</p>
<p>I have used iBooks exclusively since 2000. I am on my second one now (and still have my first one) and they are wonderful machines. I've been able to get 4+ hours per battery on them. My only gripe is the hard drives can be small, but if you have an iPod that isn't completely filled you can use that as an external hard drive (I use mine for movies). Always get the 12" model--battery life is better. If you need a DVD-RW drive like I did just get an external FireWire drive from LaCie. It still costs less than the top model.</p>
<p>Toshiba and IBM are my top picks for Windows machines. I have a Toshiba T1200 laptop from 1987 at home that still works. Formerly my grandfather's, it served me from 1994-2000. Those things are built to last. IBM is also excellent--I actually spent more for an IBM memory key two months ago because I trusted them more than the other companies selling them.</p>
<p>Don't get a Dell. The battery life is bad, the tech support is good only if you can understand heavy accents, and the quality seems to suffer. Also, the HP laptops aren't all that great--I know someone who got one with a 17" screen and it gets only 1 hour of battery life!</p>
<p>In general, get a smaller screen. 12" is more than enough. In the past many of the machines I dealt with had 9" to 12" screens, so I was used to them. If you're not it may take some adjustment, but after you do adapt, you'll wonder why you ever needed a larger one in the first place (unless you're a desktop publisher or do CAD drawing, in which case it's good to have a large monitor--but a 12" screen works well even for video editing).</p>
<p>The reason the HP 17" model got such poor battery is because it has a Pentium 4 processor, a full blown desktop processor. It doesn't belong in notebooks and gives them around 1-1:30 hours of battery life at best. Plus, the huge screen is a huge battery drainer as well. I have an HP DV4000 and I love it, I think HP is a great company. I have kept hearing that Toshiba's quality has dropped in recent years. I don't know about that, but my older Toshiba notebooks were very good.</p>
<p>I agree that the Ibooks are very solid, good college notebooks. But I won't get them because I am a Windows person through and through but I would highly, highly recommend the Ibook to most people, espeically those using computers and notebooks for the first time.</p>
<p>Don't ask questions like that here, go to a site like hardforums. Go to the mobile computing section and start a thread there. </p>
<p>rahulnirmal2000's post is worth reading however</p>
<p>Let me suggest you go to <a href="http://www.notebookreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.notebookreview.com</a>, it has an enormous forum full of very, very helpful people, I'm a regular there and I'm glad to help people out with buying notebooks, I personally love notebooks! :)</p>
<p>I also want to say that most Dell notebooks in fact get very good battery life, especially if you get an extra or extended battery. The 700M and 6000 series, for example, can easily get 4-5 hours of battery life.</p>
<p>The zd8000 (the one with the 17" screen) is rated as one of the best notebooks around. Don't go saying notebooks are bad just because you are a road warrior and need the extra battery life. There are all different types of notebooks for all different types of people. I would rather have a 15" with 3 + hours than a 12 inch with 5+ hours but I am not saying that the 12 inch is a bad notebook just because the screen is small and the keyboard has a small pitch.
Trying to compare different size notebooks is like trying to compare the Earth and Mars. Sure they are both planets, but each "specialize" in a type of life...</p>
<p>cnet.com
laptop reviews</p>
<p>I just bought a brand new Dell 6000 last week and I just have to say that it is AWESOME! Battery life is about 4 hours, the 15.4" is big enough for me while still retaining portability, and the graphics are just beautiful. Plus Dell is running its usual coupon specials, so be on the lookout for those!</p>
<p>Too bad their coupon deals have gotten less good. Lately, I'm seeing 15-20% off coupons whereas a few months ago, I saw 40% off.</p>
<p>Yep. Dell reported that they earned lower than expected due to their aggressive price cuts. They aren't going to sell things as cheap as this past summer for quite some time.</p>
<p>For college im going to build a new desktop over the summer and buy a Panasonic Toughbook.</p>
<p>Dont plan on using a notebook for daily work unless i really have to. Iv grown used to a big screen (18" lcd since 1999). Working on a laptop for a long time just doesnt feel "right".</p>
<p>IBM's for PCs. Ibook/Powerbook for Macs. simple as that.</p>
<p>Definitely not as simply as that if the student plans to play current games on it.</p>
<p>Shouldn't play games on a laptop. PC Gamers should use desktops.</p>
<p>Shouldn't play is right, but some people do, and there are much better laptops than IBMs than are capable of playing games.</p>