Gateway Parts

Which Laptop is the Best? (Just have a look please)?

I am having trouble choosing a laptop. I wanted a laptop that was super fast and could handle intense multimedia use (i.e. gaming, graphic art, photoshop, 3d animation, video editing, cs4, WoW, you name it!) I decided on a GATEWAY, but I've had it for like a week and it is not as fast as I thought it'd be (it cost like 600 bucks and it's refurbished). I've been looking around and came across an Hp dv5z series. It's brand new and I kinda like the specs compared to the Gateway. What do you think? Please give plenty of info on : Graphics Cards (can it handle current games? etc.. I don't want to spend more than like $650 or so. Gateway: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4321350&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-WEBLET03SHIP-_-03ship&SRCCODE=WEBLET03SHIP HP dv5z Series– Onyx – Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit) – AMD Athlon(TM) X2 Dual-Core Processor for Notebook PCs QL-62 (2.0GHz) – 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800) – FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!! – ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics – FREE Upgrade to 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection – Webcam Only – HP Color Matching Keyboard – Wireless-G Card – No Modem – SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support – No TV Tuner w/remote control – 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery – Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 – HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope ALL FOR $599 *For the "ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics", i have the option of getting a "256MB ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3450 Graphics" ($100 more on price) or a "512MB ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3650 Graphics" ($200 more on price).

Public Comments

1. ixnay on the gateway. HP is much better. Any graphics card manufactured in the last two years will be fine, and unless you are running really intense 3-d games you probably don't even need that. Never buy refurbished electronics.
2. i will stay away from GATEWAY!! if its possible, buy an ACER, its about the same price and better performance if you only want to spend that much! also, if you can change the processor to an INTEL! way better!
3. You are expecting a LOT for your $600! You would be better off looking in the $1500+ range if you want a powerful laptop that is good for intense gaming and heavey duty 3D art and video editing. For video editing I would be looking at the MacBook Pro for $1999 which is the best in its class, it also games well.
4. No Way a Gateway. When you're done with the options and then later you find you need an upgrade or two, the cost goes up to a what you could have bought a real computer in the first place. Here's why you should get a Mac:: There are NO CONS. The MacBook does both WinBloze and OSX, no other computer can make that statement. You have the best of the best. Apple Stores are popping up all over and you can make an appointment for a time and date, bring your computer there. They will troubleshoot it and fix it if it's a software problem it's FREE. What other computer company has stores and can make that statement? Get the 2.4 GHz with 4Gigs Ram and you got a speed machine like mine. The WinBloze people may not like a Mac computer but I'll bet they all have iPods. Go Mac and Never Go Back.
5. If you want a personalized, reliable and quick advice, you should check out ProCompare.com (http://procompare.com/top/notebooks). They have a recommendation engine that ranks laptops and other tech products based on ratings and reviews from a community of trusted IT professionals. They also have a cool personalization slider that lets you personalize the results based on the criteria that are most important to YOU. Hope you'll find this answer useful...