Candlebbq,
I don't mind being "pushed" to look at other brands. Actually, the last two computers (this laptop and the desktop it replaced) were/are both Dell. Previous to that... um, golly, that was like, a decade ago so I don't remember-- I think it was a custom build through a local shop!
I just did a custom build (for comparative/explorative purposes of course) at HP (I've not been a huge HP fan, because it seemed there was less quality-- but that was a decade+ ago. Perhaps they've come up. Without realizing until after I did the build that you said to check HP's dv7, I was surprised to see what I could get for the money-- I
can go above $1,000, I just don't want to. But, with the dv7t build I did, including getting a wireless printer (my current printer is about had it--it's the all-in-one I got w/ my desktop Dell about 7 or 8 years ago), I was pretty amazed that I could put a little more "umph" into the computer, as well as getting some nifty little gadgets and carrying case just because. . . for the first time in over a decade I'm actually looking at an HP!!
Perhaps I'm just vacillating too much, but I really want to invest in a computer that's going to last at least 5 years (I know, that's pushing it w/ the rapid progress of technology these days). I won't go "refurb" because I had an horrible experience the one and only time I tried it (first laptop, and it worked for about 5 hours total!). I will only buy new, and, come to think of it, the reason I started w/ Dell all those years ago was because of the ability to customize. I don't do the out-of-box thing (hubby does, and he hasn't made the best choices).
Now, given the three brands I'm currently looking at (Dell, HP, Toshiba), which tend to be the better quality and longevity? The Dell XPS I 'made' which was very similar to the HP I did was nearly a $400 difference (Dell being more expensive, including the 'extras' that were nearly comparable w/ HP 'extras'). Toshiba seems to not be nearly as customizable as Dell or HP.
And then reading reviews! Wow! It just gets more confusing. *sigh* The search and vacillation continue.
~~CierraShore
p.s.
Again my thanks for the replies. Raze, how can I tell if I have to manually switch to the discrete or, is that why it's called "discrete" now instead of "dedicated"-- not having to manually switch.
EDIT: Just found this through reviews. Origin PC's that are massively hard-core gaming laptops that are incredibly customizable, but completely out of my price range. Still, in case there are any hard-core gamers following this thread, I wanted to mention that it looks like an awesome gaming computer.
www.originpc.com Way cool to play around w/ how incredibly customizable it is. Wow!
