I've been looking for a replacement laptop since about early September 2009. I'm a programmer type, so I want a good sized (wide) screen with high resolution and a multi core cpu, but I'm not a gamer, so please at least let me dump your glowie junk and other fluff during configuration. But you know what?
Apparently there are NO manufacturers that give a crap about screen resolution. Take it their bloated, crammed full of crap way or shove it. That said, here's what I found while trying to find a notebook that fits my desires:
17+ inch (WUXGA, 1920 x 1200 resolution or better)
Core 2 Quad
4+ GB memory
17" (1920 x 1200) notebook screens have been around since 2004/2005 and machines with similar specs (w/ Duo) were available for roughly $1,300 spring of 2008, but now they've disappeared. Since it's a year and a half later, and the United States is in a deep recession, you'd think the same box would now be a bit under a grand.
Think again! Apparently if you don't play games, then notebook manufactures have no need for you. What is truly irritating is even the computer manufactures who do allow customization and modification won't let you delete all the (high profit?) crap they've added to get to what would be a purchasable machine.
Below are my notes I made during my search. And, if you have a machine that fits the bill, please add a comment with it's link!
Happy 2010 everyone,
Michael
(Spam deleted without remorse.)
Update 10/01/24:
I bought a Dell. Go figure. For full specs and the "hidden" link to get Dell's website to sell you a Vostro with WUXGA, click.
Research
I tried to "build" them as equal as possible. Listed research done between (Sept. 20 and Oct. 20th, 2009), (Dec. 29th and Jan 1st, 2010) and between (Jan 17th and Jan 24th, 2010).
dell.com
Dell needs to hire some web programmers with talent. This, "Turn my machine into sludge because you have so many poorly written scripts running," is so last decade.
$2,598+ for Alienware M17x
17" (1920 x 1200)
Core 2 Quad Q9000 2.0GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Single NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M, 1GB
On the Plus side:
4Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis [Included in Price]
On the Negative side:
Based upon the last three Dell's I've owned, you'll need a 4 year warranty because they don't last like they use too.
Update 10/01/21:
Paid $1,020 for a Vostro 1720 (after tax, $1,104.13)
See: Link above
sagernotebook.com
No way to search for a specific resolution, but at least they sell a 1920 x 1200. NP9280 was the one I did find through trial and error, but it starts at $2,400.
$2594+ for NP9280
17" Wide Viewing Angles WUXGA LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1200)
Intel Core i7-920 Processor ( 8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz, 4.8GT/sec QPI )
6GB Triple Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 3 X 2GB
250GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
// Side note on Sager: These idiots sell a 18.4" notebook and cripple it with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Added it for reference.
$2809+ for NP9850
18.4" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Display
45nm Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9000 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.0GHz, 1066MHz FSB
4GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 2GB
// On a double side note! I like this one the best off their site. Not because it so much more awesome than the rest, I like it's price...
Unit Total: $19,234.00 for NP5797
sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=129131&action=customize
17" Wide Viewing Angles WUXGA LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1200)
45nm Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9000 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.0GHz, 1066MHz FSB
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 2 X 2GB
250GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
linuxcertified.com
Another company doing a dis-service to Linux. If you're going to pretend to be in the business of selling Linux machines, then at least make your website f-ing work. Their crap could be done better with an off the shelf CMS and Shopping Cart. Thumbs up that when you figure out how to get to their customizer, it doesn't slow down your machine. Thumbs down that you have no idea who makes the components you're getting.
$2,200+ for a mediocre machine (NOT QUAD CORE):
LC2520S Linux laptop - 17" High Resolution Display - Portable Workstation
usa.asus.com
Asus's search doesn't work? Had to use Google: "site:usa.asus.com wuxga" to find anything on their site, but even then most results get trapped and redirected to the "generic" laptop page. Their compare function doesn't work either.
$???? for M70
Can't find how to buy this! Newegg has a "Deactivated" listing and no other "for sale" Asus machines with 19x12.
I finally called their listed sales 800 number. Get this, you CAN'T actually configure and buy a machine off their website.
us.acer.com
Another moron company opens a website. They might have it, but there's (seemingly) no way to find it. Humorously enough, their "shopping" link to newegg goes somewhere else.
toshibadirect.com
Wow, their site works with out a 10 minute load time! Their compare function works too (and is even quick!). Unfortunately the best they have is 1680x1050
$3,200+ for X305-Q708
Intel Core2 Extreme Processor QX9300
4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM
17.0" widescreen 1680x1050 HD+
Which leaves me with the question... Uhm, product marketing guy at Toshiba, who's brain dead idea was it to cripple a Three Thousand Dollar! Intel Extreme Processor with a 1680x1050 screen? Some Toshiba VP needs to fire your ass.
www.cyberpowerpc.com
Never could get their "Configurator" to load, so maybe they have what I want, but I couldn't find it. Best I found didn't have Quad core as an option:
$1,910 for Gamer Xtreme M1
17" WUXGA TFT LCD Display 1920x1200 Pixels
Core 2 Duo Mobile T9600
gateway.com
'We substituted wxga in your query because we found nothing for "wuxga".'
ocztechnology.com
Well, they indicate they have a build it yourself capability, but I can't find it... (Maybe it's buried in their non-working Flash crap?)
Nor can I find a price for this...
ocztechnology.com/products/diy_notebooks/ocz_diy_17-gaming_notebook-small_intel-nvidia_edition-small_
Just being mean helpful I posted this...
ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=472916#post472916
Update 10/01/19:
The "helpful post" got interesting, so here's the full listing of OCZ's level of disinterest in customers. (reposted here as there's a good chance they'll deleted the topic)
pro-star.com
Another twit company. Seriously? You offer a Full HD 18.4" screen, but it only has 1920x1080 resolution (M980NU)? Morons. Especially since you've got a 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) available...
D900F, 17" WUXGA, Intel Core i7-920 Processor, 2.66 Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 4.8 GT/sec QPI, 6GB, PC3-8500/1066Mhz DDR3 - 3 DIMM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M w/1GB DDR3, 320/7200rpm GB SATA-300 (SATA II 3GB/s), Without Operating System, No Blu-Ray, 1 yr Warranty (Without "Dead Pixel Insurance").
Cash Price: $2,288.23
I would almost buy your 17" D900F, but I have to pay another $364 just to get a regular 3 year warranty and some sort of guarantee the screen won't be a pixalated zombie on arrival? If you can't stand by the shit you build, "Blow it out your ass!"
Everything below here in this section Updated 10/01/21:
avadirect.com
Wow, can't believe I forgot about these folks. I guess their bait and switch left me with such a bad taste in my mouth I didn't even write them up originally.
They claimed to have a MSI MS-1722* configurable for WUXGA (~$1,500) that I would have bought at the time (October 2009). But!!!! There was no way to actually get the WUXGA on the machine, as it was "End of Life," yet they would never pull the WUXGA being available off their website. Their sales rep "kindly" suggested that I look at their $1,000 more machine (and a machine that didn't even have wuxga).
I don't deal with scum (yes you Joseph Mundy).
*CUSTOM NOTEBOOK, MSI MS-1722 (GX720) Core?2 Performance Notebook, 17" WUXGA/WSXGA+ TFT LCD, NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT 512MB Graphics
targacomputers.com
WUXGA seems to start at $2,000.
mediawavepc.com
How do you build it? How do you find prices?
They have some under "MWnnnn, Performance Notebook, Ultimate performance for users looking for the most intense, high performance gaming experience.." Which would probably leaves me out.
amazon.com
Okay, I'm willing to look anywhere.... But no luck...
Best Amazon has is:
DELL XPS M1730 Laptop, Sapphire Blue, Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1GHz, 17inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WUXGA, 250GB SATA (7200RPM) Hard Drive , 4GB RAM, CD / DVD Burner, DVD+/-RW Drive, 512MB GDDR3 Memory NVIDIA SLI Dual GeForce 8700M GT Video Card, Integrated 2.0 MP camera, Vista Home Premium 64-bit
1 used from $1,800.00
lenovo.com
I looked at this earlier, but didn't write them up. IBM has never been known for real world pricing...
Just for grins:
Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds 2752E7U Notebook, $5,014.99
More realistic:
ThinkPad W700 with discrete graphics, $1,674.00
Also looked at, no notes
Sony
Hate, won't look at
HP
Hewlett-Packard you can, as Cartman says, "Suck my balls."
Update 10/01/19:
Okay, fine, as no one else on the planet seems to have what I want, I'll at least look at your stuff, even though your crappy ass OS programmers ate a system of mine while I was in undergrad. Causing a 24 hour, last minute re-write from scratch of a semester end project. Ultimately resulting in the loss of a full letter grade for that course. So, yes, that was twenty something years ago, but I still remember you can't figure out how to have your DOS write to a disk reliably bastards....
And, NO, HP doesn't have a machine either. Figures. "No search results were found that match WUXGA"
Best they've got is:
HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition series, with 1920x1080p, starting at $1300.
Amusingly, after doing the Amazon search, HP comes up selling a WUXGA that is (1920x1080 1080p). Still idiots who don't understand technology.
Email this page
check out Dell Precision laptops
Hi Michael,
I agree it seems ultra high resolution laptops aren't so prevalent anymore. Dell does have another line of WUXGA laptops in the Precision. You should check the Dell's Small and Medium Business website (dell.com/business) to see the Vostro and Precision (M*) lines.
They Precisions have both 17 and 15.4 sizes at WUXGA resolutions, but they will cost you.
//Joe
Dell Vostro
Hi Joe,
Funny you should mention Dell... Last week I was re-checking everything in this post (as my current notebook is getting very long in the tooth), and I came across a Dell Vostro with a wuxga for about $1,100. It's shipping date is about a 6 week wait, so..... as soon as I get mine ordered I'll share the link ;)
Michael
-------
Link pasted up top!
Dell Vostro and Precision
Yes, the near extinction of WUXGA is sad.
The Dell Precision M4400 lists 1920x1200 as an option in the specs, but it's not in the configurator. When I asked why, the rep said that it's because they're out of stock.
That Vostro price seems like the best deal around, but it's 17", and I was looking specifically for a 15.4" 1920x1200 laptop. What I want to do is to use my old Dell Inspiron 6000 (with 15.4" 1920x1200) as a second monitor for traveling, using Maxivista software (maxivista.com) to extend the desktop from the new computer onto the old Inspiron. For my application, I need all the resolution I can get, and I'd prefer if it's all at the same dpi. I guess I could buy two Vostros for not much more than a Thinkpad W500. Or I could buy another ancient Inspiron 6000, used. It's almost like laptops have taken a step backwards from 5 years ago.
Bought Precision
My quest for WUXGA may be over, as I was able to order a M4400 with 15.4" WUXGA (2CCFL, matte) after calling Dell rather than using the website.
Buying "ancient"
Hi Michael,
I'm glad to hear you found a WUXGA, and even in the same size you were looking for :)
Personally I wouldn't buy an ancient anything computer at the moment. I don't think the quality has been in any computer component since the '90s. Almost every machine I've had in the past decade has had a life span of three, and at most four, years. My last three notebooks (yes I use several at once ;0 ) all had something major die right about the three year mark.
The Vostro I bought is old tech, the instruction manual was printed in Feb. '09, so, yeah, a step backwards is about right...
Best,
Michael
WUXGA laptops
re: cyberpowerpc.com
Never could get their "Configurator" to load, so maybe they have what I want, but I couldn't find it.
Check out cyberpowerpc.com/system/Xplorer_X7_Xtreme_S1_Notebook/. WUXGA, 17", Core i7-920 or better. Pricey, starting at $2389. Weighs over 11.5 lbs.
6GB without selling a kidney!
Dear Guest,
Nice.!.!...
(X7-Xtreme Notebook 17" WUXGA TFT LCD Display 1920x1200 Pixels w/ 3.0 Megapixel Built-in Webcam, Intel Wi-Fi 5300AGN Wireless, IEEE-1394a, HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter)
I like that it has the capability of 3 memory modules (so you can get 6GB without selling a kidney!) and that you can put 3 hard drives in it. Okay, three harddrives is way overkill, but cool none the less....
Trying to configure it as close to the Dell that I bought, it comes to $2356. Configuring it the way I'd really like it :);
+ i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
+ 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3-1333 SODIMM Memory
+ 256 GB Solid State Disk
it comes to $3398.
I never have cared about weight. I'll leave that to people who buy Mac Airs.
All in all, a very worthy machine,
Michael
Why not the discontinued HP 8730w?
I read your article with great interest and can truly identify with your frustrations about the lack of high-resolution screens for laptops, as if people only used them for watching movies!!! I wish they still made QXGA screens like they did on the old Thinkpads!!!
As a long time IBM and Toshiba laptop user, one of my criteria was getting a Trackpoint, as I hate Touchpads, so I I've been gravitating towards the only two brands that still carry them: IBM (I mean Lenovo) and HP. Unfortunately the IBM is out of my reach budget wise, and the HP is discontinued as you found out, so I've been patiently checking eBay for the past few months.
In any case, I'm glad I found this page during one of my searches. The laptop you got is really, really nice and I thought the price was outstanding. However, my main problem is... It's a DELL!!! Both my sister and my nephew had Dell laptops fail under warranty and die shortly afterwards, so I'm a bit weary of this brand, even if in reality none of these companies make their own anymore.
After using the laptop for a month, how do you like the screen? I just "built" one on the Dell site like you did but it won't allow me to select any other graphic card but the Intel 4500MHD! I don't mind too much, but I would prefer a better video card than that...
Oh and BTW... Your captcha is really difficult to read, I am SURE you will never get any spam at all!!! I tried 3 times before I got it right ;)
Dell Vostro basically gone
Hi Old Faithful,
I'm not a fan of HP, "They done me wrong in the past!"
And it looks like Dell is trying to get out of selling the wuxga screens on anything except a high end box. As, many of the options I could originally select are now gone. tards. And you're right about Dell quality sucking now. I've owned 10ish Dell laptops since the early '90s, and about 2005 the longevity went to crap. If you're buying a Dell right now, expect to throw it away in three years.
I always liked IBM, especially the itty bitty trackball thingie (aka clit-mouse, if you're in impolite company). But I never did like their price... But they sure were rugged machines...
I changed the captcha to math, so hopefully it doesn't bother anyone else ;)
Michael
Alternative 'high' resolution laptops
Ok, this one may not be that great since it's only 1920x1080, but it's worth considering for those on a budget and for whom screen resolution is the most important feature to check on a laptop:
staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=72%2C73%2C74,3872&webid=853130&affixedcode=WW
Yes, it's only $1000 CDN, and although it is a 16:9 screen, at 18.4 inches it is actually very comfortable to look at and still very crisp (I actually saw it in a store). Furthermore, its specs aren't too shabby (i3 330M processor, ATI Radeon HD 5650 with 1GB DDR3 VRAM) and it has a very respectable 500GB hard drive and 4GB 1066 MHz RAM, among other things.
BTW, I *almost* entered the wrong answer in your captcha, LOL