Top 10 Laptops for the Holidays Discussion

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Top multimedia notebook goes to the frickin' 15z? Really? Widespread build quality problems, poor-quality sound, poor-quality keyboard, and a joke of a GPU? I would have assumed it would have been neck-and-neck between the XPS 15 (not z) and Vaio F, with maybe an honorable mention to the MacBook Pro 17 for those not tied to the $1000-$1500 budget of the XPS 15 and Vaio F.

 

I certainly won't argue about the mushy keyboard (we mentioned it in the review and in this top 10 guide) but the build quality the XPS 15z wasn't a problem in our lab and I think plenty of people will find the Nvidia GeForce GT 525M graphics are more than enough for everything except extreme gaming. (The GPU scored higher than the AMD Radeon HD 6330M card in the HP ENVY 14 multimedia notebook.)

If you're a serious laptop gamer then you're buying a gaming laptop rather than a general multimedia machine. While we're talking about multimedia, let's not forget the XPS 15z has a gorgeous 1080p screen option.

The XPS 15z doesn't have the greatest speakers on the planet but they are better than many other notebook speakers ... and they are mounted next to the keyboard so they push sound up and toward the user rather than down at your crotch (a common problem with speaker placement on other laptops).

 

What surprised me is not so much that an XPS 15z was classified as a multimedia machine. Sure it is, and it's a better multimedia machine than a lot of other machines out there, from the Lenovo Thinkpad X220 to the Samsung Series 7. What surprised me was that you ranked it as the top multimedia machine, when for the same money, you can get either an XPS 15 or a Vaio F, which are as better at every aspect of multimedia (better screens , far better sound, and better GPU).

In the "what notebook should I buy" forum, when someone has a moderate budget and wants a midsize multimedia machine, the discussion always comes back to two machines: the XPS 15 and the Vaio F. The XPS 15z is never mentioned.

 

How did the MBA not get a nod in any category?

 

Please have a broader group of regular WNSIB-posters help set up these lists. This is an awful list made up partially of laptops that aren't even ever seen recommended around these forums at all (ex: XPS 15z, HP G6). These lists should be comprised of recommendations made by the community, not made by one or a select few administrators. And on top of that, the descriptions don't even mention which upgrades are necessary/highly-recommended for the optimal configuration (ex: 1GB 6770M and 1920x1080 display for the HP DV7)

- The "Top netbook" HP DM1z is easily tied with (or in my opinion beaten by) the Lenovo Thinkpad X120e. Not saying the DM1z is a bad choice, but if you mention one you should probably mention the other as a "similar alternative" within the small blurb of text (on the same page)
- To me, the HP G6 doesn't seem to suit the "Top (budget) 15" Family laptop" category. Dunno what's so special about the G6 that qualifies it for this category. I can think of a plethora of 15-inchers within the same price range that I would consider to be "better."
- Again, the HP DV7t should show some indication in the description that the two recommended upgrades are the 1920x1080 display for anyone who doesn't need large text and, if gaming the 1GB Radeon 6770M but not the 2GB. Don't leave people to willy-nilly set up unbalanced configurations on their own.
- The Top "Multimedia" notebook should not be the Dell XPS 15z. It should be the Dell XPS 15 with the 1920x1080 B+RGLED display, the Sony Vaio F, or something else that particularly excels in speaker quality and screen quality. The 15z has been poorly reviewed in multiple places on this forum for its build quality (chrome trim coming off), and has inferior speaker and screen quality to both the XPS 15 and the Vaio F.
- The Lenovo Thinkpad X220 should not misleadingly imply that it has an IPS screen. You should mention that you have to select the "Premium" display on the upgrade page in order to get this screen.
- The ASUS G53SX with the gimped 2GB 128-bit 560M is an awful choice for a top-gaming laptop. If you're going to list an ASUS G53 Series, list the G53SW version that has the full 192-bit version of the 560M GPU. I've heard of instances (don't recall source) where the 2GB 128-bit 560M benchmarks worse than the 1.5GB 192-bit 460M.
- Even then: The ASUS G53 is easily tied with or beaten by the Sager NP8130 / Lotus P151HM1. Better portability, often lower price, more config options, etc.
- The G53S W/NP8130 can both qualify as the "top gaming notebook" for the price. However, the NP8150 / P150HM beats it by far if configured with the 6970M or 6990M, and would be a good thing to mention in the sub-blurb.

These are just my opinions, but I really think this list could use <s>some improvements</s> a major overhaul.

 

Many different factors go into the decision making process for lists like this. First and foremost, we have to consider notebooks we've reviewed in house, what we thought of the notebook when we reviewed it, available configuration options, price, etc.

In things like our holiday Top 10 list, we also consider things like widespread availability in both brick-and-mortar and online retailers and how many holiday sales will be available for that product.

For example, if our editors are considering two notebooks with equivalent build quality and equivalent specs for the Holiday Top 10 list we're often going to lean in favor of a notebook that is available in many stores and is regularly on sale. That's clearly not the only deciding factor (otherwise you'd see nothing but the cheapest Compaq, Acer and Toshiba laptops in the list), but it illustrates that our decision making process isn't all about the raw performance of one GPU versus another.

Of course, as with any site that reviews anything, there is a certain degree of subjective decision making involved. That's why we prefaced the list by acknowledging that some people won't like notebooks we've selected and they should consider the advice of our regular forum members in our What Notebook Should I Buy? forum.

P.S.: I don't think we've EVER posted a "top 10" or "best picks" type list that didn't result in many forum members posting messages saying that they hate one or more of our picks and suggest something else ... and that's a GOOD thing.

We want our forum members to voice their opinions. Your opinion is as valid as anyone's opinion. Our editorial team tries to base our picks on what we've seen with our own eyes and what deals are currently available, but there are MANY choices when it comes to buying a netbook, notebook or ultrabook.

There's a buyer for every laptop and a laptop for every buyer.

 

Just for the record, the Vaio F2 is available at both Sony brick-and-mortar stores and at Best Buy. I don't know about the sales Dell and Sony offer at Christmastime, but since the F2 is hundreds of dollars cheaper than a similarly-equipped 15z (1080p screen and i7 processor), you're not going to be spending any more on the Sony even if Dell offers a bigger percentage reduction in price.