Hey guys, is there any place in lebanon that sells recently released laptops for reasonable prices? In places like khoury home, tahan..etc they sell 2 year old laptops for almost 1.5x their price at their respective time of release.

Specs that are very important to me are a i7 3rd gen processor, full hd display, 8GB+ ram, 1TB storage, and a decent graphics card(equivilant to the 7760 or better)

I found an amazing laptop in saudi, Dell 15R SE, specs include full hd display, 1TB storage, 32GB SDD drive, 8GB RAM, 7760 2GB vram graphics card, 3rd gen i7 for $1100. I seriously WISH there is such prices in lebanon for these specs.



There is tons of computer shops around beirut, but you never know who would cheat you and sell you a malfunctioning 1000$+ piece of hardware, so fellow geeks, which stores do you recommend me to checkout?


EDIT: pcandparts also is a bit expensive, and the only full hd laptops they have are the 2000$+ ones
If you're willing to use it for gaming. Please don't waste your money and get a decent desktop.
AvoK95 wroteIf you're willing to use it for gaming. Please don't waste your money and get a decent desktop.
That's a stupid thing to say,
if I build a desktop with similar specs it would cost me much more(because I'd have to buy a FHD display, keyboard, decent speakers a mouse and ofcourse, a UPS with a huge battery with a stabilizer to prevent it from shutting off every hour due to the power cuts + building the desktop itself) so desktops are pretty much obsolete these days, and with laptops you save a lot of space and ofcourse, its PORTABLE.

Anyways I'm a programmer, a computer science major, so gaming isn't a priority, although a decent gpu is a must.
mmk92 wrote
AvoK95 wroteIf you're willing to use it for gaming. Please don't waste your money and get a decent desktop.
Who said I wanted it for gaming?

and even if I did want it for gaming, if I build a desktop with similar specs it would cost me much more(because I'd have to buy a FHD display, keyboard, decent speakers a mouse and ofcourse, a UPS with a huge battery with a stabilizer to prevent it from shutting off every hour due to the power cuts + building the desktop itself) so desktops are pretty much obsolete these days, and with laptops you save a lot of space and ofcourse, its PORTABLE.

Anyways I'm a programmer, a computer science major, so gaming isn't a priority, although a decent gpu is a must.

Agree with you regarding the power failure symptoms...

Even though, Desktops are always cheaper, can be by 2 times...

Or, you should look at those setups:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/297213-31-power-consumption-gaming-performance

Gonna post a seprate thread of this: (very helpful, especially in Lebanon)
https://www.nipron.co.jp/english/product_detail/index.cgi?p=20294201

AVOk , give us a decent perf. / setup using this ^ from your own taste of 450w PSUs :P
First of all. a laptop with an i7 doesn't have the same performance as a desktop with an i7. Even in GPUs. In fact a GTX 580M has the performance of a desktop GTX560.
Second of all. When buying a laptop, you are risking quality and reliability and not to mention repairability. You can replace any desktop motherboard for about 60-70$ when a laptop's motherboard costs 250+$ the very LEAST! that in fact you even find a replacement.
Also, don't say you'll get a "cooling pad" because they won't do as well. Laptop parts are so crammed.


Also, don't expect that when you pay $1100 for a laptop will be better in specs or performance than a desktop, because it won't.

Just read the quotes here

Do you want portability over raw performance ? Please tell, so that I know what to look for :)

@TPRO
i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD maybe an SSD and a GT640 ;)
Look into the Lenovo y580.

If you want a decent graphic card then the gtx 660m in it is as close to a very powerful card as you can get in a laptop unless you dish out another 500-1000$ for a gaming laptop.

I think its an i7 2nd generation (possibly third) with 750gb hdd

price around 1300

Check the multimedia store i think their website is m2.com or something. Just google it.

just to let you know, if you are not planning to game hardcore on a laptop then you can get a decent HP with most of the specs you are looking for with an hd 7670m. Such card will run you games at good quality for the next year or two and should run a a lot of the older games at very good quality.

Also as far as i know, there is no 7760. There is a 7750m and a 7770m both of which are probably around 20-40% faster than the 7670m.

Regarding building a desktop and costing you more i seriously doubt it. Also electricity is usually 3h in Beirut so if this is what you deal with then a desktop is not a problem in my opinion. As far as i can tell you are looking for performance. Do not sacrifice it for the sake of having the wrong facts. I spent months looking for a good laptop to game on and i realized id have to pay my bottom for a decent one with a good card. I am too lazy to get up and game on a desktop so trust me i would have done anything to find a good laptop but reality is a lot different. The one i mentioned above is about the only exception you can find in Lebanon.

Anyways good luck in your search i know some places here and there that are trustworthy and sell good quality laptops but for the specs you are looking for exactly it might be an extra 200-400$. You don't have to buy from pcandparts but they certainly give you an idea of what prices to expect.
mmk92 wrote if I build a desktop with similar specs it would cost me much more(because I'd have to buy a FHD display, keyboard, decent speakers a mouse
Seriously?

LG IPS234T, an LED-backlit e-IPS monitor with 1080p resolution, will blast away any laptop screen that is non-IPS FHD (and true 8-bit IPS at that, and even then it will still have a small colorspace), costs $184 TTC @pcandparts.

Mouse vs. touchpad...I hope you're not being serious. The fact that any half-assed desktop mouse would smoke a trackpad for serious use is not enough I guess.

Keyboard? mmm, yes, mushy rubber membrane keyboards on laptops do not even compare to the crappiest desktop full-size keyboards. When you also have the option to go for a mechanical (non-gaming or gaming) keyboard for desktops, especially that you're a programmer, and it changes the typing experience completely, is also not enough.

Decent speakers...hmm where shall I begin...I'm sure those Harman Kardon speakers that measure a couple or so centimeters in diameter would overpower any $8 speakers you get for a desktop, orrrr, in your monitor, for pennies.

Comparing cheap desktop peripherals to most laptop peripherals is not even fair, let alone the fact that you can go for any of the following:
1) Monitors:
a) 24-27" TN panel gaming monitors on the cheap @ 1920 x 1080 resolution
b) 27" / 30" IPS panel gaming / non-gaming monitors @ 2560 x 1440 resolution
c) 30" professional IPS panel monitors for serious color accuracy and photo editing (if you're into that stuff)

2) Keyboards:
a) Cheap membrane keyboards that still perform well with any form factor you like (slim, ultra slim, full size, etc...)
b) Membrane gaming keyboards that set you back a pretty penny, perform well, look well, and are good for gaming (Logitech G15)
c) Mechanical gaming keyboards that give you a great typing experience, an excellent gaming experience (macro keys), and look pretty (Razer BlackWidow [Ultimate])
d) Typist keyboards that give you an excellent typing experience, great build quality (in general), great gaming experience, and cost the most (Ducky Shine II, Das Keyboard, Rosewills, Leopold, Deck Legend, etc...)

3) Mouse:
a) Cheap mice that at least work as proper pointing devices (vs. touchpad, come on)
b) Inexpensive mice that even have laser sensors nowadays (not optical sensors, laser (infrared) sensors), usually more precise
c) Budget gaming mice that come with laser sensors and high DPI and precision (G400, Razer Abyssus, etc...)
d) Excellent gaming mice that give you a better experience in everything (Logitech G500, Razer DeathAdder 2013, Mamba 2013, Naga, Steelseries Xai, Roccat Kone, CM Storm, Gigabytes, etc...)

I guess the abundance of choice on the desktop is a serious problem.

That's not even discussing the specs you could get on a desktop for $1100, that Radeon HD7750 Mobility is surely top dog:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-7750M.72677.0.html

Ooh look, 512 shaders @575MHz.

Meanwhile, on the desktop: cards with 1024 shaders @800MHz stock for <$200 (HD7850), cards with 1792 shaders @ 850MHz, both can break 1100 MHz easily, and some can reach 1200MHz and 1300MHz.

i7 3rd gen on a laptop that tops out at 2.2GHz. Hmm. Desktop i5s and i7s that come OOB @3GHz+ and can OC to 4.6-4.8GHz and even 5GHz. Surely those 2.2GHz chips are special.

WIth the amount of money you can save getting an equivalent desktop, you could buy a car battery to use as a backup power supply and have better peripherals, better cooling, quietness, repairability, etc...

Be serious.
mmk92 wrote
AvoK95 wroteIf you're willing to use it for gaming. Please don't waste your money and get a decent desktop.
That's a stupid thing to say,
That is basically smarter than anything you said this entire thread my good sir.

As the peeps before me clearly stated, comparing desktops to laptops is not fair, and on many levels. If you want gaming then get a desktop. If mobility is a must then laptop .. Not that much of a dilemma
@TPR0 lets say I want to build a similar desktop with similar specs to the dell that i mentioned above, it will cost me around 650-700$ to build this is before buying a decent full hd display(around 250$) + keyboard and mouse(40$) + the UPS and battery(150$) this is atleast 1100$ of total cost and even then you would have no portability and would take up space which would otherwise be used for work

@reppinhighz great right up bro!! I really appreciate it, and i mean 7670 not 7760 sorry about the typo :P, that lonovo sounds perfect for me hopefully it has a FHD screen then im all set!!

@AvoK95 I never mentioned that I wanted a desktop and I am certainly not going to buy a laptop with a GTX 580, chill
Spinneys has a nice offer of a Lenovo G series laptop with an i5 second gen 6GB of RAM 750GB HDD and 1GB GT610 GPU for only 499+VAT. If you're interested..
@yasamoka FOR THE LOVE OF GOD i am not looking for a desktop :P and regarding all the parts you mentioned try summing up all the parts you mentioned + a decent UPS/stabalizer and car battery that wouldn't mess up your system and ofcourse don't forget the VAT you will surpass the 1100$ mark easily, anyways I do not want a desktop, as I mentioned twice before it is space consuming and not portable.

@khaled there is no deleima :P I never stated that I wanted a desktop nor that I'm looking for a PC for gaming
HP G6-2080/1/2 Intel Core i7-3612QM 6GB Ram 640GB HDD DVDRW 15.6" LED LAN, WIFI HD7670M 1GB Bluetooth/Cam/Windows 7 Basic 64-bit $849.00*

HP G6-2209/29/30 Intel Core i7-3632 6GB Ram 750GB HDD DVDRW 15.6" LED LAN, WIFI VGA 2GB (Most probably GT640) Bluetooth/Cam/Windows 8 $888.00*

Toshiba Satellite C850-B635 Intel Corei7-3610QM 4GB Ram 500GB HDD DVDRW 15.6" LED LAN, WIFI/BT HD7610M 1GB
up to 4.8GB Cam/Windows 8 64-bit $869.00**

Toshiba Satellite L850-B433 Intel Corei7-3630QM 6GB Ram 640GB HDD DVDRW 15.6" LED LAN, WIFI/BT HD7670M 1GB
up to 4.8GB Cam/Windows 8 64-bit $1069.00**


Samsung NP300V5Z Black Intel Core i7-2670M 4GB Ram 750GB HDD DVDRW 15.6" LED LAN, WIFI/BT 1GB VGA Cam/ DOS $792.00

Prices above are all from pcandparts.com/notebook.htm and VAT needs to be added


Here are a few I found at MM2

http://m2.com.lb/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1942&CategoryID=4&BrandID=85
http://m2.com.lb/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=2082&CategoryID=4&BrandID=85
http://m2.com.lb/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1963&CategoryID=4&BrandID=85
http://m2.com.lb/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=2055&CategoryID=4&BrandID=93


I suggest you get the Lenovo because it's formally the all known brand IBM. Not to mention they are a lot more reliable and you'd be a lot more satisfied by it.
I understand you're looking for portability, but the idea that having to buy desktop peripherals and a UPS / stabilizer and the PC itself (which will be much more powerful) will turn out more expensive than the laptop is a joke, especially that you have so much more choice on the desktop where even the cheapest choices kill laptop peripherals in general.

I won't add the prices now, I'll provide you later.

A laptop is all about portability and space. You're not getting additional advantages over a desktop. If it's portability you want, you're sacrificing other stuff. There's no doubt about that.