# Looking for a 17" (Windows) laptop... need opinions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212 "2008-03-29T23:31:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/41 "2008-04-01T12:00:09Z")
Not trying to be snarky but; serious graphics on a 17" monitor? You should be thinking 20"+. Recommend a Dell 20 or 24" monitor. A bit pricy but great color matching, brightness, contrast, accuracy. If you’re doing a remote presentation, plug in to a customer’s monitor/plasma set. Defraying the cost a bit; they are fine as a DVD / movie machine. I’ve got an analog satelite box, one external DVD player, computer, and home theater receiver feeding into the monitor and still have more inputs. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/42 "2008-04-01T17:43:18Z")
I have a 20" monitor on my desktop system. I’m looking for something portable here. I don’t know where you got the idea that this is my only computer. (Also, I said I changed my major _away_ from graphic design, so there won’t be any “giving presentations to customers” kind of thing, most likely. I will be using this to a small degree for the freelance graphics/web work that I do, but primarily using it for my own art, both for cleaning up/editing photos of my physical work like paintings, and for creating composite images to make paintings from, and for photo editing and other stuff that I do.) ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/43 "2008-07-07T19:07:41Z")
[QUOTE=smithsb] Recommend a Dell 20 or 24" monitor. A bit pricy but great color matching, brightness, contrast, accuracy. If you’re doing a remote presentation, plug in to a customer’s monitor/plasma set. [/QUOTE] Quibble, last I heard, Dell does not make monitors, they have them made by monitor manufacturer that applies Dell badging. Same with their printers (lexmark makes them IIRC) and motherboards (Elitegroup/ECS). ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/44 "2008-07-07T23:36:28Z")
I have an Asus 15" that I’m pretty happy with (although I run Linux), and they make [17-inchers](http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=23&l3=524) also. Asus is kinda weird, as they provide a platform for resale, and don’t sell their notebooks directly. If you’re interested, I’ll dig up the vendor I bought my laptop from. I’ve also heard good things in general about Lenovo laptops; it seems that their [IdeaPad Y710 series](http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=440039C4ABC8471E9F73457239FE529F) are 17-inchers (although I’ve never spoken with anyone who had one). I also just did some research for a colleague and came across two gamer sites: [Sager](http://www.sagernotebook.com/category.php) and [AlienWare](http://www.alienware.com/products/notebook-computers.aspx). Both have 17-inchers, but I’ve never dealt with nor knew anyone personally who bought from them. Not sure what your cost constraints are, but any of the above might be worth a gander… ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/45 "2008-07-08T01:51:43Z")
Appreciate it, but I already got something a couple of months ago 🙂 (Alienware is SPENSIVE! wowsers! Needless to say, didn’t get that.) ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/46 "2008-07-08T03:00:49Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Appreciate it, but I already got something a couple of months ago 🙂 [/QUOTE] :smack: I didn’t even _think_ to look at the thread date. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/47 "2008-07-08T03:54:28Z")
Heh, don’t worry about it. It happens all the time. I’m sure somebody will find the info useful! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212/48 "2008-07-08T04:21:58Z")
Locking thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-17-windows-laptop-need-opinions/443212.md?page=2)