Buying a new laptop...

[Doomsday]

I own a Dell laptop and a IBM (Lenovo) Thinkpad. By far the Thinkpad is the best one unless you plan on playing 3D games on it.

Dell looks like they have Vostros laptops on sale for $599 and up. Of course, if you know how to deal with Dell, you can kick the crap out of their website price.

Go for the bigger battery. It's worth it.

The Lenovos are well made but they are also 3 times the price, it better be hands down the better machine.

 

[PullMyFinger]

Its ok. Id go with AMD before I went with Intel though.

 

[PullMyFinger]

I knew there was a reason I don't like HP desktops.....now I know why :laugh2:

OUCH


BOB = pwnd!!!!

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

HP Pavilion dv7t - $763.15

– Espresso Black
– Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
– Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)
– FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
– FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
– 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4530
– 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
– LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
– [For BrightView Infinity Display] Webcam Only
– Wireless-G Card with Bluetooth
– No TV Tuner w/remote control
– HP Color Matching Keyboard
– 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
– No Modem
– Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

Sound like a good deal?

Because you are asking. I would HIGHLY recommend a SONY VAIO. You can get a GREAT one for a great deal if you shop around.


Take it from someone who has had them all. Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, HP. Sony is head and shoulders above them all... and here is the kicker, you cant cook an egg on the bottom of a Sony Vaio.

 

[jimmy40]

– 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
– 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

Can add these two for the final price of $871.40

Worth it?

I got a Toshiba 15" from Best Buy with 4GB Memory and a bunch of other crap I don't understand for $429.99. Hope that helps.

 

[Kangaroo]

I am waiting until October when Windows 7 is out so I can go a more streamline resource friendly OS and yes I will be going 64bit

 

[Hoofbite]

Anything but a Dell.

I swear, if I ever see Michael Dell I am probably going to go to jail.

 

[Kangaroo]

It all depends on the type of laptop you buy. I will not buy a laptop that you can not upgrade the graphics card in for a reason.

This is the hidden thing with laptops and performance. If you by an intergrated video card laptop one that does not have the ability to upgrade then it has shared video memory vs discrete video memory.

That means it has to take ram and cpu cycles to run the Video the more high intense the Video the worse the performance.

Also note if you get a desktop or a laptop with a Video card that has lets say 512mb of Video Ram dedicated and you add 4gb of ram and you do not use 64 bit OS you just wasted money because of the 4gb limit of ram with Windows. While your Video Card counts

 

[burmafrd]

It all depends on what you want to use if for. You first have to figure that out before you buy. If you are heavy into games and graphics and movies and such then you have to put a lot more into your memory, sound and video areas. If you are not, then its all about regular memory and your hard drive and wifi. Always get the fastest processor that rates out the quickest (some supposedly fast processors are not that fast when tested). AMD is always cheaper and usually just as good as INTEL.
I got a Toshiba Satelite a year ago and have been very pleased with it. I do not go into games and graphics that much.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The Lenovos are well made but they are also 3 times the price, it better be hands down the better machine.

I paid $650 for my from Newegg.com

 

[Warick]

Speaking of laptops, has anyone here ever used a netbook? Any opinions on them?

I was reading up on the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, and it looks like something that would be cool to have for out of town trips, riding the train to work, etc.. It supposed to have 8-9 hours of battery life, and is very portable. I've also read where people have upgraded the ram, run multiple OS, including Windows 7, and able to run their other apps.

http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Netbo...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244219290&sr=8-1

 

[Kangaroo]

Speaking of laptops, has anyone here ever used a netbook? Any opinions on them?

I was reading up on the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, and it looks like something that would be cool to have for out of town trips, riding the train to work, etc.. It supposed to have 8-9 hours of battery life, and is very portable. I've also read where people have upgraded the ram, run multiple OS, including Windows 7, and able to run their other apps.

http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Netbo...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244219290&sr=8-1

They are sort of a laptop but not

They are small and nice but limited must do not have dvd/cd drives unless you hook up an external one. The screen is small which can be good and bad depending on what you are doing. I know several people that have them and it is a love hate relationship for work (then again we are IT guys)

They love it on the bus and carrying it around great for doing there email remotely but sometimes they get fustrated when they have to dial in for work through citrix and stuff and a large screen would help in that case.

So they are great in a lot of ways but it depends again can you live with the shortcomings.

 

[Warick]

Well, I already have a Dell C640, which is nice, but it's kind of a pain to lug around, especially to work. The battery wont hold a charge for more than 15-20 minutes, so I end up having to plug in to an outlet.

I'm considering getting a netbook for something to mess around with on the train, at work, travel, home, etc. I'm not really worried about the lack of an optical drive (I have an external drive if needed), so thats not really a concern.. Besides, if I get bored with it, which I'm sure I will, I can hand it off to my niece who will be a senior this next school year.