Want new laptop

[ntexasdude]

I have never owned a laptop but now I think I want one. I have used a company issued laptops in the past but don't have one currently since I don't travel anymore. I've pretty much always been a desktop guy.

I want one for the wife and kids. I have a home built powerhouse multimedia desktop that does everything and a 3 mbps dsl connection. But it's just one computer. We find ourselves fighting and arguing over keyboard time. I'd like to add a laptop, set it up for wireless and share the dsl. The kids actually need it for school nowadays.

I know there are a lot of choices - Gateway, Toshiba, Dell, Compac, HP and so on.
I'd like to get some opinions on a machine in the $1000 or less range.

[Mikey]

I have never owned a laptop but now I think I want one. I have used a company issued laptops in the past but don't have one currently since I don't travel anymore. I've pretty much always been a desktop guy.

I want one for the wife and kids. I have a home built powerhouse multimedia desktop that does everything and a 3 mbps dsl connection. But it's just one computer. We find ourselves fighting and arguing over keyboard time. I'd like to add a laptop, set it up for wireless and share the dsl. The kids actually need it for school nowadays.

I know there are a lot of choices - Gateway, Toshiba, Dell, Compac, HP and so on.
I'd like to get some opinions on a machine in the $1000 or less range.Check www.ubid.com , there's always lots of mfg. refurb Sony, Dell, Gateway, HP laptops. I got a highend HP laptop for my daughter last Christmas, right around $1K.

[Geronimo]

I echo the ubid recommendation. Read the specs carefully, but they do have some bargains. the prices will also vary widely. I bought my son a Gateway 2.66 Ghz machine with 512 mb of memory and a 60 GB HD. (also had a CDRW/DVD combo drive0 for $649.

I wound up buying a machine with 256 mb of memory and a 40 Gb hard drive for $400 a month later. After spending $50 for memory I was still way ahead of the game.

Having said that I saw a laptop identical to my son's go for $800. It is all timing.

with Dell watch the specails for awhile. One period it isa free emmory upgrade, the nexta free printer. I do know that they have some excellent corporate discount programs you may want to see if you qualify.

[Neil Derryberry]

Thinkpads are absolutely bulletproof laptops.. even the lenovo boxes. You can get a decent T series in your price range via ebay.

[Cholly]

Dell, Toshiba or Thinkpad. Best reliability, generally good features at a reasonable price. I have an HP that I got at a great price, but if I were buying today, I'd look at those three first.

[ntexasdude]

Thanks Charlie and Neil. That's what I was looking for - specific brand recommendations based on personal experience. I'm familiar with ubid and eBay and all the places to buy them. I've not heard good things about Toshiba or Acers. What about a Sony VAIO?

[SimpleSimon]

Stay as far away from HP & Compaq as possible. We've had great success with Toshiba & Acer.

[Geronimo]

Sonys are good but they tend to be expensive. However if you finda deal dor soem reason it may be the way to go.

[SPECIES11703]

I work in a computer store. The only Laptops I would recommend are Toshiba.
Hp and Compaq have too many problems so don't consider them. Going back to Toshiba, the quality of the product is excellent and their support is good. .
Also one thing to consider is Dell, but if you decide to upgrade any internal components, ie hard Drive or memory. You must purchase them from Dell only. Dell has a reputation for putting proprietary memory and hard drives in their computers so any off brands will not work.

I have never owned a laptop but now I think I want one. I have used a company issued laptops in the past but don't have one currently since I don't travel anymore. I've pretty much always been a desktop guy.

I want one for the wife and kids. I have a home built powerhouse multimedia desktop that does everything and a 3 mbps dsl connection. But it's just one computer. We find ourselves fighting and arguing over keyboard time. I'd like to add a laptop, set it up for wireless and share the dsl. The kids actually need it for school nowadays.

I know there are a lot of choices - Gateway, Toshiba, Dell, Compac, HP and so on.
I'd like to get some opinions on a machine in the $1000 or less range.

[mwgiii]

We have always had good luck with WinBook. http://www.winbook.com/ Their web specials are sometimes pretty good.

[JM Anthony]

If it were me, I'd get a Dell 600M. I've got 3 of them and they have been very trouble free. Come with 802.11 b/g built in with nothing hanging out. You can get a decent config. at less than a grand. In our case, we have kids so we popped for the extra $120 to cover replacement if it's dropped, coke spilled on it whatever.

Good luck!

John

[n8dagr8]

How about a good place to get a replacement battery and fan for a Dell Inspiron 7500?

[Bogy]

I've had two Toshibas, and although I asked my question about opinions on leaving the ac plugged in with the battery, I have been very pleased with them.

I would second what JM Anthony said about an extended warranty. Especially if your kids are going to be using it. I can fix anything in a desktop, but digging around in a laptop is a whole different story. Unless it is just going to sit on a desk, (and then you might as well get a desktop), mobile means the opportunity for something bad to happen. I don't get extended warranties on much, but this is one item where I think it is justified.

[olgeezer]

Get another Toshiba or better yet an Apple or if you're really brave, grow bamboo and leave that 20th century technology behind.

[Mikey]

Well, my Sony was in it's bag in the closet when a drunk driver ran his truck through my bedroom two years ago. The truck ran right over the bag, broke a water line, and flooded the room. I got to it a couple hours later, after the police pulled the truck away. The Sony laptop never skipped a beat, and works to this day.

[bobsupra]

Get another Toshiba or better yet an Apple or if you're really brave, grow bamboo and leave that 20th century technology behind.

You mean I can toss my abacus and slide rule? Did anyone keep their slide rule?

[Geronimo]

Well, my Sony was in it's bag in the closet when a drunk driver ran his truck through my bedroom two years ago. The truck ran right over the bag, broke a water line, and flooded the room. I got to it a couple hours later, after the police pulled the truck away. The Sony laptop never skipped a beat, and works to this day.


Is your real name John Cameron Swayze?

[Mikey]

Is your real name John Cameron Swayze?How many guys here do you think will get that reference? Actually, it's Mike Nelson. :lol:

[bobsupra]

I got it, and it keeps on ticking.

[ntexasdude]

You mean I can toss my abacus and slide rule? Did anyone keep their slide rule?
Actually yes. When my engineering class graduated college the department chairman gave them out as a joke. Do I know how to use it? No!

[ntexasdude]

So it seems everybody has had pretty good luck with whatever brand they have. There are no obvious dogs in the ones mentioned except HP and Compac.

I suppose it comes down to features, price and extended warranties. I want one with 802.11 b/g. Being able to connect at a rest stop or in an airport would really cool. I don't need a dual layer dvd and all that although at least a dvd rom would be nice. We would mainly use it for surfing, homework and solitare. :D

[Bogy]

I got it, and it keeps on ticking.
Takes a licking, keeps on ticking.

[Nick]

Well, I unintentionally dropped my Compaq on the hard quarry-tile floor at a local McDonalds. It was in sleep mode at the moment of impact. When I picked it up, it was awake and connecting.

Damn good computer & cheap -- $599 after MIR @ CC 15 months ago. I added 256mB memory to make it do wheelies, and an 802.11g PCMCIA plus Sierra Air card for backup.

[SimpleSimon]

... Did anyone keep their slide rule?Yes. And I DO know how to use it. :)

[AllieVi]

My main computer is a Dell 8600 (about 1.5 years old) and the other is a Dell 7500 (bought in 2000). Both have worked flawlessly, but I use them primarily as desktops.

Whatever computer you buy, make sure it's configured the way you want from the start. Upgrading/reconfiguring notebooks is generally more expensive than desktops.


... Did anyone keep their slide rule?Yes - I'm planning to mount mine in a display case! :)

[DonLandis]

I still have my K&E sliderule but I graduated to the circular variety that fits in your shirt pocket (protector and has an insert with hundreds of conversion factors). It was in 1972, I recall that I bought serial number 00007 of the HP35 calculator. It came in the first shipment to Princeton. I was the only non-student in the line to get one. I sold it but bought the HP45 which I still have.
Texas Instruments also sold a nice calculator but it used the standard math format most calculators use today. The HP series introduced the RPN logic math that uses an internal rotating memory stack making calculations in an equation much easier than with a "memory" The HP45 had an additional 10 memory slots as well as the auto 4 memory stack.

In case any of you don't know what RPN is. It stands for Reverse Polish Notation. The main advantage is that it saves you having to hit an = key. In fact = doesn't exist on an RPN calculator.

So much for nostalgia, memory lane.

[ntexasdude]

Back in 1981 in some of my first engineering classes we used a TI-59C. IIRC it had a magnetic card you slid into the calculator that loaded various programs. I now use a TI-85 graphing calculator with calculus functions. I think it's more powerful than my first PC. :D

[BobaBird]

I've been shopping fairly intensively for the past several weeks and still don't know what I want. I had a very good deal on a Dell, had it in my cart, but waited a few days to pull the trigger and the offer had ended :icon_cry: Dell doesn't post expiration dates until the final day.

So I'm back to square one. My use will be as a second computer at home and occasional travel for keeping up with web sites and watching DVDs.
Questions:
- Do I want a Pentium 4, Pentium M, or Turion? I've already decided against the wannabe Celeron and Sempron chips. One salesman told me to double the speed of a P-M to compare its performance to a P4.
- Will any of the current chips work with the future 64-bit OS?
- Does PVR in a notebook work? Am I better off with an external solution from Hauppage? I'm thinking adding a laptop would also be a way to add a TV to my own bedroom (running out of room) plus some of the people I may visit have only 1 TV. Any built-in choices other than Dell, Toshiba Qosmio, and Alienware?
- Will the PVR models also do video capture from comosite or S-video sources?
- Is a 64MB video card sufficient for a non-gamer?
- I'm dazzled by the high-res 17" WS models but do people find them to be too bulky? How about battery life?
- I don't mind small print but is a 15.4" screen big enough for WUSXGA or even WSXGA?
- Is 512MB enough RAM or should I take the wider availability of 1GB preconfigured systems as a sign that I splurge here?

OR... do I give up on the idea of PVR and watching DVDs and just get a high-end PDA with wi-fi and optional keyboard instead? :shrug:

[HD921]

HP Compaq is the # 1 selling laptop, they must be doing something right, I have 9 for business use, and not 1 problem with any of them, gee I guess when you sell more than anyone else you are going to hear a few more complaints.

[AllieVi]

Just my $.02 ...

- Do I want a Pentium 4, Pentium M, or Turion? I've already decided against the wannabe Celeron and Sempron chips. One salesman told me to double the speed of a P-M to compare its performance to a P4. P-M's run cooler - that's a big advantage in a notebook that has little air space inside for heat dissipation. The salesman is right - the speed numbers aren't comparable.

- Will any of the current chips work with the future 64-bit OS? Probably. I expect the OS to be backward compatible. You just won't get the 64-bit advantages.

- Does PVR in a notebook work? Am I better off with an external solution from Hauppage? I'm thinking adding a laptop would also be a way to add a TV to my own bedroom (running out of room) plus some of the people I may visit have only 1 TV. Any built-in choices other than Dell, Toshiba Qosmio, and Alienware? I'll leave this one for others...

- Will the PVR models also do video capture from comosite or S-video sources? Don't know.

- Is a 64MB video card sufficient for a non-gamer? It should be. Mine is 128MB, but others I've seen with 64MB don't seem any different.

- I'm dazzled by the high-res 17" WS models but do people find them to be too bulky? Mine is a 15.4". My brother has a 17", and in some ways I prefer the smaller screen. On a notebook, the screen is usually not far from your face. When I use my brother's machine, I don't perceive the larger screen to be an advantage. The machine is a bit bulkier, and that's a bit of a problem for some.

- How about battery life? Mine's almost always on AC - can't help here.

- I don't mind small print but is a 15.4" screen big enough for WUSXGA or even WSXGA? I've gotten used to the small print on my 15.4" WUXGA (1920x1200), even with my 61 year old eyes. Dumbing-down the resolution is an OS option, of course.

- Is 512MB enough RAM or should I take the wider availability of 1GB preconfigured systems as a sign that I splurge here? It really depends on how you'll use the machine, but I'd go for the extra memory. You should also consider how the memory is configured. My machine has two memory slots. Two 256MB modules gives 512MB, of course, but upgrading from that point means removing and throwing away one or both of them. I started with a single 512MB chip and an empty second slot. I later added another 512MB chip for a total of 1GB.

- OR... do I give up on the idea of PVR and watching DVDs and just get a high-end PDA with wi-fi and optional keyboard instead? :shrug: Your guess is as good as mine...

[Bogy]

- Do I want a Pentium 4, Pentium M, or Turion? I've already decided against the wannabe Celeron and Sempron chips. One salesman told me to double the speed of a P-M to compare its performance to a P4.
- Does PVR in a notebook work? Am I better off with an external solution from Hauppage? I'm thinking adding a laptop would also be a way to add a TV to my own bedroom (running out of room) plus some of the people I may visit have only 1 TV. Any built-in choices other than Dell, Toshiba Qosmio, and Alienware?
- Will the PVR models also do video capture from comosite or S-video sources?
- Is a 64MB video card sufficient for a non-gamer?
- I'm dazzled by the high-res 17" WS models but do people find them to be too bulky? How about battery life?
- I don't mind small print but is a 15.4" screen big enough for WUSXGA or even WSXGA?
- Is 512MB enough RAM or should I take the wider availability of 1GB preconfigured systems as a sign that I splurge here?

OR... do I give up on the idea of PVR and watching DVDs and just get a high-end PDA with wi-fi and optional keyboard instead? :shrug:
These are the questions I think I can say something about.
-I went with the PM. It runs cooler, uses less power, the power usage is scalable, and the numbers between PMs and P4s don't relate. I have a Qosmio F15 with the 1.8 PM, and skipping ahead to the question about whether a 64 meg video card is good enough, it played games faster than my P4 3.2 desktops when I was using the onboard memory, and almost as fast now that I have added 256 meg PCIe cards to the desktops.
-PVR in a notebook does work. At the moment the DVR in my notebook is the only one in the house. The guide is easy to use and very fast. You can also download pay per view movies for 24 hours. One of the things I have been experimenting with is that if your computers are networked you can access anything the Media Center computer has recorded and play it on any other computer.
-The Qosmio will capture from coax, composite, or S-video. I can't answer for other systems. It will also play back through these formats.
-I already addressed the card earlier, but particularly if you are not a gamer the 64MB video card should work just fine.
-I have the 15.4 screen, and find it large enough. I looked at the 17" version, but thought it was just too big to be mobile. I use the laptop in my car with a GPS and to do that I wouldn't go any bigger. If you don't already have a DVD player in your vehicle, with a DC adapter this is another handy use. (The converter is necessary, because any top end screen is probably going to be a memory hog.) In fact, if you hook up an analog antenna you can pick up local signals as you drive. I watched a Cardinals game this way a few weeks ago. (My wife was driving.) The OTA ability is also nice if you are anyplace without a cable connection.
-If you can get a good deal on the memory, get the gig. Otherwise, particularly if you are not going to be playing games, the 512MB will be fine. I agree with Allie that you want to make sure that the laptop has two slots for ram, and the 512MB is only taking up one of them. Memory is easy to add in laptops, often easier than desktops (about the ONLY thing that is easier to upgrade in laptops) but you don't want to throw away two 256MB sticks to add two 512MB sticks.
-Unless price is the obstacle, I don't know why you would want to give up on PVR and watching DVDs. To go from comparing 15" and 17" screens to a PDA seems a little drastic. :lol:

[BobaBird]

Thank you AllieVi and Bogy. Like I told a co-worker, it's like I have a car and need to add a truck for hauling or a motorcycle for zipping around. I can see myself liking either but can only get one. The guy immediately tells me I need an ATV with a trailer. :lol: Maybe I could get both by giving up features on the laptop. Or maybe a tablet PC would fit the bill.

I thought as of a few years ago all chips were supposed to have a P number that could be used for comparison.

I'll have to dig up the GPS thread from a few months back :read: because that's something I would like to have either on a laptop or with a PDA.

For those of you who already have a laptop, what would you do different the next time you shop?
What did you spend money on that turned out to be a waste?
What do you find yourself wishing you had gotten?

[Bogy]

I'm happy with what I got. I'm still learning new abilities the thing has. I can't think of anything I feel was a waste (except the first power inverter I got.)

[DonLandis]

For those of you who already have a laptop, what would you do different the next time you shop?
Thinner, lighter than my HP that I travel with.

What did you spend money on that turned out to be a waste? The built in zip drive, two laptops ago but I use and like everything in my current ones.

What do you find yourself wishing you had gotten? USB 2.0 but when I bought both my current ones they didn have USB2.0. I have to use the cards and they aren't as compatible as they should be.


Explanation- I found I needed two laptops because one is for travel while the other is for home use, mostly video editing out on the patio poolside. It is a brite wide screen that sucks battery power and is very big and heavy but fine for home use. The one I travel with is fine in the hotel room and even can manage some video editing when I need it.

Features I would never be without- 1394 port but that's just me.
DVD reader, Wireless internet, T-Mobile card and 802.11G built in.

[DonLandis]

"OR... do I give up on the idea of PVR and watching DVDs and just get a high-end PDA with wi-fi and optional keyboard instead? Your guess is as good as mine..."


A PDA is a luxury convenience for the traveler that wants an extension of the laptop while on the go. I could live without the PDA but not the laptop in my business travels. Consider the PDA as a "PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT" for quick information /communications at your finger tips while on the go. Once back at your hotel room or office, you would not want to use the PDA for such stuff as surf the internet, read and respond to e-mail, do a spreadsheet, type a letter, etc. The foldable keyboard is a PIA to cary along. But as a luxury, the PDA can do some things much better than a laptop. Things like being an MP-3 music keg, a video jukebox of prerecorded movies, a game machine, a cell phone, a GPS, an address book, a calculator, a quick reference google search of all knowledge for quick look-ups. I also have local weather radar live displays , cableless TV channels, CNBC and MSNBC, FOX, ESPN etc as well as prerecorded short programs. None of this stuff is easy to do on a laptop on the go but without the laptop, the PDA is basically useless as you need a laptop to base the PDA's daily operations. Consider it a satellite of your main computer base.

The main short coming of the PDA to replace the Laptop is the screen size first, and the lack of real speed and storage capacity second. Stick to what a PDA does best and you'll be happy with it.

[Nick]

My next laptop wish list: smaller screen (currently 15", size isn't everything). smaller, thinner form-factor, lighter, extra a/c adapter, 2nd battery JIC, docking station, carrying handle (Toughbook).

[AllieVi]

... what would you do different the next time you shop?

Not much, really. I went with Dell after a very good experience with a notebook I got from them in 2000. I liked the fact that almost everything about the machine can be specified when ordered (processor speed, memory, types/sizes of hard disks, peripherals, etc.).

What did you spend money on that turned out to be a waste?
I ordered an internal bluetooth card, not knowing what I might use it for. I still don't know.

What do you find yourself wishing you had gotten?

Mine was fully-loaded, so there isn't much extra to get. BTW, I didn't go for the fastest chip and don't regret the choice. The 1.6 GHz has turned out to be fast enough for everything I do, and it should run cooler than the faster models.

When I got my Inspiron 8600 almost 2 years ago, they only offered 2 USB ports. I wish I had more, and most of the newer machines do. I use a hub, of course, but that means the devices share a port and the throughput to each device suffers if more than one is in use (e.g., when transferring files between two external hard disks). The ports built into the machies all provide the full USB speed, so performance doesn't degrade.

[Bogy]

My laptop has 4 USB ports, 2 on the back, and one on each side. Handy, not only for the number, but also the locations. I can plug things in where they are handy, not where the port is. Also have a 1394, which makes it possible to run my camcorder straight into the laptop, bypassing tape.

My laptop also has bluetooth, although I have noticed while they have upgraded a few things on the current version, Toshiba has dropped bluetooth as a standard item. I didn't have a choice on it, and still hope to use it. However, until I upgrade my PDA or phone again I probably won't be using it. I currently have it disabled.

Centrino is great.