Well, as you may have guessed, I'm in or soon will be in the market for a new laptop. High school ends soon and I'll be returning this current one I have. (Fujistu Lifebook - not my choice; the one the school required me to lease) I'll be looking to buy a new one sometime before I head off to college in August. That's where you guys come in, I'm open to all suggestions.
I'll probably be staying away from Macs for the time being. I've been comfortable using them in the past, but I'm so familiar with the other type that I'd rather stick with it. The price tag also turns me off at this point. Maybe in the future.
I'm just looking to be able to use mostly basic computer functions, with the capability to later use business related programs, as that is what I plan on studying (so I think at the moment ). So, the basic Microsoft suite, plus any other ideas you guys could throw out at me. Right now, most of the stuff I use the computer for is the internet. Firefox, gmail, AIM, etc. I use Word for school and Excel for some things, Adobe Acrobat for .pdfs, etc. Nothing crazy.
I'm pretty computer proficient when it comes to working with and using a computer, it's the specs that I really don't know that much about. Stuff like processor speed, how big of a hard drive, RAM, etc. I'm not sure what kind of specs I should be looking for.
I'm just starting to look and so far have really only checked out Dells, because either I could get a student discount, my dad could get a government discount, or my mom could get an educator discount
Any suggestions or ideas that you guys throw out would be awesome!
Thanks!
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"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
Kevin, I just order a new one from Dell (I love Dell - great deals for home/class use).
For about $1200, I got a laptop with Vista, 1.83 GHz core duo 2 processor, 3 GB memory, 320 GB hard drive, MS Office 2007, wireless N card, Roxio DVD burner software... great setup, great price. You can still find XP systems from dell too (oh, it's a 15.4", FYI).
I decided to make the jump to Vista despite many telling me not to. The system comes in sometime this week, so I'll let you know how I like it once it comes in.
If you do go Vista, you need at least 2GB memory (3 would be better). The OS is very graphics intensive and needs at least that much (and dual processor is ideal too). Macs are way overpriced and difficult to learn - I didn't want to go that route either.
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If you are doing typical business, then you don't need a high end-graphics device. All modern GPUs will drive Excel's charting system.
Most notebooks will also be fine for the math work involved in business.
You'll want to look at the extra-curricular stuff (music, video, etc). If you intend to store MP3s or Apple's M4As, and/or video, you'll need a large HD. I mean big! Consider something well into the triple digit.
Games are huge space hogs as well.
What do you want to have priority for determining the sound card? Games or music? Video: games or streaming? Games fall into a class that can undermine music and/or streaming video.
When I built my PC, I decided to give music priority over games when it came to sound, but games over streaming video for GPU. I do not regret my choice. The sound is good in the games, but it really shines for music.
RAM: Get the most you can afford, but you'll want 1G minimum.
CPU: I'm biased. I had a bad experience with AMD about 6-7 years ago and have never considered them since, so my assistance will be specific to Intel...
Get a large L2 Cache. Intel makes a 2.4Ghz C2D with a 3M L2. I suspect that thing rocks, but it's about $40 more than their mainstream. Overkill? Probably, so a 2M shared L2 would probably serve your needs. Try to get a good speed, so 2.4Ghz if you can afford it, 2.1 for the budget minded.
I still have my Dell inspiron 8100 from years ago. I still use it but I did not skimp on it either. It went with as much top-end equipment as I could afford.
A MacBook at $999 sucks. It has no programs, it's only 14" - total piece of shit. An expensive, fancy looking paperweight.
That's the main reason I was shying away from Macs. On their site, they start at $1099 for a 13" MacBook with virtually nothing.
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
I don't play any serious computer games, so the preference definitely goes to music.
So, some basic stuff to look for:
Hard Drive: 120+ GB minimum
CPU: Intel (Centro vs. Pentium vs. Pentium Dual Core vs. Core 2 duo?) 2.1Ghz min, 2.4 ideal. 2M L2 min, 3M L2 ideal
RAM: 1 gig mimimum
video card: ?
sound card: ?
wireless card: ?
Anything I should avoid buying straight from the company that I could instead buy somewhere else cheaper (RAM?)?
Along those lines, any ways to cut costs for things that I wouldn't need? Keeping in mind that I'm not looking to play computer games, or do crazy things with the computer, just write papers, do research, surf the web, iTunes for music, some business applications, etc.
Thanks guys!
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
A Macbook Pro is simply the best laptop you can buy for any money, hands down. Look on their refurb site for some great deals.
That said, I bought my wife a Dell for Christmas for under $700, including tax and shipping. AMD Athlon X2 64, Win XP, and 1gb ram. I bought 2gb ram from Crucial.com for half of what Dell wanted for the upgrade, and it takes a screwdriver and 2 minutes to upgrade it yourself. Nothing wrong with Vista, I'm using a vista vm on my sled xen pc right now, but my wife was more comfortable with xp.
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin, 1759
A MacBook at $999 sucks. It has no programs, it's only 14" - total piece of shit. An expensive, fancy looking paperweight.
the grain of salt has been applied.
It's a widescreen. Mine is perfect. And it's a laptop. Who wants something that won't fit in your backpack?
It's got the hard drive that Kevin wants, comparable speed, and it comes with nothing, that's the beauty of it. No needless shit from Dell or HP to weigh it down. If he was to get a Mac, I'd offer to send him a copy of Office for free. Sure, it's 2004, but 2007 sucks ass.
The mac fits his needs, and you don't have to deal with Windows Vista. That OS is a total piece of shit.
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Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sax machine.
I don't play any serious computer games, so the preference definitely goes to music.
So, some basic stuff to look for:
Hard Drive: 120+ GB minimum
CPU: Intel (Centro vs. Pentium vs. Pentium Dual Core vs. Core 2 duo?) 2.1Ghz min, 2.4 ideal. 2M L2 min, 3M L2 ideal
RAM: 1 gig mimimum
video card: ?
sound card: ?
wireless card: ?
Keep in mind, buying a laptop is nothing like buying/building a PC. Usually, the peripheral circuitry is limited. You might have 2-3 choices for sound card, 1-2 for video (especially for off-the-shelf models), etc.
Anything I should avoid buying straight from the company that I could instead buy somewhere else cheaper (RAM?)?
For ram specifically, go to Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com. You can select your make and model and get the right memory every tiime. Or you can wait until you have the new laptop and use the "scan my pc" option, it will tell you what you have and what upgrade options are available. They run about half of what Dell and HP charge for memory upgrades, and I've never had an issue with their memory upgrades.
__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin, 1759
Anything I should avoid buying straight from the company that I could instead buy somewhere else cheaper (RAM?)?
Always. You almost always want to buy your own RAM, unless you're my MIL who can barely plug a computer in or turn it on.
I think you're hugely mistaken about ibooks, personally.. or now mac books I guess. education discounts, often in the fall they also have promos to get yerself an ipod as well, no prob. The basic mac has a lot on it perfectly usable, and officemac is something like 100ed i think still. Hell, TextEdit writes papers just fine, without the startup and pain in the ass of word. but, whatever. people think what they want to think, and that's that.
Anyway, places like crucial.com or whatnot are the kinds of places to look for RAM. I've never seen it worth buying from the place you're getting the machine from.
At this point, if you don't think you need a beefy machine, get whatever you find cheapest. Why worry about anything if all you're gonna do is websurf and write papers? If you're not gonna use it for anything flashy in the next 2 years, pfft. Usually 2 years is the life of a laptop in my view. You can keep it longer, usually needs a new battery though, but the new stuff coming out is usually way better, easier, faster, flashier, less crashy, better runs the crap os MS puts out, etc.
Well then, I reckon Mac reenters the equation if student promos can help keep the costs low or comparable.
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
Since he said he did not want a mac, I will not try an 'force one on him, (that being said there is a also a student discount ).
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja
And it's a laptop. Who wants something that won't fit in your backpack?
Agree with you there. But many people do not really carry their laptop.
Look at the battery life on the cheap laptops and you will see where dell, etc are saving money
anyone who really carries their laptop, would really think hard about a bigger one.
I have been carrying , (and I mean every single week day) a mac for about 13 years, starting with the powerbook 180c and now I use a powermac black. with the 13' widescreen. (this is my first non "high end" powerbook. I have always chosen the smallest screen possible- my last was the 12' powerbook (instead of the 15" or unbelievable 17" - who would actually consider carrying a 17" around)
13' wide is a great size
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja
copy of Office for free. Sure, it's 2004, but 2007 sucks ass.
But 2008 for the mac is pretty good. Stable, fast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja
The mac fits his needs, and you don't have to deal with Windows Vista. That OS is a total piece of shit.
no truer words....
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Peter
After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend
dude... RAM is SO cheap from Dell, there's NO REASON not to buy it with the computer. I jumped from 1GB to 3GB for about $20, and didn't have to fuck around with installation. If you do go with Vista, 2GB is the MINIMUM you want to run that fucker. And like I said, if you're big on music, the 320 GB harddrive cannot be beat. Awesome package for under $1200 bucks, with office for school stuff, great burning software to make DVD's, picture cd's and all that fun stuff. For another $100 you could add a great sound card, but I just use the comp to HOLD my music, that then gets moved onto my iPod (which is later plugged into my sound system at home.
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I have a Dell latitude D820 which I would not recommend. Dell is great, but this model has an internal problem....you will be typing and not looking where your cursor is, thinking it is going along as it should. Then you look up at the screen only to see that the cursor had jump up into the document somewheres and everything you have been typing is now inserted into text you had previously typed. You then need to delete, and clean up your typing, then go back to the end of where you were and start in again. It has happened twice in the typing of this message. Computer folks have no idea why this happens. It is an internal problem with the latitude D820. Buy a different model of Dell.
__________________ "I'm growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. So let the winds of change blow over my head. I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead."
I have a dell latitude d620 that work gave us, and it's crashed 3 times in the year I've had it and I now have to add more memory to it. My parents bought an HP laptop for my mom's new kitchen and it has vista and it too crashed the FIRST time they were really playing with it. It takes FOREVER to boot up and power down - my Mom doesn't use the computer for much, but isn't thrilled with it at all. I hate borrowing it as well.
dude... RAM is SO cheap from Dell, there's NO REASON not to buy it with the computer. I jumped from 1GB to 3GB for about $20, and didn't have to fuck around with installation.
Dell is, and has been for some time now, charging $50/gig. You may have hit one of their special one day deals, but they made up for it somewhere else.
Crucial right now is at $30/gig, but to upgrade a laptop to 2gb you'd be better off getting the upgrade direct from Dell. Beyond that Crucial is going to be cheaper. The hardest part of the memory upgrade is turning the screwdriver to take the access panel off.
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin, 1759
one thing I highly recommend is that you see in person and hold whatever you're thinking about buying. some are potentially way too big and clunky, another might be too tiny for you.
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
I have both a Dell w/ Vista and a MacBook. I bought my MacBook in 2002, so it's 6 years old, and it is still a far superior computer, and my Dell is 6 months old. My favorite thing about Macs is that, sure they are a bit more expensive up front, but you'll have it for 5 years MINIMUM if you take decent care of it, and don't have the itch to buy the newest, shiniest thing.
That said, the Dell is good for what I use it for, but if you are getting it directly from Dell, be prepared to dump about 20% of the pre-loaded programs they put on there, especially with Vista. I'd ditch Google Desktop first, that thing is a resource HOG!!!
Good luck man!
E
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"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
As Macs continue to look better and better, couple questions for all you Mac users.
How's the battery life? As in, how long does the battery last, both per charge and lifetime?
What kinda stuff should I look for in it?
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
It comes with ILife, so you've got your photos, music and video all right there. Other than that, I haven't had any issues with software that I can't just go download.
(it doesn't work with a Dell printer. But that's the only glitch I have encountered.)
__________________
Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sax machine.
I love how there have been no good reasons to buy a dell.
I hated my Inspiron. Big, clunky, and crashed when I needed it the most.
No good reasons?
- Great price
- Powerful system for that great price
- Works for me everytime (4.5 years now, with no issues)
- Quick turnaround
- Great size, great asthetic
Need anymore?
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my ibook now, which is 2-1/2 years old has about an hour of battery life with rather decent usage... big programs, websurfing, etc. In the beginning it was about 3 hours.
I hear that if the battery is fully charged and you use it plugged in, it'd be a good idea to take out the battery, as the extra heat deteriorates battery life. Prolly what has happened to mine, as I tended to leave it plugged and use it, where Otto tends to unplug and has longer battery life. That's likely true for all computers if it's true for any.
I always tell the story of how mine crashes, because people have this idea that a mac never crashes. Sure it does. However, if it happens and it's not just a fluke, the support people actually think it's a problem and want to fix it for you, rather than think you should just reinstall or that all machines crash. I can count on my hand the number of times I've had a mac other than my iBook crash without it being because of someone else's software (there's a few that often seem to tickle something.) Mine will be fixed soon, I just couldn't take it in to get it fixed in the middle of a semester when I had crap to do on mine. I appreciate the fact that someone wants to fix the problem, not blame someone else or think it's somehow supposed to be that way.
Laptops
). So, the basic Microsoft suite, plus any other ideas you guys could throw out at me. Right now, most of the stuff I use the computer for is the internet. Firefox, gmail, AIM, etc. I use Word for school and Excel for some things, Adobe Acrobat for .pdfs, etc. Nothing crazy.
"I'm growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. So let the winds of change blow over my head. I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead."
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