Recommend a laptop computer! Bring me into the new millenium- better late than never

[LadybugEwa]

Of course this is a substantial purchase, so I need advice from my .org family I know there are many people here highly knowledgeable about the field.
Me on the other hand...
My old laptop is a Pentium 1 (try not to laugh ) made by Angel Computers (yeah, nobody's heard of them - not just you )
I'm back to school this September to finish my degree
I basically need something
- middle of the road in terms of price,
- lightweight,
- with some neat wireless/bluetooth capability (keep in mind I've never used either)
- I'd use it for school, watching dvd's, downloading music, etc.
I'll probably go with an IBM compatible but if any of you Mac fans would like to try and convince a total n00b why she should get one, be my guest
I really value your input. Thanks

[SMG]

I love my MacBook Pro, but for a first laptop I'd go for a regular white MacBook. They're super reliable, basically virus-free and come with almost all the software you'd ever need already installed.

Plus, 2 years down the road your computer is still worth about half of it's retail price, so they hold their value unlike IBM-compatibles.

[Fowvay]

I am going to lay down a couple of tiny guide lines and the rest is fairly open and I'm sure others will add more.

Most if not all laptops you are looking at will have Vista on them. This (I suppose) is a good thing because it means you will be on the current operating system that programs etc are geared for over the next few years.

However it is mad crazy hungry. So you want to make sure you have at bare absolute BARE mininum 1GB or RAM. I'd go with 2GB just to be safe.

The operating system will probably be a core 2 duo or some kind of duo set up unless you want an UMPC (ultra mobile pc). So for that you won't have to dig very hard to find. Since you would actually have to dig harder to find one with out it.

Next... HD speed. Keep it at 5400rpm and above. Some cheaper laptops have HD's that have 4200rpm HD's and that can severally slow things down.

Happy hunting and post up possibles here.

[GINA]

Originally Posted by SMG

I love my MacBook Pro, but for a first laptop I'd go for a regular white MacBook. They're super reliable, basically virus-free and come with almost all the software you'd ever need already installed.

Plus, 2 years down the road your computer is still worth about half of it's retail price, so they hold their value unlike IBM-compatibles.

I was about to say the exact same thing.

[Moviequill]

get something on sale, maybe a blowout price but a well known brand name... with XP Home installed... Vista is nothing more than XP with a new jacket and there is still lots wrong with it... take advantage of places changing their stock over and save the cash

[LadybugEwa]

If I went with a Mac, what about compatibility?
Would I be able to transfer files, songs, stuff like that?
And how's the learning curve?

[larryziegler]

If you go to the Dell small business side of the website
http://www.dell.com/content/products...tab=bundlestab
You can buy a Dell 15in Vostro with Windows XP on it. Aside from the friendly jabs at comparing Mac to PC units, arguably, the best mid cost laptops come from either Dell or Toshiba and can be had for 3 digit numbers. Personally, I'd stay away from Vista, as there are still many software programs that won't run on it. With Win XP, you can get away with 1gb memory, as opposed to the 2mb necessary for Vista. Stay away from anything with a Celeron processor if you want this thing to last. Any Intel Core Duo processor will work for you. We have 3 Dell laptops in our household or my business and they all work tremendously well, and with the exception of my 17in laptop that I use in my office, all were well under $1,000 and included 1 gb memory, 80 gb hard drive, R/W DVD drives, wireless, and more. Good luck with your purchase.

[LadybugEwa]

Originally Posted by larryziegler

If you go to the Dell small business side of the website
http://www.dell.com/content/products...tab=bundlestab
You can buy a Dell 15in Vostro with Windows XP on it. Aside from the friendly jabs at comparing Mac to PC units, arguably, the best mid cost laptops come from either Dell or Toshiba and can be had for 3 digit numbers. Personally, I'd stay away from Vista, as there are still many software programs that won't run on it. With Win XP, you can get away with 1gb memory, as opposed to the 2mb necessary for Vista. Stay away from anything with a Celeron processor if you want this thing to last. Any Intel Core Duo processor will work for you. We have 3 Dell laptops in our household or my business and they all work tremendously well, and with the exception of my 17in laptop that I use in my office, all were well under $1,000 and included 1 gb memory, 80 gb hard drive, R/W DVD drives, wireless, and more. Good luck with your purchase.

Thanks that's some meaty stuff. Aren't the Dells kind of large and heavy though? I got a bad back

[larryziegler]

Originally Posted by LadybugEwa

Thanks that's some meaty stuff. Aren't the Dells kind of large and heavy though? I got a bad back

The larger they are, the heavier they are. They aren't any heavier than anything else, but a 15 in laptop is about a pound heavier than a 14 in and weighs approx 6.33 lbs. If you are going to tote it around, whatever you buy, should be protected by a good quality laptop bag or backpack (I prefer the backpack myself and so does my wife and daughter).

[kaiimac]

If you do go mac, don't forget you get a $100 student discount, a free iPod, and a free printer.

[LadybugEwa]

Originally Posted by kaiimac

If you do go mac, don't forget you get a $100 student discount, a free iPod, and a free printer.

I'm in Canada though...

[LadybugEwa]

Originally Posted by larryziegler

The larger they are, the heavier they are. They aren't any heavier than anything else, but a 15 in laptop is about a pound heavier than a 14 in and weighs approx 6.33 lbs. If you are going to tote it around, whatever you buy, should be protected by a good quality laptop bag or backpack (I prefer the backpack myself and so does my wife and daughter).

So far, the Dell XPS M1330 looks good...

[Lmhansen]

HP Compaq NC2400.

Lightweight laptop, HP Business-class quality.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...1-3369461.html

If I were buying today, that's what I would get. Look and see if you can get one refurbished...

edit: I see the XPS M1330 and the HP 2400 are about the same price. However, the Dell is slightly "more" laptop. (Bigger, faster harddrive, double memory, slightly faster CPU). On the downside, this all affect battery life. I'd take HP quality over Dell any day of the week.

[larryziegler]

Originally Posted by Lmhansen

HP Compaq NC2400.

Lightweight laptop, HP Business-class quality.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...1-3369461.html

If I were buying today, that's what I would get. Look and see if you can get one refurbished...

edit: I see the XPS M1330 and the HP 2400 are about the same price. However, the Dell is slightly "more" laptop. (Bigger, faster harddrive, double memory, slightly faster CPU). On the downside, this all affect battery life. I'd take HP quality over Dell any day of the week.

The M1330 is my next laptop! But didn't you mean, you'd take Dell quality over HP quality any day of the week? (As I mentioned earlier, the laptop experts put Toshiba and Dell at the top of the PC laptop pyramid....HP in the middle...and Compaq anchoring them all). Gotta give you a hard time, as when it's your money, you can spend it any way you want.

[LadybugEwa]

Originally Posted by larryziegler

The M1330 is my next laptop!

What are your reasons? I'm just following the good reviews for now.

[Gruven_98]

I'll toss in my .02 on this topic since there's always a debate about it. I've been a PC guy all my life, but I can honestly say that MACs are awesome from graphics and that's all that I'll say about that.

There's lots of good laptops out on the market today, but if I'm spending your cash, I would go with either a Dell or Toshiba. But then again, it all depends on what ya want. You want a business powerhorse, or a media powerhorse? Or do you want the best of both worlds?

I always tell people to start off with the laptop reviews on CNET.com. They usually have good write-ups as well as user opinions.

But if money was no object, then I would shop at alienware.

Good luck in your search and if there's anything else, just ask away.

[LadybugEwa]

Yes, the CNET reviews are good as a starting point.
I'm not a business person, but I might use this for work down the road. At first I'll use it for school this year. For now, I suppose the media capability is more important to me. I like a nice fast processor too, because I frequently have many different windows open at once.

[Lmhansen]

Originally Posted by larryziegler

The M1330 is my next laptop! But didn't you mean, you'd take Dell quality over HP quality any day of the week? (As I mentioned earlier, the laptop experts put Toshiba and Dell at the top of the PC laptop pyramid....HP in the middle...and Compaq anchoring them all). Gotta give you a hard time, as when it's your money, you can spend it any way you want.

HP has two lines of laptops: Consumer and Business. The NC2400 is Business class, and like all their other business products, HP dishes out the good stuff.

I don't know why Dell is showing on the top of anything... Their laptops are built by the "lowest bidder", which means the parts used this week are not the parts used next week, so you don't really know whats in there ...

[lojasmo]

You can run windows on the new mac, if that floats your boat.

[Fowvay]

I have an HP laptop (my third) and I am extremely happy with them in general. While the compaqs are the same computers... it appears that HP puts more money into the HP version. With better feeling keyboards, less flexing in the chassis... etc.

Been happy and love em.