OT: In the market for a new laptop

[mpoletti]

Ok, I need a new laptop for work. I am not very up to speed on all that is out there, so I need your help. I am not a gamer and I have heard mixed reviews on Vista. If you can give me some tips, that would be great.

I am not looking to spend thousands of dollars, but I still want one that is nice enough to last and possibly upgrade if needbe.

I have looked at Dell, sony, toshiba and hp. Any others? I was thinking an 80 gig harddrive would be fine, but do I need to go bigger? Please help this computere illiterate reefer as I know there are a lot of computer genius' on this board. Thanks again.

 

[bluenassarius]

go w/ a mac i messed up and got the damn vista. crap is slower than the 1ghz desktop

 

[bored4long]

If possible, I'd look for a laptop that came with XP Pro that included a free upgrade coupon for Vista. Vista will bog down the best of laptops...just not worth it IMO.

If you can specify what you plan to use the laptop for, it will be much easier to help you choose the right one.

I've owned one Dell laptop and one Toshiba laptop. I think Toshiba offers a lot of features for their pricing. Dell's pricing and customability makes them my first choice.

 

[jfred90]

1) Don't get a Mac.

2) Get plenty of RAM... I'd say 2 GB these days is a decent amount. 1 GB is the miniumum I recommend, but with Vista that's Microsoft's recommended miniumum as well. So do yourself the favor and get more now.

3) Dual-Core.... whether you go Intel or AMD, make sure its dual core. I'll oversimplify this, but basically, dual-core is like two processors in one. So it can give you a boost when multitasking or when using applications that are optimized to use both cores at once.

Also, the 80 GB HD you mentioned is fine for most people unless you plan to store a lot of music or video. I also like Dell's pricing and ability to custom build.

Regarding Vista, I've been recommending to people I know to get it. It's easier for most to get it now than to upgrade it in a year or two. Yes, it it's more resource intensive (but you got the dual-core and the 2 gigs of RAM), but you don't want to buy a new machine and already be behind, do you?

EDIT: I know you said you're not a gamer, and all this stuff probably sounds expensive, but you can get a decent dual-core machine w/ 2 GB RAM for a very decent price these days (depending on what other extras you opt for).

 

[shiveley]

Well, I've had great luck with my Dell. They seem to have some sort of statewide contract with all of the CSU's, so that's all we have for both desktop and laptop computers. Well, okay, a few oddballs have apples ...but for the most part Dell has all the colleges at the state level, and I've never had a problem with mine.

 

[Nu2SW]

Go with a PC and get your Firewalls, Virus scanners, Pop up blockers, Ad-aware removers and other security issues.

Go with a Mac and you dont have to worry about that.

I Use both computers, Ive been a PC person longer than a mac user. Ive been building customer PCs for 10 years now. Yeah they work, but they are full of flaws.

Apple is growing and growing fast. More people are switching now, then ever before.

With a Intel Apple, you could even install Windows XP on it if you need it.

But It depends on what you need the computer for.

If its standard word processing, email and internet a Macbook that is 1099 works great. Come with a 2 ghz intel core 2 duo (dual processor) 80 gig HD and 1 gig of ram.

UNLIKE VISTA, Our OS doesn't need insane amounts of Ram just to RUN the OS.


Do your self a favor and get a Mac. They got wold class customer service and have been #1 for the last 7 years.

You will thank me later on.

 

[jfred90]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887717#post10887717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nu2SW
Go with a Mac and you dont have to worry about that.

I disagree, but I don't want to hijack this thread. We could start another if you really want to discuss.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887717#post10887717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nu2SW
Apple is growing and growing fast. More people are switching now, then ever before.

This may be the case, but Apple still has only a very, VERY slim percentage of the home computing market. If you ever want to be able to have a good selection of software, stick with Windows. Otherwise, you'll have limited options and you'll likely have to order online.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887717#post10887717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nu2SW
But It depends on what you need the computer for.

Agreed. If there are any specific tasks he is likely to be doing regularly, knowing those might allow us to recommend something more specific.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887717#post10887717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nu2SW
Do your self a favor and get a Mac. They got wold class customer service and have been #1 for the last 7 years.

Again, for most people I dont recomment Mac's. I don't recommend them cuz most people dont know anything about them, most tech's arent familiar with it enough, and most peripherals and software are not designed for it.

A big part of it is the Chicken-and-the-egg syndrome. If more people had Mac's, more stuff would be avaliable. But, more stuff wont be avaliable until more people have them.

If the original poster decides to go the Mac route, that's fine... but I would just urge them to research the purchase prior to make sure that what they want is available and they know who to go to if something breaks.

 

[bluenassarius]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887717#post10887717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nu2SW
Go with a PC and get your Firewalls, Virus scanners, Pop up blockers, Ad-aware removers and other security issues.

Go with a Mac and you dont have to worry about that.

I Use both computers, Ive been a PC person longer than a mac user. Ive been building customer PCs for 10 years now. Yeah they work, but they are full of flaws.

Apple is growing and growing fast. More people are switching now, then ever before.

With a Intel Apple, you could even install Windows XP on it if you need it.

But It depends on what you need the computer for.

If its standard word processing, email and internet a Macbook that is 1099 works great. Come with a 2 ghz intel core 2 duo (dual processor) 80 gig HD and 1 gig of ram.

UNLIKE VISTA, Our OS doesn't need insane amounts of Ram just to RUN the OS.


Do your self a favor and get a Mac. They got wold class customer service and have been #1 for the last 7 years.

You will thank me later on.

your right on target. if i knew you could run windows on the mac, windows vista was a POS resource hogging OS, i woulda bought a mac from the get go. she has the luxury of switching from diff. os depending on her need. my wife has the same specs as me with her mac and her computer runs way faster.

going with vista is like buying a return pump that uses 1000w when you could get another return that produces the same or better output at 50w. why buy more than you need to? (ram that is) unless your running those apps that require alot of ram, it's pointless. also, prices drop so fast with technology. $100 today, 20 tomm. save yourself the headaches & skrilla and go w/ mac.

 

[maxdout]

i just ordered one for the wife from HP. 750$ shipped not too bad, considering its counterparts at bestbuy/cc is more $$$. Its got vista on it but ofcourse im going to wipe it and put xp pro on it. If you don't mind cheap, cc gots the 500$ toshiba right now. not too bad of a deal if you dont mind big. My wife did so that is why i got the smaller hp one. Pm me if you want the 30% off code for the HP laptops.

 

[shiveley]

well, I have to say that the peripherals and software argument is a huge issue. There just aren't the sample variety of software choices for mac's. and though some MS products may work on mac's, they don't always have the same functions or capabilities. For my work, I need more flexibility than a mac offers. and now our whole state university system is moving over to people soft, and they will no longer even support mac systems. so...from my standpoint, I still say go Dell...

 

[Nu2SW]

Jfred- It will always be a debate Apple VS PC.


PC gurus and Apple nerds

LOL many countless hours of fun debates..

HEHE


But I consider myself to be well versed and off a valid opinion on both platforms....

They are right to a extent. Not all the software available for the PC is made for the Mac, But I always seem to find a suitable alternative for the Mac. If its PC, The Mac has a version out there somewhere.


Shiv- The schools doing that Limiting is just bad business on there side. Websites that dont work with Apple's (which is very rare) or other things. IMHO is just freaking retarded

The reason why there are so many PC in homes and not apple is because people are afraid of what they dont know. I never used a Mac and Now I know almost everything, But I am a very technical minded person. so that may not be the case for many


Dont be affraid of an apple...

If you want My # I will gladly talk to you on the phone or meet you at the apple store and give you a personal tour of the Macbook. The store is insane busy and trying to get questions answered is crazy hard.


I hope you'll atleast take me up on my offer, If the computer is in your price range. And if you want I get a discount, I could buy it for you and get you some $$$ off.

LMK

 

[BlueCorn]

There isn't a single Windows application that you can't run on an Intel based Mac. You can even run them along side the Mac applications; i.e. no need to dual-boot. If you're worried about not having options you're focusing on the wrong platform. The Mac is clearly the more flexible of the two.

As for market share, Apple has been steadily climbing. Over 17% of all laptop sales last year; i.e. HP, Dell, Gateway, Sony, IBM..... were Apple.

 

[shiveley]

hmm, seems as though this thread has been invaded by a radical apple fringe subculture (LOL)

...that's it, I'm calling the B. Gates hotline; his new corporate motto is "better dead then red" (apple, that is).

 

[Nu2SW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10888843#post10888843 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shiveley
hmm, seems as though this thread has been invaded by a radical apple fringe subculture (LOL)

...that's it, I'm calling the B. Gates hotline; his new corporate motto is "better dead then red" (apple, that is).

LOL


I like that motto better than Vista's Motto (WOW)

LMAO

 

[Auntbeez]

Go Apple. You may have a small learning curve at first, but in the long run you will be far happier.

If you have the time, take Nu2SW up on his offer... you won't be sorry... especially if he can get you a discount. BTW, nice of you to offer this Nu2SW.

The reason more houses have PCs is because Apple originally didn't market to the masses. It was a high end graphics system (and still is). The PC marketing was geared to "get a computer in every house"

 

[Jim_S]

You asked for an alternative,

I say Mac all the way.

Too many reasons to list, but I'm sure the "PC gurus" (as Edwin has generously dubbed them) will say differently.

Tons to be said about a company that only has about 10% of the market, but just keeps on truking....

 

[shiveley]

at least Apple doesn't go around boasting "We're number 2", because that would just be...well...pretty funny actually.

 

[Nu2SW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10888904#post10888904 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Auntbeez
Go Apple. You may have a small learning curve at first, but in the long run you will be far happier.

If you have the time, take Nu2SW up on his offer... you won't be sorry... especially if he can get you a discount. BTW, nice of you to offer this Nu2SW.

The reason more houses have PCs is because Apple originally didn't market to the masses. It was a high end graphics system (and still is). The PC marketing was geared to "get a computer in every house"

Very True, that is why its so cheap to build a custome PC.

Apple takes a little (a LOT) more pride in there products. Which is why they dont allow any and everyone to make there computers or 3rd party "apple" computers.


What I tell people is "Dont be afraid because its a new computer. It does all the same stuff and acts just the same."

People get all scared over fear of not knowing than they do for the actual computer.


To give you an example.

The old Emac computers, ones they used for schools had a 64mb 4xAGP video card. I played the same game on that Emac and on a PC with a 128mb AGP 8x ( twice the memory and twice the speed) video card. And to my surprise the Emac had killed graphics on par with the PC card.

So imagine the Cards now adays with the Nvidia 128mb video card..... INSANEEEEEEEEEEEEEE graphics......SAAAWWEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(Wipes drool from mouth ) Sorry... LOL:lol:

 

[Jim_S]

Yeah, Edwin is correct.

Apple doesn't let very many 3rd parties in there due to quality control concerns. They want all the software and hardware they sell to be the best. (and of course, they want as much money as they can get too)

This, of course means that less software and hardware is potentially available. See, MS lets ANYONE make PC's and other software that is compatable with their OS.

Its like the old sony betamax. Remember those?

Sony had the better format, hands down. But because they wouldn't let any 3rd party mnfr's make their hardware or media, the VHS format won.

The exact is the same with MS and Apple. But the only difference is that after the ipod and iphone hit the market, it doesn't look like apple is going anywhere.

 

[rafael13]

all I know is that 4 yrs ago I got a macbook and it's still running strong and in the same time I went thru 3 pc laptops