Laptops- What do you guys suggest

Printable View

02-20-2003, 10:18 AM
Pheedno

Laptops- What do you guys suggest

Allright, getting into a new job and I'm searching for a laptop. I'll layout prefered specs(the ones I know of) and lets see what you boys and girls can come up with. Please advise on any further accessories that would be a good idea. It will be used a lot for presentations(single and group).
My ignorance of computers shines once again.

OK looking for:
Video output
DVD(this is a must)
Respectable battery life
What the hell is OS, I've heard the newer this is the more memory I need.
12-20gig(or more)
What the hell is a CAT-5 port and would this be needed?
Memory, whats the usual (128?) and is this an expensive purchase for more as I believe sooner or later more will be needed.

Price Range $1500-$2000

Let me know what you guys think and if everything I just wrote made any sense
02-20-2003, 10:42 AM
tolinka

Here you go bro...

OS-means operationg system: Windows 98. Windows 2000. XP, etc....

CAT-5: Its a network cable...that is if you like to hook up diffrent to each other.

As in RAM memory go at least for 256MB...128MB now days isnt that much.

An as for looking into laptops...id say go eaither with Dell or Toshiba. Sony is good to, but it's to pricey for my taste.
02-20-2003, 10:43 AM
mammoth

Re: Laptops- What do you guys suggest

Quote:

Originally posted by Pheedno
Allright, getting into a new job and I'm searching for a laptop. I'll layout prefered specs(the ones I know of) and lets see what you boys and girls can come up with. Please advise on any further accessories that would be a good idea. It will be used a lot for presentations(single and group).
My ignorance of computers shines once again.

OK looking for:
Video output Are you referring to NTSC or SVGA? NTSC = TV, SVGA = Monitor
DVD(this is a must)
Respectable battery life
What the hell is OS, I've heard the newer this is the more memory I need. Operating System. Windows XP or 2000
12-20gig(or more) Hard Drive capacity. 20gig is suitable for general use. If you are a gamer or a mp3 collector then go with double that.
What the hell is a CAT-5 port and would this be needed? Ethernet port. Standard in most laptops. Used for connecting to a network. If you plan on having high speed internet then this is a must!
Memory, whats the usual (128?) and is this an expensive purchase for more as I believe sooner or later more will be needed. Go for minimum 256. Laptop memory can be a little pricey depending on the model of laptop. I personally prefer to go above 512 at minimum.

Price Range $1500-$2000 All depends on what kind of performance you are looking for. A laptop in that price range will be a mid-level performer.

Let me know what you guys think and if everything I just wrote made any sense

I personally prefer Toshiba Satellite series laptops. I have had 4 already and they have been great. Dell may be the way to go for you and your price range.
02-20-2003, 11:13 AM
David B.

Only two companies really know how to make a good laptop -- IBM and Apple. If you're not into Macs, that leaves IBM. Everything else is second-best.

I recommend an IBM Thinkpad A-series. Sometimes you can find some good deals on those from IBM's e-Bay site (http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=23983696) or refurbished lease returns direct from IBM (http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st...ubject=2576396).

I've had my Thinkpad A21m for two years, and it still kicks ass. The newer ones with the 15" screen are even better.

--dnb
02-20-2003, 11:27 AM
tolinka

This is my recommendation to you

http://www.circuitcity.com/frame1.js...ftchildcat.jsp

Some badass piece
02-20-2003, 11:43 AM
Colibri

Get it custom built, it's a lot cheaper that way.

Hell, I paid £500 for my computer, slap an IBM sticker on it and it's worth 2-3 grand in the shops.
02-20-2003, 11:44 AM
wimp

I have a compaq presario 1800 which i like. it has everything you want and is in your price range. i also know a lot of people who have the dell latitude. most like it but some have problems with them.
02-20-2003, 12:29 PM
abstrack

HP makes a nice laptop, if your into mac and can get awa with running it then mac would be the best choice. But IBM,HP,Toshiba all make good laptops
go with at least bare min.256 ram 512 would be better or 1Gig
20gig hd would be bare min but 40 would be better. your doing mostly office applications so you can get away with a bare minimum system but it is always better to have more or the option to upgrade. try to find a plasma screen or a TFT sceen which are better. get a processors with capabilities of 1gig or more 1800 would be nice and let you rip shit up. ther is a new laptop out there whic h comes with a dual screen on it, dont know the maker but a dual monitor makes a hell or a differnce with computing, rather it be surfing the net, running graphics,sound programs, etc.. Oh sony viao has a excelent line of lap tops !!!! find something with multiple usb ports,firewire, pc card slot,10base 100 for ethernet multiple firewire would be nice also since this is the way things are going for transfers. external drive would be nic also for back-ups( its a must) for 2000 you going to get some of the options but go an extra 1000 and you will be far more happier with your quality and performance. no need to compensate one for the other.
02-20-2003, 01:18 PM
David B.

Quote:

Originally posted by Colibri
Get it custom built, it's a lot cheaper that way.

Hell, I paid £500 for my computer, slap an IBM sticker on it and it's worth 2-3 grand in the shops.

He's looking for a laptop, there's no such thing as a custom built laptop. You can't go out and buy laptop cases, motherboards, and screens separately.

--dnb
02-20-2003, 01:47 PM
Pheedno

Thanks for the input guys. Time to do some shopping
02-20-2003, 01:51 PM
abstrack

Quote:

Originally posted by David B.

He's looking for a laptop, there's no such thing as a custom built laptop. You can't go out and buy laptop cases, motherboards, and screens separately.

--dnb

Oh contrare mo frare , there is to such a thing as custom built laptops, people do it every day.
02-20-2003, 02:06 PM
Buddha_Red

there are companies that will custom build you one, but as a hardware tech you cant buy laptop parts from most of the shops.

But on the net , yes its possible.

I bought a dell inspiron 2650. its no the most awesome laptop but its a nice machine for a grand.

10x cd burner/dvd rom drive
1.6 ghz celeron
lan card built in
2 usb
outside monitor support
pcm/cia card slot
modem onboard

like i said, not an awesome machine, but a really nice one for the money.
Heh i just got dell credit for it. I dont mind the small bill and the apr was nice for once
02-20-2003, 02:26 PM
BigGreen

I'll add my two cents and suggest sony vaio's. Both my desktop and laptop are vaio's and i've been very pleased with both...they appear (thus far) to carry simultaneously all of the qualities i find advantageous in both PCs and MACs...particularly if you plan on utilizing a lot of the multimedia options.
02-20-2003, 05:30 PM
David B.

Quote:

Originally posted by BigGreen
I'll add my two cents and suggest sony vaio's. Both my desktop and laptop are vaio's and i've been very pleased with both...they appear (thus far) to carry simultaneously all of the qualities i find advantageous in both PCs and MACs...particularly if you plan on utilizing a lot of the multimedia options.

Everyone I know who owns a Vaio has had trouble with flaky drivers for proprietary Sony hardware for all the neat gadgets. They do make pretty, stylish boxes though, second only to Apple in that regard.

--dnb
02-20-2003, 05:43 PM
5minsforfighting

Dude get a dell ... No but seriously i bought a Insprion 8000 awhile ago and Ive owned toshiba, and compaq laptops before and so far i like dell the best
02-20-2003, 05:52 PM
Colibri

Quote:

Originally posted by David B.

He's looking for a laptop, there's no such thing as a custom built laptop. You can't go out and buy laptop cases, motherboards, and screens separately.

--dnb

You're wrong, go to hell.

:)
02-20-2003, 07:00 PM
KeyMastur

You can custom build a laptop - it's not seen very often though. Most custom built machines are desktop versions.

As for processor, I'm not really a fan of anything but Intel Pentium (don't like AMD or Celeron).

I myself have a Sony that I bought off the net. Supposedly is refurbished, but never had any problems with it.

As for screen size, kind of depends on what you'll be doing with it. There are some out there now that have a 15.7 SXGA TFT display which is good if you'll be watching movies all the time on there. If you'll be hooking it up to another component (TV) to watch it, then size won't really matter.

Not sure about the others, but I know Sony enalbes you to take out your floppy drive and add a 2nd battery for longer life. Definitely good for watching DVD's on a flight.

DVD - go ahead and get the DVD / CD-RW burner combo drive

Video output - with video output (it's the yellow one) you can just connect a cord and hook it up to your tv. i use my sony vaio with it and watch DVD's on my television.

OS - kind of depends on what you like. believe most will be standard with XP now. i still run 98 SE (most reliable out there besides the Apple Mac)

12-20gig(or more) - kind of depends on what you'll be doing. like someone said before, if you're into mp3's and all that, get at least a 40 gig. but if you're not doing much, then a 20 gig or 30 gig is sufficient.

CAT-5 port - not really necessary unless you have cable or DSL (ethernet). if you want, you can just buy a separate network card. but if you're looking to cut down all the extra crap to tag around with your pc, then get one that's got in installed.

memory (128?) - more you have the more efficient & quicker programs will load. at least 256 is recommended, especially if you're running XP.
02-20-2003, 07:44 PM
BigGreen

Quote:

Originally posted by David B.

Everyone I know who owns a Vaio has had trouble with flaky drivers for proprietary Sony hardware for all the neat gadgets. They do make pretty, stylish boxes though, second only to Apple in that regard.

--dnb

Can you elaborate? Because if this is a persistent problem, I'm in a whole world of shit since EVERYTHING in my electronic world, from the digital camera to the MP3 player.
02-20-2003, 08:13 PM
David B.

Quote:

Originally posted by BigGreen

Can you elaborate? Because if this is a persistent problem, I'm in a whole world of shit since EVERYTHING in my electronic world, from the digital camera to the MP3 player.

I haven't really paid much attention, but it was just niggling little problems with driver conflicts and system stability, and occasional problems with driver upgrades breaking things. Nothing fatal, just the occasional temporary setback. So you can probably relax.

Sony customer service is not universally liked, either...

--dnb