Buying a laptop

[Matt]

So i want to buy a new laptop and im thinking why should i spend double the money when i can just buy from the US and have it shipped over?? But are they the same? I know i will need an adaptor for power but are the programs and functions all the same????

And whats the best on-line store for Laptops in the US??????

Im mainly looking at Sony's....

[Necrosaro]

Not interested in Asus?

[Matt]

^^ Yeah bro, why you know something???

Ive never used one before but if there upto the tasks and are of good quality the their worth a look at....

[Matt]

Do you guy's in the US not have like a laptop/computer superstore??? Over here we have PC World...

[jtuner77]

We have many. Cumpusa, Tigerdirect, Newegg, etc.

[Necrosaro]

What kind of price range are you looking for in buying a laptop Matt?

[Matt]

I dont raelly want to be paying over £700 which would be about $1,200....

[zabster151]

asus asus asus, save your money and get asus they are the best, they also have a great warranty

[t-gunz]

im interested too. around matts price also.

[MACHINE5150]

So i want to buy a new laptop and im thinking why should i spend double the money when i can just buy from the US and have it shipped over?? But are they the same? I know i will need an adaptor for power but are the programs and functions all the same????

And whats the best on-line store for Laptops in the US??????

Im mainly looking at Sony's....

go to ebay.com and just keep an eye on seller location... make sure you go to .com and not .co.uk as sometimes it automatically directs you to .co.uk and you jave to retype it in.. also, tell the seller to say it is a book rather than a laptop so you dont have to pay VAT

[Matt]

Ok This is the laptop i have decided on, it a Sony VPC-CA1S1E/D, it has a very powerful processor and graphics, the cheapest i can find it for thus far is £665.00 which is about $950.00....

[zabster151]

crap crap and more crap. sony is horrible

Asus or Toshiba im telling you save your money and get one of these companies they are whey better

[zabster151]

here is one laptop i have found on best buy for $750

What's Included
Asus Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 14" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive
8-cell lithium-ion battery
65W AC adapter
Software: Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash
Owner's manual
Product Features
Intel® Core™ i5-480M processor
Features a 3MB L3 cache and 2.66GHz processor speed.
Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Features smart 4-way processing performance with a speed boost.
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Delivers extra performance when you need it and increased energy efficiency when you don't.
6GB DDR3 memory
For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.
14" LED-backlit high-definition widescreen display
Showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
640GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
Built-in facial recognition
Protects sensitive information.
UMA graphics
For lush images and vivid detail. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV.
Built-in 0.3MP webcam
Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
5-in-1 media reader
Supports Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus, Memory Stick and xD-Picture Card formats.
2 high-speed USB 2.0 ports and 1 high-speed USB 3.0 port
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Embedded 4G WiMAX mobile broadband technology
Gives you an ultrafast mobile Internet connection. (Wireless service contract required; sold separately. Check with carrier for coverage area and availability in your area.)
Integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps fast Ethernet LAN
With RJ-45 connector for a quick and easy wired Web connection.
Weighs 5 lbs. and measures just 1.25" thin
For easy portability. Seamless chiclet keyboard for comfortable typing.
Long battery life
Of up to 6 hours and 06 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.
Bamboo texture
For a stylish look.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit preinstalled
Provides a stable computing platform.
Best Buy pc app
Your one-stop shop for digital software, games and more! Learn more.
Software package included
With Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash. Microsoft Office Starter 2010 also included (product key card required for activation; sold separately).
ENERGY STAR qualified
Designed to use less energy and meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.
Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

just something to compare

[Necrosaro]

In the end Matt you get what you want but just from a standpoint in being in the business of selling and building computers; Asus has never let me down. The ones that have been giving me the most problems that have been comming in are sony's and hp's, followed behind with toshiba My dad recently got a asus computer and absolutly loves it. Let me know what you get though

[zabster151]

yep people do not understand about laptops at all . hp dell suck balls

[Matt]

In the end Matt you get what you want but just from a standpoint in being in the business of selling and building computers; Asus has never let me down. The ones that have been giving me the most problems that have been comming in are sony's and hp's, followed behind with toshiba My dad recently got a asus computer and absolutly loves it. Let me know what you get though

Im not going to buy until the end of June bro so although i like this Sony its not guaranteed that i will buy it. I buy a new laptop once every year spending about £400 which means whatever i buy is cheap and doesnt last. I have 4 laptops here that ive purchased over the last 4 years and theres something wrong with each of them..

This time i want to spend a little more money but i want a laptop that will still be working and still capable for at least 3 years..
I have two friends that both have a Sony laptop and they love them i also went to pc world to take a close up look at the laptop last week and without any doubt i was drawn to the Sony's, to me colour and style are very important and its the first thing i look for.... Then im looking at processor, the one above has a very powerful one along with graphics which is important to me and those are very good to...

But like i said bro give me some ideas if you think there are better options, and not just ASUS, they make hundreds of laptops, give me some models so i can check them out...

Thanks

yep people do not understand about laptops at all . hp dell suck balls

Your correct and i will never buy a dell again bro, they were by far the worst computer ive ever used and i have two models.....

[Matt]

Anyone used an Apple??

[songdog]

Wat the hell is that news reporter doing out of his section.And put a shirt on.You remind me of something I see on Holloween lol

[Flagg]

Matt do you know anyone that is in University?

The reason I ask, is because Full Time students get 20% off on purchase of Apple Macs. They can go for a cool grand, BUT if you know somone who is a full time student AND if you can trump up a further hundred, you could get yourself a Mac for 800 smackers....

[Bryan2]

Anyone used an Apple??

If you go with a mac you will be incredibly pleased, but you will be paying around $1100-$1600 us

Get a macbook pro. Yes over priced a bit but well worth it in the long run!

Not great for gaming however if this is a main use

[Hoggage_54]

[Twist]

I am in the US, a university student, and think macs are the way to go for sure.

[JDawg1536]

What are you using it for?

I'm too drunk to give advice now, but don't buy anything until I tell you what to buy..... I'm here to help.

[lovbyts]

Agreed with most of the advice. I really liked my HP, performance was good, not to much junk programs and had all the bells and whistles for the money. Problem was/is the screen went out due to poor wiring routing/design after 1 year so now it's a dedicated home machine connected to the plasma.

Toshiba performance was slow, to much excess programs but it has been reliable for 4 years running and better after wiping and installing OS.

We use nothing but Dell at work. I dont hear of any problems with them per say. Very little hardware failures.

Apple is a whole different animal. It cost more but will do most anything you want. If you dont already have a laptop and not use to windows only the Apple is not a bad way to go depending on what you want to do with it and how resourceful you are. You can find programs to do anything you need for Apple but it's not as plug and play as Windows in some ways. You need to be a little more of a computer geek to use Apple although it's a LOT better than it use to be.

You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what to go with so dont over think it. Make sure it has all the external ports you need such as HDMI, fire wire or??? do you want to burn DVD/blu ray or standard? Do you want to watch blu ray or 3d? Always get as much memory as possible and dont worry about upgrading later. You will never upgrade the CPU, video or sound. Only thing you may do is upgrade/add memory. Get the most memory for the money available, it's the biggest bang for the buck unless you are into gaming and need HIGH end video

[Matt]

Matt do you know anyone that is in University?

The reason I ask, is because Full Time students get 20% off on purchase of Apple Macs. They can go for a cool grand, BUT if you know somone who is a full time student AND if you can trump up a further hundred, you could get yourself a Mac for 800 smackers....

This is a very good idea mate, however your telling me they can just walk into pc-world and get 20% off??

[Matt]

Its funny because i mentioned a Mac on another board and got the same response, everyone seems to think there the dogs bollocks.....

Im not really looking at it for gaming, more for photos dvds and editing pictures and photos. I spend half my life on my laptop so i want something thats going to keep me occupied and interested for the next couple of years, i also want to learn new computing skills.....

I like the look of the Mac pro 13", i shall get the exact name for it in a abit but its about £1,260.00 which if im right is about $2,000...

[SlimmerMe]

I have the lowest level mac and can do A LOT re: photos.....about $1200.....unless you are editing in Final cut Pro you do not need the top of the line.

Have always had a mac ...and love it. No viruses. Love the imagery. The way it works. And the fact that you can go into any Apple store in the world and walk right up to the Genius Bar and get help if they have an opening or book an appt online. Plus you can sign up for the One-to-One for 99 bucks and get 1 private lesson every single week of the year should you so desire. The best deal of the century. Yes....that is 52 private lessons for 99 dollars but this must be purchased at the time of computer purchase. Even if you use it 3-4 times, it is worth it. I wait until I have a bunch of questions then make my appt then go in for my lesson.

If you are a visual person which I think you are.....MAC is the way to go. I would not even consider anything else. my 02

[Twist]

my gfs macbook pro 13" (bought a couple months ago) cost around 1300 I think.

[Matt]

I have the lowest level mac and can do A LOT re: photos.....about $1200.....unless you are editing in Final cut Pro you do not need the top of the line.

Have always had a mac ...and love it. No viruses. Love the imagery. The way it works. And the fact that you can go into any Apple store in the world and walk right up to the Genius Bar and get help if they have an opening or book an appt online. Plus you can sign up for the One-to-One for 99 bucks and get 1 private lesson every single week of the year should you so desire. The best deal of the century. Yes....that is 52 private lessons for 99 dollars but this must be purchased at the time of computer purchase. Even if you use it 3-4 times, it is worth it. I wait until I have a bunch of questions then make my appt then go in for my lesson.

If you are a visual person which I think you are.....MAC is the way to go. I would not even consider anything else. my 02

You hit the nail on the head, i think that because of the time i spend on the internet/computer its important to get something im not going to get bored of in a few weeks....

my gfs macbook pro 13" (bought a couple months ago) cost around 1300 I think.

Hows she liking it bro??

[Swifto]

My ex had a Macbook Pro and it was a good machine. Overpriced for what it is technically, but visually, photo's etc... Style, its top draw.

[F4iGuy]

I've owned an HP and now a Mac. The HP gave way more features for less money. The DC connector for charging was a terrible design, its wired to the motherboard and VERY fragile. I know other HPs have this design flaw but not sure if its been changed in the newest models? If you ever walk by and accidentaly bump the charger while its plugged in you risk frying the motherboard. Just stupid.

Not the mac... much smarter design. The charger is magnetic! I can punt the cord with my foot all day long and the worst thing that happens is i have to plug it back in!

Seems like a silly issue but trust me, at some point you or someone else will nudge that cord.

[Flagg]

This is a very good idea mate, however your telling me they can just walk into pc-world and get 20% off??

This is what i've been told, wether its true I dont know. I considered getting a Mac and was told I should get one while I was still a student. Also im not sure if this is PC World or in a Apple shop, probably the latter?

At the end of the day, it depends on what you want a Laptop for. It seems to me that Macs are a bit of a "posers choice", very expensive and im sure it can do a lot of things, but I wonder if its just a "status thing" to own, nothing more nothing less. Its like people that buy these super expensive iPhones and dont use it for anything beyond phonecalls and text messages. Again, status toys.

[SlimmerMe]

^^^ many do buy one for this status choice as I know many people who have them who should not even own a computer period. But for someone messing with photos for example, just the fact that it comes with iphoto, imovie, iweb where you can design your own webpage in a few minutes, and photo booth and a built in camera is standard (which most PC's are now anyway) and many other applications, I think if you are a design person then mac is the way to go. Plus comes with itunes too~and with many PC's these features are not included so you end up spending more getting what you want to have.

And the fact that no viruses? That in itself is enough to get one. Like I said, I just have the cheapest and always have since the other ones are not worth it unless you are doing a big project like editing a feature film with Final Cut. Also the support cannot be beat. I do not know of any PC store where you can simply walk in and get help asap or private lessons in something like photoshop or Final cut or just simply navigating your computer.

I do think it comes down to what you like holding in your hand to be quite honest.

And from what I understand, Apple does offer discounts to students.

[Twist]

You hit the nail on the head, i think that because of the time i spend on the internet/computer its important to get something im not going to get bored of in a few weeks....



Hows she liking it bro??

Yeah if you walk into a Mac store you get a discount. Might even be able to buy online and just have it sent to Europe. Not positive on that because I had to show my student id.

She loves it. It does everything. Best part? She dropped it and broke it. Took it into the Mac store and they ave her a new one. Not because she dropped it but because after she dropped it the cd player was making noise. They aren't supposed to give you a new one if you drop it or water damage but I have always gotten new ones. It's so easy to use and I'm completely retarded when it comes to computers. It does everything. iPhoto and iMovie and all the picture/movie editing things are awesome. I can't use a pc to save my life. Those things take 10 minutes just to start and then they get viruses and all kinds of shit. I honestly can't figure out why anyone would own one when they can buy a Mac. I know many many pc users that love macs and will never go back. Never met someone who owned a Mac then chose to buy a pc after.

[charliemurphy229]

The new HP elite series look really good. You should check those out, great durability and insane battery life.

[SlimmerMe]

And another thing....I keep mine for about 5 years. I like to get the latest generation too. That way it seems to be perfected as a final one before an entirely new system comes out at which point I upgrade down the road.

[Windex]

In my opinion get a middle level / top of the line Alienware. It will last you ~ 6-8 years.

[Shol'va]

And if you ever need a all in one wireless printer get an HP because they last 13 months, one month past their warranty and when you call them for help they tell you to throw it away and buy a refurbished directly from them at a cost higher than the original NEW one you buy from a computer store. Yeah, HP has gone way downhill in quality, must be building them in China because thier quality really sucks. Just google Hp computers or printer problems and read what people are writing. It's sad.

[lovbyts]

LOL, that's pretty true with the standard HP printers, I have gone through several because they come free with the computer or laptop and it's cheaper to buy a new one than the replace the ink cartridge most of the time.

I actually have a HP Officejet Pro L7680 I picked up at the good will for $15 with full ink cartridges. Of course it didnt print right. I ran at least 100 pieces of paper through it cleaning the heads and now it works perfect for the past 2+ years and I got refills for $5 each that also work good so far. knock on wood.

[Flagg]

^^^ many do buy one for this status choice as I know many people who have them who should not even own a computer period. But for someone messing with photos for example, just the fact that it comes with iphoto, imovie, iweb where you can design your own webpage in a few minutes, and photo booth and a built in camera is standard (which most PC's are now anyway) and many other applications, I think if you are a design person then mac is the way to go. Plus comes with itunes too~and with many PC's these features are not included so you end up spending more getting what you want to have.

And the fact that no viruses? That in itself is enough to get one. Like I said, I just have the cheapest and always have since the other ones are not worth it unless you are doing a big project like editing a feature film with Final Cut. Also the support cannot be beat. I do not know of any PC store where you can simply walk in and get help asap or private lessons in something like photoshop or Final cut or just simply navigating your computer.

I do think it comes down to what you like holding in your hand to be quite honest.

And from what I understand, Apple does offer discounts to students.

Yeah I completely forgot about that, like Slimmer said Matt, you'll never have to worry about viruses, which anyone who has ever can tell you, can really eff up your computer/laptop system.