Please recommend a good laptop

[BarTopDancer]

I am driving myself crazy with comparisons and reviews.

This is what I'll be using it for:

web-surfing
mild gaming (RCT, Sims)
taking notes in school
photo editing
burning CDs
wireless internet connections


I'd like:

fast
fast
fast
something that could in theory replace my desktop

I do not want:
An Apple.

My budget is around $1k. I've been looking at Dells but they are getting a lot of mixed CNet reviews. I'd love a Viao but I think that's out of my budget.

[Gn2Dlnd]

I have no useful computer advice, but I love that this thread title reads:

Please recommend a good laptop BarTopDancer

FLEX-ible.

[Betty]

I buy all of our laptops for our designers. I always buy them from costco because for 6 months, if there are ANY problems, you simply bring it back and get a refund. Problems we've had include the system having no sound, no CD burner, and a designer simply screwing it up.

I've bought Toshibas and Gateways. Both have worked well for our purpose - using them with a 3D design program (cad based) to design custom cabinets and similar. All have been over $1000 - usually around $1200.

I recommend making a list of those things it must have... like a CD burner, serial port (we MUST have one - and they are being phased out it seems), a certain speed of processor, a graphic card that's the minimum you'll settle for, and then going to costco and seeing what they have to offer. Sometimes it's only 2 or 3, sometimes it's 10. Ask someone if all the laptops they have available are on display as they sometimes have some in the back and now out yet.

Find one with what you need - or several - and then pick.

Also keep in mind wide screen vs. regular, size of screen and weight of laptop.

And look for one with wireless built in instead of having to buy a seperate card.

[scaeagles]

My lap top will work just fine for you baby....c'mon over. ;) :eek: :blush:

[Scrooge McSam]

Hmmm Sounds like a bad case of "toaster regret" to me.

[BarTopDancer]

Ah yes. Costco. With the fast and pretty computers. I looked briefly there on Saturday, I'll have to go back. I'm hesitant to buy anything but a Dell or Sony because I have heard so many negative things about Compaq and Gateway. Now HP owns Compaq and Gateway owns E-Machines that really narrows the choices down.

I'll have to go shop this weekend. ooo Shopping!

[Ghoulish Delight]

I love my Compaq.

[scaeagles]

Hmmm Sounds like a bad case of "toaster regret" to me.

Never! It's a mighty fine toaster. MBC spared no expense.

[Scrooge McSam]

And if you'd listened to me, you'd have real estate

[Scrooge McSam]

I love my Compaq too.

Presario 2100 Got it at Best Buy for about $980 after rebate, if I remember correctly.

[SacTown Chronic]

And if you'd listened to me, you'd have real estate
He already invested in ocean front property in Arizona. What more does he need?

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Never! It's a mighty fine toaster. MBC spared no expense.

Well, as long as you believe that, I guess that's all that matters. ;)

[DisneyFan25863]

Whatever you do, don't buy a Dell. We use a Dell Latitude at school, and the keyboard is IMPOSSIBLE to navigate. I am always hitting the caps lock instead of A, and the numbers at the top sometimes push on a number next to them, so instead of 5, you would get 45 or something. Its really annoying.

[Prudence]

I have a Latitude D600 and I love it. I resisted getting a laptop because I don't like most of them, but my school requires all students buy laptops (and in fairly pricy configurations!) I bought the cheapest of options -- not the teeny-tiny ultra-lightweight one, and not the 17" screen super-dooper graphics one. I love mine. Sometimes I'm out somewhere and I think "Oh, I'll just whip out my laptop and look up that address/movie schedule/restaurant listing/etc." and then I remember that a) I don't have my laptop with me and b) if I did, there's no nearby wifi connection I'd be comfortable using.

[MickeyD]

Well, you already know this, but the reason that I bought a Dell is because of their customer service. My old HP, that I bought at Best Buy, was a nightmare to have serviced. They don't fix laptops on site, they ship them out to the manufacturer, and it takes a minimum of four weeks. Twice I didn't have my computer for eight weeks at a time because the tech guys at Best Buy screwed up.

With both my old HP and my Dell I've had problems with the AC adapter. Here's what it was like with my HP:

Take it to Best Buy. Tell them my AC adapter isn't working. Have them ship the computer and the adapter to HP. Wait 4 weeks. Go to Best Buy. Pick up my computer. Notice that it's still the same AC adapter. Realize they haven't fixed it. Have them ship it back. Wait 4 more weeks. Pick up my computer, and new AC adapter.

And with Dell:
Call customer service. Wait on hold for 5 minutes. Tell the cs rep that my AC adapter isn't working. A day and a half later, receive my new AC adapter.

[Darkbeer]

I have heard good things about this place...

http://www.notebookshop.com/nstore/

If you live near one of the locations, supposely the best place to test out the equipment, they let you try each model out, so you can check keyboards, screens, etc....

[Not Afraid]

Our next major computer purchase will be a laptop and it will be a Dell. I really like their service, their products, everything about the company keeps me going back over and over (5 computers, 3 PDAs and more fun stuff).

[BarTopDancer]

Well I found a kick-ass deal (MMs words) in a Sony Vaio. Unfortunately (or fortunately) they are sold out. I think it's back to the Dell bandwagon I go.

Deahter, thanks for reminding me of your story. The free TiVo at CompUSA forced me to shove it to the back of my head.

[MickeyD]

Free TiVo? Oooh, that'd be a toss-up for me.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wel
Take it to Best Buy. Tell them my AC adapter isn't working. Have them ship the computer and the adapter to HP. Wait 4 weeks. Go to Best Buy. Pick up my computer. Notice that it's still the same AC adapter. Realize they haven't fixed it. Have them ship it back. Wait 4 more weeks. Pick up my computer, and new AC adapter.
My bet is that Best Buy was the bulk of the problem, not HP/Compaq.

[FEJ]

Best Buy = Horror Stories from many customers...use them for buying, not for service

[MickeyD]

My bet is that Best Buy was the bulk of the problem, not HP/Compaq.

True that. But the sheer number of times that I had to take it in for service....that's all on HP, IMO. But the service problems themselves, yeah, that was Best Buy's fault.

.....Except, now that I think of it, for the one time that the service people at HP didn't read the note that said the problem was with the AC adapter, not computer.

[Sheila]

Well I found a kick-ass deal (MMs words) in a Sony Vaio. Unfortunately (or fortunately) they are sold out. I think it's back to the Dell bandwagon I go.

Hmmm, BTD, the list of things you want your laptop to do is exactly what I'm looking for in a laptop too. It'll be interesting to see what you find.

I've been checking out the Gateway laptops sold on HSN.com and the IBM thinkpads sold on QVC. They're just too pricey for me, but they sound fabulous. And I really hate thinking of buying anything from Best Buy, even if I can fix it myself. Their customer service is pretty bad.

How is Fry's selection of laptops?

[Ghoulish Delight]

As if Fry's service is any better than Best Buy's?

Honestly, from a service standpoint, you're better off going directly through Dell, HP, or Gateway than through a retailer.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Yeah, buy online, deal directly with the company, get the best service and exactly the components you want.

[BarTopDancer]

Hmmm, BTD, the list of things you want your laptop to do is exactly what I'm looking for in a laptop too. It'll be interesting to see what you find.

I've been checking out the Gateway laptops sold on HSN.com and the IBM thinkpads sold on QVC. They're just too pricey for me, but they sound fabulous. And I really hate thinking of buying anything from Best Buy, even if I can fix it myself. Their customer service is pretty bad.

How is Fry's selection of laptops?

Well this (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=314471&pfp=SEARCH) is the kick ass Vaio I found. I wish I saw it when the ad came out.

I think I am going to get a Dell. I found some pretty nice ones via their deals of the week. The one I was going to get yesterday was slightly slower than this one with a better wireless and video card and came out to only $50 with a much longer (and better) warrenty. I think it was the 1150.

[Sheila]

As if Fry's service is any better than Best Buy's?

Honestly, from a service standpoint, you're better off going directly through Dell, HP, or Gateway than through a retailer.

Yeah, I should have been more clear. At least with Fry's, they hustle -- from the salespeople to the checkout clerks. At Best Buy, no one seems to care -- everybody's in slo-mo.... Drives me batty.

But you're absolutely right, I can buy everything cheaper online, it shouldn't be different for laptops....

BTD, thank you for the update. Hey, I wound up buying the same camera as you two years ago, why should the laptop acquisition be any different. :)

[BarTopDancer]

Hehe. Thanks :) I bought the camera Euromonkey had at the time...

I'm looking at Toshiba, Sony and Dell now. I'll let you know what a hunt on Sunday returns. That Vaio was a killer deal, I may see if I can find it somewhere else who will price match.

As for Frys... I've worked there (don't shoot me, I quit after 2 months!). They put products known to be defective back on the shelf as new and their return/exchange is hell.

[Kevy Baby]

I found the best lap dances were at the Tropical Lei on Foothill in Upland. Alo, the Deja Vu in Van Nuys is pretty good. And they film a lot of movies at that one.

Oh... lapTOPs...

Never mind

[Monorail Man]

As for Frys... I've worked there (don't shoot me, I quit after 2 months!). They put products known to be defective back on the shelf as new and their return/exchange is hell.

This is exactly why I don't use Fry's for large purchases. If it's a WiFi card for my Laptop, then I use Frys. I did however, buy one of their $250 computers for a web server a while back, and it works quite well! :)

[Kevy Baby]

As for Frys... I've worked there (don't shoot me, I quit after 2 months!). They put products known to be defective back on the shelf as new and their return/exchange is hell.The "White Label of Death" as we call it.

[blueerica]

Oh my god, I'm about 3 sentences from derailing this into a Why I Hate Fry's Thread, and a What I Have Done To Fry's In Repayment Thread.

HBTF & I have talked this over, so I guess I have nothing to add here. I didn't know that Best Buy was so horrible. I guess my experiences weren't too bad, and I better stop before I end this 3rd sentence and derail this thread into the WIHFS & a WIHDTFIRT.

[BarTopDancer]

Oh my god, I'm about 3 sentences from derailing this into a Why I Hate Fry's Thread, and a What I Have Done To Fry's In Repayment Thread.

HBTF & I have talked this over, so I guess I have nothing to add here. I didn't know that Best Buy was so horrible. I guess my experiences weren't too bad, and I better stop before I end this 3rd sentence and derail this thread into the WIHFS & a WIHDTFIRT.

It's a great topic, start a thread on it :D

[SacTown Chronic]

and a What I Have Done To Fry's In Repayment Thread.

I'd read that thread.

[Sheila]

Oh my god, I'm about 3 sentences from derailing this into a Why I Hate Fry's Thread, and a What I Have Done To Fry's In Repayment Thread.

Oh dear! What hath I wrot? :eek: A thousand apologies for naming the store that must not be named, and I shall speak of it no more.

(Unless of course, you do actually start a WIHFT or WIHDTFIRT. Then I'm sooo there....)

Signed,
Sheila the Repentant

[BarTopDancer]

Shelia,

This (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/featured_dp_dotw_inspn5?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs) is the Dell I am seriously considering.

I upped the warrenty to the 4 year (same price as the 3 year) and also added the extra accident protection. I also upgraded the wireless card to an a/b/g card. The total with the modifications is $1345 + tax.

I went to Best Buy and Circuit City tonight and they had jack and squat. I also noticed nearly all their notebooks are under 2 gigs when you can get something faster for a comparible price online.

[Sheila]

This (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/featured_dp_dotw_inspn5?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs) is the Dell I am seriously considering.

That looks like a seriously good deal. And the price is right for all that you get too. :cool:

I've passed along the link to an Official Hardware Guru for his review and blessing. I'll let you know what he thinks, if you haven't already purchased the Dell above. (But I don't think you can go wrong with the Dell in any event.)

[Kevy Baby]

Dude... you're gettin' a Dell!

[BarTopDancer]

Dude.... I already own a Dell. :D

Shelia, MM likes this one as well does another techie friend of mine. Let me know what your techie guy says. I think the special ends today, though they have *Deals of the Week* every week...

[Sheila]

Shelia, MM likes this one as well does another techie friend of mine. Let me know what your techie guy says. I think the special ends today, though they have *Deals of the Week* every week...

Okay, just finished talking with Mr. Guru. Basically, his take is that it is an okay model, but he has several reservations about it:

1. There are only two memory slots and they're already filled by the two 256 chips. If you wanted to upgrade your memory, you'd have to buy two new chips. He noted that there's an option to buy one 512 chip, leaving one slot open.

2. The system uses WinXP Home Edition. His recommendation would be to upgrade to WinXP Pro instead.

3. The video chipset as-is he believes would be okay for games like the Sims or RCT. However, if you ever want to play a more feature-rich game (like let's say Doom 2, etc.), he's not sure at all that the video would be able to handle it. There was no option at all to upgrade the video component in the Inspiron so to upgrade would mean changing to a different model line.

So, he went through the build-a-laptop wizard, swapping out for the 512 chip, converting to WinXP Pro and adding the components necessary for WiFi. The total came to $1,150. He did not add any extra warranty services. Personally, I would not as I'm not averse to fixing stuff on my own, and any catastrophic failures usually happen in the first few days (or in the case of a hard drive, within a year).

He basically felt that since I like to play games like Doom 2 or Hexen, etc., this would not be the laptop for me, mainly because there was not enough information given about the video chipset supplied with the model we were looking at.

Not sure if this information helps you or not. I thought the 512 memory chip was worth checking into, though.

[Monorail Man]

2. The system uses WinXP Home Edition. His recommendation would be to upgrade to WinXP Pro instead.


WinXP: Pro is a real BFD thing. Connection to a Domain? Great, buy pro. However, since the difference is small (literally 8 DLL files, and a snap-in), then I would say to stick with Home. :)

[Sheila]

WinXP: Pro is a real BFD thing. Connection to a Domain? Great, buy pro. However, since the difference is small (literally 8 DLL files, and a snap-in), then I would say to stick with Home. :)

You most likely are right. I stay out of operating system issues unless they interfere with how the software products I work on interface with local and remote servers. Then I'll get involved troubleshooting connectivity issues.

However, I pretty much trust my friend's comments. He spend his days as a lead QA supervisor at a major gaming software company (of which his duties also include swapping in and out various hardware components and testing on all major platforms). He be a major gearhead when it comes to this sort of stuff. :)

I must say though that the longer I am in the computer industry, the less I find it possible to be a true generalist with an in-depth knowledge of both hardware and software. The sheer volume of data is overwhelming. :eek:

Thanks for the info on WinXP -- I didn't know that. I'll make sure to grill him about the difference between the Home and Pro editions.... ;) :D

[BarTopDancer]

Thanks Shelia! :) The memory was a concern of my friend too. We discussed it and it would be cheaper to buy the memory at Best Buy. (I have yet to upgrade my desktop past 512). I try and stay away from gaming, I have some SIMS disks, the Diablo Battle Chest and RCT the original, and I'd like to be able to play those...

I'm a clutz and I need the extra protection the extra protection plan gives you, but yea, I forgot that all the computer problems I have had did happen in the first year. Except for moniter issues. Thats the only reason I'd buy the long term plan.

I decided last night that I was going to wait and see what their next *deal of the week* is and I'm going to check the ads from the stores today.

Thanks!