What laptop to buy?

[LeRoux Strydom]

Wrong forum, I know, but judging by the cars that forum members drive, they should also have good taste in laptops.

I have to buy a new laptop. I'm thinking centrino-based, since that gives me the wireless networking as standard and good battery life. Which brand should I get and why, all other things being equal? I'm not looking for a super-sized monitor either, 15" should be max for portability. I currently have a Compaq Evo N410c.

LeRoux

[rcecale]

LeRoux,

We provide IBM Thinkpad T42's for our employees where I work. These are really sweet machines. Lightweight and powerful, but maybe a bit on the expensive side. If I were in the market for a new laptop, this is one I would love to have.

A Google Search will tell you a lot more.

Randy

[asphaltgambler]

What are your computing needs, then wants??

[klaucke]

I just bought a Toshiba, and I love it. Toshiba's are known to be high quality, make a good desktop replacement, and reliable. I went for Centrino for better battery life. I also wanted something that was aestically pleasing. It lets me slide the memory card from my camera right into the laptop, which is convienent, and has a video output as well as firewire, and a built in wireless card. There might be better deals out there but I needed a laptop immediately and it was my best option. My friend purchased a Toshiba a couple days after I did and he loves his.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-Notebook-PC-M45-S331-/sem/rpsm/oid/114916/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

For what it is worth, the wife and I have owned three Compaq laptops. The first one is still being used by a friend as a word processor, we each have one. The first one and mine are refurbished models (meaning they had some issue after building) bought directly from Compaq. Mine is three years old and works very well. My wife's current one is one year old and bought "off the shelf". We have never had hardware problems. My wife has gone through two IBMs in the last five years and had issues with hardware, but both were inherited used at work.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/generic_category.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1923667545.11 08736528@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccehadddlkehmeecfngcfkmdfondfgf.0&catLevel=1&storeName=computer_store&landing=notebooks&category=compaq_presario&aoid=11073

No matter what direction you go, get the most RAM you can and get as fast a processor as you can afford. It is very difficult to upgrade laptops without buying a new one. They are wonderful for portability and size and hold their value well. I have been looking at a customized R3000T for my sister-in-law to use when she goes to college (yes my wife is a bit younger than me and her sister is MUCH younger).

I have a co-worker who loves his Dell, but he has had hardware problems.

[vash]

our dell sucks. i second the hardware problems. currently, i have to keep my cursor moving, or place it somewhere not linked. if i pause on something, it will click it like a poltergeist.

[Joeaksa]

Have used IBM and Dell for years. They both are excellent and no problems what so ever. I travel with one every week of the year, and a new hotel every night, so its used and hard.

Overhauled a friends HP and their support is terrible. The laptop was 3 years old, the floppy drive died and they could not supply a new one, at any price. Found a used one on Ebay to help my friend but would never recommend one.

Go to www.pricewatch.com and look there for good deals. Get the largest hard drive and most memory you can afford, along with a good carrying case.

JoeA

[gr8fl4porsche]

I still have a Toshiba notebook running after about 6 or 7 years. Quality seems to be good. Wife has a IBM Thinkpad - nice computer. Used a Dell notebook for a while - had to send it in 3 times for repairs - replaced power supply - cord - and system board. Dell was a very cheap low end model. I have had Gateways and still run a handful of Dells.

Bottom line - Good computers are good computers. Cheap computers are cheap. Buy the best and fastest (RAM, processor and Bus speed) you can afford.
Notebooks are only recommended if portability is your main factor, otherwise get a desktop unit.

[stevepaa]

I have always used MAC. Chose it after they gave me a IBM-PC clone at work and I had nothing but problems. That was 14 years ago. I still prefer my MAC laptop to my IBM thinkpad. But I am not a gamer. I think MACs are better suited for video editing, photo work, and general office work. If you have a particular high end piece of software that only runs on a IBM-PC or if you want to run any game out there then go with a Toshiba or true IBM. And max the RAM in any case.

[id10t]

IBM or Dell (business line lattitude, not inspirion) but if you aren't tied to Windows then a Mac powerbook (they have wireless, etc. built in as well). Definately max the ram - it helps with battery life (ram is "cheaper" to charge/keep going than spinning the hard drive for swap)

[JavaBrewer]

I'd like to underscore some comments already made about Dell laptops. The Inspiron machines are economy while the Latitude are business. Definitely go with the Latitude line. I've got a D400
right now and love it. Light, easy to mange, and fast.

My company has nearly 75 Latitudes in circulation right now and have had nothing but good experiences. Can't say the same for some Sony machines and the few Inspirons we've seen.

[Stanley]

I got a Dell 600m and I've been real happy with it. It’s light, gets good battery life and the screen is nice too. The only downside is no firewire, but you can just get a cardbus that plugs into the side for about $25. No problems so far, but I've only had it about 4 months. Dell is currently having a big sale on laptops. It's $500 off $1399 or $600 off $1599. Details here: http://www.slickdeals.net/#p5763

[LeRoux Strydom]

I love this board - everyone has knowledge and experience. Some really like Dell, others hate them....

I will look into the Toshibas and Latitudes. I really like my Compaq, but I have to leave it when I change jobs at the end of the month. The HPs, Sonys and IBMs are really top-end pricewise, and I'm looking for better value-for-money without sacrificing reliability & features.

Thanks everyone!

LeRoux

[targa911S]

Mac ..Powerbook. You will not regret it. Don't fall for the old."why use a Mac if you don't do graphic arts"...think about it...you do. MS Office for Mac does just fine on my G4 too so it's the best of both worlds. Big plus is that I have forgotten what it is like to have a computer crash. Bulletproof.

[mattxbart]

Go Mac. No problems at all with the G4 powerbook. I was on DOS/Windows PC's for years and made the jump when OS X first came out. You will forget about windows after a few weeks of use. Mac Office works great, included software is outstanding too.