Need new laptop, any must have options?
 

It looks like mine needs a new hard drive and it's just not worth it given the other issues and it's age.

I've been out of the game for a while so what should I look for/avoid? Thanks guys.

I'm not a gamer at all but I do watch a fair amount of live sports etc on the computer so good video is nice.

I use it for surfing and generic office work. I am thinking something in the $1k +/- $400 range.

New hard drive is cheap, get some local PC shop to load O/S and software, and away you go, for $200-ish.

You know what I'll say and I know what you'll say . . . so I'll keep my mouth shut. :D

You can do it for a lot less than $200 ish.

Get a new hard drive, plug it in and insert your "rescue" CD and let it load everything again.

Loads of descent hard drives for around $75 with shipping.

http://castle.pricewatch.com/s/search.asp?s=NOTEBOOKS+HARD+DRIVE&i=0&c=&mi=0&m=&s rt=t&view=&international=

If you really want to make it faster, then get a 7200 rpm drive.

http://castle.pricewatch.com/s/search.asp?s=NOTEBOOKS+HARD+DRIVE+7200&srt=t&mi=0& m=&view=

This one has other issues that make me think it's time to move on:

The battery life has always sucked 45 minutes to an hour. This is with a new battery. It has the Pentium 2 chip and I'm told that although a great performer in it's time it was a hog on batteries. I'm told new models get over three hours!

I have had to crack it open and re-solder the power connection at least 15 times and have to be very gentle with it.

The optical drive has not worked for a year plus. A replacement is big bucks.

Etc...

I think it's time.....:)

Dell or IBM/Lenovo then...

Checkout what COSTCO has and, to voice what Kurt is thinking, swing by an Apple store for a look. It won't kill ya :) I've had lots of success with both Dell (Latitude/business class) and now IBM Lenovo. My MIL is running a Sony w/Vista Home and after 4 months or so has no issues.

One nice thing about Costco is that they warranty everything. If you are not happy with it for whatever reason they cover it, and thats hard to beat.

I see, makes sense.

I will look at Costco.

I thought Dell had gotten a bad name recently, no?

My wife has a Powerbook Pro, loaded to the gills. I concede it's a nice machine but I everything I do is PC. I know...I know...:D

So should I look for a certain processor? Avoid a certain one? Minimum RAM for Vista? Stuff like that.

The Sony laptop running Vista came with 1 GB of RAM. It was barely useable and would not open up the MS online Vista help videos...I threw in another 1 GB stick and it runs much better but still a bit slower than my XP IBM. The more RAM the better so make sure the laptop can support more than just 2 GB.

Dell laptop, ordered from the small business site. They allow you to omit all of the free crap most computers come with (Norton, etc), and you can order with XP. Did I mention you can get one with XP?;) Plus, you can pick one up very affordably with a Core 2 Duo and 2 GB RAM, or get as fancy as you like.

I'm the official IT guy of my wife's large family, I've spec'd out and ordered 4 Dell laptops in the last two years, along with 5 Dell desktops in the last 5 years. Each has not had a single problem, except for the desktop that their kids managed to kill with viruses. Several of the laptops travel to class with the college aged ones, so they don't lead an easy life.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1212006893.jpg

I love these.

I'm going to look at the MacBook, there I said it. :)

My concern is with files for work. I use Office a lot and any compatibility issues will kill me. We'll see.

I don't think Office file incompatibility is a problem, but the Mac and Windows versions of Office are just different enough to be irritating, sometimes. I use Excel many hours a day in Windows, and am used to certain keystroke combos that are not the same in Excel/Mac. I have not checked if macros run the same, that might be something to check.

That said, you can always run Windows on your MacBook using Parallels or Boot Camp, and thus have the familiar Windows environment - I think you can even toggle back and forth if using Parallels.

Vista can only see 3.3 gigs of ram so as long as you can go to 3 you're fine. I have 2 on a desktop with Vista home prem and have no issues.

Try the Dell Factory Outlet. Inspiron 1425, excellent spec's for under $600. Buy the extra warranty and be set for several years to come.

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh

Many premium credit cards (AmEx or MC) offer to double the existing warranty for free if the product is charged using their card. Pay the puppy off the next month in full and no interest charges but warranty twice as long for free. Hard to beat...

I don't know if this helps but I have been using my macbook since they first came out with the intel processor for them in 2006 and have had no problems with it at all. My first Mac and I am very happy with it. Don't have MS Office so can't give you any info on that. I open any MS Office files that come my way with Pages.

What Joe said. I was at Costco today, and the laptops are a great deal, but more than it seems you want to spend.

Apple is a great deal too. Why? You can run Windows XP on it. I'm running it on mine along with Mac OS 10. What you have, to an extent, are two laptops in one. Problem - they are pricey. The Macbook is the most affordable (and smallest), but can get close to $1K by the time you put in your accessories. What you do have with Apple are very nice screens, easy wireless set up and really nice keyboards.

A must have for me is the keyboard: if you want to stick with PC, I'd definitely go Lenovo or Dell. Great keyboards on both.

Lastly, a good way to save $$ is to do a google search for "Dell Coupons" or, depending on choice, "Lenovo Coupons." Usually, something will come up for both brand of laptop. I did this a year or so ago, and with the coupon, bought two fully loaded Dell Inspirons for the price of one. Very good machines, btw.