What's a good laptop?

[AJ_rider]

The only regret that I have is getting Vista on my wife's machine. It is super slow on bootup and has some compatibility issues with applications, but that's a function of the OS not the HP machine IMO. I would have gotten a custom machine from HP with XP if I had known this would be an issue.

I agree, I had the same problem with my g/f's laptop. It came with 512MB ram AND VISTA...not a good combination. So I had to buy and install some additional RAM just so it didnt take 20 minutes to boot up. Try your best to get Windows XP as the operating system rather than VISTA. If you cant get XP, which is hard unless you custom order it, think at least 1GB (2GB ideal) for RAM. If you're planning on buying at a B&M store like Best Buy it'll be almost impossible to get an XP machine.

Can you tell I hate VISTA? :Flip:

Good luck shopping! :Sport:

 

[grommit]

Thanks grommit....much appreciated...I'll probably be going with a Dell.

Stupid question, but do all laptops come with a CD burner?

Most off them will have a DVD burner I'd expect these days.


Vista is slow.

 

[dark_isz]

..........

 

[4fun]

And you thought this would be a simple question. You will probably get as many different opinions on this as the question "Which oil is best".

FWIW I have a Toshiba and never had issues, my son's HP has been back to HP three times now for wireless problems.

My advice would be to listen to the computor people on the site who deal with the repairs.

Good Luck

 

[wolfc70]

I won't be doing anything fancy with it...basically searching the net, email, downloading.....that kind of stuff.

Would you suggest just buying a new tower for my desktop? I don't travel or anything like that...so I really don't need a laptop (just want)

For $700 you could buy a pretty powerful tower. A tower that has the same specs as a $700 laptop will cost ~$300. So if cash is a concern buy a replacement tower. You CAN get a nice laptop for under $800, but you start to compromise on performance, optical drives et cetera. I love the freedom a laptop offers, but it is not a necessary item to have when money is tight.

 

[jsteinb95]

Thank you all for your help! :thumbup:

 

[Hellgate]

We have used IBM/Lenovo at work for the past 7+ years.

I used an Compaq/HP Presario 2000 something in Iraq and it was great. It put up with heat, dust, bouncing around in a HUMVEE. They are inexpensive and work great.

 

[AJ_rider]

How 'bout this?

Lenovo brand
Intel Dual core proc
1gb RAM
Windows XP
15" screen
DVD-RW
80GB HD - my main concern...

Not a bad price for a Thinkpad but the lack of trackpad would be a dealbreaker for me. I hate using that little nub thingy as a mouse. Of course you could always plug in a mouse...just my 2¢.

 

[nimzotech]

I like these because they are green (in more than one way) and can help burn off excess calories.

 

[brad81987]

If you're looking for a good deal, also check out the Dell Outlet
Dell Outlet Home & Home Office - Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished Laptop - Refurbished Notebook
They have some pretty awesome deals in there on new stuff. It's all orders that were built and then canceled, certified refurbished or scratch-and-dent. You can get a pretty good deal there for around $700-$1000

 

[Tailgate]

Doesn't Yamaha make laptops? They make everything else.

 

[Hellgate]

Doesn't Yamaha make laptops? They make everything else.

No, but they do make semi-conductor chips.

 

[2-stroke]

No, but they do make semi-conductor chips.

And some amazing sound boards

 

[Comet]

I use an older Dell Inspiron 8000 and have had no problems but if I do I will get an HP next. Here is a good one Walmart.com : HP 15.4" Pavilion dv6693us Laptop PC w/ AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TL-60 : Computers


Acer, Dell and Hp would be good choices for the money. I have researched them and all get good reviews. The Acer does real good out of these 3. I would still personally want the HP. Here are some in your price range $550-$700. Electronics - Wal-mart

 

[CombatPenguin]

I have had good luck with hp/compaq, the sony's are nice but as mentioned expensive and bloated with software. But they have some of the lowest failure rates. I got my Vaio last year and has held up well through lots of abuse but i removed vista and installed xp pro. For a nice travel laptop or sub laptop i recommend the Asus eeePC.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

The only computer I have ever own were all laptops. The one that I am currently using is a Toshiba which is my fourth laptop. On my previous 3 purchases, I was very loyal to the IBM Thinkpads (now Leveno). However, the reason why I went from one Thinkpad to the next was because something would go wrong with my laptop. So instead of getting it fixed, I just ended up buying the latest and greatest that IBM had to offer. Probably spent close to $10,000 on the IBM's alone. I preferred their trackball or pointer vs the traditional pads that you find on most laptops. So from my personal experience with IBM"s, and going through 3 Thinkpads, they didn't hold up too well. Not sure if it was from the constant abuse that my computer had to go through from travelling with the different bands I use to work for 300 days out of the year. My last IBM went down on me in Duluth Ga when I was out with Eric Clapton. Needing a computer ASAP! I ended up buying my Toshiba at Fry's Electronics (very big electronic store) the very next day. What makes this purchase so great was that I did buy their 5 yr extended warranty, so it has given me a peace of mind. No IBM laptop has ever lasted for more than 3 years for me. As some member has mentioned, the type of laptop you decide to get depends on your preference, and what you are actually going to use it for. I prefer my laptop to be small, light and portable. I only have a 12 inch screen. Some prefer having a gigantic widescreen to watch movies. Whatever you decide, DO NOT BUY A USED LAPTOP! The lifespan of a laptop is nowhere near as a desk top. I've heard great things from people who have owned Sony's and Dells, as well as MACS. If you have a chance on purchasing the extended warranty, go for it. In this rare case, I think buying the warranty is worth it based on how so many laptops fail. Now, is anybody interested in repairing my 2nd Thinkpad? It just needs a new power socket. I would like to retrieve some of my pics that's stored on the hard drive.

 

[HavBlue]

We have had an HP for about 2 years now and it is constantly being toted around. The unit has had zero problems and I would buy another in a heartbeat. We also have an HP desktop and it too has been problem free for over 3 years now.

 

[Rich]

Check out the Dell Inspiron 1525, I think you can get them now for $600. I have one I use daily and it rocks. I paid $800 at the time, but the prices have dropped considerably.

The company I work for uses all Dell, and we have very few problems with them. My home desktop is a Dell going on 7 years old (with daily use) without a hickup, and it convinced me to look at Dell when I went to a laptop.

I don't know what you guys and gals think of Vista, but I love it, once I got used to it. I think the bugs are worked out and I don't know of anyone personally having any problems with it. XP was nice, but the Vista is even nicer, in my opinion.

Dell does offer you the option of XP or Vista yet, I'm not sure if they all do that or not.

Good luck shopping, you have lots of choices out there.

 

[Oblisk]

Ive had some hard history with dells
a company my dad worked for 2 years replaced all its computers with dells and in 3 years 95% of them had some sort of fatal problem. . .

toshibas rule

vios rule

my older bro works with micro soft and in a genius when it comes to computers, and he insists that dells are made my satan:rockon:

 

[CMHrider]

I've become partial to a Mac however they most likely will cost more than you want to spend. I've had two Toshibas, the first broke too many times and best buy replaced it the second one over heated all the time and was hot to the touch and would shut off with no warning therefore i would loses data. If sticking with a microsoft operating system, google dell small business, sometimes you can get better deals than their normal residential consumer web page. also my computer buddy can't stress enough that the more ram the better. it gives you the greatest performance for your money. install it yourself it is super easy and a lot of computer stores will severely over charge for something that only takes about 2 minutes. shop the internet for ram, online computers stores will sell brand name memory for "cheap"