Laptop Suggestions?

okiepolkie

My laptop(only home computer) is about to crap out on me.

I've colored horizontal lines randomly running across my screen. I've had a couple people tell me that this would be a videocard problem and I would probably have to replace the motherboard to fix it. Not going to happen. I only paid $400 for the computer and have had it 2 years, so I think I've gotten my money's worth.

Anyway, what suggestions do you have for a new one. This one is a Toshiba Satellite and I've liked it a lot. I looked at new Toshiba's Saturday at CC, and I still like them overall, but I don't know which version to get.

I'm open to other suggestions as well so if you can "sell" me with another company(like which model dell?), I'm fine with that. I even had someone recommend one of the new Mac laptops, since they are supposed to run Windows better than a PC.

Specs:

Budget: under $1400
Processor: not a celeron
Memory: 1024
Hard Drive: 40 or more
Drives: CD writer, possibly DVD writer
Warranty: at least three years, including accidental breakage(two toddlers in the house soon)
Screen: widescreen-15 or greater
Software: I have access to most things I need through school
Computer Habits: word processing, internet browsing, powerpoint, picture manipulation, design programs(like indesign). Not really a gamer or video editor.


As always, thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

dorokusai

We used Toshiba at work and they are absolute dogs. The Tecra series is garbage.

They get pretty abused out in the field, but that's just the way it goes. The best computer I've used from an abuse standpoint was an IBM Thinkpad, but that was ages ago.

schwarcw

I've got a Thinkpad X41. My company bought (leased) it for me so I don't know what it cost. The DVD drive comes in a separate docking station (Ultrabay). It's very thin, lightweight and has good graphics. The battery life is about four hours give or take. I suggest that you buy two batteries as the life of these things is about one year. I'm very satisfied with it.

tryrrthg

I just bought a refurbished (looks brand new to me) Dell E1505 from Dell's outlet web site. It only has a 1yr warranty but you can upgrade that for a price. I think I got a pretty good deal considering if I had bought it new from Dell it would be between $1000-$1400. So it would be worth checking what is instock at dell's outlet, it changes often.

Intel Dual Core Processor T2300 (1.66GHz/667MHz FSB/2MB Cache)
gig of ram
80 gig HD
DVD burner
15.4" widescreen
wireless card (posting this from the couch is GREAT)
windows XP media center edition
2 years of McAfee virus/firewall etc.

final cost after tax and shipping $665

Holydoc

We have 27 Dell Latitude laptops that we use at my work. 20 of them are used as training machines that we carry out to the different military bases to train the troops and their commanders how to utilize developed software to determine the best weapons to use against hostile forces. All these computers are abused and have swappable hard drives (necessary when working with classified material), DVD burners, 2mb+ of memory, and 15.4" screens. They have all been to Britian, Canada, Turkey, Australia, and South Korea.

My point is that though these computers get abused and have more skymiles than me, they keep on working. We have only had 1 go bad on us (within the last 2 years) when the screen stopped working, but Dell came to the office and replaced it within 2 days. Though this particular laptop is a bit out of your money range new, I would highly recommend checking out Dell's website to see if one there would meet your needs. They have a whole area for just refurbished or returned laptops that have complete warranties on them.

BTW... my Dell Latitude D810 will be in my luggage today when I fly to Washington D.C. today. It is both my travel laptop and main computer at work. I have no fear that when I hook it up to the projection screen for my Monday morning briefing, that it will work flawlessly. I cannot make that claim of Gateways and Toshibas that we had in the past.

Here is a link to their refurbished section of the Latitudes, I spoke about above:

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&lob=LAT&MODEL_DESC=Latitude%20D810&s=dfh

Notice that Z27JZ06Y has everything you requested as well as only being $1100.

Good Luck!

brettw22

I've had a few toshibas and really liked them myself. Sony is to be avoided at all costs IMO.

I have a Fujitsu that I've recently bought (from Newegg) and I really like it. The timing is a bit bad because if you wait for 8-9 months, you're likely to get a laptop that's dual core as well as the new windows OS.

The dell that was mentioned has dual core's apparently, but that pricing doesn't seem right considering it's such a new and extremely expensive feature to home PC's.

noimposse

Toshiba makes a decent, and classy looking laptop and like already stated, stay away from Sony. Unless you like to just pay for appearence.

Personally, I would go with Dell if price is at all an issue. Search for coupon codes on google, you can end up getting over 20% off if you play your cards right. Dell also has some pretty cheap Core Duo laptops already out (many others don't even have them yet, let alone cheap). The customer service isn't all that bad either, unlike everyone says. If you're firm on what you want (if you ever even need it), they give you whatever you want.

...sometimes more if you complain.

okiepolkie

What is the difference between the dual core and single core processors. Besides the obvious fact that it is two and not one, what improvement will I see over a standard processor?

brettw22

faster processing........a lot of laptops are now going the centrino route and process at around 1.5-2ghz vs the 3+ of P4's etc......

The P4 laptops ran pretty hot, so to cut down on that they went centrino but centrino processes a little slower (not a ton) comparatively. By going dual core, you can run more aps at once, and not lose the speed you typically see with the standard single core.

Mike682

I have a Compaq and I am very happy with it. Since the merger, Compaq laptops are now made by HP. I had the keyboard fail on my laptop, but Compaq was extremely fast in getting it fixed. I was impressed.

My friend is an IT guy for a large bank. According to him, stay away from Toshiba, Gateway, and Sony.

IBM, Dell, and HP/Compaq were all brands I was told were very good. Overall, the IBM Thinkpad is highly regarded as a solid performer that can take a beating and is probably the best of the bunch..

mrbigbluelight

like a tank. We're pretty rough on it, keeps on ticking. Replacement/upgrades are pretty cheap (60 gid HD $60), etc.

If you're talking dual core, though, you might be looking a little more upscale.

A GOOD site for watching for computer bargains is

http://www.bensbargains.net

Watch that site for a couple of weeks, and excellent bargains are sure to turn up. Plus lots of legal coupon codes.

Ditto for tv deals.

Interesting discussions in the discussion areas, too. :rolleyes:

bobman1235

Another vote for IBM/Lenovo here. I have a bunch of friends who use them and love them. Not sure if they fit your budget.

HATE Toshiba though. Ugh. Had one a while back, it crapped out on me, under warranty, and had it replaced with TWO others that also had problems. That did it for me.

shack

Just purchased a Dell Latitude D620 over the weekend for my daughter's graduation present. It came in right around your budget with all the B&Ws you mentioned. This is my 3rd Dell laptop and every one is rock solid.

michael_w

At work we use compaq (hp) and IBM. The compaq's are decent but nothing really special. They get the job done but it wouldn't be the first brand I looked at if I were to buy another. The IBM's, however, are awesome. So far I've yet to have a single problem with one. They look and feel a little different from the average laptop, but all in a good way. They're small, powerful and quite ergonomic.

If you've got the cash and want to buy quality I'd say ibm would be a great choice, but if it's just a weekend use thing maybe something lesser would be a better option.

Since you mentioned it's your only home computer, have you thought about getting a desktop? If you don't really need to bring it around with you for work or anything it would be very cost effective and better in the long run to purchase a desktop. You get so much more for your money as well as being able to easily upgrade anything in the computer. With your budget you could get a really really nice desktop or keep the specs similar and spend less than half your budget on something that will last you a while.

Just an idea.

okiepolkie

I do use the computer at places other than home. We had a nice Dell desktop for a while, but sold it after we came across my Toshiba Satellite. Often times, I take it to school for ppt presentations, or to installations, where I download remote control codes(since my Axim can't do that )

I've been looking at the Lenovo products. What is the main difference between the 3000 series and the Thinkpad series? Is it comparable to the Inspiron and Latitude series from Dell? Which Lenovo series do I have to go to before I get the "drop" protection like on the commercials ?

tryrrthg

Another good site for Dell coupon codes:

http://gotapex.com/

PhantomOG

okiepolkie wrote:

I even had someone recommend one of the new Mac laptops, since they are supposed to run Windows better than a PC.

urghhh... I prefer PC's over Macs, and have no problem with someone who chooses differently, but why do Mac supporters spout crap like that all the time???

McLoki

Look at todays Woot - a pretty nice laptop for a good price. One thing though - it is more desktop replacement than laptop. (i.e. - it is heavy and the battery wont last long) but it would rock for gaming and other uses if you mainly use your laptop where you can plug it in.....

Michael

noimposse

brettw22 wrote:

faster processing........a lot of laptops are now going the centrino route and process at around 1.5-2ghz vs the 3+ of P4's etc......

The P4 laptops ran pretty hot, so to cut down on that they went centrino but centrino processes a little slower (not a ton) comparatively. By going dual core, you can run more aps at once, and not lose the speed you typically see with the standard single core.

Some of this isn't exactly correct. I'm not trying to sound like an ****, but I figured I would try to clarify.

Centrino isn't the processor, the Pentium M is. Centrino is just a certification by Intel when a laptop uses both the Centrino (now core or core duo) with a specified Intel wireless chipset. The Pentium M dosen't process slower either. True, it does have a slower clock speed, but the M processes much more efficiently than the pentium 4 and has a muth larger l2 cache. A 2ghz pentium M would certainly run faster than a 2ghz pentium 4, and it would run a hell of alot cooler too. Essentially what the Core processor does, is improve the efficiency and adds sse3 intrustions to improve multimedia applications. The duo wont exactly give you more performance unless you are multitasking or running an app that is programmed to use multiple threads or cores. Not all that many are around yet, but once they do start coming out, thats when you will see the performance increases.

This is really just for clarity's sake, I don't know if anyone actually cared. But given this information, you probably don't NEED to go dual core but at some of the prices Dell is offering, why not? Plus, you can have Bragging Rights, everyone loves those.

PhantomOG

Centrino = Marketing. It really means Intel makes more money on that laptop versus one without it because it guarantees that the chipsets used in the laptop are also made by Intel.

noimposse

Exactly.

It really is just a marketing ploy that many people fall for. I mean, I have it on my laptop. Mostly because it managed to lower the price with Dell's crazy sales, but I have it none-the-less.

Mike682

PhantomOG wrote:

Centrino = Marketing. It really means Intel makes more money on that laptop versus one without it because it guarantees that the chipsets used in the laptop are also made by Intel.

Yep that's correct..here's a quote to an older news article:

"To that end, Intel is imposing strict Centrino requirements for computer makers. To use the Centrino brand name, a laptop must include a Pentium-M processor, a set of chips for USB and battery management and the Intel wireless module. Any less, and it's "just" a Pentium-M model — and the laptop makers lose out on their chunk of that $300 million fund for marketing and advertising."
http://www.wi-fitechnology.com/displayarticle51-mode=thread.html

noimposse

Don't forget about customers losing out on that fancy sticker!

ND13

This is what you need for your "LAPTOP":p

noimposse

"I'd buy that for a dollar"

szhleppy

ND13 wrote:

This is what you need for your "LAPTOP":p

My all-time favorite pic. Who posted this originally?

Mazeroth

szhleppy wrote:

My all-time favorite pic. Who posted this originally?

That would be...ME!

szhleppy

Mazeroth wrote:

That would be...ME!

Sorry to continue the derail, but I hope you know her intimately...I mean, well...you know what I mean.

okiepolkie

Well, I ended up getting a Dell E1505 laptop.

Here are the specifications:
Inspiron E1505, Intel Core Duoprocessor T2300 (2MB/1.66GHz/667MHz)
15.4 Inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WSXGA+, for Inspiron 6400/E1505
512MB, DDR2, 533MHz 1 Dimm for Inspiron 6400/E1505
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950 GM
60GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 6400/E1505
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
8X DVD+/-RW Drive for Inspiron 6400/E1505
3 Year Limited Warranty
Warranty Support,2 Year Extended
3 year accidental warranty

I only got the 512 of RAM for now. Having is pre-installed was going to $100, while I can get it at least $25 cheaper if I do it myself. Plus, I probably won't need it for a couple of weeks anyway.

The screen on this thing is amazing. Sound isn't bad, but not as good as the H/K speakers on my Toshiba.

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone.

tryrrthg

Good choice. Yours is pretty similar to mine that I described above. I still love my 1505 after a month or so. Have fun!