Advise Me On New Laptop Purchase Advice on which one and what spec.

[BooZker 0]

Hey i'm getting a new laptop and i was wondering which one i should get. I hope this is the right place since this is the advice forum i thought this is the right place to put it. I have any $$$ amount for one, but nothing like 10,000 dollars. I'll spend a little more for something that is good and will last. I have never had a laptop. I have just always had desktops. Any advice would be great.

Edited May 4, 2006 by BuffaloHELP (see edit history)

[Jimmy 0]

I'll spend a little more for something that is good and will last. I have never had a laptop. I have just always had desktops.

I hope I can help ya out...
as a perfectionist and someone who is annoyed by 'tackiness', I spend ages researching anything I buy to make sure that I get the best deal. Im writing this on an HP pavilion laptop (zx5000), after a very long time worth of research and trying out other laptops / makes. I bought this a while ago and it originally cost me just over Ł1000, which was (and still is if i'm not mistaken) a very good deal. If you went out to buy one now, I would not be surprised if it would probably be available under Ł1000 for this model. For portability wise, it may be slightly large if you want to lug it around for hours every day, then it may not be for you, but I cycle to and from college every day and it is suitable for me. The screen is of very good quality (15.4 widescreen (with 17" being the better model although that was a year or two ago...) with the physical look of the resolution and pixels better than other makes of laptops with the same specs I have seen. The graphics should be able to handle the majority of games/anything you want to use it for (although only being 64mb card, it was a rarity for this that was designed for 180+ mb. card. This meant that the overall performance and texturing / features... etc were amazing for the laptop. also, all of the components used have the best match between them to give the performance that is good (i'm pretty sure that other well renowned makes like dell (many of my friends have them) are nowhere near as good for the same specs. 512 mb ram isn't too bad and is upgradeable too... I suggest that U have a look at alienware laptops if you want a dedicated gaming thingy, but I would recommend to everyone an HP for an immense overall sturdy, value for money comp. all of the time .
If not going for the specific laptop type that I have I would definitely reccomend an HP, as their designs perform much better than the specs that they put out. I have dropped this three times and its hardiness definitely cannot be argued with. It only caused one problem: a slight crack and scratch(s) in the plastic rim on the front which is easily replaceable (P.S. I had to glue the corner of this rim back on to it as it was smashed in after a hit in a rucksack (only on the plastic bit) though... but it did still fit !!!.) It still works perfectly - miles better than the original specs.
Enjoy - but definitely have a look at em. One reason for it working so well may be due to the modified windows software that they install on it (come on the backup disk too in case u wanna reinstall every now and again) They say that It voids the software warrenty if you overrite it, but It seems to definitely make a difference to the overall performance...) - for my college I need xp pro and I just did a dual boot to keep the original there...
If treated with lots of respect an HP laptop ( I don't know about their desktops, but...) years of great use and it should still be sellable for a fair price at the end of everything. Definitely worth a look in the grand scheme of things...!

[rvalkass 5]

When buying anything major I tend to research the companies involved first to make sure that they are reliable and all of their customers have been happy. Personal service is something very important, and being able to ask questions both before and after the purchase. I often use a company called Novatech for all my techno stuff, and they are very reliable and have a personal service. If money isn't really an object, the I would go for something like this. I presume you're in the US and I'm not sure if it's available over there, but you might be able to have it shipped out.
Alienware also do some brilliant notebooks, available worldwide, such as this one, which a friend of mine owns and is very happy with.

[Estupido 0]

Hi peopleI am planning to buy myself a new laptop but the thing i am asking to myself is what are the minimum requirements for normal use. How much memory and speed do I need to have for normal use. The laptop i want to buy is not for playing any games.Thanks

[Moolkye 0]

I've been a tech for 12+ years and here is my opinion.Dells: Have issues over heatingHP: Makes a great product but hard to get repaired, you are getting Compaq stuffIBM: Awesome product, but expensiveAlienware: Primarily for gamers, but WOW what a machineToshiba: Eh, ok, just not as ruggedSony: Nice laptops. Light, this, but break very easilyOff brands: Stay away from them. I don't care how good it looks, and what it is offering, stay away!Now mind you , this is my opinion based on my experience. Other may have had either similar or better experiences with their laptops. But at least you are asking, which is a great first step.

[Cool_Freaker 0]

Hi people
I am planning to buy myself a new laptop but the thing i am asking to myself is what are the minimum requirements for normal use. How much memory and speed do I need to have for normal use. The laptop i want to buy is not for playing any games.
Thanks

Generally, for word processing, any of the laptops on the market now will do the job well enough. For reasonable performance though:

CPU: 1.2ghz (wouldn't go any lower, but with brand new ones I don't think you can - Celeron M's are apparantly great value at the lower end, while Core Duos will let you do a lot more multi-tasking)
RAM: 512mb (minimal for smooth performance and getting the most out of Windows XP)
GPU: Integrated (is fine for no games)
HDD: 40gb (...is pretty standard, but the requirements really depends on each person. Usually upgradable anyway - and if you have a desktop I don't think you need much space)
Size/weight would have to depend on whether you are after something budget or need an ultra-portable laptop.

Brandwise, you can't beat Dell for price/performance, though quality-wise perhaps not the best. Avoid AMD laptops for now, Intel definitely has the upper-edge in laptop CPUs.