Need a new laptop

SpookyPistolero

SpookyPistolero

Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Messages
6,105
I need a new laptop! My 'good one' crapped out recently and won't turn back on.

I don't do any gaming. I do a lot of research (multiple PDFs and docs at once) and web surfing. I also store a lot of pics and a few vids.

My last two laptops (and only two) have been Dells. I guess it's due to price and availability. I know that in all things you get what you pay for, but there's not too much available funding for this right now.

Any particular brands/ manufacturers I should be looking for? What upgrades are worthwhile (processors, etc)?
 
I buy all mine reconditioned from USAnotebook.com. The one I'm on now came from them. I've been quite happy with them. For what its worth I mean. I really like the IBM machines.

STR
 
newegg has good prices and wide selection if you can wait a week or so they have deals all the time and could feel it out. I would still make sure you get something decent speed and RAM even with just PDF and Pics.
 
I just bought a new HP G62-225DX tonight, transferring files from old one to new one now. Seems to be a very nice machine. The built in webcam is pretty handy for talking to the kids over google talk, free is good. 3gig ram and 320gig drive, 15" screen, fast.
By the time I bought the office extension, warrenty and all I was down near a grand
 
STR said:
I buy all mine reconditioned from USAnotebook.com. The one I'm on now came from them. I've been quite happy with them. For what its worth I mean. I really like the IBM machines.

STR
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I've bought from them too, and with excellent results.

My favorite brand of laptop is IBM, now Lenovo. Lenovo previously made the ThinkPad laptops for IBM, but now sell the machines under their own name.
 
I always feel the need to ask this:

Do you really need the portability of a laptop? If not, you can save money and get a better machine by purchasing a desktop.
 
Bob W said:
I always feel the need to ask this:

Do you really need the portability of a laptop? If not, you can save money and get a better machine by purchasing a desktop.
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I fully agree. I spent some money on a nice desk top and fixed it up. Then I got a pretty nice reconditioned IBM Thinkpad (best laptops in my opinion especially with durability). I have bought a couple of laptops reconditioned from tigerdirect.com and the only way I can tell they are used is scratches on the orgional windows sticker on the bottom.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
I don't do any gaming. I do a lot of research (multiple PDFs and docs at once) and web surfing. I also store a lot of pics and a few vids porn.
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Well, you don't need to pay a premium for a dedicated video card, but get as much RAM and as big a HD as you can get and/or an external HD. A regular external HD will have faster transfer speeds, especially if your new computer has USB 3.0 and you buy a compatable HD, but it'll have a power plug, and the size makes them a pain to carry around. You can get a 1TB portable external drive for about $130 these days. Not as fast, but small and easy to take with you.
 
I recently purchased an HP to serve as my portable computer for college duties. After wringing it out thoroughly over the last few weeks, I must say I couldn't be happier. It is absolutely packed with features and performance at a very reasonable price as new.
 
I'm glad you guys have been having luck with HP, I've never owned one, partly due to the negative reviews I've heard from several owners. Even my buddy in Boston who's a Microsoft certified consultant and used to work at HP/Compaq told me to stay away from them.
My last three PCs were Dells, 2 Optiplex networking desktops and currently an Inspiron E1505. The Optiplex machines were quite good; I still use one as my main hub pc with my modem, router, printer, NAS storage box connected to it. I'm not as impressed with the E1505 though. The battery stopped holding a charge pretty quickly, I had to get it repaired after a couple drops of water got into it via the speaker duct.
I'm looking for a desktop replacement now and am considering something like the ASUS K72JK-A1 17.3-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop.
I've heard Asus has one of, if not the best pc warranty available now.

For work I use a Lenovo ThinkPad R61 and it's a pretty good machine so far.

Good luck with your search!
 
SpookyPistolero said:
Does toshiba have a certain reputation?
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Back in the mid 90s Toshiba was considered one of the best laptop makers. My very first laptop was a then top of the line Tecra. It was one of the first laptops to include a DVD player and webcam. I paid $2000 for it back then - 2nd hand! It had a whopping 6Gb HDD, 256Mb RAM and an Intel Pentium II processor.
Today I'm not sure where they stand on the laptop totem pole.
 
NaturalMystic said:
Back in the mid 90s Toshiba was considered one of the best laptop makers. My very first laptop was a then top of the line Tecra. It was one of the first laptops to include a DVD player and webcam. I paid $2000 for it back then - 2nd hand! It had a whopping 6Gb HDD, 256Mb RAM and an Intel Pentium II processor.
Today I'm not sure where they stand on the laptop totem pole.
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Still have a Toshiba Tecra 8000 running to this day. XP Pro/SP3...Pentium II 366Mhz 256MB/RAM. Came with Win 98 on it.....went to 2K with it and then to XP Pro. Struggles with Web sites that have alot of Flash and doesn't handle video very well.....still runs 2 hours on a full charge....only on my second battery (bought it used in 02).

John
 
jchaney said:
Still have a Toshiba Tecra 8000 running to this day. XP Pro/SP3...Pentium II 366Mhz 256MB/RAM. Came with Win 98 on it.....went to 2K with it and then to XP Pro. Struggles with Web sites that have alot of Flash and doesn't handle video very well.....still runs 2 hours on a full charge....only on my second battery (bought it used in 02).

John
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Nice!! I can't remember which model I have but it looks like the 8000 and probably is. I'll have to dig it out of storage sometime. Oh, I remember it also had a swappable drive. You could swap the DVD-ROM drive for a floppy disc drive, plus it also came with an external housing and connector cord for which ever drive you didn't have in the laptop itself.
 
I've had very good luck with my Toshiba satellite.
I prefer Athlon processors, especially their multi-core models.
if you go with 15.6" or larger, 10-key keypad is available onboard.
 
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