PC Laptop?

Chiro75

Chiro75

Joined
Feb 4, 1999
Messages
5,786
Hopefully this is an appropriate forum to ask this question... all who know me know I am a diehard Mac fanatic. The only reason I touch PC's is because I have to @ work. Consequently, I don't know much about them. The opportunity has come up to do some postgraduate seminar work and I'll need a laptop to do it. My ancient iBook has finally given up the ghost. I'm considering a $950 Macbook, but I bought a new iMac for home last year and it seems like overkill, although it would be easy on me since I'm so familiar with the platform and had many great years of service, dropping, etc on my iBook.

I want to consider the idea of a PC laptop, too. Basically all I'll need to do is hook it to a digital projector, hook up a remote control to it, and run Powerpoint on it.

What are good brands (i.e. reliable, built well, good customer service) to look at? Best places to get a good deal? What price range should I be looking at?

LIke I said, I don't need big display, gaming power, etc etc, and I'd like to have something that is dependable and runs well, but won't break the bank. FWIW, I'll probably be doing 4 weekend events later in the year and getting paid around $1200-$1500/weekend over and above expenses (as an independent contractor, so I'll have to take taxes out of that), so the first weekend I do should be able to pay for the equipment.

TIA!
 
Since your needs are very basic, your budget is limited, and you're less-than-enthusiastic about buying one at all...

Have you considered a used/refurbished laptop? Something like an IBM ThinkPad with Windows XP could be just the thing, and probably only cost a couple hundred dollars. Bought my wife a ThinkPad A31p and it's been a great computer for all of her teacher/school work.

I think I bought it at this site: http://www.usanotebook.com/

Otherwise, if you insist on new, just go to WalMart or large electronics store and buy the cheapest thing they sell.

Good Luck!
 
Get a low end Dell or HP, really just one of the cheapest you can find (maybe even a used one if the price is right).

The moment you get it, install Ubuntu on it, it will now run faster than with Windows. The user interface will be closer to what you have come to expect on your Mac, all your software will be free and you will never have to worry about getting viruses/malware again.

Tadaa, all the speed and software of a PC easily twice as expensive, plus added security and a better looking user interface.
 
Peruse www.newegg.com and www.tigerdirect.com. They have pretty good deals on new ones, and at times you can find loaded up factory refurbished for really cheap. Most come pre loaded with Vista, but I'd dump that for XP Pro, and XP Pro will only recognize 3MB of RAM.

The only real problems I have with Dell or HP or the like is that they come loaded up with useless/trial software thats intertwined in programs you actually need, and all you get is a restore disk instead of a full copy of the OS. And if you can get it, get the N wireless.

Acer is making a nice hot laptop using AMD innards that can be found for around $ 600.

Funny, but the smaller the screens the more expensive the system these days.
 
Chiro75 said:
I'm considering a $950 Macbook, but I bought a new iMac for home last year and it seems like overkill
Click to expand...

If I were you I would go with the Macbook or some Mac laptop. Sounds like you really like them and I don't think this would be overkill, just the next best thing to bringing your iMac with you. Also, if your little iMac gets computer-senile for a spell, you will have your Macbook and be a happy camper.

In my financial universe;) $950 would not be a lot compared to your projected income; you may do more of these presentations; and you will wind up with something you will enjoy regardless.

If you only use it for SE income then I would imagine that you might be able to deduct it on your taxes depending on how you file etc. If you take a loss it just comes off your W-2 income...and you still have a computer you like to use.

Chiro,
I had a thread going in gadgets and gear: Macbook v.s. Dell Inspiron and got many good replies:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584405
 
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www.USAnotebook.com

Thats where I get all my lap tops.

I like the IBM and Lenovo models personally and since I prefer Windows XP I like finding them with that operating system with the wireless built in. Thats what I'm using now in fact. They offer some really good deals and I've been very happy with everything I've ever bought from them.

STR
 
www.USAnotebook.com

Thats where I get all my lap tops.
Click to expand...

That's the same site I listed above. When I was shopping for Wife's used laptop, I compared models at USANotebook and at Dell's refurbished website. Not only was USAnotebook much less expensive, they offered a warranty that was twice as long as Dell's. Ended up buying an IBM anyway...
 
Moving to Gadgets & Gear. :rolleyes:
 
Chiro75 said:
I want to consider the idea of a PC laptop, too. Basically all I'll need to do is hook it to a digital projector, hook up a remote control to it, and run Powerpoint on it.
Click to expand...

If that's all you need I'd look at one of the small netbooks. They should handle what you need to do and are fairly inexpensive. The Acer Aspire One seems to get a lot of good ratings.
 
monsterdog said:
Get a low end Dell or HP, really just one of the cheapest you can find (maybe even a used one if the price is right).
Click to expand...

+1 on this, but I would say get the second from the bottom, usually the cheapest model has a celeron cpu, best to stay away from this. I think you get more for your money with an AMD chip. I have a DELL now, and my next will probably be an HP based on the recommendations of colleagues and their high placing in Consumers Reports reviews. I have also owned two Toshibas that I was very happy with, I would not hestitate to buy another, great value.
 
I run the IT department for a small (100 or so employees) company and buy nothing but Dell. We have about 20 technicians in the field and they all have laptops. I had to call tech support for a bad hard drive this morning. From the time I picked up the phone to when I got the dispatch number of the part getting shipped out and hung up was 11 minutes. Don't use their online chat support though, it sucks. For $950 your options are wide open.

I would go for a Latitude E6500 (14.1" screen, about $800). If it has XP, 1GB of RAM is fine, Vista wants at least 2GB. Unless you have a ton of music, pictures or video, the 80GB hard drive is fine.

On the cheaper end are the Vostros. We have five Vostro 1000s right now and they are OK. They are cheaper looking and feeling and the battery does not last as long. The Vostro 1310 has a 13" screen and is about $600.

Want it smaller? This isn't Dell, but the eee pc is supposed to be pretty good. 8.9" screen for $329 at Newegg. It won't exactly be a powerhouse, but it will get you online. Newegg rocks, by the way.

A few questions:
What do you need the laptop to do?
Is there a specific program that you need Windows for or is it company policy?
Do you need Windows XP or will Vista work?

Acers are ok too. The cheaper ones have crappy battery life, though.
 
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NewEgg ships extremely fast. I buy 99% of my parts from them.

I just received a promo email from NewEgg: Acer Extensa EX5630 laptop. Intel Pentium dual-core T3400 @ 2.16GHz, 3GB DDR2, 250GB HD, 667MHz front side bus, 1MB L2 cashe and a 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN. Not that I'm that big of an Intel fan (the last 5 desktops I've built I've gone with Asus/AMD), but for the money ($ 499 shipped) that's not a bad deal.

First thing I'd do is to re-format the HD and remove Vista. Ugh.
 
+1 for the Acer aspire one. A buddy has one for university and loves it, I'm planning on getting one myself soon. My big recommendation to anyone buying any computer is to remember that you are buying a name when you go looking at HP, Dell, Compaq, even Acer. If you are ok with that, go right ahead. the are all overpriced compared to building from parts (even what most computer shops charge in labor) Also the specs on computers are intentionally misleading. its the nature of the game.

buyer be ware, and educate yourself
do you need a 4, 6, or 8 cell battery?

do you need digital video outputs?

do you need a line in or mic jack for recording?

does the audio output matter?

what resolution of screen can YOU read?

How bright will it need to be?

These are some questions that almost no one asks and many feel are unimportant, until you needed a different option
 
gadgetgeek said:
+1 for the Acer aspire one. A buddy has one for university and loves it, I'm planning on getting one myself soon. My big recommendation to anyone buying any computer is to remember that you are buying a name when you go looking at HP, Dell, Compaq, even Acer. If you are ok with that, go right ahead. the are all overpriced compared to building from parts (even what most computer shops charge in labor) Also the specs on computers are intentionally misleading. its the nature of the game.

buyer be ware, and educate yourself
do you need a 4, 6, or 8 cell battery?

do you need digital video outputs?

do you need a line in or mic jack for recording?

does the audio output matter?

what resolution of screen can YOU read?

How bright will it need to be?

These are some questions that almost no one asks and many feel are unimportant, until you needed a different option
Click to expand...


While this is true for the desktops (notebooks passed desktops in sales within the last year) it really is not true for notebooks. Not sure that you can build one at this time. You are buying the name brands that you listed because they are what is available.

I do agree that you buy for your needs. Basic needs, basic computer. Naming any one brand over the other is a crap shoot at best. I used to swear by Dell....Until I had some problems and fixed other problems with family, friends. Now I swear AT them. Currently own HP notebooks....I swear by them for now... I needed the full size keyboard w/10 key on the side...Suites my needs perfectly....Of course customer satisfaction can be highly cyclical from manufacturer to manufacturer.
I don't really worry about the crapware that comes on the pc...It's not there by accident in case you weren't aware. It is a "subsidy" of sorts that helps to bring the prices down where consumers demand. If you have to remove the crapware, then there are utilities that are free and do a very good job at this.


HTH


Bill
 
That is true. There are places that will build lappys but yes at a premium. still one should be asking those question when comparing machines to see which to buy. Just like my Mom's last car, the diffrence came down to 1 year of warranty, and better cup holders, the cars were that close, cupholders won out.
if you do a lot of presentations in a lot of places having DVI, VGA and S-Video or being able to readily adapt to the venue projector is the difference between looking pro, and looking lame.
 
I would recommend a Dell Mini 9 or 12, or an HP mini-note. Remove the preinstalled OS and install OS X, x86. This is a version of OS X that has been modified to run on a PC with a BIOS. I don't know the legalities of using this product, or think that you can get support through Apple for this product, but it is available. One of the guys at work has been talking about doing just this cause he is a die hard MAC junkie, but wants the portability of a mini.
 
There are a few extra steps you have to take before you can remove the OS it came with and install another one. First have a recovery disk for the OS it was shipped with, in case you screw up. Then find and download to disk all the drivers you will need. Create a boot disk. Then you can wipe off the OS it was shipped with (most likely Vista), and install whatever OS you want.

This can be a tricky task if you're not familiar with doing this.

And another point to consider, the manufacturer's warranty will be voided if you do this.
 
Ah, another Linux user! I found Ubuntu to be a bit too bloated for my tastes. Been running PCLOS MiniMe 2008 on all the home computers for a while now.

Good stuff.

On topic...I have had nothing but good luck with the 4 HP laptops I have purchased. They have ranged from low end to high end and each has functioned well.


monsterdog said:
Get a low end Dell or HP, really just one of the cheapest you can find (maybe even a used one if the price is right).

The moment you get it, install Ubuntu on it, it will now run faster than with Windows. The user interface will be closer to what you have come to expect on your Mac, all your software will be free and you will never have to worry about getting viruses/malware again.

Tadaa, all the speed and software of a PC easily twice as expensive, plus added security and a better looking user interface.
Click to expand...
 
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