Laptop Recommendation?

[Nica_In_Love 98]

I agree that Toshiba should improve their sound system, but that's pretty much the only "problem" I see. I don't get the BMW-Toyota comparison either. I paid $425 for my Toshiba and I don't think that's expensive. The hubby bought a $1200 MacBook Pro and he has to restart his laptop frequently :/

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Brand is truly irrelevant, but stick with Acer, Lenovo, or Toshiba. They are going to be your most stable of the major brands.

What matters is what you get on the inside.

Processor: Any dual-core pentium, i-series, Athlon, Turion, etc. will be fine for what you're wanting to do. If you can find an inexpensive i5, that would be the way to go, but not necessary.

Memory: Nothing under 4GB running windows 7 64-bit. The OS alone is going to take up nearly half of your memory running basic programs. You want to make sure you can always be comfortable surfing, playing a movie, multi-tasking, etc. especially if you ever plan on using Photoshop or simiar at the same time as well.

Hard Drive space: You won't find anything under 320GB these days, and really unless you're planning on storing movies on your HDD, you won't need more than that. If you can find a inexpensive laptop that has a 7200rpm drive vs. 5400rpm, definitely go that route, it helps a bit with overall speed.

Features: Make sure the laptop has HDMI on there so you can use your TV, external LCD, etc. Also if you have certain types of memory cards, check to see if the laptop has the appropriate slots for them where you can just plug in your card and go. If you have a cell phone that uses micro-usb and you do a lot of travelling, having a "powered" usb port is very nice. They aren't all that popular, but it's a good feature when you can find it.

Other than that, just do a little bit of price shopping. The BEST place to buy good laptops is actually Best Buy. Check their website every week. Their BRAND NEW laptop that come out will always have a price point of $399.99 for the first week or two before they jump up to $599 or higher. It's something awesome I noticed they do to push new products and you can get a sweet notebook for a stellar price. Even overall, Best Buy or Tiger Direct will have the best prices. Newegg is actually a store you want to stay away from on laptops. Their pricing is nice, but since they don't specialize in laptops, the pricing doesn't match the quality you can get from a laptop for the same price elsewhere.

Good luck.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Brand is truly irrelevant, but stick with Acer, Lenovo, or Toshiba. They are going to be your most stable of the major brands.

What matters is what you get on the inside.

Processor: Any dual-core pentium, i-series, Athlon, Turion, etc. will be fine for what you're wanting to do. If you can find an inexpensive i5, that would be the way to go, but not necessary.

Memory: Nothing under 4GB running windows 7 64-bit. The OS alone is going to take up nearly half of your memory running basic programs. You want to make sure you can always be comfortable surfing, playing a movie, multi-tasking, etc. especially if you ever plan on using Photoshop or simiar at the same time as well.

Hard Drive space: You won't find anything under 320GB these days, and really unless you're planning on storing movies on your HDD, you won't need more than that. If you can find a inexpensive laptop that has a 7200rpm drive vs. 5400rpm, definitely go that route, it helps a bit with overall speed.

Features: Make sure the laptop has HDMI on there so you can use your TV, external LCD, etc. Also if you have certain types of memory cards, check to see if the laptop has the appropriate slots for them where you can just plug in your card and go. If you have a cell phone that uses micro-usb and you do a lot of travelling, having a "powered" usb port is very nice. They aren't all that popular, but it's a good feature when you can find it.

Other than that, just do a little bit of price shopping. The BEST place to buy good laptops is actually Best Buy. Check their website every week. Their BRAND NEW laptop that come out will always have a price point of $399.99 for the first week or two before they jump up to $599 or higher. It's something awesome I noticed they do to push new products and you can get a sweet notebook for a stellar price. Even overall, Best Buy or Tiger Direct will have the best prices. Newegg is actually a store you want to stay away from on laptops. Their pricing is nice, but since they don't specialize in laptops, the pricing doesn't match the quality you can get from a laptop for the same price elsewhere.

Good luck.

Yeah I've bought laptops from TigerDirect, they are very good. I've been reading funny things about Best Buy like optimization etc. (They supposedly set the OS up for quick boot and remove useless preloaded #######. However, there is no proof they actually do this + they may try and charge you for this service. Not to mention the geek squad isn't exactly trustworthy, who's to say they might put a keylogger on it. If you do buy from best buy ask for an unopened box otherwise they will try to sell you the optimized version.)

Edited August 31, 2011 by Sousuke

[Nica_In_Love 98]

Yeah I've bought laptops from TigerDirect, they are very good. I've been reading funny things about Best Buy like optimization etc. (They supposedly set the OS up for quick boot and remove useless preloaded #######. However, there is no proof they actually do this + they may try and charge you for this service. Not to mention the geek squad isn't exactly trustworthy, who's to say they might put a keylogger on it. If you do buy from best buy ask for an unopened box otherwise they will try to sell you the optimized version.)

I agree with you.

You can also buy the laptop directly from the manufacturer's website. My starting point was always Best Buy, but this time I decided to check Toshiba Direct and was able to find the computer I wanted for a lower price. Speedy delivery too (Even though they ask for 1-2 weeks for customized orders).

[sachinky 465]

Whatever you do, DON'T buy a Dell Inspiron 1525. I've had that for three years and it's given me nothing but trouble.

I am now using Mr. Sachinky's 4 year old HP Pavilion dv6000 and it's alright. Hubby just upgraded to an ASUS that his company purchased for him. Runs like a dream, but it's pricey.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Check out XOTICPC http://www.xoticpc.com/ or Gentech PC http://www.gentechpc.com/

Both are excellent retailers.

[Captain Oates 911]

And the other with the Camry-BMW comparison not sure what this has to do with anything. I ride my bike to the train station for commute to work everyday. On the weekends when hunting or fishing and when taking the kids to their practices and events, I cruise around in a Chevy Tahoe. Can't see how this has any bearing on computers, but figured I'd convey since that seems to be the thing to do here.

When marc bolan sang :

Just like a car you're pleasing to be hold

I'll call you Jaguar if I may be so bold

'Cos you're my baby, 'cos you're my love

Oh girl I'm just a jeepster for your love - oh

..of course he was English and of my generation so perhaps it doesnt translate in the US - but 'over there' people refer to quality ranges by likening it to various brands of car from 'Rolls Royce' down to Lada (a Russian car)

Hope that clarifies it

Acer is a toyota and I have owned several of each

[TBoneTX 45,266]

I just found Mrs. T-B. a 4GB Toshiba laptop on closeout at Radio Shack for under $400. The guys at the computer place who sucked the contents off her fried HP and threw them into the Toshiba were very impressed with the deal for this quality of laptop, si man.

I usually have little or no reason to visit Radio Shack, but when I do, there's almost always some excellent and extremely unadvertised deal. The laptop above was only $20 more than the inferior one that I'd gone in to look at, si man.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I just found Mrs. T-B. a 4GB Toshiba laptop on closeout at Radio Shack for under $400. The guys at the computer place who sucked the contents off her fried HP and threw them into the Toshiba were very impressed with the deal for this quality of laptop, si man.

I usually have little or no reason to visit Radio Shack, but when I do, there's almost always some excellent and extremely unadvertised deal. The laptop above was only $20 more than the inferior one that I'd gone in to look at, si man.

Haha, I am imagining them sticking a vacuum cleaner in the machine.

[BishopM 114]

I am not a gamer, so when it comes to buying a laptop/desktop/any PC I always buy whatever is cheapest. Seriously.....

[Captain Oates 911]

Haha, I am imagining them sticking a vacuum cleaner in the machine.

I can just see George Michael vacking his lapy and singing - "Hey sucker, what the hell got into you"

Actually, it's a bit early pacific time to envision George bending over anything, so cancel that thought

[nane1104 146]

I got a Sony Vaio VGN-FW170J almost three years ago and so far I am very happy with it. It's a bit bigger because of the widescreen with blueray DVD player but if you intend to watch movies on it, it might be just right for you.

It has travelled a lot already, switching from 220V to 120V without problems.

My parents are insisting on buying Acer laptops and have gone through 2 each during the same timeperiod due to technical issues (but I am not sure how much was their own doing, my mom doesn't know what she is doing period and my dad thinks he knows everything about computers and messes around far to much I think )

[Captain Oates 911]

I got a Sony Vaio VGN-FW170J almost three years ago and so far I am very happy with it. It's a bit bigger because of the widescreen with blueray DVD player but if you intend to watch movies on it, it might be just right for you.

It has travelled a lot already, switching from 220V to 120V without problems.

My parents are insisting on buying Acer laptops and have gone through 2 each during the same timeperiod due to technical issues (but I am not sure how much was their own doing, my mom doesn't know what she is doing period and my dad thinks he knows everything about computers and messes around far to much I think )

Vorsprung durch technik except siemens/fujitsu which is about as user friendly as Gaddafi's guard dog after standing on it's toes.

Tell Die Muttie not to wash it up with the kitty feed bowls as its not guaranteed to 300 metres.

When my wife threw my Acer at me in Milwaukee in 2005, it bounced off my wooden head and then crashed on the hard floor and then she stomped on it. An email had come in from an old girl friend. Not a girfriend that was old.

It's still going very well and the blood came off it no problem (ok that bit was made up)

[Captain Oates 911]

problem solved....

Edited September 1, 2011 by Alan the Red

[nane1104 146]

problem solved....

That would be my mom...washing the laptop!