buying new laptop... (1 Viewer)

[pyko]

hi all,
i've finished year 12, and i will most likely go interstate for uni (I live in Bris and will most likely go to UNSW) - therefore i will be getting a laptop

just like to ask a few questions.....are there any laptops that people have used and would strongly recommend? (or alternatively strongly recommend me NOT to buy the particular model)

and also, when choosing/buying a laptop is there anything in particular i should look at?? (eg. RAM, graphics card etc) anything in particular that is a must have? or a must stay away from?

for some details as to how I will be using my laptop...
- All the general UNI stuff: surf the net, word etc etc
- webdesign/programming stuff: adobe photoshop, dreamweaver (or similar programs)
- some gaming: WC3, Rome: Total War...

and the last bit of information....budget would be around $2500 ($3000 absolute max)

thanks all!
pyko

p.s i've decided from reading around i'll settle for a centrino processor...but that's pretty much all i know for sure...

 

[doe]

get a sony vaio, im gonna get one for my mum i think

i got a cheap laptop a few years back, its big, heavy and loud. i reccomend going for one thats small and quiet, you'll pay more (should be able to get one with your budget) but its proably worth it.

 

[neuro_logik]

as I always say in every laptop thread, get an Apple iBook

 

[loquasagacious]

With that budget he could stretch to a powerbook.

I got a Toshiba Tecra A2 with centrino processor its very good.

Things to look for are:

At least 512Mb of RAM, haggle for it if necessary.
Centrino processor.
Wireless connectivity - 802.11g
Ni-Mh battery.
DVD +/- maybe even double layer burner
firewire
dockable
graphics out so that you can hook up a second monitor
dedicated memory for graphics
bundled software
XP pro
warranty
nvidia or ATI graphics
large hard drive with alarge cache

um thats about all I can think of, an STM bag to carry it would be good.

 

[doe]

the problem i have with ibooks is youd have to pay for everything extra, there doesnt seem to be as much free stuff available for it as there is with win32 stuff (and i dont mean warez). id love to get an ibook though.

 

[loquasagacious]

I just don't like how apple products arn't as customisable before you buy, though there is an active ibook modding community. Also they tend to be more expensive than there PC equivalent - though the ibook/powerbook is an exception to this and the rest of the line looks alrite when compared to Dell/IBM prices.

 

[anti]

I like Toshibas, because I have one and it's reliable - but expensive and most of them are heavy. Dell is good if you're looking for affordable, customisable. Sony is expensive but rather fancy (ie. vaio)

For how you'll be using your laptop.. some basic requirements (remember upgrading hardware is difficult on laptops)
* uni stuff (word processing, surfing the net): 256mb ram - remember you can surf the net on really sloow computers , 802.11g wireless (g not b - it's backward compatible), just make sure it has an ethernet (lan) port as well if you're going to be cabled. i'd say 30gig is enough for uni-only things..
* webdesign and programming: more ram for photoshop (minimum 512), more room (40-80gig for pics - although you could also get an external hd and connect it to other computers via usb), and a more powerful processor.. you probably want a good screen too - anything less than 15" probably won't be detailed enough for you. my laptop has a tiny screen which means i never do detailed work on it.
* gaming: powerful processor. gaming and design seem to require similar processing capabilities .. at least I think so cause i'm not a big user of either get a good graphics card, don't rely on the integrated one. you want lots of ram or else it will be sloow.. laptops aren't meant for gaming.

and then you want to spend on peripherals: mouse, perhaps a tablet, any usb peripherals, maybe a docking station, flash drive, etc.

i advise you not to get a floppy (3.5") drive because they're pretty much useless when you have a cd-rw or even dvd-rw... one of which i advise (dvds are better cause you can watch them in lectures and you can store more on them.. meaning you dont need to store as much on your hd). laptops are sometimes hard to reformat (some can only reinstall particular windows disks).

i advise a mac if you're going to be doing a lot of programming in unix environments (unsw computing is mostly unix based), or if you're doing a lot of graphics work. they're not as good (imo) for gaming.

gaming on a laptop *shakes head* i dont know how people do it

 

[Templar]

Ni-Mh battery.

I would think lithium ion to be the bare minimum.

Otherwise make sure the graphic card isn't something like a Geforce FX5200 or Radeon 9000/9200, since they aren't much better than an integrated one.

 

[MedNez]

I would think lithium ion to be the bare minimum.

Indeed; That's really strange, I would've thought all used Li-ion by now =\

 

[pyko]

wow, wonderful advice

hm, yes, i've read that Li batters are the ones to go for...last longest or something.

Just wondering, what do people think about Asus, Acer laptops? (A shop near me sells pretty much 99% Asus laptops). How do they compare with toshiba, dell etc?

I was considering an apple, but i guess in addition to the things mentioned above, there is also compatibility to worry about, so i think i'll just have to stick with micro$oft *sigh*

thanks for all the advice! i'll keep them in mind when i go looking for my laptop

 

[Templar]

Just wondering, what do people think about Asus, Acer laptops?

Acer laptops are quite good. Very long battery life (P-M models), good performance, some of them use Radeon 9700 so good graphics as well. The only downside is their short warranty and slow hard drives.

Top end Asus are decent, but probably out of your budget.

They compare pretty favourably with Dell, and provides much better value compared to Toshiba.

 

[sunny]

as I always say in every laptop thread, get an Apple iBook

as I always say in every laptop thread, don't get a Compaq

 

[Li0n]

Just a tip, don't get a compaq.
fake edit: as sunny said

 

[loquasagacious]

Mine has li-ion, I had just noticed that some manufacturers were using poor batteries in low end models, so figured Ni-Mh is a bare minimum.

From what I have seen sony vaio's are over-priced, Dell is alright for laptops, bear in mind that they have a new special deal every month so wait until they have a deal you like eg twice the ram for free and/or a free processor upgrade etc etc.

 

[pyko]

Dell is alright for laptops, bear in mind that they have a new special deal every month so wait until they have a deal you like eg twice the ram for free and/or a free processor upgrade etc etc.

yeah, that is one of the main things that makes me consider about Dell i guess. ALso that i'm presuming that even if i buy it here in QLD, and then go to NSW i can still get it fixed etc if there are any problems provided its wihtin the warranty period.

The only thing i don't especially like about Dell is i can't actually see/feel the laptop before I buy it.

So it seems like Toshiba and Dell are the 'better' choices for laptops? in addition to that, if you say don't buy compaq...then does that mean also stay away from hp laptops? (i vaguely remember seeing an adv. for hp laptop)


edit: oh, templar with the graphics card, do you mean GeForceFX Go5200?

 

[sunny]

So it seems like Toshiba and Dell are the 'better' choices for laptops? in addition to that, if you say don't buy compaq...then does that mean also stay away from hp laptops? (i vaguely remember seeing an adv. for hp laptop)

Yes, as far as my experience is concerned, Compaq is gone down the hole since the HP/Compaq merger.

I recommend an IBM Thinkpad. Extremely well built machines, excellent customer service (something people seem to forget when buying a laptop)

 

[pyko]

just a few quick questions as i am looking through the dell website....

pentium m and centriono are the same thing right?
is there really that big of a diff. between XP home and XP pro?
is a 2nd battery a big YES for uni?

hmmm brain rather dead now, so more questions may come up later
thanks all

 

[doe]

id steer clear of dell. their stuff is cheap but as soon as anything goes wrong they are very hard to deal with. its not just me either i know a few people who have had similar problems.

oh, and i only have one battery, but whenever i use my laptop i basically have it plugged in.

 

[sunny]

pentium m and centriono are the same thing right?

Allllmost the same thing...
Centrino is a collection of technologies together, and they are badged as "Centrino". This includes a Pentium M processor, an Intel 855 family chipset and some sort of wireless support. If it is a Pentium M but not Centrino, it probably just lacks the 855 chipset and out of the box wireless support.

is there really that big of a diff. between XP home and XP pro?

If you don't already know the difference, then Home is fine for you.

is a 2nd battery a big YES for uni?

Chances are you'll carry a charger, and a Pentium M based laptop should last at least 2-3 hours anyway.

 

[loquasagacious]

IBM thinkpads are so horrendously ugly though, they look like old laptops which ran 95, ergh.

Any name brand notebook wont have warranty issues moving interstate, you'd just be sending it to sydney offices not brisbane ones.

Centrino is a general term used to describe a new architecture, a pentium M and a celeron M are centrino chips a pentium 4 M or a celeron is not.

XP pro has more powerful security features and generally some extra stuff compared to home, for a laptop I would recommend it, as additional security and networking tools are useful.

2nd battery I wouldn't/didn't bother with a second charger could be more useful, one for your desk and one which you carry around with your laptop.

An STM or Targus bag for your notebook is a must, inconspicuous = less likely to get stolen, well protected = less likley to get broken. Also it's better for your back and you can stuff most other things eg books, gym shorts ipod etc etc in the bag as well.