I Need Some Kind Of Laptop (Computer ShoppingITP)

[Klose_the_Sith]

Alright, I haven't really been a tech-geek in years, so I have no idea what's still good and what isn't - especially in terms of pricing and compatibility.

What I have in mind is a durable laptop with a decent battery life, which also preferably can run a handful of slighter older games like Battle For Middle Earth or ... actually that's the most system intensive game I run.

Better specs then that are awesome and much appreciated, but even going that far isn't needed. Here are the literal musts.

Windows Machine, preferably 7
Plenty of powered USB ports
Good lifespan, especially in the battery but durability is a definite plus
Wireless internet capabilities
Additionally, something which will generally be good at handling the sort of chug which stupidly large amounts of browsing can bring
LARGE HARD DRIVE (I have a lot of music which I don't want to leave behind, no matter what)
Preferably good cooling and low risk of having my pants incinerated (low buggy, glitchy bla bla ...)

Basically this machine is primarily for music and work. Not school work, naturally, but my other far more interesting works like creating DnD bits and pieces or writing lyrical poetry or writing ... e-mails ... to my girlfriend :smallwink:

Any recommendations from those far more experienced in the matter then I? :smallsmile:

[Archonic Energy]

2 questions,
1) what's your budget?
2) what country are you in?

Edit: W00t i iz de Ninja, look at my l33t skillz!

[KuReshtin]

Budgetary restraints?

[Lucky]

http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.htm

[Klose_the_Sith]

Country is Australia :smallbiggrin:
My budget is pretty much unknown, seeing as my Mume is buying it and she's been known to drop thousands over a heated towel rack, but refuse to lend me $10 to go have lunch ...

Anyway, she spent roughly a thousand on my sisters laptop, so lets use that as a guide line.

EDIT: Woah that's an awesome steampunk laptop o.o

[Lucky]

Agreed, I really want that laptop. :smallbiggrin:

But anyways...

I'm by no means an expert, but I've always had good experiences with Dell computers, and they have a pretty good reputation. Their Inspiron line offers quite a few pretty solid options, and I have no doubt you could find an Inspiron to your liking for around $1000.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Really, anything with Windows, a lot of USB ports and a large hard drive. Preferably not Toshiba (unreliable) or Mac (errm, not Windows). Anything by HP/Acer/Asus/Fujitsu/Dell/whatever, they're all more or less the same nowadays unless you're looking to spend $1500+ but there's really no point in doing so. Go to a local store and just look around.

Edit: actually Toshiba may not be that bad of an idea. Their media laptops have great speakers which I'm guessing you'll need.

[Lucky]

Really, anything with Windows, a lot of USB ports and a large hard drive. Preferably not Toshiba (unreliable) or Mac (errm, not Windows). Anything by HP/Acer/Asus/Fujitsu/Dell/whatever, they're all more or less the same nowadays unless you're looking to spend $1500+ but there's really no point in doing so. Go to a local store and just look around.

I'd just like to reinforce the fact that Toshiba is awful. All my bad experiences with laptops have come from Toshiba.

[smellie_hippie]

Ok, so let me join in this thread and ask, how low tech is too low tech?

I need to get a laptop for my daughter, and her priorities will be browsing the internet (3 windows open at a time max), minor downloads, silly Yahoo games, and writing papers for school. Possibly watching a DVD on said laptop.

I'm looking to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 and live in the USA.

[Lucky]

Ok, so let me join in this thread and ask, how low tech is too low tech?

I need to get a laptop for my daughter, and her priorities will be browsing the internet (3 windows open at a time max), minor downloads, silly Yahoo games, and writing papers for school. Possibly watching a DVD on said laptop.

I'm looking to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 and live in the USA.
Up until you said watch DVDs, I would have recommended a notebook of some variety. A lot of companies sell them, and they can be quite cheap.

You could also consider getting a used laptop, you shouldn't have much probelm finding a good used laptop in your price range.

[smellie_hippie]

The watching of DVDs is not a high priority... and she has been using my mom's oooooold laptop (pre-ethernet) just to watch movies.

A notebook you say?

[Lucky]

The watching of DVDs is not a high priority... and she has been using my mom's oooooold laptop (pre-ethernet) just to watch movies.

A notebook you say?

Notebook/netbook is basically just a smaller laptop, about 10 inches or so. They don't have the same processing power as a full size laptop, but are ultra-portable and can start as low as about $200 for a brand new one, while traditional laptops start at around $500 on average.

While it lacks processing power, a netbook should have no issue browsing the internet and playing silly games, so I would definitely recommend looking into one. Juust typically, netbooks don't come with a CD drive of any variety, so watching DVDs is impossible unless you buy an external DVD drive.

EDIT: Also, another thing is that netbooks are much more durable than laptops, as they don't have moving parts inside like larger laptops do. They can be dropped quite a bit before breaking, not that I would recommend trying it. :smalltongue:

[Archonic Energy]

Ok, so let me join in this thread and ask, how low tech is too low tech?

I need to get a laptop for my daughter, and her priorities will be browsing the internet (3 windows open at a time max), minor downloads, silly Yahoo games, and writing papers for school. Possibly watching a DVD on said laptop.

I'm looking to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 and live in the USA.

Dell netbook (Mini 10)
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-inspiron-10/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-10&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~laptop-inspiron-10-new_anav1~~

name some american PC shops...

[Archonic Energy]

Country is Australia :smallbiggrin:
My budget is pretty much unknown, seeing as my Mume is buying it and she's been known to drop thousands over a heated towel rack, but refuse to lend me $10 to go have lunch ...

Anyway, she spent roughly a thousand on my sisters laptop, so lets use that as a guide line.

EDIT: Woah that's an awesome steampunk laptop o.o

http://shopping.yahoo.com.au/xPO-Hewlett-Packard-HP-8730w-C2ExtQ-2-53Ghz-QX9300-17-WUXGA-4GB-320GB-Vistalic-XP-Pro-pre-3y-warranty-NH346PA

... :smallwink:
[am looking for more austrailian sites will insert more later]

[Catch]

Up until you said watch DVDs, I would have recommended a notebook of some variety. A lot of companies sell them, and they can be quite cheap.

Seconded. My mobile computer is an Asus EeePC 1000 HE (the best Eee model), and including a RAM upgrade and shipping costs, mine came in at under $400. At 10" it snuggles right into my messenger bag and maintains a battery life of at least 7 hours, so I'm not always prowling for AC outlets.

The lack of a DVD drive can be a bit of an inconvenience, but I have an 8 GB flash drive, so I can swap around video files pretty easily. You did mention using Windows 7, which most newer EeePCs support, though it doesn't come standard (usually XP, so that'll save you a bit of cost with an upgrade kit.) Mine runs a netbook distribution of Ubuntu, so that wasn't an issue for me.

[Lucky]

Dell netbook (Mini 10)
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-inspiron-10/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-10&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~laptop-inspiron-10-new_anav1~~I use the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, and am actually posting from it right now, and it's a fantastic netbook. The only thing is it is a bit higher up in the netbook price-range, and it's battery-life isn't great.


The lack of a DVD drive can be a bit of an inconvenience, but I have an 8 GB flash drive, so I can swap around video files pretty easily.
Yup, and depending on where she plans on watching the DVDs, you could always get an external DVD drive for around $40. I think they all require a power outlet to use, so they aren't very portable, but if she just plans on watching movies around the house, it's a very reasonable option.

[smellie_hippie]

Ok, so browsing at geeks.com, I found this (which is comparable in price to the gift we got her brother...)

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA Atom N280 1.66GHz 1GB 250GB BT 10.1" Windows 7 Starter w/Webcam & 6-Cell Battery (Black)

Please comment.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Seconded. My mobile computer is an Asus EeePC 1000 HE (the best Eee model)
High five!

Ok, so browsing at geeks.com, I found this (which is comparable in price to the gift we got her brother...)

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA Atom N280 1.66GHz 1GB 250GB BT 10.1" Windows 7 Starter w/Webcam & 6-Cell Battery (Black)

Please comment.
As a laptop, it's great if it really does come with a 6-cell battery. I was about to buy it myself until I noticed that the store tried to rip me off and slip me a 3-cell battery and claim it was actually, ehm, better and had more power than a 6-cell battery the netbook is supposed to come with. So I went with 1000HE and a different store, but for all it's worth, it's a great computer. However, no there's DVD drive so you should ask your daughter if she's ok with it.

However, it has Windows 7 starter. Which means the user interface is severely screwed (look here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions)). Seriously, you can't change your wallpaper or use Aero (which I'm guessing will be quite important to a girl. Also, the classic windows interface looks really bad on 7 because the proportions of different bars and buttons are designed for Aero and look wrong without it. There's also other features that you can't use with it but they're probably aren't as important unless you're an advanced user.

My verdict? If you can find it with XP or 7 Home Premium and up, go for it. 7 starter? No.

[lesser_minion]

I'm not sure how easily you'll find one in Australia, but at the moment I use a Samsung X-22 which I picked up about 18 months ago. If you find one for sale, it might be worth considering (if it's within your budget - Samsung have been making a habit of keeping the same chassis and improving the specs rather than lower the price).

The chassis is fairly solid (although the screen seems a little flimsy to me), and it should handle most games prior to ~2007 without breaking a sweat.

It does only have 3 USB ports, however, and you'll probably have to upgrade to an extended battery (the default four-cell only lasts about three hours, but there is an eight-cell available as well).

Still, going for a slightly aged, but still decent laptop might be worth trying.

[Flickerdart]

You should always aim for a system with the smallest hard drive and least memory installed, and then upgrade it yourself later. It'll save you a pretty penny, and you might even end up with better parts.
Most specs on the web (reviews and such) will be using a better-than-cheapest configuration, more often than not with an extended battery, so keep that in mind. Many modern laptops have DVD drives that can be replaced with a modular battery, which in combination with an expanded battery can give you mammoth battery life.
If you're willing to shell out a bit extra, look into laptops with dedicated graphics. Integrated Intel cards suck for games, and integrated AMD cards (of which there are much fewer) suck less so but suck regardless. If you look really hard you might be able to find a laptop with both, that uses the integrated chip (thus saving battery power) until the demand arises for the beefier dedicated graphics card to step into play.

[lesser_minion]

You should always aim for a system with the smallest hard drive and least memory installed, and then upgrade it yourself later. It'll save you a pretty penny, and you might even end up with better parts.
Most specs on the web (reviews and such) will be using a better-than-cheapest configuration, more often than not with an extended battery, so keep that in mind. Many modern laptops have DVD drives that can be replaced with a modular battery, which in combination with an expanded battery can give you mammoth battery life.
If you're willing to shell out a bit extra, look into laptops with dedicated graphics. Integrated Intel cards suck for games, and integrated AMD cards (of which there are much fewer) suck less so but suck regardless. If you look really hard you might be able to find a laptop with both, that uses the integrated chip (thus saving battery power) until the demand arises for the beefier dedicated graphics card to step into play.

This is actually very true.

It cost me £40 to upgrade my laptop's memory from 2 Gb to 4 Gb. I could probably grab a new hard drive for about £60.

Had I bought it with 4 Gb of memory and a 7200 RPM hard drive, it would have probably cost me another £200.

[Swordgleam]

Lenovo ThinkPad. They have a bunch of different price ranges depending on the specs you're looking for, and you can get refurbs for even cheaper.

[smellie_hippie]

*grumble* stupid post got delited earlier this morning... *grumble grumble* :smallannoyed:

Ok, quick post to catch back up.

*smellie_hippie stands up and raises his hand*

I'm actually not really a "computer guy". I will openly and honestly admit that many of these comments about "dedicated cards", Ubuntu, and some of the different specs are quite over my head as well as my daughter's.

Now, I am a fan of geeks.com because they seem reasonably priced and I have been very satisfied with my desktop I orderd from there about two years ago. Having friends who are "computer guys" makes it easier to maintain and upgrade. I have been given the green light from my daughter that she "doesn't need to watch DVDs on it", but she isn't sure she's a fan of the "mini".

That being said, I would greatly appreciate any other links and suggestions... Should I go XP or 7? (she doesn't want a Mac)
other specs I should be concerned about?
Help me convince my 14 (almost 15 year old) which computer she should be satisfied with for the next three years of high school.

[Dispozition]

I'd just like to reinforce the fact that Toshiba is awful. All my bad experiences with laptops have come from Toshiba.

Disagree. My two best laptops have ceom from Toshiba. Both lasted past their warranty, and I treated them like garbage.

Fujitsu are the worst laptops...Can't last more than a year before breaking...

@Klose: Depending on state, I'd go to JB-HiFi (if you're in Vic), Harvey Norman, **** Smith, and pretty much any other large electronics retailer around. You can pick up a laptop like the one you're looking for from around $1000-$1600 depending on how well you want it to run. I'll echo Lenivo for durability, but I think Toshiba has one of the best battery lives. Avoid Fujitsu at all costs, and while Asus are very good, they probably aren't what you want since they're not the most durable of things. Dedicated graphics are good too, means less RAM wasteage, which it seems you want. I also wouldn't take anything less than a 1.7ghz dual core processor. Preferably more if you can. Probably in the rage of 2.2ghz. 2gb RAM minimum too.

Also go for Win7, but only home premium at worst, otherwise XP Pro.

[KuReshtin]

Help me convince my 14 (almost 15 year old) which computer she should be satisfied with for the next three years of high school.

See, this here can be quite an issue, as she's bound to want a newer, shinier and better laptop next year. And then next year after that, and then next year after that.

Just had a look at the Lenovo range in the sub-$500 range, and the x100e looks to be a small (not as small as the Netbooks, though), pretty decent laptop.
And it's available in "Heatwave Red" (although that will add about 4 weeks of delivery time, apparently). Starting at $449 from the Lenovo homepage (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/ThinkPad_notebooks/2010/X100e&ipromoID=hpb00586&).

Might still be a bit small though, with only an 11.6" screen and it doesn't have a CD/DVD player.
And at that price, it also ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, which is better than the Starter version.
You will need to upgrade the memory on it, though.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Dell Studio 15 (1555) (http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-studio-1555/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-1555&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~laptop-studio-new-15_anav1~~PDhisvdF&m_6=512N1T&mo=6~512N1T), $724

Intel® Pentium™ Dual Core T4300 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
3GB2 Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
Size: 250GB3 SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
512MB2 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
McAfee SecurityCenter, 30-Day Trial
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card
56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Intel® Pentium™ Dual Core T4300 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)

[lesser_minion]

*grumble* stupid post got delited earlier this morning... *grumble grumble* :smallannoyed:

Ok, quick post to catch back up.

*smellie_hippie stands up and raises his hand*

I'm actually not really a "computer guy". I will openly and honestly admit that many of these comments about "dedicated cards", Ubuntu, and some of the different specs are quite over my head as well as my daughter's.

Now, I am a fan of geeks.com because they seem reasonably priced and I have been very satisfied with my desktop I orderd from there about two years ago. Having friends who are "computer guys" makes it easier to maintain and upgrade. I have been given the green light from my daughter that she "doesn't need to watch DVDs on it", but she isn't sure she's a fan of the "mini".

That being said, I would greatly appreciate any other links and suggestions... Should I go XP or 7? (she doesn't want a Mac)
other specs I should be concerned about?
Help me convince my 14 (almost 15 year old) which computer she should be satisfied with for the next three years of high school.

Your budget is just about high enough to break into the 'basic PC' category - I found an Inspiron 15 for $399 on Dell's website, although it runs Windows Vista Basic. It still might be closer to your needs than a netbook though.

Most of Dell's budget offerings are here: http://www.dell.com/home/laptops#subcats=&navla=&a=51805~0~812581

Bear in mind that Dell give you a lot of options for customising the laptop. You don't really need any of them.

As long as you're reasonable, I don't think you'll have too much trouble convincing your daughter to accept the laptop. Whatever you buy, you will probably see it last three years.


As for Ubuntu and dedicated cards, you don't really need to worry about them. Ubuntu is an alternative to Windows, and dedicated cards are intended for gamers, CAD technicians, and film editors.

[Swordgleam]

As long as you're reasonable, I don't think you'll have too much trouble convincing your daughter to accept the laptop. Whatever you buy, you will probably see it last three years.

Unless what you buy is a Dell. I went through four motherboards in three years, and they replaced the entire laptop once when too much was broken for them to repair. I'm not hard on my laptops, either.

If you get a Dell, get an extended warranty.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

I don't know how often people have problems with Dells, but I've rarely seen problems with any of the various computers I've used over the years, though admittedly, it included only one Dell.

My school has a deal with Dell computers to provide laptops to students, though, and it seems tow ork out ok for them.

[Deth Muncher]

I don't know how often people have problems with Dells, but I've rarely seen problems with any of the various computers I've used over the years, though admittedly, it included only one Dell.

My school has a deal with Dell computers to provide laptops to students, though, and it seems to work out ok for them.

That's the thing with school deals, though, is you have on-campus repairs.

I've got a Dell, but it's a bit old and slow, so I abandoned it for my school's deal: a Lenovo Thinkpad. I often hear really bad things about them, but it's serving me just fine. Pretty fast, hasn't crashed or frozen like my Dell, and has decent graphics (I can play WoW at near-full graphics if I'm the only one using the internet, for those of you whom that makes sense to).

[lesser_minion]

Unless what you buy is a Dell. I went through four motherboards in three years, and they replaced the entire laptop once when too much was broken for them to repair. I'm not hard on my laptops, either.

If you get a Dell, get an extended warranty.

Well, my mum still hasn't managed to break her laptop yet, and Dell are generally very well-regarded, so I think you may have just got a particularly horrible example.

[Dispozition]

Well, my mum still hasn't managed to break her laptop yet, and Dell are generally very well-regarded, so I think you may have just got a particularly horrible example.

Actually, finding people telling of a Dell that's worked well is the coincidence, not the example I've found. I've never used one myself, but I've rarely seen people who have them (and have even a semi-decent knowledge of computers) say they're any good.

[Klose_the_Sith]

People, please keep something in mind - I do not want to assemble a computer. I don't want to upgrade it in any way either, cause I just don't have that much time to dedicate to hardware upgrades for the sake of gaming. The gaming itself is only done in 10 minute bursts these days and that's when I don't have school.


Actually, finding people telling of a Dell that's worked well is the coincidence, not the example I've found. I've never used one myself, but I've rarely seen people who have them (and have even a semi-decent knowledge of computers) say they're any good.

I can remember some childhood friend of mine had a top of the range dell which worked brilliantly and they still had it working fine many years later (when I last saw him) ...

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Actually, finding people telling of a Dell that's worked well is the coincidence, not the example I've found. I've never used one myself, but I've rarely seen people who have them (and have even a semi-decent knowledge of computers) say they're any good.

Say no more, your anecdotal evidence has convinced me.

[Dispozition]

Say no more, your anecdotal evidence has convinced me.

I'm not saying it's true, I'm just saying that's what I've come across. It also makes me inclined not to buy Dells since their word of mouth, in my opinion, is some of the worst I've come across.

[Swordgleam]

I'm not saying it's true, I'm just saying that's what I've come across. It also makes me inclined not to buy Dells since their word of mouth, in my opinion, is some of the worst I've come across.

From my own anecdotal evidence, 2/3rds of people have experiences similar to mine, and the other 1/3rd get a Dell and it works brilliantly for years.

For what it's worth, their tech support is excellent. They replaced the parts and machines without too much trouble each time.

[lesser_minion]

I didn't buy a Dell because they didn't fit decent graphics cards to anything I could afford at the time.

I'll admit that the construction of quite a few of their more recent laptops is horrible (soft plastic is not the way forward), but beyond flimsy construction, I don't think they have reliability issues.

Quite a few other manufacturers are notorious for shoddy construction as well.

Also, you won't need a hardware upgrade - it's cheaper to fit parts yourself, but most companies will let you choose the parts before buying.

Make sure the RAM is made by either Samsung or Crucial, however.

[Klose_the_Sith]

Those who want some sort of closure can rest easy - I bought a slightly over 1000 AUD Acer today. He's got the bits and pieces I wanted and I'm happy with him ... so, yeah. Thanks to all of you playgrounders for your help, I suppose :smallsmile:

</Departs>

[smellie_hippie]

Those who want some sort of closure can rest easy - I bought a slightly over 1000 AUD Acer today. He's got the bits and pieces I wanted and I'm happy with him ... so, yeah. Thanks to all of you playgrounders for your help, I suppose :smallsmile:

</Departs>

I didn't intend on hijaking this thread... :smallfrown: just thought to get some additional input on something relevant. Glad you found a good machine! :smallsmile:

[Lioness]

May I momentarily hijack it?
There was Dell debate. I've heard good things and bad things. I'm looking at getting an Inspiron 15. A friend has had Dells for years, and has had no problems.

Anyone got stories to share/recommendations?

Many thanks.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Had a Dell that worked for 4 years for my entire highschool career and was still working when I left for college.

The one time I interacted with Dell customer service, they performed fine.

[Klose_the_Sith]

Oh, any and all may hijack away - I had no issues at all with other people making use of a thread. If it was something that other people were forbidden to make use of then it'd just be 'I Need Some Kind Of Laptop' rather then adding the Computer Shopping bit which opens it up to any and all :smallsmile:

That said, I'm done here. Only came back so there's no unwarranted feelings of guilt.

[potatocubed]

However, it has Windows 7 starter. Which means the user interface is severely screwed (look here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions)). Seriously, you can't change your wallpaper or use Aero

I have that exact machine (eeePC 1005HA) with Windows 7 Starter and I discovered that you can download a very simple crack program that lets you alter your desktop. It's called Oceanis or something like that, and hasn't turned my computer into a virus-riddled paperweight yet, so I think it's clean.

I don't know what Aero is. I didn't notice its absence. Or any other problematic user interface features. =/

As far as the machine itself goes, it's great. The mousepad is nice and responsive, the keys are big enough for even my sausage fingers, and the screen is very crisp. Also, it has a huge battery life and is nice and light.

[Korith]

Those who want some sort of closure can rest easy - I bought a slightly over 1000 AUD Acer today. He's got the bits and pieces I wanted and I'm happy with him ... so, yeah. Thanks to all of you playgrounders for your help, I suppose :smallsmile:

</Departs>

Enjoy your new machine! :smallbiggrin:


In terms of laptop dreaming - This (http://laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/Qosmio/X500) is the next step up from the laptop I've currently been using.

(This (http://en.marketgid.com/goods/62265/) being the version that I currently own, save that I've upgraded it to Windows 7. It runs all my games beautifully.)