Buying a Laptop, what should i know?

greyzieoriental

greyzieoriental

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Hi CAGs, as some may know i dont know very much about computer parts and so on, but i do know how to use one better than most, anyways i got questions and am open to suggestions:

where should i buy a laptop?(CC,bestbuy[replaces battery w/ BB service plan], frys, dell, gateway)

what processor and specs should i look for?

i got an idea of what i want: 1 gb ram, dvd+/-rw drive, i was told a centrino is best right now, at least 80gb hard drive, 15"+ screen, internal wireless, usb 2.0 ports, $1500 or less cash limit including protection plan

i have 2 months to decide which one i should buy so if anyone could help i would be very grateful, should i get one now or wait a month or 2? thanks in advance to anyone who helps
 
You can get what you want from dell for about 1K, maybe less if you wait, if you use a coupon code. You can find the codes on bensbargains.net. They periodically post new ones.
 
It depends what you want to do with it. I'd say weight and battery life are crucial. Also you may want to get something with a 64 bit processor (Athlon and Turion 64, some Pentium 4's, and not sure it Pentium M is?) or something with the new dual core processors. As far as where to get them Dell is overpriced on occasion IMO but with coupon stacking you can get a decent price sometimes. BB,CC,CompUSA,etc. are also good but you'll usually have to deal with mail in rebates and just looking in the ads for a good deal.
 
Turion 64s and Pentium Ms have similar performance while the new Intel Core Duo processors will wipe the floor with them with multi-tasking or multi-threaded applications.

However, the increased performance of a dual-core chip may decrease battery life CONSIDERABLY.

Do you want to game with this machine? What will be your main uses of it?

You may not need a $1500 laptop something for half that much may work fine for you. Dell's prices may seem overpriced for certain models on any given day but if you can get a good coupon you can easily get a dell with great specs a few hundred dollars cheaper than a comparable laptop at Best Buy.
 
[quote name='UnderwaterMadman']Turion 64s and Pentium Ms have similar performance while the new Intel Core Duo processors will wipe the floor with them with multi-tasking or multi-threaded applications.

However, the increased performance of a dual-core chip may decrease battery life CONSIDERABLY.

Do you want to game with this machine? What will be your main uses of it?

You may not need a $1500 laptop something for half that much may work fine for you. Dell's prices may seem overpriced for certain models on any given day but if you can get a good coupon you can easily get a dell with great specs a few hundred dollars cheaper than a comparable laptop at Best Buy.[/QUOTE]

But can the Pentium Ms' handle 64 bit applications? I was going to get a Dell with a few coupons but the fact that they only offer Pentium M chips discouraged my me.
 
I agree about Dell, last month I got a 9300 2GHz Pentium M, 1 GB DDR2, 17" WUXGA with TrueLIfe, 60GB HD, 8x DVD burner, wireless, 256MB 6800 GO, 9-cell battery, 3yr in home warranty with accident coverage and more for less than $1400. Was able to buy through Dell's EPP site and had several stackable coupons. See if you know anybody who qualifies for the EPP site as sometimes they offer fantastic deals.
 
The Pentium M processor sucks. It's really slow and the 'Centrino' technology doesn't help the battery life all that much. Get a laptop with an AMD processor... totally owns Pentiums at the moment and they're cheaper.

Dells are the cheapest but they don't offer AMD processors... which sucks.
 
[quote name='Vinny']The Pentium M processor sucks. It's really slow and the 'Centrino' technology doesn't help the battery life all that much. Get a laptop with an AMD processor... totally owns Pentiums at the moment and they're cheaper.

Dells are the cheapest but they don't offer AMD processors... which sucks.[/QUOTE]

Celeron M sucks, true. Pentium M is plenty fast and beats the Turion 64 in 32-bit applications and has better battery life. Turion 64 is cheaper though. AMD owns the desktop, but Intel still rules the laptop.
 
[quote name='scdoanintendo']But can the Pentium Ms' handle 64 bit applications? I was going to get a Dell with a few coupons but the fact that they only offer Pentium M chips discouraged my me.[/QUOTE]

No, but most people do not need to run 64-bit applications. Anything that the average person is going to want to use is going to be available in 32-bit for many more years.

Real 64-bit processors are still a ways off. The Pentiums 4's and D's that are 64-bit really just have speciallized extensions to handle some of the 64-bit memory issues.
 
What are you using this laptop for? College papers and surfing? You don't need to spend $1500. State of the art gaming machine? That's gonna get pricey.
 
If you can wait. Then wait till the end of the year. Intel's next gen dual core processors are going to come out. The current Dual core processors out suck (by comparison to their successors). intel's going to have a new line up of 64 bit mobile dual core processors that will be around 60% quicker and have considerably better battery life than the dual core models out now. Seriously wait if you can. The current Dual core chips out are based off of old tech and their successors are remade from the ground up.
 
that's a long time to wait...

Personally, I'd say get the Pentium M since it apparently runs cooler and saves battery energy. 1 gig of ram is ok, but if you're just going to be watching videos, listening to music, surfing the web and word processing, 512 is just fine, too.

In my personal opinion, a smaller screen is better than a larger screen. The smaller the laptop, the more likely you're going to actually use it for portability. I've talked with a lot of people that buy huge laptops and talk about how they don't want to take it anywhere because it's so heavy. Sort of defeats the purpose of the portable computer.

If you plan on using this laptop to take notes, stop. I've never seen anyone last more than a few classes with a laptop unless it was one of those fold over tablet PCs that let you write with a stylus.
 
guess u guys are right, the only thing i'm really using it for is school(typing papers,email, etc), browsing theinternet, maybe some games(counter strike, roms), and burning DVD's, downloading, watching videos & dvd movies

i wish i could wait for the next dual processor but i have a 2 month deadline to get a new computer, since the laptop i'm on now is my sisters and she need it for college as well in a different state

and i'm also not so sure bout spending $1500 but if it does get that high that would be my limit and thats with tax included and protection plan/ext warranty

thanks for all the feedback, anything else i should know or better sugggestions now that u guys know what i'm looking for
 
I've heard bad things about Dell customer service...but I've also heard bad things about all manfs. customer service.

Dell laptops are most certainly the cheapest. Unless someone else has a different brand to recommend, I'd say you ought to start there.
 
[quote name='greyzieoriental']

i wish i could wait for the next dual processor but i have a 2 month deadline to get a new computer, since the laptop i'm on now is my sisters and she need it for college as well in a different state
[/QUOTE]

The dual pro Laptops are out and Dell has two as do most stores. I have to agree with getting a smaller one. I've been looking into for the same needs as you and I think I'm going for something 14-12" screen and under 5 pounds. The Dell 700m looks like a decent buy at 4.1 pounds.
 
[quote name='greyzieoriental']i got an idea of what i want: 1 gb ram, dvd+/-rw drive, i was told a centrino is best right now, at least 80gb hard drive, 15"+ screen, internal wireless, usb 2.0 ports, $1500 or less cash limit including protection plan

i have 2 months to decide which one i should buy so if anyone could help i would be very grateful, should i get one now or wait a month or 2? thanks in advance to anyone who helps[/QUOTE]
Don't wait. Not much is going to change in the next two months. Nothing that you should worry about, at least. For web browsing, word processing, and other light tasks, a dual core processor won't make much difference.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/141886/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

That's your best deal, right there. $700 after rebates. The Celeron processor isn't all that great, but you don't need a lot of power. Buy some RAM from NewEgg if you think you need more.
 
G.K. you're an awesome tech guru. Could you help me with a little laptop advice. I'm looking for a light computer (under 5 lbs) and decided between these. I plan on just mainly surfing the web and doing school work on them. Thanks for any help.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat64100050013&id=1130343548132

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/entnb_700m?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat64100050013&id=1130986703519
 
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