Advice on Laptop Purchase

D_Icon

D_Icon

CAGiversary!
Feedback
8 (100%)
Hey CAG.

So I've been surfing the web on a 2001 Compaq desktop. Ten years and it's still going but it's lagging so much. I constantly have to end unresponsive programs through the Windows Task Manager.

Anyway as a Christmas gift my folks thought I should get a laptop. So I need some help on picking the right one. As far as pricing goes I'm looking to spend no more than $1000.00. I'm not looking to getting a gaming machine. Mostly gonna use it to surf the web, use Microsoft Office, watch movies, burn CDs & DVDs. As for features I want one that plays BluRays. I'm not too sure but are there laptops that have an HDMI port? I'm not too familiar with processors so I have no saying on that. But I do know that I want a PC laptop and I'm looking at getting one from BestBuy since I have a $100.00 giftcard.

So CAG, any suggestions?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-7245889118598816216&id=pcmcat247400050000&type=category&usc=abcat0500000&cp=1&sp=-currentprice+skuid&nrp=50&qp=crootcategoryid~~cabcat0500000~~cabcat0502000~~ncpcmcat247400050000&add_to_pkg=false&pagetype=listing
 
Get a Thinkpad. I can't think of any other manufacturer that would even come close to having a laptop last more than 3 years at this point.
 
Even Thinkpads aren't all that great since Lenovo bought out IBM.

Hard drive in mine died around the 2 year mark. Thankfully it was just my work laptop which they paid to fix, and it didn't have any files on it that I didn't have saved elsewhere.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Even Thinkpads aren't all that great since Lenovo bought out IBM.

Hard drive in mine died around the 2 year mark. Thankfully it was just my work laptop which they paid to fix, and it didn't have any files on it that I didn't have saved elsewhere.[/QUOTE]
I thought that Lenovo used to make Thinkpads before they bought out that division? Could be wrong on that one. But even if they aren't as good as they used to be, I'd wager that they're still better than the competition. I have to admit that Mac's have better screens though.
 
Sony makes some damn nice laptops too. The best ones are probably out of the OPs price range though.

If I was buying one for myself now, I'd either go with the thinnest Sony (Z series I think?) or a Mac Book Pro.
 
Yeah, Sony's are nice and I like the chicklet keyboard...great feedback and doesn't feel hollow.

edit: If I had a grand to spend, I'd get a pimped out Thinkpad T420 with a 1600x900 screen...heh.
 
My Dell Latitude D800 is still chugging along, though has had some repairs along the way. Dates back to late 2003 for when I picked it up.

HP had a deal on a dv6qte 2nd gen Core i7 quad-core 15.6" laptop with a free upgrade to a BD-ROM/DVD-RW drive and 8GB of RAM. Upgrading it to a better video card and a 1920x1080 display after a $450 coupon had it right around $1000 before taxes, with free shipping. Found it on SD.

It's a deal that's run every so often, so you might want to check out SD, FW and TechBargains for those deals going forward.

Also, Intel is coming out with the successor to Sandy Bridge (2nd gen Core i-series), Ivy Bridge, in a couple of months. Might want to wait that out and see if your money would get you more laptop with the newer stuff.
 
Alright CAG, I appreciate the responses.

I did read about the durability of the Lenevo Thinkpads but from the one's I've seen they don't have the Blu-Ray player. I've read that Intel's Ivy Bridge processor wont come out until April. That's kind of a while and we need a laptop asap.

So after looking around I'm really considering a Sony Vaio with the Intel 2ndGen Core i7(whatever that means), 8GB RAM.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...p?skuId=3641505&id=1218422893532#BVRRWidgetID
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top