Looking into getting a laptop...(where to buy, is this good, ect.)

punqsux

punqsux

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ok so it turns out i have too much loans for college

OH NOES!!

so i have a nice excess of already barrowed money, and rather than have it sit around and have the possibillity of me wasting it on something, im either going to buy a new camera, or a new laptop. Im all set with camera knowledge, so heres where you guys help. ^^

i want a pretty beefy system, but i WILL NOT spend a dime over $1500

heres the one im looking at (upgrades to the defuly will include 1 gig of ram, 80 gig drive, and the dvd burner)
http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=126

the total would come out to around $1420
is that a good price?
can it be beat?
where else should i be looking?
(note: i do not want to build my own laptop, i have no clue how!)

help me out here guys...thanks ^^
 
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yea that looks like a great laptop, only thing u might want to consider is the weight though (i didnt c it on that page). this year (my first year in a university) i bought a laptop at the starting of the year, and i wanted the same thing, portability so i could drag a comp around thru classes/other places and power so i could play games. i got a pretty nice laptop athlon 64 + 9600 pro + 160gb hdd + dvd burner etc etc.... the only thing though was lugging that thing around campus was a chore. it weighed about 8lbs and add that together with a text book, note book, and other stuff in ur bag it adds up really fast.

basically i wound up selling that laptop on ebay 2 months later, i basically broke even on it though so i didnt mind that. i got a new pc with that money and am thinking about getting a laptop again. only this time im gonna go for light weight cause its really a pain to carry the heavy ones around.

u also have to think about the sound that one makes, u dont wanna turn that thing on in class with the fan blaring and everyone staring at u (embarrasing). also like how some classes r setup with those little fold out tables from the side of the chairs the big powerfull laptops dont sit on them very easily. infact when i had that kind of chair, i usually had to put it on my lap cause its too awkward for the small desk. that causes another problem with heat cause i think powerfull laptops also generate a lot of heat which will set ur thighs on fire after a while of having it on.

unless i guess if ur not planning on having it with in classes/library/friends place and just need something thats gonna mostly sit in ur room that would probally b a great laptop to have (it looks really good aesthetically too). but if u want something portable go with something light weight and small.
 
I've honestly had good luck at Best Buy, really good prices (especially if you hit the rebates at the right time). I just recently bought my 3rd laptop from them and it was always the best deal I could find. And I do alot of comparison shopping.



One of the big things to figure out is what physical size of the computer do you want/need? If its just a computer that you won't be moving a great deal, 'desktop replacements' are great deals. OF course the smaller they get usually the more expensive. How many and what quality of battery do you need?
 
I use and will continue to use Dell and have had no problems at all. I just saw a post over at Slickdeals for $500 off of $1599 Inspiron Laptops.

Dell Home has a $500 off $1599 coupon ?5GW2GXN115$V$ for Inspiron Laptops. Not valid on 9200 & 1000 models and expires after 5000 uses.
 
ok, rule #1 - no macs.

[quote name='flizmo007']I use and will continue to use Dell and have had no problems at all. I just saw a post over at Slickdeals for $500 off of $1599 Inspiron Laptops.

Dell Home has a $500 off $1599 coupon ?5GW2GXN115$V$ for Inspiron Laptops. Not valid on 9200 & 1000 models and expires after 5000 uses.[/quote]

i saw that, how do processors work on laptops?

most places i see pentuim m 1.6 or athnlon 2.8, are those equals just athlon using bigger numbers, or is the athlon indeed faster?
 
Well seeing as you insist on anything but a Mac pick up a Sony Vaio.
# 15.4 in screen
# 3.06 GHz Intel Pentium 4
# 512 MB DDR SDRAM
# 60 GB Hard Disk
# CD-RW: 26x (read), 24x (write), 24x (rewrite); DVD-ROM: 8x

$1249.99 with available $100 MIR
Sony Vaio
 
[quote name='morpheusxp']Well seeing as you insist on anything but a Mac pick up a Sony Vaio.
# 15.4 in screen
# 3.06 GHz Intel Pentium 4
# 512 MB DDR SDRAM
# 60 GB Hard Disk
# CD-RW: 26x (read), 24x (write), 24x (rewrite); DVD-ROM: 8x

$1249.99 with available $100 MIR
Sony Vaio[/quote]

2 other musts are a gig of ram and a dvd burner. im sure i could add in my own ram, but i wouldnt want to put in a burner.
 
Are you going to be gaming on it? If not, take a look at the compaq business line. Those are some of the best laptops. Their tech support is top notch also.
 
[quote name='bignick']Are you going to be gaming on it? If not, take a look at the compaq business line. Those are some of the best laptops. Their tech support is top notch also.[/quote]
odds are yes. but ill take a look

also, i like built in card readers, because it just makes life 10x easier.

odd, that thing is insane!
 
Get something with Intel Centrino. Just as fast, built in wireless, and more battery life. Ive got one and its great.
 
[quote name='bignick']Are you going to be gaming on it? If not, take a look at the compaq business line. Those are some of the best laptops. Their tech support is top notch also.[/quote]

business support is US. consumer support is Johnny from Bangalore.

Anyway...If you want something for school get a LIGHTWEIGHT computer (just a warning). Anything under 5 pounds total. The dell 300m (or whatever it's called) is pretty slick. As well as the gateway lthin and slim models. With smaller laptops you will get smaller screens as well.

Another possibility (if it's not for gaming) you could get an apple ibook from about 2 years back for under 700 dollars on ebay: light, cheap, and functional.
 
ok heres what im going to be using this machine for:

photo editing on a massive scale. (i just worked on a psd file alast night and it ended up being 70 megs.)

photo browsing and sorting.

typing up papers

creating presentations (powerpoint, flash, ect.)

watching dvds/playing music (portable dvd player ^^)

games, so long as it dosent kill the price (which i dont think it will)

the dvd burner is a must because i have to archive all my work.

the card reader is a strong want because then i could just put my digital images on a pc from my car or where ever i might be.

wireless and wired net connections are both musts.

i honestly dont think size would matter, im fairly certin i could deal with 8 pounds, i often pack my bag really full and it never gives me problems, plus, i almost never have books to bring to class.
 
[quote name='punqsux']ok heres what im going to be using this machine for:




games, so long as it dosent kill the price (which i dont think it will)

the dvd burner is a must because i have to archive all my work.

the card reader is a strong want because then i could just put my digital images on a pc from my car or where ever i might be.

wireless and wired net connections are both musts.

i honestly dont think size would matter, im fairly certin i could deal with 8 pounds, i often pack my bag really full and it never gives me problems, plus, i almost never have books to bring to class.[/quote]

Photo/video/audio editing doesn't add much to price Just make sure you get over 512 mb ram.

Wifi and ethernet ports are relatively cheap to include (make sure it's G compatible though).

Dvd burner will add at least 150 to the cost of the machine, I don't know why you NEED to ARCHIVE in DVD; I realize it's higher memory but cdrs are so damn cheap now you may not need a dvd burner.

To have a gaming laptop (or a laptop capable of gaming) it may add significantly to the cost; most top of the line computers can barely play doom 3 and half life 2. If you want to be able to play newer games what you need is: 1)Dedicated video memory (over 128mb) 2)Dedicated ram (at least 512mb). 3)A fast processor (pentium or athlon 64 above 3.0ghz) perhaps centrino NO CELERON. These ad ons can be at least 200 to the cost of a machine.

If your case is wheeled then 8 pounds shouldn't matter, if you are using a backpack or messenger bag 8 pounds will DESTROY your bag, even if you aren't walking that far (especially if it's up hill).

You stated you can spend 1500. There is a lot of stuff you can get for that much. I saw an averatec (shaky brand though) with dvd burner for under 1000 in this weeks advertisements (compusa?). I suggest you go either way but not both, Gaming or functionality.
 
I don't see why you don't want a Mac. They're more reliable, sleeker, faster, and cooler. They also do all of the things you want (Especially Photoshop) much better than a PC because they manage memory differently and are basically designed for that stuff.
 
[quote name='Coolnat2004']I don't see why you don't want a Mac. They're more reliable, sleeker, faster, and cooler. They also do all of the things you want (Especially Photoshop) much better than a PC because they manage memory differently and are basically designed for that stuff.[/quote]

ive used pcs for the past 12 years, im much more comfortable with them, and while macs are MUCH better for things like video editing and stuff, the diffrence in photoshop is minimal at best.
 
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