Need help with purchasing a new laptop

[DrParasite]

This question is directed toward all the computer geeks out there, and anyone else who might be able to help.

I'm looking to buy a new laptop. I have $1500 to spend.

here is what I need:
40+ Gig HD
512 megs RAM
14+ inch monitor
3+ USB ports
Wireless and Wired ethernet 802.11b
CD-R, preferably DVD-R
no celeron processors
Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz or M 1.5Ghz
keyboard and touchpad mouse
decent sound system (built in, for watching DVDs or listening to music)

right now i'm looking at the HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000. anyone else have any better ideas? and if you do know of a better one, please post the link to the exact model, i'd be interested in checking it out.

oh, I had a medion laptop, but it was stolen. hence the reason i'm looking to replace it. so small companies (with satisfied customers) will be considered.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Dell. Hands down.

[DrParasite]

I was looking at Dell, but if I look at what I want in a dell, the price jumps another $500. and that's not including the shipping costs

[EricCSU]

Given the choice, I'd go Dell over HP any day. HP computers are highly unreliable and the customer service is not so great. I have an averatec computer, and I'm very happy with it. I know, it's probably not a brand you've ever heard of. They're a small company that just sells laptops. One good thing about buying from a small company is that the computer does not come with loads of useless software that you don't need.

www.averatec.com

http://www.averatec.com/notebooks/6100series.htm

The 6130HS meets all of the specs you're looking for. I have a 3250HS and am very happy with it. Also, whatever you get, get the extended warranty. Extended warranties are a waste of money for most electronics, with the exception of laptops. Studies from consumer reports and PCWorld have shown this to be true.

Eric

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by DrParasite
I was looking at Dell, but if I look at what I want in a dell, the price jumps another $500. and that's not including the shipping costs

Do not oder your Dell over the internet. Order it on the phone. Very often, you can get the CSR to honor any specials that may have just expired. such as free upgrades, free memnory, and/or free shipping. I own 3 Dells, (1 laptop). I haven't paid for shipping yet. I also got at least one upgrade each time.

Also, they are slowly moving their tech help call centers back to the US. People didn't appreciate talking to someone in India and they are responding to the marketplace.


I wouldn't own an HP or a Compaq unless I was in the market for a doorstop.

[Rigin1]

Originally posted by GeorgeWendtCFI



Also, they are slowly moving their tech help call centers back to the US. People didn't appreciate talking to someone in India and they are responding to the marketplace.




This is the reason I did not buy a second Dell. You needed a damn magic decoder phone to try to understand what the hell the person was saying. If you were able to make it out the only technical advice they gave was to reset you computer so it was "new just like outta da box"

Glad to hear they switched back. Dell makes an great computer.

Rigin

[SPFDRum]

Go to dell.com and price out an Inspiron 700m. Then call the order line and work a deal. Right now they are offering free shipping, a free internal wireless card and a combo drive upgrade. You won't be disappointed. Also, ditch one of the USB's and go Bluetooth.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by SPFDRum
Go to dell.com and price out an Inspiron 700m. Then call the order line and work a deal. Right now they are offering free shipping, a free internal wireless card and a combo drive upgrade. You won't be disappointed. Also, ditch one of the USB's and go Bluetooth.

Educate me about Bluetooth, please. I can't stand not knowing about something.

[stm4710]

Originally posted by GeorgeWendtCFI


Educate me about Bluetooth, please. I can't stand not knowing about something. Bluetooth is in a clam shell is electronic devices talking to each other and shareing data wirelessly over a small area, 30 ish feet in most cases.

Bluetooth (http://www.bluetooth.com/)



Edit for link

[stm4710]

Oh yeah, go Dell.

[DrParasite]

Originally posted by GeorgeWendtCFI
Educate me about Bluetooth, please. I can't stand not knowing about something. omg, i think this is a first :p

but in all seriousness, jesse is quite right. the idea behind bluetooth is the creation of a dynamic PAN (Personal Area Network), where your PDA, cell phone, watch, computer, printer, and every other electonic gizmo you could think of would be interconnected, all without wires. and it would be a dynamic network, where once your PDA got in range of your computer, it would automaticly connected to the PAN.

it was supposedly the new "buzz topic" about a year ago, but it really hasn't lived up to it's buzz (for various reasons). it's starting to be more available, but I think USB is still more commonly used.

[REMSCHIEF]

I bought a Toshiba Sattelite for the Station...GREAT Computer!!! Now someday maybe I'll be able to get one of my own...

Seriously..try this link

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cfam.to?seg=HHO&coid=-26377&sel=0&rcid=-26367&ccid=1291021&src=AOEM&WT.srch=1


If is doesn't work...just search Toshiba sattelite

A word of advice..get more than you need now


As for speakers...hands down

http://www.cetaceasound.com/pas1portdescription.htm

Presentation Audio system...Better than the movie theater!!


Combined the two products are great for powerpoint presentations and education


Yes...my 5yr old son know more about computers than I ever will, but these are great to use. Good luck.

[SPFDRum]

George,
Bluetooth, though slow out of the gate for windows,but gaining speed, has been well supported by Mac. It allows you to sync bluetooth compatable phones, pda's, mice, keyboards, your home entertainment center, GPS, and many other devices via a low wattage wireless connection, even IrDA is only good for line of site. The best part of the system is there is no real set up, ie network protocals, to screw up. A great example is Bluetooth phones and headsets, no wires.
Check this site out How Things Work-Bluetooth (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm).
I'm not getting any younger, and wireless Bluetooth GPS and my laptop make a map much easier to read!

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by SPFDRum
George,
Bluetooth, though slow out of the gate for windows,but gaining speed, has been well supported by Mac. It allows you to sync bluetooth compatable phones, pda's, mice, keyboards, your home entertainment center, GPS, and many other devices via a low wattage wireless connection, even IrDA is only good for line of site. The best part of the system is there is no real set up, ie network protocals, to screw up. A great example is Bluetooth phones and headsets, no wires.
Check this site out How Things Work-Bluetooth (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm).
I'm not getting any younger, and wireless Bluetooth GPS and my laptop make a map much easier to read!

Thanks for the link. What about security?

[LeuitEFDems]

George,
That is/was one of the issues when bluetooth came out. There were quite a few instances of people picking up other people's info out of their PDA's, cell phones, etc. It was also practice for "kids" to try to connect to other people's bluetooth equipment and "spam" them. I haven't looked into it recently and don't know for sure if the problem has been resolved.

[SPFDRum]

In Bluetooth, there is 3 security modes:
Security Mode 1: non-secure
Security Mode 2: service level enforced security
Security Mode 3: link level enforced security
That detirmine which systems or items can communicate, then each individual packet is encrypted, though like any other 128-bit encryption, it can be broken. The best defense for that is the week signal, so you are not broadcasting down the block...

[DrParasite]

anyone else have a suggestions about what type of computer I can get, as well as what type to get?

[Bones42]

Dell. No question.

[EFD840]

I've been buying and/or supporting laptops at work for over 10 years and the hands down best machine is Dell. I can count the hardware failures we've experienced on one hand.

I've also had good experiences from a reliability standpoint with IBM Thinkpads but they simply couldn't touch Dell when it came to price/performance.

Also, based on my experience the only good things that come in black and white spotted packaging are steaks.

[CrossFire3]

I've been involved in purchasing and supporting computers for close to 15 years, and Dell has been my computer of choice for the past 6-7 years. Service, support, reliability...

Now, for laptops, IBM and Toshiba also make some quality laptops. As you have found, you will pay more, but in my opinion, the cost is well worth it.

[LeuitEFDems]

DrParasite, what model do you have? I'm runnign on the Inspiron 5100 and have had absolutely no complaints during the year I've had it. Let me/us know how you like it.

[Smoke20286]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned an Apple

[DrParasite]

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
Inspiron 1150 Notebook: Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2.80GHz, 15-inch XGA
Microsoft Windows XP Home

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home
Memory: 1 GB DDR SDRAM 266MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard Disk Drive: 60 GB EIDE Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
NoteBook Screen: 15 inch XGA Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal Modem
Network Interface Card: Internal NIC
Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless
DVD Drive: 8x DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability

Software: Software
Software
WordPerfect Productivity Suite 12.0
Software
AOL 8.0 ISP Software
McAfee 5.0 Security Software - 90-Day Trial
Microsoft Encyclopedia 2004
Music Match 8.2 Basic
DVD Software
DPS Paint Shop Pro Try and Buy Software
PAINT SHOP PRO 4.0 STANDARD
Record Now! Deluxe Software
Resource CD
Software
AOL 9.0 ISP Software
Adobe Acrobat 6.0
Dell/My Way Home Page
Dell Support Software
Image Restore Software
AOL 9.0 ISP Software
Software
Software
Net Zero ISP
Software CD

Misc: AOL Sofware Documentation
90W AC Adapter
Shipping Material
Shipping Material
Keyboard on Notebook
8 Cell Notebook Battery

total was less than $1500 w/o taxes

[DrParasite]

ok, so I cancelled the above laptop, and got this one instead. it looked like a better one to me:

Inspiron 600M Notebook: Mobile Intel Pentium M Processor 1.6GHz, 14.1-inch XGA
Microsoft Windows XP Home

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home
Memory: 1 GB DDR SDRAM 266MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard Disk Drive: 80 GB EIDE Hard Drive (8600 RPM, I think)
NoteBook Screen: 14.1 inch XGA Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal Modem
Network Interface Card: Intel Internal NIC Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless
DVD Drive: 8x DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability

Software: Software
Software
WordPerfect Productivity Suite 12.0
Software
AOL 8.0 ISP Software
McAfee 5.0 Security Software - 90-Day Trial
Microsoft Encyclopedia 2004
Music Match 8.2 Basic
DVD Software
DPS Paint Shop Pro Try and Buy Software
PAINT SHOP PRO 5.1 STANDARD
Windows Media Player 10
Record Now! Deluxe Software
Resource CD
Software
AOL 9.0 ISP Software
Adobe Acrobat 6.0
Dell/My Way Home Page
Dell Support Software
Image Restore Software
AOL 9.0 ISP Software
Software
Software
Net Zero ISP
Software CD

Misc: AOL Sofware Documentation
90W AC Adapter
Shipping Material
Shipping Material
Keyboard on Notebook
8 Cell Notebook Battery

total cost was $1450 before tax, no S/H

thanks for everyone's help, I'll let post in a few weeks if Dell is as good as everyone said they were.

[kentbwj]

I've had a Dell laptop for three years, and it's a great computer. I've needed service twice, and Dell came right to the house, and the response was prompt.

My husband's company uses Dell, and he's been real pleased, too.

Our son has a Sony. It's been fine, but we got it at a discount electronics store, and we've had to send it away twice. It took 2 weeks to get it back both times.

Good luck.

[DrParasite]

well, it's been two months, and so far I am very satisfied with the laptop. but there were three things that I needed to get to make it complete, and I am looking for a forth item.

The first is an external mouse. I bought Targus mini optical mouse (http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=604180) from office depot for $11 after a $5 rebate. the touch pad is nice, but there at times when a mouse just makes everything easier.

the second thing was a Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Thumb Hub. the laptop only came with 2 USB ports, so I spent $15 on a 4-port adapter from compUSA. so know i Have a total of 5 USB ports.

the third thing was a 16 meg USB flash drive, which i got from my old job. very useful, considering there is no zip drive.

the final thing is what I'm asking for help with. Since the laptop speakers suck (as do most laptop internal speakers), I need to purchase an external pair. Right now, I'm looking at the Sony SRS-T77 (http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?icatid=4349&stk_code=sonsrst77), for $50. I figure if anyone else knows of a pair for under $100 (or even under $50) that is good, I would welcome any help, as I know little in the area of laptop speakers. they would need to be portable, as they would be going in my laptop bag, and going everywhere I went.

thanks in advance.

[pengman]

I got a Sony viao laptop and love it. I used to have a dell but it got broken when i kicked it accross the room. I will never buy from dell again

[nmfire]

Spare yourself. Do not buy an HP or Compaq... ie- HeaP and Comcrap.

I've using Dell exclusively at home, work, and the FH. I will not use anything else and recomend them to anyone who asks. Check out the "Dell Outlet" on their website. You can buy factory refurbs that are current models and like new for much less.

[ffexpCP]

I had a Toshiba satellite laptop. It was a piece. Thankfully I bought the extended 3 year warranty plan. Let’s just say after the store had to replace the hard drive, LCD screen, CD bay, floppy drive, sound card, and IR port they were more than happy to honor the ‘no lemon clause’ in my contract. :eek: They gave me a choice of several new models.

I now use an Averatec 3250. So far no problems. I love the size, weight and battery life. When they gave me my freebie, I chose to sacrifice some performance for portability. But it’s still twice the specs of my old one. :D

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6825652&type=product&id=1091101643520

As for speakers, I usually don't use the laptop for music. If I want tunes I use my desktop with 5.1 Dolby speakers. :cool:

[DJFF413]

Dell all the way. I own a dell Inspiron 8600 and my father owns a Inspiron 8100. I havent really had any experience with the Toshiba Satellit. However I do know of someone who owns a Compaq and is constantly having problems with it. I have a gateway desktop, and its VERY tempermental. As of this point and time, I'll never buy anything else except a Dell.

[ffexpCP]

I called Dell yesterday for a problem with my desktop. Their tech said the problem was because I was 'magnetized’ :eek: I asked him to explain. He then said it has to do with the ‘abnormally high amounts of nickel and cobalt in my bloodstream.’ I hung up. I'll deal with it on my own.


I've been called alot of things before, but never 'magnetized’ :rolleyes:

[bwspeer]

I manage a computer department for a manufacturing company in my real job. We have bought 2 dozen gateway laptops and have had great luck with them. Dell and IBM have come down some in price, but are still over priced and the HP service is &^%$. Just my two and half cents, they all use the same internal parts :p

Another option for home computers is the gateway profiles. This only works if you are not wanting it to be mobile.:D

[sbfdco1]

Just got a new laptop through work, IBM T42! Love it, has a fingerprint sensor. just swipe your finger and BAM! your're logged in.

[E229Lt]

I just bought an HP ZV5360us. It has everything you ask for and more:

P4 3.06 Ghz
40 Gig HD
15" screen
804.11g/b
etc, etc....
You can find one for under $1K.

[skyraider]

Got a Dell Inspiron 8200 at home and haven't had problems with it. Have a Gateway at work that shuts down on me constantly. No way to re-create the problem and the helpdesk just reconfigured the thing to no avail. I've had more problems with the Gateway that I care to list.

[BC79er]

If you're buying HP personal machines, then you're asking for trouble. Go for the business class Evo series and you'll be fine. I bought my laptop through a friend to who works for an HP reseller that has the TX State Contract for computers. 40% off of retail.

My office buys the same desktops he has (for a lot more) and I've had no problems with any of them. I've had the 1.7 for over 3 years, the 2.4 for 2 years, and the 3.2 for 2 months. All stay running pretty much 24/7 unless I'm going on vacation.

I'm a big fan of Dells too, never had a problem with them either. Gateway is worthless, and friends don't let friends use Macintosh.

No matter what you buy, make sure it's a business class machine, not a home use. Big difference in the reliability of the components, and even though they cost more up front, they will last. I've had my laptop for 4 years also, and the only thing I needed to get was another battery. And I usually leave that running all day too.

[Bones42]

and friends don't let friends use Macintosh. :D