Hi all

Just wanted to start a topic regarding laptops and what everyone's personal choice would be in getting one, based on performance (dur!).

Another reason is that I'm looking to get one in the coming months and as I dont deal with laptops much from day-to-day, I was wondering what everyone thought.

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EDIT: Finally, I've saved enough and have ordered the laptop I've chosen. Take a look forward to *this* post to find out the details.

I'll leave the rest of this post to show what I was weighing up previously. Thanks everyone.
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To give you a rough idea what I'm after, I was looking at something like the Acer TravelMate 4502WLMi or the 4502LCi but i've no idea what they are like and how reliable they are.

I like batt life of centrino's and i've heard that they are quick machines for what they are but how do they fair games-wise? I'm not talking Far Cry or anything, but games like C&C:Generals I'd like to play on it - not super high resolution either.

Anyhow, please post comments or thoughts on what you feel a great laptop is for performance, price & reliability.

PS Probably gonna get some laptop insurance [just in case my girlfriend drops it hehe]

Regards,
Nathan.

the new sony vaios are out

but be warned they are super expensive

i hv a z series 3 lbs notebook i just love it.

I have an Asus W1N w/ Centrino 1.7Ghz, 1GBDDR400 , 80GB HDD, 4x DVD+/-RW, 15.4in WSXGA+, Radeon 9600........it rocks! Cost a bundle though......

totoymola also has a nice laptop ask him.

Astalavista - i think it would take me a lot longer than a few months to have enough for one of those sony viao's hehe The cheaper of the range are good, but unfortunately, have only the Intel Extreme VGA chipset on them which of course is no good.....

....just can't justify spending that much cash on a laptop.

bart of borg sounds nice, but if it costs a bundle - unfortunately - no good. Plus my supplier, where i can get a bit of a saving, doesnt sell Asus laptops - only the usual manufacturers like hp/compaq, toshiba, acer, IBM, Sony, etc

Anyone else? anyone rate the acer laptops and which one if so?

emachines does make laptops, they're all over ebay.

check overstock.com for factory refurbs.

Just as I wouldn't spend more than $500 on a desktop machine, I wouldn't spend more than $1000 on a laptop.

thanks for your post newsposter

I know emachines make laptops hehe i wouldnt get one of them tho

refurbs are no good to me as if i'm gonna spend a good amount of money on a laptop, I wouldnt buy a 2nd-hand/refurbished one - just like i wouldnt with a desktop (with desktops, there really isnt a need in my case).

This is on the basis that I could buy one and 4 months down the line (or even a month), it could die on me and then I'll have spent a fair amount on something that is now of no use.

For me, it's better to buy new and in the case of a laptop, get insurance on it as it wont be sitting at home all the time - i'll be taking it to work and taking it further afield on the train - so I wouldnt want to risk something happening to it or it accidentally getting damaged, thus the need for the insurance. I may be able to get work to pay for the 3 yr insurance on it @ about £150.

I agree tho, I would spend stupid amounts on one as there isnt a need (in my case) to do so. My maximum is about £900-£1000 (GB pounds) which will take me a fair amount of months to save for.

As it will be connecting to a domain at work, it's gonna have to be XP Pro too :S altho maybe i could get a license thru work for that and just get the laptop with xp home

Cheers,
N.

whatever you do do NOT get a emachines they SUCK

if u want to get a descent sony u need to spend about 3000 dollars

my sony vaio comes with the latest ATI mobility 1600 1400 standard resolution xga

here is my next sony purchase when the prices comes down a little

http://vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGN-FS70B/feat1.html

1000 Pounds is about 2200.00 Canadian and you can get a pretty nice laptop around here for that much! Acer laptops are a good buy for the price, My sister bought a Acer travelmate wide screen 1.6 Centrino for 1899.00 Canadian and it has wireless - G, 80 gig drive and 512 Meg DDR with Geforce FX Go 5200 64 Meg Video.

hum.... mac power book nices laptop ever, biggest screen, fastest cpu, unstoppable lol

hehe guess I was waiting for that to be said hehe

no good to me tho but there we have it...

...um....u didnt mention price

Regards,
N.

i have a centrino based laptop and it's not excellent at games (intel baed graphics, 64MB shared memory), but it's light. I got it for $1000 from www.ibuypower.com. Its their slim series notebooks

intel extreme graphics chipset's are notoriously crap at games - thats why i'm after a radeon mobility 9700 (orr similar) based centrino machine.

Light definately a good thing tho - i'm a weakling hehe

thanks for your post rendrag

Regards,
Nath

I like the Sony's - but they are too costly. you are paying more for the Name. But if you own A Sony TV, Sony PDA and a Sony Dig. Camera, they can all use the built in Sony Stick Reader. Also Sony is known for being more multi media ready. By giving you more software, made by them of curse...

But on the other hand get a HP computer if money and value is more important. You will get a good decent laptop at around $1,000.00.

Spend a little more and get a Toshiba. They make better laptops. Around $1,250.00.

Or if money is not a issue get a really nice Fujitsu laptop!!! They make some of the best PC based ones around. Light weight, clear bright screens, long battery life, good accessory’s.... $3,000.00.

Of curse almost any brands offer you more features the more $$$$ you spend!

Don't get a E-machine, Gateway, or any other no-name brand. Dell is ok I guess.

If you want a gamer Laptop, you should get it specialized by Alienware. They do both Desktop and Laptop Computers.

More info: Alienware

I also would buy a good Warranty. Laptops are Preparatory and that makes it very hard to work on them and get parts.

But really I personally wouldn't spend more $1,500.00 on a laptop if only using for Word processing, School. Since as we all know the minute you open that brand new box, it is already old and outdated.

hi Blam-O!

A very handy post - especially for people after general advice. In fact, I was thinking pretty much everythng you said

I'll comment on some of the posts tho - just for fun...

Indeed....very nice laptop's - very good value stuff.

However, for the spec I'm sort of after, they become more expensive than others tho.



Again, very true, although have noticed them noticably more expensive than a HP laptop in comparison.

Really? Never seen or known anyone that has one so I didnt realise this....

...guessing that you have one then!?



Yet again, I know that. I'd hope most people also know that too



Indeed... i hear and have read in the past that they are very good. I had a look but the Centrino-based ones only have the option of the Intel Extreme graphics chipset - not particularly a good thing is it? hehe

If i had that sort of money tho, i'd definately go for the mid or high range laptop's they produce.

If i needed to, I'd go for a decent desktop from them also - tho i can make a decent gamer machine for a lot less ....plus, there's no fun if u dont make it yourself hehe Wouldnt even an attempt at "making" a laptop lol

Would have to agree that a good warranty is definately worth it - unless its stupidly expensive and yes, to a repair some problem's with laptop's are hard at best when hardware is concerned - most would require specialist repairing. somwthing which is very costly so its always better to get a warranty of 3 yrs if u can afford the extra.

And also true is that there's no reason to spend a silly amount of money on something which is the best when you buy it, only for it to be out of date shortly afterwards.

I follow the same rule with building my pc's too. Getting quality mid-range stuff which is alot less that the top-spec stuff, which is good enough for most of the games/software out at the current time and for a long while afterwards. You can always crank-up the detail when u next buy a new system/custom-make a new one.

As I havent really so far, this is (roughly) the sort of spec i'm after:

- Intel Centrino M 1.6/1.7
- 15" or higher screen
- approx 4 hrs batt runtime (obviously not the Batt time of constant gaming/wireless use hehe)
- 40G HD 5400 or higher preferably
- 512MB PC2700 DDR
- CD-RW/DVD combo drive or better
- ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 or better (or Nvidia equivelent) with 64 or more RAM (not shared)
- XP Home (Professional is prefered tho)

3yr Warranty wud be good also but I'm probably gonna get notebook insurance if i can which wont cost that much so that the quite probable accidental damage is covered - has any had the acer extended warranty with accidental damage before and if so, anyone claimed on it and was it worth it?

I'm after a good rucksack style case as it'll be more handy that the carry case variety - i have some in mind already tho but if there are any recomendations, that's always welcome too

Regards
N.

Just wanted to show how much the name cost:

Sony VAIO Notebook A690 - $2,900.00

Almost the Same: (No Sony Software)

HP zd8080 - $2,400.00

That’s $500.00 difference! You could buy a nice 3year warranty.

Here's some more I recommend:

Fry's Electronics (Fry's Electronics - Outpost #: 4298794) I really like this one, good name, good price, lots of features... $1,500.00

If you need Firewire, bigger Hard drive, Nicer screen, And faster CPU
Fry's Electronics (Fry's Electronics - Outpost #: 4298704) My favorite - $1,700.00, only $200.00 more!


The Fujitsu LifeBooks are really nice:

Fujitsu LifeBook T3010 - $3,000.00
Fujitsu LifeBook P7010 - $1,500.00

Toshiba:

Qosmio G15 - $3,000.00
Qosmio E15 - $2,500.00

Tecra M2 - $1,300.00

Budget; Anything that’s a "Satellite" series.
Satellite A70, A75, P35 - $800.00-$1,700.00

If you can afford it, get a notebook, not a Laptop. They are smaller, look nicer, and usually are lighter. Without sacrificing features!

Regards,
Blam-O!

If you had my opinion I would suggest an IBM Thinkpad.

Yah those are also nice. They also have the best security! You can install Linux Too...

IBM Thinkpad has a "Let me build it:" feature... cool

Don't have any recomendations at the time though....

Hard to beat the HP Presario Athlon64 3200. Ready for 64 bit XP! Can't get there on any Intel laptop...

IBM has a Large range of ThinkPads... Personally I would select any one of there product lines. It's not only my personal opinion but several thousand other professionals recommend Thinkpads. But it all depends on what you want to do with it.

But, I use:
ThinkPad X40 / Mode 2382ECU (not cheap, but best **** notebook on the market for a netadmin)


Support is professional and courteous, if something goes wrong. Warrenties are always fulfilled and they go out the extra mile just to satisfy 1 customer. Just got to be extra nice and they treat you the same

I always evangelize, You get what you pay for.

Hypersonic EX7/Sager 9860/Voodoo 790

i have an EX7 on order and this is what i got:

17 inch WSXGA Ultra Bright Glossy screen 1680x1050
intel 915P+ICH6 chipset
Pentium 4 650 (delaying my order cause they dont kave it yet)
2gb (2x1024) DDR2 533 PC4200 Dual Channel
nVidia geforce go 6800 ultra
2x80gb SATA Raid0
8x Dual Layer DVDRW
DVD/CDRW Combo drive
Wireless G + Bluetooth
No Dead Pixel Policy

I got the Vaio VGN-A195HP

Dont think I've mentioned it yet - but a lovely new Acer came out not so long ago and its what I've ordered earlier today.

Acer TravelMate 8104WLMi - visit the link for their info

And if u want to look at a review of it, take a look at the very nicely presented one:

***here*** @ Hardware Zone

Here's a snippet from the Acer site (for those who dont wanna delve into the links) showing the spec:



Although not mentioned in that 'mini'-spec, its the new 'Sonoma' Centrino platform, it weighs 2.9Kg & avg run time is quoted at 4 hrs, but its more like 3 hrs I think - the review will give you more info on that, and of course, regarding pure intense gaming on the batt - it mentions that too 1.5 hrs which is pretty good aparently (but read the review if you wanna know more on that) and its got sooo many connections, that there's not much u cant attach to it hehe.

I thought it seemed to be the best comprimise in gaming, business use & connectivity, and portablility. I also got the 3yr AcerAdvantage warranty inc. accidental damage for about £80-ish which i think is well worth it when your spending that much. Insurance is something I'll contemplate too (in the few weeks before it arrives)

Ebuyer UK Link - current price is of this post is £1453.44 inc VAT (i got it for cheaper naturally) - not in stock, probably because they're like gold dust at the moment hehe

I'll update here when i get it, to show my findings if anyone is interested

Hope this has been useful to any one interested - and I cant wait to try it out and giving a hammering (not physically) on a few choice games.

Regards & thanks again to all those who commented on their favourites - please carry on the thread tho as its always useful to note these things

Cheers,
N.

I use an Acer laptop 1700 series. It has some nice features:

17" TFT-screen !!!
standard harddrive and memory, which makes it very cheap to upgrade.
Free powerlifting exercises (it weights about 7,3K)

LOL....


I just found my old "Acon" Laptop in storage:

CPU: 286 cyix
Mem: 32MB, 1M sharred for video
HD: 200MB
FD: Generic, 3.5 inch

- 1x 5.6lb battery that will hold its charge for about 30min to 1hr. (8-12 hrs to re-charge it!)

- 1x 9inch screen B&W, with lighted backplate. (very faded looking) it is the old LCD screen technology. Looks like a big wrist watch running "Windows" insted of showing you the current time.

- Removable stick-mouse with 2 buttons. (very bulky and blocks the HD compartment)

- 1x slide spring-loaded button/switch, (which toggles between power on and power off - no reset option)

- 1x old SCSI looking port on the rear back via removable panel, about 120+ pins total?

- 1x old style PCMCIA 16bit expansion slot.

- Total wieght of laptop, (not including battery), is 7.2 lbs. (with battery 12.8 lbs!!!!)

- Dimensions: 2.8inches thick, (including screen) 2.2 inches thick not including screen, 10.1 inches wide x 13.4 inches long.

- Ugly Government-Grey with black hardware. (yuck )

- Runs Windows v3.11. (with networking!)



Anyway, it still boots into windows fine.....


...That is until I droped it, (threw it down from the roof 3 times... hehe), it doesn't show any life now .

(you had to be there )


So who wants to buy it? Starting bid is $1.00 in mexican money.




L8-

Why don't ya buy mine?

Fujitsu-Siemens b-2130 with a whopper Celeron 400 and 128mb ...and for gaming a huge 2mb graphics setup...

Sorry for that, couldnt resist..

Wanna trade? I'll trow in some cheap fans.....

The best laptop is this in my opinion, becouse its only a 12" screen, which is incredible for whats in it. look for yourself. its a dell xps somthing-er-rather. can you believe it? a dell making a great laptop.

Components
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7600 (2.33GHz/667MHz/4MB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Professional
A/V COMMUNICATION PACKAGE Integrated Webcam and Mobile Broadband Antenna
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
HARD DRIVE 160GB SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capabilit
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7400 TurboCache™
WIRELESS OPTIONS Hi Speed Wireless Bundle: Dell Draft N Wireless, Netgear Draft N router
Accessories
BATTERY OPTIONS 9-cell Primary Battery and 9-cell additional Lithium Ion Battery
POWER OPTIONS Duracell 90-Watt Auto/Air Adapter
NOTEBOOK ESSENTIALS Save $45! Flash Drive, Surge Protector, Mini Mouse, Lock
SOUND OPTIONS Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
MOBILE BROADBAND Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband (CDMA EVDO) Mini-Card for Verizon Wirel
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Dell Bluetooth Keyboard and Optical Mouse
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS ExpressCard Media Remote for Bluetooth-enabled Notebooks
WIRELESS ENTERTAINMENT Logitech Wireless Music System for PC
WIRELESS ENTERTAINMENT ExpressCard Media Remote for Bluetooth-enabled Notebooks
TV TUNER & REMOTE CONTROL External USB TV Tuner w/Remote Control
EXTERNAL STORAGE Buffalo 1 TB TeraStation Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Software
PRODUCTIVITY No productivity suite- Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
ANTI-VIRUS & SECURITY Trend Micro PC-cillin with Wireless monitoring and Spyware removal 15-month
DELL DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT Deluxe pack- Music & photo: Corel Photo Album, MusicMatch Plus, Games
GPS NAVIGATION Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator
Service
WARRANTY AND SERVICE SAVE $70 with Dell Gift Card 4Yr Ltd Warr,At-Home Srvc + Nights and Weekend
PROTECTION AGAINST ACCIDENTS Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 4Yr Lim Warranty
DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESS 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service, Support
Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable
Processor Branding Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor


as for budget goes, my laptop is a great deal. 1.1 grand for 2 CPU's 1.83 ghz each, 2 GB of RAM, 130 GB of ROM, and media center edition its the one said before, a Satellite a105-s4114 Toshiba.

Agreed. They're very sturdy and... business-like.

Just for future posterity, I am going to echo the "Buy an IBM" response. If you've got the money, you almost can't go wrong with any one of their lineup.

I had an IBM Thinkpad 600E from when it was brand new almost 10 years ago. It has been an excellent machine for everything; the battery finally died when it was about 8 1/2 years old. I bought a new battery online, upgraded the processor from a P2/333 to a P3/866, picked up 512mb of ram and a 60gb 7200 RPM harddrive and it's just like brand new again.

My company also deploys nothing but IBM laptops; we have more than three thousand of them in circulation right now. I'm typing on an R50 with 2GB of ram and a 1.7ghz Banias processor; we've sinced moved on to T42's, T43's and now T60's with the Core Duo, 1GB of DDR2 ram, 128mb X300 video, 100gb hd, DVDRW, SXGA, 802.11abg, etc. Great boxes and actually not as expensive as I thought.