Need Help Selecting a Laptop (this should be good)

[Hookemdown.]

Ahhh...were to start?

I've used my friends 15'' Macbook, and I love it.  I've always said that I'd buy a Mac, but the $$$$ keeps getting in the way.

I need your opinions on laptops.  I've looked at them all: Dell, Lenovo, HP, Sony... and I can't make up my mind.

I'm looking for:

Display - Around 15''

At least 2GB RAM

Hard Drive -  150+ I really don't need a 300GB HD

Weight - As light as possible

Price - around $1000

I want something that is tough and built solid.  I really don't care about looks.

I've got 3 months till my first year of college starts, so let the discussion begin.

[brgbassmaster]

i have a dell studio and love it its very lightweight also.

[daviscw]

I feel like its going to be pretty hard to get a nice computer for 1k.

[burleytog]

Hard Drive - 150+ I really don't need a 300GB HD

 

Don't bet on it.  Always buy the biggest available.  A 300GB HDD will fill up faster than you think.

[fish-fighting-illini]

 I'd stay away from Compaq / HP if it were my money. My kids bought identical laptops and they have been a pain. Keys falling off, display gone bad, several other large and nuiscance problems all relating to quality. Most were in the warranty period.

        Tech support is a joke. It takes multiple calls of being on hold  forever then dealing with the impossible Indian accent of course. They have very little flexibility despite your skill level only a rigid tech support routine. They want to re-format your hard drive for a key that falls off! I complained several times in a very tactful manner w very little response. The last time I sent a message to the President. I got the impression that they just didn't care. I told them if I didn't atleast get some feedback to my complaints ( I didn't want anything out of it just communication ) that I would tell as many people possible that their co was garbage and they still didn't seem to care.  

 I will give them credit when you do get through the ugly maze they have an excellent system for sending in under warranty. My guess is they have it down pat as they get to practise it a lot!

just my .02

[CFFF 1.5]

Ahhh...were to start?

I've used my friends 15'' Macbook, and I love it. I've always said that I'd buy a Mac, but the $$$$ keeps getting in the way.

I need your opinions on laptops. I've looked at them all: Dell, Lenovo, HP, Sony... and I can't make up my mind.

I'm looking for:

Display - Around 15''

At least 2GB RAM

Hard Drive - 150+ I really don't need a 300GB HD

Weight - As light as possible

Price - around $1000

I want something that is tough and built solid. I really don't care about looks.

I've got 3 months till my first year of college starts, so let the discussion begin.

You can probably buy two laptops with those specs for $1000. Right now you can get a Dell Inspiron I15-156b from Best Buy with these specs:

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core mobile processor T3400, 3GB DDR2 memory, 160GB hard drive and high-speed wireless networking (802.11b/g); attractive design in Pacific blue

Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, glossy 15.6" TrueLife widescreen, Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 8-in-1 media reader and Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 for $479.99.

or

Dell Inspiron I15-157B for $599.99 with these specs:

Product Features

Intel® Core2 Duo mobile processor T6400

Features 2 processing cores, 800MHz system bus, 2MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed per core.

4GB DDR2 SoDIMM memory

For multitasking power.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support

Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.

15.6" WXGA widescreen LCD display

With 1366 x 768 resolution provides stunning resolution from your movies and graphics.

320GB Serial ATA hard drive

Provides plenty of storage space.

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD graphics

With up to 384MB shared graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista. Intel® High Definition 2.0 audio.

Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam

Livens up Internet chat, instant messaging and blogs with color photos and video.

7-in-1 digital media reader

Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Density, Secure Digital High Capacity, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card and SDIO formats for easy image transfer.

3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports

For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.

Built-in Dell 1397 wireless networking mini-card (802.11b/g)

Dell's antenna design features 3 antennas to find and connect to networks with ease, delivering enhanced wireless reception; standard Wi-Fi Catcher quickly locates wireless hotspots.

Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network card

Gets you connected to the Internet.

Weighs 5.8 lbs. and measures 1.5" thin

For portable power.

Long battery life

Of up to 5 hours and 40 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled

For a stable operating system.

Software package included

With Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Reader 9 and Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition.

Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

I bought a Dell from Best Buy and have had no regrets buying from them. If you can get the same computer for the same price from Dell.com buy from there but I wouldn't hesitate buying one from Best Buy.

[BassnMan Mike]

I want something that is tough and built solid. I really don't care about looks.

If you want something tough and solid take a look at the Panasonic Tough Book, those things are built like a tank and perform very well. Another very good laptop is the IBM think pad. of course if you get either of these you WILL pay more than 1K.

[daviscw]

Ahhh...were to start?

I've used my friends 15'' Macbook, and I love it. I've always said that I'd buy a Mac, but the $$$$ keeps getting in the way.

I need your opinions on laptops. I've looked at them all: Dell, Lenovo, HP, Sony... and I can't make up my mind.

I'm looking for:

Display - Around 15''

At least 2GB RAM

Hard Drive - 150+ I really don't need a 300GB HD

Weight - As light as possible

Price - around $1000

I want something that is tough and built solid. I really don't care about looks.

I've got 3 months till my first year of college starts, so let the discussion begin.

You can probably buy two laptops with those specs for $1000. Right now you can get a Dell Inspiron I15-156b from Best Buy with these specs:

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core mobile processor T3400, 3GB DDR2 memory, 160GB hard drive and high-speed wireless networking (802.11b/g); attractive design in Pacific blue

Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, glossy 15.6" TrueLife widescreen, Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 8-in-1 media reader and Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 for $479.99.

or

Dell Inspiron I15-157B for $599.99 with these specs:

Product Features

Intel® Core2 Duo mobile processor T6400

Features 2 processing cores, 800MHz system bus, 2MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed per core.

4GB DDR2 SoDIMM memory

For multitasking power.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support

Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.

15.6" WXGA widescreen LCD display

With 1366 x 768 resolution provides stunning resolution from your movies and graphics.

320GB Serial ATA hard drive

Provides plenty of storage space.

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD graphics

With up to 384MB shared graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista. Intel® High Definition 2.0 audio.

Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam

Livens up Internet chat, instant messaging and blogs with color photos and video.

7-in-1 digital media reader

Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Density, Secure Digital High Capacity, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card and SDIO formats for easy image transfer.

3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports

For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.

Built-in Dell 1397 wireless networking mini-card (802.11b/g)

Dell's antenna design features 3 antennas to find and connect to networks with ease, delivering enhanced wireless reception; standard Wi-Fi Catcher quickly locates wireless hotspots.

Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network card

Gets you connected to the Internet.

Weighs 5.8 lbs. and measures 1.5" thin

For portable power.

Long battery life

Of up to 5 hours and 40 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled

For a stable operating system.

Software package included

With Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Reader 9 and Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition.

Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

I bought a Dell from Best Buy and have had no regrets buying from them. If you can get the same computer for the same price from Dell.com buy from there but I wouldn't hesitate buying one from Best Buy.

Just to add, the Inspiron is a very good computer. I have the 1520. I put a lot of extra stuff on mine and it works perfectly for me. Like someone mentioned, stay away from HP. My girl has one and the fan on that thing is as loud as her hair dryer. Her keys are also falling off. Mine is still in perfect shape.

[moby bass]

I'm typing this on a HP G60. 250 gig hard drive. 3 GB RAM

15 " display. Under $500 on sale. No complaints here.

[Chris at Tech]

Something to keep in mind...

If this will be your only PC, I'd recommend a USB hard drive, full size monitor, mouse and full-size keyboard

The laptop's great for carrying around campus, but the large monitor/mouse/keyboard are much nicer to work from when in your dorm room.  

And the USB hard drive is good to have (and to backup to frequently) in the event the laptop has an 'accident'.  The last thing you want is to have a beer (er, I mean soda) spilled on the laptop and fry it 1 day before a paper is due with no backup.

[Dan:]

Listen to these guys. You WILL want a bigger harddrive- just in case (also, it won't really add that much cost to your computer). You SHOULD get a backup system, whether it be an external harddrive or a thumb drive with a large capacity (I just bought a 4GB thumb drive for $15. 4GB is more than enough to store all your schoolwork but not your music, etc..). You will probably want a full size computer. Typing long papers on tiny keyboard and screen is a pain the ***.

You should be able to get what you want for far less than $1000.

Check out www.tigerdirect.com or www.newegg.com for some good deals. I just took a look on newegg and there are tons of options for $500-$750 that have more features than you listed. I would check out hp, acer, samsung, and dell.

[SmokeRise1]

If you haven't ruled Dell out yet, check out the Dell Outlet on Dell.com They sell refurbished machines at a discounted rate. The refurbs come with the same warranty as the new ones. There's a pretty large selection with all sizes of drives, installed memory, graphics, etc... I agree 100% with the advice to have a USB backup drive and to actually use it. Good luck at school!

[nateobot]

I got a new HP EliteBook 6930p for work about three months ago and it is fantastic.  We ordered two of them with some upgrades and it came to $2200.

[Hookemdown.]

I already own a external HD, on which I keep music, large files, etc.  That's why I really don't need a 300 GB HD.

I've heard a lot of good things about thinkpads, but I've also heard that the quality has drastically gone down since the deal with Lenovo.

Dell...

I've never used a dell laptop, so I have no idea on the quality, reliability, and performance.  A friend of mine works at a computer repair shop, and he says that he hates dell.

[1inStripes]

Dells are hard to work on they say.  I don't know how true that is.  I have a 1520 and it is so so, but I am not  overly impressed.  It locks up a lot unfortunately.

Panasonic tough books are very nice if durability is an issue. I have used a friend of mines who is a state trooper while on a trip together.

[Bassn Blvd]

Many hospitals, schools and businesses use Dell.  I have a Toughbook that is solid as a rock.  Dropped it off roof of car doing 25mph.  No probs but very heavy.

[Root beer]

This what I got.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1530?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

I customized mine and end up around 1,500.00 with shipping and all. I also had Lo Jack installed, etc. Lo Jack be epic in college, so you don't got worry about theft.

P.S. Get a good wireless card installed. In just about every building on my campus has a wifi and a good card comes in handy there. I got friend whose laptop couldn't pick up wifi in classroom, while mine could.

[Root beer]

1500 bucks, Rootbeer? That's quite alot in today's market. What did low-jack run ya?

I cannot remember.

[Root beer]

When you are training to work in financial industry, you sleep better at night the sooner you accept the loss. (however, I do not know how John Meriwether sleeps at night)

I cannot remember the exact price of lot of things I buy, except stocks of course. The only reason why I remember how much my carrot stick, Revos, custom made rod, etc cost is because BPS been selling the current model for same price the last 2-3 years. ;D ;D

When I get my B.A. and my MBA my philosophy on life will be this: "Live rich, die penniless."

Anyway, back on topic here, If my memory serve me correctly, I just had one year free Lo Jack service, and after a year it was around 100 for another year. somewhat 200-400 for 2-3 years. I cannot remember you have go to their web site and check, but Dell usually offers a package deal that makes you better off in short run.

[Hookemdown.]

Does anyone have any experience with the Dell XPS lines, specifically the M1530?

[Hookemdown.]

Ah, I missed that one.

Do you like it rootbeer? It seems like a very good setup for the price.

[fourbizz]

i am working out of town and using my brothers laptop. its a Dell Latitude. dont get one.

This is like wearing a sandpaper condom.

[daviscw]

1500 bucks, Rootbeer? That's quite alot in today's market. What did low-jack run ya?

I cannot remember.

I have to admit i'm a little envious. I wish I could forget exact numbers on major purchases. I'd sleep alot better at night.

My Dell 1520 was around 1600. Really 1800 with a 200 discount. I think mine came with a couple years subscription of lowjack. Ive had it 2 years. My hinge broke last week and they sent a guy to my apartment and fixed it no questions asked. The warranties are ballin.

[Root beer]

Ah, I missed that one.

Do you like it rootbeer? It seems like a very good setup for the price.

Love it. If I had do it all over again choosing between this or a Mac, I'll still pick this.

The finger print security is cool, but I never use it. Mine came with a remote for the laptop, if you do a presentation in class (which you will) and the teacher lets you hook up your laptop to the projector, the remote comes in handy with powerpoints. It a very epic computer, it very slick and expensive looking and I have no complaint. Had my for a year and used it all year to type papers and do research. I carried it in my backpack and I believe my economic book weights more than the laptop. It not that heavy at all. You won't go wrong the M1530. My brother has the M13 something and it pretty good, too.

[Root beer]

I didn't really think the remote function was that big of a deal anymore.

b

I only used it once. ;D