Need some help with a Laptop decision

[General Lee]

I want to purchase a Laptop, however I know nothing about them. I would perfer a Dell as I have heard some good things about them and their warranty. I wanted to ask you all if you could point me in the right direction as what I should get. I don`t need a top of the line model just a decent dependable one.



Basically I would be doing just web surfing, some gaming, email, maybe watching a DVD from time to time. I will not be using it for professional purposes. Some questions I have:



What is the quality like on a 8x DVD ROM drive?



What GHz is a decent speed for a laptop processor? ie, I know the higher the better, gut what is a decent speed? Lets use 1.4Ghz for example.



I need a wireless card to be able to go on-line anywhere? Correct?



Is 256MB sufficient for a basic Laptop?



I am a little ignorant when it comes to this stuff so any help is appreciated. Thanks

[kompressornsc]

There was just a lap top review on CNBC yesterday, but now I can`t find it on line. I beleive the top rated ones were the IBM ThinkPad & the Sony Vaio. I have a Dell & it`s been so-so. I`ll probably look for something else next time.

[imported_guapsnaman]

If you want a GREAT laptop, go with IBM. You won`t need any services or warrenty with their laptops, although they do offer great support. I have a T41, and it`s never had problem for the past two years I`ve owned it.



If you want an OK laptop, go with Dell. I read a ridiculous statistic where 1 out of 5 laptops had to be returned and repaired. Yes, they have great warrenty, and they need it because of this. Two of my friends own Dell laptops. One had to return his and bought another one. My other friend had a problem with the battery and is still trying to resolve it.



Just stick with IBM and you`ll be happy. Hope this helps.

[JustinR32]

The quality of the DVD should be fine.



I think that all the less expensive laptops will come with the faster processors; the things most people look for in a laptop is low weight and size, and less heat, and longer battery life. Speed works against all those things. The lighter, cooler, longer lasting and more expensive laptops have slower processors. Someone correct me if I`m wrong, I haven`t shopped for one in over a year.



I`d still go for 512MB. 256 doesn`t cut it if you`re rotating a big picture.



Most laptops come with integrated wireless; the one I`m using now does.





Tom

[NewOwner FL]

General Sir,



Think of your laptop processor as an engine in your car.



Go for the V8 under the hood as opposed to one with 2 V4`s side by side. A P4 (Pentium 4 processor) running at over 3.0Ghz will be much faster than a 1.5 with a 2mb bus. They market these "M" and "C" chips for "mobile" computing, but when you consider the actual number of times you`ll go to your local McDonald`s, Starbucks, Borders to do serious work, you may not want to opt for these kinds of chips.



As for the memory: don`t go any lower than 512mb. You also wont need to go any higher unless you plan on doing high-end video production for George Lucas



As for wireless, most of the laptops on the market have the 811 built in. Unfortunately, unless you are willing to fork over a monthly fee, you wont be able to enjoy wireless networking in the afore mentioned stores.



You can get a screaming fast rocket ship of a laptop for well under $1000 (new with warranty from your local CircuitCity, or CompUSA).



PM me if you need some "expert geek" on this :xyxthumbs

[General Lee]

WOW! I didn`t realize Dell was just so-so. Thats why I`m asking for advice and tips before I purchase. I`m not strictly sticking w/ Dell, I will go with what seems to be the best quality and Bang for Buck. I do want to stay under $1000 if possible, And one of my main concerns is speed and wireless. The little research I have done so far, I`ve seen some laptops don`t come with a wireless card. With that being said is there a monthly fee for this service? I would think so, I`m just not sure how the whole wireless thing works. Thanks for the replies so far.

[JustinR32]

To elaborate on what NewOwner FL said, I got a heavier, faster, cheaper laptop because I don`t usually take it out on the road; I move it from room to room inside my house.



For travel I actually have one of these:







I bought it used on ebay for around $275. It weighs about 3.2 lbs, it`s a 350mHz pentium2 with a 10.2" screen, 6 gig hd, and 192MB of ram. It`s fine for doing document work and checking email on the road. It won`t do graphics, and it won`t play back DVDs, but it`s light and it`s good enough, and it was $275.





Tom

[NewOwner FL]

Mosca is a fellow VAIO owner...you da man!



Stay away from Dell if possible.



The wireless "card" is built in on most laptops you will find on the market. Anything made int the past year will have it. Just look for "802.11" and you will be just fine.



Check out this link:

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...609&pfp=BROWSE



I do not work for this company...but I have had good experiences there.

[SilverLexus]

" you want a GREAT laptop, go with IBM. You won`t need any services or warrenty with their laptops, although they do offer great support. I have a T41, and it`s never had problem for the past two years I`ve owned it.

"



I would second this recommendation. I have owned and heavily used two T series IBM ThinkPads and they are the best Windows machine you can get for mobility.



I would also look closely at the new Apple Powerbooks if you want a more robust, safe, and user-friendly operating system.



Oh yes, keep in mind that Ghz is LESS important than RAM when it comes to performance.

[General Lee]

Originally posted by SilverLexus

Oh yes, keep in mind that Ghz is LESS important than RAM when it comes to performance.

RAM is Random Access Memory? Can you elaborate the difference between GHz and RAM. I am thinking GHz deals w/ speed, RAM deals w/ memory. Am I way off?

[medic]

Originally posted by General Lee

RAM is Random Access Memory? Can you elaborate the difference between GHz and RAM. I am thinking GHz deals w/ speed, RAM deals w/ memory. Am I way off?

GHz is the speed that the processor runs at

RAM is the amount of memory you have. this is what all your software programs will use when they are running. If you don`t have enough, the computer needs to keep transfering infomation from RAM to your hard drive. this is called swapping, and it`s slow. 512MB is a must, especially if you plan on running Windoze



Now, to confuse things a bit, your processors also has some memory on board. This isi known as cache. You will probably see this in the range of 1MB to 2MB. The computer wants to keep information that`s going to use often close by so it`s faster. the more cache a processor has, the more it can keep close by and assuming this is done correctly the faster the computer runs.



if you want a good system, like everyone else has said, you don`t want a dell. dell makes great desktops, but their laptops are so so. most large companies actually use IBM becsaue, even though they are a bit priceier, they are designed to work. We abuse our laptops at work and they still keep chugging.



as far as processors go, use a pentium M. this is designed for mobility to use less power and is designed to be a bit faster for general purpose computing like you`re doing then other processors that may have faster clock speeds (higher GHz)



good luck

[grimmster]

I third the IBM line. T series are the line to go with. Built like tanks. They may cost a tad more, but 6 years later it wil still be running.



also agree that 512 ram is min.

[JustinR32]

Originally posted by NewOwner FL

Mosca is a fellow VAIO owner...you da man!

This is the really really small one; it`s a quarter the size of my regular laptop, and the body is titanium. I can lay in bed and hold it in the air above me like a book (which p-o`s Mrs Mosca to no end):





Tom

[stevet]

I remember hearing something recently about IBM selling thier personal computer business to a Chinese company or something like that. So it seems if you buy an IBM it won`t really be an IBM. Wonder how the quality is going to be compared to the IBM`s that everybody seems to be recommending in this thread.

[General Lee]

Update:



Well, I made a purchase, here`s what I got:



Toshiba Satellite M35X



Pentium 4 centrino Processor

512 RAM

60GB Hard drive

DVD/CD RW Drive

15.4 inch screen

Wireless capability



I can`t remember my GHz speed , the specs are not listed anywhere expect on the display sticker at the store. Is there a way to find out the computer`s specs? Can you click on a certain menu or something?



I did go over my budget, but I`m comfortable with my purchase.

What do you guys think about Toshiba?