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best laptop for general use?

Q

quanttrade99z

Member
Hi All,

You guys helped me so much when I was building my own PC, that I just have to come back with another question....

My father is thinking of buying a new laptop. He isn't a power user. He just surfs the web, does some basic photo stuff, and listens to music. Money isn't an issue for him, he can buy whatever he should have, but doesn't want to waste any money.

He doesn't travel that much, so he isn't too weight/size sensitive. I think he should get a laptop that is fast enough for his web surfing, and can allow him to run multiple applications at the same time. I guess it should probably have a nice big & clear screen. He is also thinking of using the laptop to run his home music system (we just bought him some sweet cambridge soundworks PC speakers).

I've heard that laptops have lousy sound. Is this true? Can I buy him a sound card for it?

To summarize: can you recommend the best laptop for a general user like my father? he will probably replace it in about 2 years or so. I think he has buying DELL laptops... but will buy whatever you recommend.

Thanks a lot!

quantttade
 
basic photo stuff...? like photoshop? for that you would need a good amount of ram.

Money isn't an issue = a lot of people will probably be recommending ibm or apple. there are a lot of options out there, and i'm sure a lot of people will have different opinions, but this one might be one to consider.


using the laptop to run his home music system: you heard correctly. laptops have crappy audio. little more than a software codec. its ok of mundane things but probably not really well suited for your idea.



 
skunkbuster:
Thanks a lot for the recommendation. Can you tell me what you think the minimum specs he should buy in terms of processor speed/RAM/etc etc?

Do you know if it is possible to upgrade laptop sound with a sound card?

Lenevo? Is that a division of IBM or something else? is that laptop you recommended a normal THINKPAD?

Thanks a lot!

everyone else->
any other recommendations?
 
btw,
when I said he does PHOTOs he isn't really doing PHOTOSHOP or anything like that, he is just loading in pictures from his digital camera and storing/organizing them. Sorry I wasn't clear.

quanttrade
 
The Z60M is a Lenovo design of the thinkpad...

Lenovo is a Chinese (I think) company that took over operations at IBM recently. Anything past the T43, X1 and R50e is likely a new design by the new owners... again (I think). I'm under the influence of Christmas wine / champagne / martinis right now.
 
Lenovo bought out the pc/laptop division from ibm.
as for sound upgrades? you would have to go pcmcia card or external breakout usb or firewire box.


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just a few that i found




 
I would have to recomend either IBM or Apple. Really, for what he needs it for, a 12" iBook would probably do the job without a problem. If he wants a bigger screen (which I personally would) the 15/17" powerbook will do the job well (as would a T series IBM). The new 15/17" also have digital optical out, so you could pass all the sound processing to your speakers. If you want a good external sound card, the only one I've used (and love btw), is the sonica theater by M-audio. It's a 7.1 chan external card with decent software that's both PC and Mac compatable.
 
well if money isnt a issue and your dad takes care of his stuff, id recomend the
ASUS W2V. It has built in 5.1 channel and integrated sub and a SPDIF. Im sure the line out would give u a good signal. Not to mention the X700 radeon gfx. It should be a nice package. But this thing has a 17 inch screen so its going to be BIG. Personally i think 14 inches is just margin for laptop because that gives me about just enough room for 1 small notebook at school on my desk. Another alternative would be a IBM. but for feature wise, its hard to beat that asus.

IBM however will last longer, built stronger, and more reliable. I personally use a IBM. And anyone that has one will tell you, there the strongest laptops available. But u should check out the asus b4 u decide

Asus W2V
 
ASUS NOTEBOOK

If money isn't an object that Asus is sweet, I have an m6n and I love how its built. Some may argue, but have you considered the newer compaq notebooks? Costco has great deals on these and there is a good 6month return policy on these notebooks, even the custom built ones.
 
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