Best/worst notebook computer: opinions here!

[jazzman42379]

Howdy all. Well, after hours upon hours of searching web sites and researching manufacturers, the decicion upon a laptop is still wide open. I am a Computer Science major, and simply cannot work at my desk....the portability is a necessity at this point. Right now, I'm leaning towards a Dell Inspiron 4000. I'd like to get somewhere in the mid-weight range, under $1800, DVD, and at least a 10GB drive.

So this is where the forums come in...hopefully I'll be able to get respectable opinions based on knowledgable users. I've heard horror stories from just about any manufacturer, but those were mostly on the general sites where the complaints were from the REALLY pissed of people that probably make up only a small percentage.

I'd appreciate any input/advice/recomendations you all might have

Thanx in advance!!!
Jazzman

 

[SPAnDAU]

Check out Toshiba. The satellite 2800 series is relatively inexpensive and Toshiba's rock. If it ever breaks they are usually fixed in about two days if there is a repair depot in your city.

My company sells a ton of Toshiba's to oil companies field guys and they take a beating and keep going.

 

[TunaBoo]

Dells are usually reguarded as the best labtop, as long as you aren't bothered by no athlon4 support.

My bro has a few that are super nice. Not sure of the model, but it weighs like 3 pounds and has a super crisp screen. It is so light its sweet. And it came with a docking station complete with 17 inch monitor.

 

[kingz]

I really like the Dell Inspiron 8000, mainly because of the GeForce2 Go video chipset. Its nearly 4 times as fast as any other mobile video chipset. But If you have time, I suggest you wait for a good Athlon 4 or Pentium III-M laptop, from Dell/Toshiba/IBM. The P3M is a HUGE leap forward, with .13u technology, it will run faster, cooler, and the best part of all, use less power. it'll also have 512kb of L2 cache. If you are into gaming, combine the two CPU's with a GeForce2 Go/Radeon Mobility and your good to go about leaving your desktop behind. Just wait until mid Augest, thats when the P3M should be out in full force.

 

[HannibalX]

<<<Dells are usually reguarded as the best labtop>>>

Yeah since when, IBM Thinkpads are rock solid, if you can afford IBM i'd go with them.

 

[Shalmanese]

for ~2000 mark, the inspiron 4000's are good, also check out the thinkpads from IBM, If you want a laptop to drool over, check out the fujitsus.

Don't listen to all the stuff about P3M's and Athlon4's

buying a laptop is completly different from buying a desktop. go to a local shop an have a look at some of the ones you are interested on display. type a bit on the keyboards and see if you are comfortable with the feel and location of the keys. move the mouse around and see if it is what you like. the dells have both the accupoint (little nub b/w g and h keys) and a touchpad so you cant really go wrong. have a look at the screen from different angles, run a fast paced DVD on the screen and see if you can see any ghosting. Make sure the laptop has a lithium ion battery. whatever you do, do NOT go for a laptop that has a HPA or DSTN screen. only TFT! after you have done all that, check that it has at least 64MB of RAM (96+ would be better) and some sort of processor at least 500Mhz.

Remember, you dont buy mid range laptops for the grunt, but rather, for the features. It is often a hard thing for a AT'er to comprehend.

 

[anime]

i have toshiba 2805-s402- and it's been great for me. it has dvd/cd-rw combo--smartmedia reader --which about 90 percent of the time you have to pay premium with other laptop manufacturer. it's been working great w/o problems. The only gripes i have with this laptop is about memory upgrade--very hard to find 256mb memory module that will work with this laptop.

 

[kingz]

anime, have you tried crucial memory? a 256mb stick is about $100 i think.

<<Don't listen to all the stuff about P3M's and Athlon4's>>

Are you serious? Yes the keyboard and pointing device is important, but so is the CPU. Laptops isn't something you can upgrade, so buying what will last you the longest is very important. Getting a P3M over a P3 will give you longer battery life while speeding up performance. Going from 100MHz FSB, 256KB L2, .18u to 133MHz, 512KB L2, .13u is not something you want to pass up. Plus, .13u P3's are cheaper to manufacture, so lets hope Intel passes that onto the customers.

 

[Keego]

<< Plus, .13u P3's are cheaper to manufacture, so lets hope Intel passes that onto the customers. >>



bahahahahaahahaha

 

[SXMP]

Shalmanese,
Whoa buddy. This is ANANDTECH OF COURSE Athlon 4 or Pentium III-M matters as well as the Geforce 2 Go! Dude I can understand where the physical feel of a laptop is important, but if it can't play quake 3 when your on a plane trip, whats the point of having the laptop? =) I dunno, I just think that if I am gonna dish out over a grand (at least) for a mobile computing device, I don't want to regret it when just everyday applications seem to run slow =) I have a tbird 950 and 512mb of ram, going to a celeron 500 with 64mb would sure be kinda sucky, if you know what i mean .
my 2 cents =)
sxmp

 

[MrBond]

PC Magazine consistantly rates the thinkpads among the top notebooks each time they review them. They're really good, but expensive

 

[jazzman42379]

Thanx for all the advice everyone! I got a hell of a deal on eBay...brand new IBM A21p...850MHz, 128MB, 32G HDD, 16MB ATI Rage Mobility 128, 15&quot; 1600x1200 screen...the works! And this $3300 laptop only cost $1700!

So thanx again to everyone for the advice!
Jazzman