Buying a Laptop

[obxsurfer03]

Hey guys, i'm buying a laptop for a friend, here are the specs i want:

- P4
- 512 mb ram
- over 3.0ghz
- over 15 inch screen
- 80 gig hd
- Under 1300

basically for word processing, games, the usual, thanks guys!

I already found a nice laptop, suggestions on this or any others would greatly be appreciated!
Toshiba Laptop

 

[fbrdphreak]

First question is why do you want a Pentium 4? They run very hot, are relatively slow, and are only good for the really intensive number crunching.

What kind of games does your friend plan on playing?
What price range?
Will it be used out & about or just sit at a desk all day?

 

[obxsurfer03]

all i know is he wants a P4, i dont know, well something over 3.0 ghz. the price range is anything less than 1300, he wants something with long battery life and not heavy

 

[Mesix]

Thats some wishful thinking right there. What's wrong with a Pentium M?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: obxsurfer03
all i know is he wants a P4, i dont know, well something over 3.0 ghz. the price range is anything less than 1300, he wants something with long battery life and not heavy

Well, I must say your friend isn't up on laptop technology 😉

Let me suggest a start for you & your friend: Buyer's Guide Unfortunately this is a bit outdated, the but the basic concepts are what are important.

P4 != long battery and not heavy

P4 notebooks are almost always 7lbs+ and get 2 hours or less of battery life.
Pentium M notebooks (Centrino) generally get 4+ hours (up to 10 hours) and weigh around 5lbs.

For under $1300 with a >15" screen, here are a few I would check out:
HP dv4000 (15.4" Centrino)
Averatec (google for the company, they make several widescreen notebooks that are very affordable)
Dell (Dell has several 15.4" models that are okay, but the Dell coupons make it all worth it. Right now Dell is running $750 off $1899 purchase)
Asus (Check out http://www.proportable.com)
Acer (NewEgg has a number of nice Acer notebooks)

Hope this helps

 

[obxsurfer03]

thanks alot of the suggestions, ill start researching them

 

[fbrdphreak]

If you think of any more specific questions, feel free to post back here 🙂

And welcome to AT :beer: