Help Me Choose a Notebook Computer

[applesseed]

I'm having trouble finding a laptop for myself. I'm a college student and sometimes I travel as far as 5 hours on plane. I'm looking for something light, and lasting battery life (3hrs or more is better). Will go as low as 13" screen. Will not consider Apple... I'm a PC person.

This is what I'll most likely be doing.

Web surfing (wireless)
Photoshop
Macromedia MX (Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Freehand)
Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint)
Transfer pictures from digicam
Play MP3 songs
Watch DVD movies
*When I'm home I would transfer big data onto my desktop, or burn CDs

Below are notebooks that I may consider buying, but I need feedbacks what you think.

For two months I've been leaning toward the Fujitsu S6231. I'm open to any suggestions.

My budget... somewhere around $1500.00 - would go higher if specs is good/needed

Recommend me a good Notebook!


=====================================

Inspiron 600m
Pentium M Processor 755 (2GHz)
14.1 -in SXGA+, 32MB Video
Windows XP Professional
512MB RAM
40GB Hard Drive
24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 Internal 802.11 b/g
Internal 56K Modem/Integrated NIC
Productivity Pack including WordPerfect
1 Year Limited Warranty

Total Price plus Tax and after $250 Rebate: $1694.71
Free shipping, $6 State Environmental Fee

==========

Same configuration as above, but under Higher Education discount...

Instead of the Productivity Pack including WordPerfect,
swapped with MS Office 2003 Student Edition
Comes with 4 Yr Ltd Warranty

Total Price plus Tax and after $250 Rebate: $1494.93
Free shipping, $6 State Environmental Fee

==========

Saw this from Costco's coupon; Item #30343

Hewlet-Packard (don't know model number)
14" Widescreen Centrino Notebook Computer
Pentium M 735, 512 MB memory, 60 GB hard drive,
DVD+RW, 14" WXGA Brightview Widescreen, includes
HP Quick Play with remote control

warehouse price 1299.99
off at register - 150.00
-------------------------------
Total Cost $1149.99
Before Tax and the such...

==========

Best Buy's Advertisement

Hewlet-Packard DV1170us
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Intel Pentium M Processor 725 Notebook
Processor speed 1.6GHz
512MB DDR SDRAM
100 gigabyte hard drive
Integrated 802.11g wireless LAN
6-in-1 integrated digital media reader
Quick Play with remote control

Regular price 1499.99
BB Mail-In Rebate - 150.00
HP Mail-In Rebate - 50.00
-------------------------------------
Total Cost $1299.99
Before tax and the such...

==========

Fujitsu S6231 from PortableONE

Intel M 725 (Dothan) 1.6GHz (2MB Cache)
512MB (2x56MB) 2GB Max
40GB (4200RPM) Hard Drive
13.3" CV (Crystal View) XGA TFT Display
Combo DVD & CDRW Drive
Dedicated MS/SD card slot
56K V.90 Global Modem
10/100mbps LAN
Intel PRO/wireless 2200BG (Wi-Fi Certified 802.11b/g)
Fujitsu 3 Year International Warranty (Portable One Free Upgrade!)
Windows XP Home

*If I pay using AMEX, I can get an additional 1 Yr Warranty

Sub-Total: $1459.00; around $1560 total cost... tax, s&h

 

[Jassi]

No gaming?

 

[applesseed]

nope... no gamings unless it involves virtual reality ...I've got Half-Life and CS on my desktop computer.

 

[Wuzup101]

Out of the ones you have there I would go with the student discount Dell 600m. IMHO it's the best deal and a 2.0ghz P-M is pretty damn powerful... Should suit all your needs...

 

[applesseed]

So if 2GHz is "pretty damn powerful" what do you think of 1.6GHz or 1.7GHz? Cuz I almost bought the Fujitsu last week.

 

[glorygunk]

i think it's pretty safe to assume that if you play games on your desktop, you don't really need a super fast notebook. 1.6 or 1.7 GHz would be just fine

 

[applesseed]

So assuming 1.6 or 1.7 GHz would be safe to do Photoshop, Macromedia, and other web design stuff eh? Thanks for clarifying... but on the other hand... i'm just afraid 1.7GHz and below would be obsolete pretty soon won't they?

 

[Omizzle]

dude, if youre not gaming, get a Powerbook. new ones came out today

 

[Whaspe]

Originally posted by: Omizzle
dude, if youre not gaming, get a Powerbook. new ones came out today

:thumbsup:

 

[applesseed]

Powww-er book eh? I'm anti-AppleComputer. If one can convince me that Apple is better than PC, then I might consider getting the Powerbook. So...t alk to me... tell me why I should go Powerbook.

 

[halfadder]

Originally posted by: applesseed
Powww-er book eh? I'm anti-AppleComputer. If one can convince me that Apple is better than PC, then I might consider getting the Powerbook. So...t alk to me... tell me why I should go Powerbook.

I'm mainly a PC user, but I love my 15" PowerBook that I've had for 14 months. I can't say enough good things about Mac OS X and the PowerBook hardware, but I would suggest waiting for the PowerBook G5 sometime towards the end of summer if you're going to plunk down that much cash.

 

[hopejr]

PB's are now comparable with equivalently priced PC notebooks AFAIK.
May I ask why you are anti-apple? Is it because so many others are? That's what it was like for me until I actually gave them a chance. I like apple now.

 

[RobsTV]

For most that don't want Apples it is still the same old story holding true.
Overpriced when compared to identical performing PC's. (although getting better)
And the #1 reason..... Software compatability.
Can I run MyTheatre with my Sky2PC USB DVB-S card, or HDTV with my Sasem USB?
How about ANY DVB-S sat or HDTV cards and software?

I have seen many diehard Apple major graphics and award winning website designers finally make the move to PC's over the past few years, and they all say the same thing. Yep, I was right. They can not go back to Apples.

Apples are cool to look at.
I see they now put good 3d graphics cards in many models.
So how well does it run Half-Life 2 in these souped up versions? GTA Vice City? NFSU2?

Linux is a real option for many, but apples fall too far from the main stream.

For the original poster, the Apple should not be ruled out simply because it is an Apple.
It appears to have all the limited things he is asking a laptop to do.
Any of the other laptops listed will also be good choices. You don't need power.

Another thing to look at is resale value.
For the things listed as wanting a laptop to do, an old used 1GHz unit will do the job.
Buying a basic new model with have no benefit for resale in a two years, because your 2 year old basic laptop will not run anything much better than a 4 year old laptop. However, if you choose a laptop now that can do decent 3d gaming, it will in fact be a desired laptop to many more in a couple years. You open up a lot more possibilites for the future. Doesn't matter if you game now. And your price range ($1200-$1500) fits fine with a high performance PC gaming laptop.

 

[Commodus]

RobsTV:

I love the sheer audacity of your illogical response.

You argue based on popularity - seriously, it's ridiculous to suggest that one should switch just because others are - but yet say "Linux is an option for many, while Apples fall too far from the mainstream." Because we all know that mom and dad want to recompile their kernel so that they can get new device type support, or deal with half-finished audio and graphics drivers, right? :roll:

Also, just because your specific devices may not work doesn't mean that there aren't alternatives. Have you looked at El Gato's lineup, for example? Heck, I've heard of people on AVSForum hooking up their HDTV receiver units directly to their Macs via Firewire to get video (though PVR functionality may not have been an option).

The only catch in applesseed's particular case is that what he wants to do would best be done on a 15" PowerBook. He wouldn't need the higher-end model, but it would cost $1799 (educational price) plus the $150 for MS Office 2004 Student & Teacher Edition and any other software you might need to buy.

On the plus side, it would probably be better-suited to the tasks he's looking at. It's thin and light - absolutely essential for web surfing from the couch or travelling often - and has more storage (80 GB, 5400 RPM drive) than anything except that HP model. It also has Bluetooth (2.0, even!) should he want to use a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse, cellphone, or headset. And the software... well, let's just say that iPhoto 05 will probably do a much better job of helping you organize your photos. You can even do some of your editing without having to turn to Photoshop.

Speaking of which, remember that any system with IEG won't really have the full 512 MB of RAM available, and for someone doing Photoshop, RAM is everything.

I'd also note that Apple is rather smart with their laptop-specific features. The instant sleep/wake from manipulating the lid is excellent - you almost never have to actually shut the laptop off, so the system's ready within a second of opening the lid in most cases. You get an automatic backlit keyboard, so you can see the keys if it's dark... and the display dims too, so you won't go blind! There's a motion sensor à la IBM's "airbag," so if the laptop drops it won't mess up your hard drive. And the new trackpad scrolling promises to be interesting: instead of needing separate horizontal and vertical scrolling areas, you just put two fingers on the pad and scroll whichever way you need to.

 

[mdahc]

Originally posted by: applesseed
So assuming 1.6 or 1.7 GHz would be safe to do Photoshop, Macromedia, and other web design stuff eh? Thanks for clarifying... but on the other hand... i'm just afraid 1.7GHz and below would be obsolete pretty soon won't they?

Just a recommendation on Dell...if you're going to get one from them, then get a Latitude (i.e. the D610 or D600 if you really like the 600m). The build quality and support are far superior than the consumer (Inspiron) line (my fiancee owns a 600m, and we have several D600's where I work) since they put enterprise/business costumers way ahead on the priority list.

Anyway, in terms of the 1.7GHz Pentium M's obsolescence, I wouldn't worry so much. According to Intel, that's like a desktop P4 @ 2.5GHz (lol!). But really, a 1.7GHz PM should be more than adequate for Photoshop CS and Studio MX. Is it going to be as responsive as a desktop chip? Not even close. But it's about as good as you're going to get if you don't want to shell out more $ for a faster processor and if you want a laptop with > 3 hours of battery life. If you're really worried about obsolescence, then get a PCIe-based Sonoma notebook with, say, a Geforce 6200/6250/6300 TC since you'd like to watch DVD's (although many doubt the viability and availability of upgradeable graphics cards for laptops).

Speaking of battery life, you mentioned that you take flights for almost 5 hours? If you truly want a machine that will last that long without an AC adapter, then you should probably be looking at a Thinkpad.

 

[applesseed]

Thanks for all your replies!

Personally, I just prefer PC over Apple. My first reason why is software compatibility - I've own 4 PC desktops already. Plus I don't want to learn something new like Apple. Who knows are the settings the same as PC? Plus I've got friends that asked me to troubleshoot their PC computers so no Apple for me.

I also wanna thank RobTV's for the awesome response. Yeah Apples are cool to look at but... I'm more comfortable with Windows.

A 15" screen would be nice, but it's the weight problem. I travel states to states so... I don't want anything heavy like 6 pounds maybe?

I'll be taking a look at some Latitude. I thought they weren't good but I guess I heard wrong. I'm surprised that a 1.7GHz is as same as a desktop P4 at 2.5GHz. I just don't know anything like... what the hell is AMD 2200+ equivalent to? Yeah I've seen some IBMs close-up. It just ain't appealing to me.

Reason why I like the Fujitsu is I heard their customer service is good and plus the screen is crystal view - it's just awesome.

Anyway... I welcome feedback and suggestions anytime.

 

[HaxorNubcake]

if you're going to buy the dell 600m, wait for big coupons and savings (~25% off or more). That's what I did with mine and I saved about 500 dollars.

 

[applesseed]

When does the coupon comes out... when is the time when everything goes cheap?