help me choose which laptop

[zCypher]

hi guys,
i am new to the laptops, ive noticed they have dropped in prices a lot compared to the past couple of years, so i think it's finally worthwhile to look.

for me it would be mostly business oriented so the tasks wouldnt be too hardcore but i want a powerful system in case i need to run apps that take a lot of juice or in case i need to use something graphical.

i don't care if the cpu speed is 2gh, or even less than 2ghz since i probably wont notice the diff anyway, but I think i would need at least 1gb ram, hopefully with good graphics (so preferrably no crappy entry level video)

the laptop needs to be wireless, it has to be usable from anywhere anytime

i would like good battery life, but it is possible to get another battery to extend the life i would consider that too.

i am not particularly picky about the weight or how "easy" it is to carry around, BUT i do like the slim macbook.

I normally operate with XP but if Mac OS does everything I need and I can still have Office, then I wuoldn't mind using Mac OS and then installing XP on dual boot if I needed it absolutely for some reason

should i look at macbooks? I would opt for the pro, but they are pretty expensive, is it worth it?

what do you think are the top brands that I should consider? I was thinking about IBM, Toshiba or the Macbook.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction?

Thanking you in advance for your time.

 

[Commodus]

Originally posted by: zCypher.

i am not particularly picky about the weight or how "easy" it is to carry around, BUT i do like the slim macbook.

I normally operate with XP but if Mac OS does everything I need and I can still have Office, then I wuoldn't mind using Mac OS and then installing XP on dual boot if I needed it absolutely for some reason

should i look at macbooks? I would opt for the pro, but they are pretty expensive, is it worth it?

what do you think are the top brands that I should consider? I was thinking about IBM, Toshiba or the Macbook.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction?

Thanking you in advance for your time.

You should certainly consider the 17" MacBook Pro if you don't mind the cost. It won't be the fastest gaming machine, but as you've said that's not your focus. The 17" MBP is probably the thinnest and lightest 17" notebook out there; while that's like saying a baby elephant is portable, it really does help ease the burden of carrying the system with you.

There are also a lot of little touches that could help seal the deal. The backlit keyboard is a good example. If you've ever had to type in a dark room when a professor gave notes, you'll know why backlit keys are useful. Two-finger scrolling on the trackpad is great because it's easier to scroll smoothly. And I've heard of a few people who found the MagSafe power connector saved their hides already, after a pet (or the owner) accidentally caught on the power cable.

There are a couple of things to watch out for, aside from the cost: the 17" MBP can get quite hot on the bottom, so you'll probably want to use it on a desk or on some kind of surface besides your pant legs (if you get a laptop sleeve, you could use that on your lap). The second point is more of a recommendation: get an extra 1 GB stick of RAM if you can. OS X almost always improves with more RAM, and this is especially true when apps like MS Office 2004 run in Rosetta (a layer that translates old PowerPC code in real time) - the translator needs extra RAM to really perform well. More RAM is always good advice with a notebook, however.

 

[Neurorelay]

Dell e1705 with Core Duo is a good steal, battery life is low, but you are getting a near top of the line mobile graphics chip with speedy ram and nice hdd

 

[ottothecow]

How about just a normal macbook? They are great machines and you get a free ipod nano when you buy one now

 

[HamSupLo]

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