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Laptop for Mom (Realtor)

R

realmike15

Member
I need to find a laptop for my Mom. She's working with a 6 year old Dell Pentium 4 that's slow as can be, and probably on it's last life. I've done everything I can to optimize it and keep it going for her... but the hardware can barely keep up with modern software.

Here's a few things I know she wants, no exceptions:

- Must be Laptop, no Desktops
- Must be PC, no Macs
- Minimum 17" Screen
- 5 Year Lifespan
- $800-$1,000 Price Range

Size/weight does not matter... it will remain on her desk most of the time anyway. I would like to get her something that's built well, like my 13" MacBook Pro. Because she wants something that will last her another five years, I'm looking mostly at i5's which seem to be in her price range. I'd like to get at least 4GB RAM minimum, but more would be ideal. HDD does not have to be huge, but 500GB+ would be nice. Graphics card is not important, since this is a business laptop.

Companies I've been looking at are HP, Dell, ASUS, and Sony.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh.../dv7tse_series
I was looking at this one which seems nice, heard good things about HP as of lately.

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=De0eZOdbxyCmowiY
I've been buying ASUS motherboards for years, and heard they make some good laptops.

Also heard good things about the Dell XPS, but can't seem to find a 17" model. Am I missing something?

Can anyone offer me help? I build my own desktops, and use a MacBook Pro for my laptop... so I have no idea which PC makers are making good laptops, and which models those are.
 
If you don't mind refurbished here is a very nice ASUS, i actually have one and i must say it is in perfect condition, i picked up a two year warranty on mine and the total was $1,011. It appears newegg is out of stock at the moment you can wait until they are back in stock but they sell out fairly quickly.
 
mnewsham said:
If you don't mind refurbished here is a very nice ASUS, i actually have one and i must say it is in perfect condition, i picked up a two year warranty on mine and the total was $1,011. It appears newegg is out of stock at the moment you can wait until they are back in stock but they sell out fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

Not bad, I'll keep my eye on that. I need to get (2) laptops, one is for her the other is for her partner... so assuming I could nab two of them that seems like a good deal.
 
Five-year lifespan? I would probably look at Lenovo ThinkPad, one of their industrial/professional models. Or maybe a Pansonic ToughBook?

I somehow doubt that any consumer-level laptop made today, is going to last five years.
 
Computers are a crap shoot. It'll either last 5 years, or it won't. Computers are just as good as they ever were, but you sometimes get unlucky. Get a cooling pad with it, and it should help the lifespan some. You might want to think about a USB keyboard also. That'll keep the wear off the keyboard.
 
realmike15 said:
Her 15" P4 Dell did...
Click to expand...
Sure I am still using one of these too.

However there is a difference between something that Happened and a demand on an unknown future.

There is nothing technology wise between current brand name Laptops that can predict which one will be ""Future proof"" for 5 years, and which one is Not.

----------------
As you know if some one is smoking for 5 years and nothing happened, you can Not predict that if he/she will keep smoking he/she will not get cancer.


😎
 
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You can buy into hardware that performance-wise shouldn't be too bad 5 years from now, but you cannot predict hardware that will absolutely not fail in 5 years.

With that being said, my choice would be a business class notebook like a Dell Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpad, HP Business Class, etc. On the hardware side, get Windows 7 64-bit, 4GB RAM, a 7200RPM HDD and a Core i3 or Core i5.
 
Think about a Toshiba .. I still have and use (typing from it now) a Toshiba Satellite 1415-S105 which was produced late 2002 (maybe 1/2 year earlier) .. It has a Celeron 4A processor at 1.6Ghz ... I can't kill this thing, despite it having taking 2 liquid spills (both minor) ... You don't want this model, but look at what Toshiba has to offer.
 
Your requirements are unreasonable to be honest. Pick two of the three:

  • Apple-level build quality
  • 17" screen
  • Sub $1K
Drop any one of those and there are plenty of machines to discuss.
 
mfenn said:
Your requirements are unreasonable to be honest. Pick two of the three:

  • Apple-level build quality
  • 17" screen
  • Sub $1K
Drop any one of those and there are plenty of machines to discuss.
Click to expand...

Apple level build quality wasn't listed as a requirement. I said I'd like to get her something that's of similar build quality... that's just a wish.
 
Lenovo W series - a 17-in Thinkpad for business use. For a professional realtor, cost is a deductible expense.
 
corkyg said:
Lenovo W series - a 17-in Thinkpad for business use. For a professional realtor, cost is a deductible expense.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice.

Unfortunately, the Thinkpad 17" W series was very recently discontinued. However, remaining stock of W700 and W701 should continue to be available from retailers and resellers for a few more weeks.

While the Thinkpad is above the OP's budget, in my opinion it's the ideal laptop for the the job. Lenovo Thinkpads are the most reliable laptops ever made, and have a consumer satisfaction rating second only to Apple. The latest Thinkpads should provide years of trouble-free computing. Spend a few bucks and simply write it off as a business expense.
 
The new W series abandons the 17-inch and goes with 15.6-in. Apparently the 17-in cost was too much. I would consider a 15.6-in and use an external 23-in monitor in desk mode and the 15.6-in native display in mobile mode.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Five-year lifespan? I would probably look at Lenovo ThinkPad, one of their industrial/professional models. Or maybe a Pansonic ToughBook?

I somehow doubt that any consumer-level laptop made today, is going to last five years.
Click to expand...

Really? I had a Dell Inspiron for well over 5 years and it was still working great when I sold it and upgraded. It still did everything fine that most people would need. It ran XP though, but so what? I think I got it in 2003. It looks just the same as the day I bought it.

Oh and the Dell Inspiron that I had previous to that one also lasted over 5 years.

I just bought another Dell and I expect the same.
 
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