Looking at college laptops

[Keyur]

Ok, so I'm buying my first notebook for college. So far, I've found 3 decently-priced ones in my $1200-$1500 USD range.

HP zv5000z series: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.00 GHz, 15.4" WXGA Widescreen,
64MB NVIDIA GeForce 4 440 Go +1394 & 5-in-1, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 60 GB HD,
2.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 54g 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM/SpeedBooster, $1348

Dell Inspiron 5160: 2.80GHz Mobile Pentium® 4, 15 inch XGA LCD Panel, 512MB RAM, 60GB Ultra ATA Hard
Drive, 32MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce? FX Go5200 AGP 4x Graphics, Dell Wireless 1350
Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps) Mini-PCI card, $1543

Toshiba Tecra M2V: Intel® Pentium® M 735 Processor 1.70GHz, 512MB PC2700 DDR333 SDRAM,
14.1" XGA Display (1024x768), 60GB HDD (5400rpm), Intel® Wireless LAN (802.11b/g)
$1484.10

I mean, I'm not looking to do any serious gaming or video editing, just maybe store some music on here. And as far as wireless networking goes, I don't know what I really need if I'm going be be staying in a dorm for a couple of years. I also don't think I'll be carrying it around, so weight isn't really an issue. These laptops all seem reasonable, but they seem so close together for me to tell the difference. I know people who have bought laptops from all 3 companies and have been satisfied so far. So if I could get some input, that would be great.

 

[halfadder]

Do you really need that much power? Maybe get a bargain Dell and upgrade/replace after a year of notebook experience. Another good resource is the notebook review magazine I've seen in the magazine rack at several bookstores. They review and compare most notebooks in exhaustive detail. Worth a read, especially for someone looking for the very best or the very best bargain.

 

[Keyur]

Yeah, I thought about throwing out the 2.8 GHz Dell since it seemed over the top, but as for the other 2, I don't really want to take a step backwards in speed. Last time I went for a bargain, the computer came back to haunt me.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Why not a desktop? Even with a flat panel, you can get them cheaper, and they're a lot harder to steal.

- M4H

 

[Keyur]

I'm a very messy guy... I need every square inch of room I can get. Plus it's a lot easier to move in and out.

 

[glorygunk]

i'd go for a cheaper, less powerful notebook, especially since the most demanding task you have is playing mp3s. it's my opinion that you should shop for a light notebook, because you never know when you might need to bring it to class for a presentation, or study at the library, etc...

go for a dell 600m or similar, purchase a good warranty that lasts, and you still will probably have money left over for textbooks

 

[Keyur]

So maybe I should just settle with 256 mb of ram. So far, I've been hearing good things about Dell around here, so I guess I'll look into that more than some of the other things. Thanks.

 

[FearoftheNight]

get a shuttle dude

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Keyur
So maybe I should just settle with 256 mb of ram. So far, I've been hearing good things about Dell around here, so I guess I'll look into that more than some of the other things. Thanks.

Oh hell no. Settling on CPU speed is passable, but don't run XP with less than 512MB. It's Just Not Right (TM).

- M4H

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Keyur
So maybe I should just settle with 256 mb of ram. So far, I've been hearing good things about Dell around here, so I guess I'll look into that more than some of the other things. Thanks.

Don't settle for less than 512MB or you're going to be disappointed with performance. XP is a memory hog and runs poorly on a desktop with 256MB of RAM. You can't do anything without a bunch of HD thrashing. Lappy HD's are generally slower than those in desktops so performance will only be worse.

I'd also recommend a UXGA screen with whatever you get. I went from a 14" XGA (1024x768) to a 14" UXGA (1400x1250) and I'm much happier with all the extra space. Still, it all depends on the person in front of the keyboard - look around and see what your eyes prefer.

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: Keyur
So maybe I should just settle with 256 mb of ram. So far, I've been hearing good things about Dell around here, so I guess I'll look into that more than some of the other things. Thanks.

Don't settle for less than 512MB or you're going to be disappointed with performance. XP is a memory hog and runs poorly on a desktop with 256MB of RAM. You can't do anything without a bunch of HD thrashing. Lappy HD's are generally slower than those in desktops so performance will only be worse.

I'd also recommend a UXGA screen with whatever you get. I went from a 14" XGA (1024x768) to a 14" UXGA (1400x1250) and I'm much happier with all the extra space. Still, it all depends on the person in front of the keyboard - look around and see what your eyes prefer.

You're a little confused about resolutions. UXGA is 1600 X 1200, SXGA+ is 1400 X 1050, and SXGA (an oddball resolution that should be avoided if possible) is 1280 X 1024. I've never heard of a computer with a 1400 X 1250 display, but I'm guessing what you've got is SXGA+. (I think that SXGA+ at 14" is the most perfect resolution money can buy, though!)

 

[fbrdphreak]

As far as a laptop goes, look into the eMachines 68xx or the replacement Gateway 72xx series (Gateway bought eMachines and now they've replaced the venerable 68xx series with Gateway's own model, but they are exactly the same). You can get an A64, Radeon 9600 64MB (which is much better than any of the other video cards you've listed), 512MB, CDRW or DVDRW, & 15.4" UltraBright screen for under $1500. The model w/A64 3400+ & DVDRW & 80GB is like $1500 retail, but goes on sale for less than that regularly @ BBY. Go check 'em out :thumbsup:

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: jvarszegi

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: Keyur
So maybe I should just settle with 256 mb of ram. So far, I've been hearing good things about Dell around here, so I guess I'll look into that more than some of the other things. Thanks.

Don't settle for less than 512MB or you're going to be disappointed with performance. XP is a memory hog and runs poorly on a desktop with 256MB of RAM. You can't do anything without a bunch of HD thrashing. Lappy HD's are generally slower than those in desktops so performance will only be worse.

I'd also recommend a UXGA screen with whatever you get. I went from a 14" XGA (1024x768) to a 14" UXGA (1400x1250) and I'm much happier with all the extra space. Still, it all depends on the person in front of the keyboard - look around and see what your eyes prefer.

You're a little confused about resolutions. UXGA is 1600 X 1200, SXGA+ is 1400 X 1050, and SXGA (an oddball resolution that should be avoided if possible) is 1280 X 1024. I've never heard of a computer with a 1400 X 1250 display, but I'm guessing what you've got is SXGA+. (I think that SXGA+ at 14" is the most perfect resolution money can buy, though!)

OOPS! I had a typo and wrong info in my post. I did mean 1400x1050 (as in my sig) but I was dead wrong on the UXGA point. Thanks for the correction.

/me is off to correct his profile so he doesn't continue to look like a dumbarse...

 

[Keyur]

Ok... so back to 512 mb of RAM. I think it's this damn Microsoft Office... if I can find my own copy, ought to save me a good $100 or so. That makes up for a big chunk of the extra 256 mb.

But I should take fbrdphreak's suggestiong and check out BBY... but then the sales associates there talk out of their collective ass, so it's a little annoying.

 

[silverpig]

Check out boldata.com. They've gotten great reviews on resellerratings (albeit a bit old), and I'm going to be getting a lappy from them after xmas I think for university. Here's what I'm gonna get:

Boldata M37EW
15.4" WUXGA 1920x1200
128 MB DDR ATI R9700 Pro
1.8 GHz Pentium M
512 MB DDR
60 GB HD
8x DVD / CD-RW
Integrated digital video cam
Gigabit LAN
802.11 b/g wireless
modem/card reader/4 speakers + sub built in (yada yada)

No OS though

$1679

You can cut that down to ~$1500 by going with a slower processor.

 

[mariner]

I'm in the process of buying my daughter a lappy for college next Fall. I've also looked at the Dells, plus some Sonys. I liked the Dell 5160 as well, and the Sony Vaio S series. I'd like to get her one that will last at least 3 years. I wanted her to let me build her a desktop but she really wants a lappy....can't argue with an 18yr old blond

Don't get less than 512 as has been said. XP don't play well without enuf sand in the sand box. My daughter is going into a digital graphics curriculum so I'm also looking at a 128MB graphics card + ~2GHz processor or better. A 64MB card with a 1.7GHz processor would be plenty good for most uses. My 366 Celery OC'd to 500 is still a very useful box. And 40GB is a minimum if your into mp3s. Since I set up my allofmp3.com account, my 80GB is looking smaller and smaller And wait until you start Cdex'n your dormmates CDs....you'll wish you had a couple of extra hard drives

And always keep in mind, college is for learning....but don't forget it's the journey that's important, not the destination - HAVE FUN!

mariner

 

[halfadder]

Mariner,
Those raw specs you quote will last her 3 years, but there's no way the Sony build quality will. I've seen Sonys crumble after 8 and 16 months of use. If you go Sony, be sure to get the longest extended warranty you can afford.

 

[mariner]

So, halfadder, thanks for the info and what brands do you recommend?

mariner

 

[halfadder]

I currently use a PowerBook, so I can't help you much with personal experience. But based on coworkers and friends (that's where I've seen the Sonys crumble), IBM, Acer, Toshiba, and Dell have been good. The HP/Compaqs seem to be really shoddy.

 

[mariner]

Keyur and I thank you for the feedback halfadder (don't we Keyur?). I have an old Dell Lattitude at the office and it seems industructable.

mariner

 

[Keyur]

Originally posted by: mariner
Keyur and I thank you for the feedback halfadder (don't we Keyur?). I have an old Dell Lattitude at the office and it seems industructable.

mariner

Yes... yes we do.