Looking for a good one laptop

[jebbo]

Hi im looking for a good laptop. I need at least 1ghz 256ram, firewire, and video out. (built in 802 would be good too, but not neseccary). Also I need good build quality. Dont like dell. I live in the country so there arent many places to get my hands on any to try out. What would you suggest?

 

[prosaic]

If you want good build quality look at Toshiba Satellite Pro and up. (The Satellites are consumer grade. Built reasonably well, but with finishes that are less than durable.) So in the Toshiba line look at Tecra, Portege, Satellite Pro -- depending upon the form factor you want and the budget constraints. I just purchased a Toshiba Libretto L5 through Dynamism.com, and I absolutely love it. Magnesium alloy case, 2.x pounds, very good keyboard considering the form factor limitations, and an astonishing little screen. But it's not for everyone. If you're interested in very small, very high quality units do take a look at that link I provided. Their sales and technical service are superb.

IBMs generally have very good build quality, and the business models from the HP line of notebooks are nicely built.

I'm a fan of the Toshiba business models because their combination of build quality, ergonomics, and the attention to little functional details pleases me. But I've owned lots of different portable systems over the years.

You're right about Dells. I've tried them on occasion for over a decade. Not a single notebook they've provided us has stood up under constant use. The cases literally disintegrate.

If it's at all possible you really should try to get your hands on a few different models before you buy. With a portable machine the devil is in the details. What works just fine for one guy might drive another guy crazy.

Good luck!

- prosaic

 

[Dufman]

this thread might be of interest to you
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=974781