looking for a laptop recommendation

[tami]

well, it's time for me to upgrade, and i have the following minimum specs.

i use my laptop as a "desktop" ... i'm not looking for a "desktop replacement" in form factor, per se, because it's really intended to be a portable device (i won't take it anywhere, but i will keep it on my lap at almost all times and i generally do shift positions like all normal people do.)

i'm looking for something that has:

100GB HDD or larger
17" screen or larger (ideally the best quality.. wxuga or whatever they have now. screen real estate is important to me, hence the "or larger")
2GB RAM (i could probably do away with 1GB, but 2GB would be nice, especially since this will be a 2-3 year investment)

i'm not graphics intensive but i will be doing photo editing. a built-in card reader would be nice for me to access all my files instead of having to worry where i keep placing my USB reader all the time.

everything else is negligible (and most likely not essential though desired, and if you ask me to configure a laptop on dell's site, i likely will be configuring to the max to let my dreams go wild).

the other thing is that since i am such an extreme laptop user, i am very much interested in warranty. i particularly have sought out dell laptops in the past because of their excellent on-site support. i am open for anything at this day and age as long as i can get my problem fixed without waiting a considerable amount of time to get the work done or sending it somewhere. (paying $ for a warranty ends up paying itself off with the saved time)

my price range: $1500 give or take. i'm not looking to spend a boatload. i do not mind buying refurbs as long as i am assured that i am protected under a decent warranty and repair service.

what is a good model to look into? (the dell xps m2010 would be nice if it wasn't a "desktop" that is totally impractical for my "mobile" needs)

thanks in advance.

 

[tami]

are my needs too centralized?

 

[Brainonska511]

How about the E1705 or XPS1710? Maybe something from HP? Asus has a nice 17" notebook, the W2J, but it only has a Core Duo processor at the moment since the refresh is not yet available and it also might be out of your budget.

 

[tami]

thanks... i'd be inclined to go with the XPS but the 1710 might be out of my budget. let me check again.

edit: yep, about $1000 more....

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: tami
thanks... i'd be inclined to go with the XPS but the 1710 might be out of my budget. let me check again.

edit: yep, about $1000 more....

Just go with the lower priced E1705. You can usually get a good deal on it. At the moment, there is also a 30% off Inspiron Notebooks until 11/3. I'd post it, but there are rules against posting coupon codes, so you find the coupon here: Text (first one in the chart)

 

[tami]

thanks. by the way, what are your thoughts on the Asus [W3J/notebook] warranties - have you ever had to use it? do they offer on-site?

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: tami
thanks. by the way, what are your thoughts on the Asus [W3J/notebook] warranties - have you ever had to use it? do they offer on-site?

Never had to use it. I think I only have a 1 year warranty because I got mine before they changed it to 2 years. So far, I've had no problems so I can't comment on their support. It is definitely a quality machine though, so I don't expect to be using the warranty.

 

[tami]

yeah, my dells are too, but i use them... a lot, like next to my dinner... and well, mistakes happen

 

[alimoalem]

you can get this at dell for $1380 shipped after taxes:

Dell E1705
CPU: Core 2 Duo T7200 +$175
Screen: 17" UXGA +$150
RAM: 2gb shared dual channel +$185
HDD: 120GB 5400rpm SATA +$55
Optical: dvd burner +$35
Video card: 256MB ATI X1400 +$99 (you could probably do with the intergrated but why not upgrade just in case?)
Battery: 9-cell +$99

all this comes to $1826 with a 30% off coupon (found a dealsea.com or gottadeal.com) plus tax/shipping it comes to around $1380. well within budget and with everything you need.

EDIT: i would recommend checking out the laptop in person before purchasing. i think inspirons are ugly in general but you can get pretty well-spec'ed machines out of dell for a good price

you can check out HP's dv9000t, too. it's a little pricier but it comes with a standard better video card and looks physically more attractive. the only differences are it comes with a 256MB NVIDIA Go 7600 and 100gb 5400rpm SATA hdd...comes to $1500

 

[pkme2]

Those Dell coupons really make buying a Dell laptop a pleasure and tremendous bargain.
I've in the past had many clients avail themseves of those coupons to save a lot on their laptop purchases.
The 30% off has made it possible for many a student to get the necessary upgrades without skipping on the essentials for a really good school computer.
You can get the best equipped laptop now at a very reasonable price.

Now if there was a 30% off coupon for today's RAM prices............................

 

[cheesehead]

I would run screaming from Dell. Low quality, iffy tech support.

According to a guy I know (who, coincidentally, used to be head of sales for CDW - yes, THE CDW. The really, really big one), IBM is the only way to go. He has a local guy do tech support.

Apparently, they have a system set up where he images his disc to a server (which is redundant six ways past thursday) every few hours, and all of chis changes are backed up. Even if his hard drive dies, they just put the image in an identical laptop, and he loses no more than a few hours worth of work. (And that's without the incremental backup system.)

And, because the guy is local, he can get a new laptop within a few hours.

 

[andrewbabcock]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
I would run screaming from Dell. Low quality, iffy tech support.

According to a guy I know (who, coincidentally, used to be head of sales for CDW - yes, THE CDW. The really, really big one), IBM is the only way to go. He has a local guy do tech support.

Apparently, they have a system set up where he images his disc to a server (which is redundant six ways past thursday) every few hours, and all of chis changes are backed up. Even if his hard drive dies, they just put the image in an identical laptop, and he loses no more than a few hours worth of work. (And that's without the incremental backup system.)

And, because the guy is local, he can get a new laptop within a few hours.

You are clearly biased and your vision clouded. Dells are a tremendous value are not the low quality you claim they are. The Dell i have is decent and it was a great value so please stop contaminating threads with this nonsense. Dells are not economy lappys they are good lappys with great value. Do not run screaming away from dell and make your decision on price and features not the manufacturer. They have onsite tech support and will fix your laptop. Thinkpads are not the amazing quality that they once were. I'm sorry for ranting but this is the last time i will watch you make a dell-bashing post like this without saying anything. Rather than say run screaming away from dell why don't you say "Dells are a great value but don't expect great tech support. I wouldn't buy one but if you were looking for a good value, they are a decent option."

 

[dementedlemur]

Originally posted by: andrewbabcock

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
I would run screaming from Dell. Low quality, iffy tech support.

According to a guy I know (who, coincidentally, used to be head of sales for CDW - yes, THE CDW. The really, really big one), IBM is the only way to go. He has a local guy do tech support.

Apparently, they have a system set up where he images his disc to a server (which is redundant six ways past thursday) every few hours, and all of chis changes are backed up. Even if his hard drive dies, they just put the image in an identical laptop, and he loses no more than a few hours worth of work. (And that's without the incremental backup system.)

And, because the guy is local, he can get a new laptop within a few hours.

You are clearly biased and your vision clouded. Dells are a tremendous value are not the low quality you claim they are. The Dell i have is decent and it was a great value so please stop contaminating threads with this nonsense. Dells are not economy lappys they are good lappys with great value. Do not run screaming away from dell and make your decision on price and features not the manufacturer. They have onsite tech support and will fix your laptop. Thinkpads are not the amazing quality that they once were. I'm sorry for ranting but this is the last time i will watch you make a dell-bashing post like this without saying anything. Rather than say run screaming away from dell why don't you say "Dells are a great value but don't expect great tech support. I wouldn't buy one but if you were looking for a good value, they are a decent option."

I'll second that. If you know how to "schmooze" the tech support, you can get what you need taken care of with relative ease.
Given all that, I really enjoy my E1705 w/WUXGA Truelife screen since there's so much space available. Editing photos on a screen with such high res is a breeze. Since you'll be using it on your lap, I would definately recommend the complete care warranty. With the coupon for 30% off available now the E1705 is definately within your budget. You might wanna consider upgrading the warranty and then upgrading the ram and HD through another source as you can usually get a much better deal with Newegg than Dell on those things. Then you can sell your "old" parts, or keep the HD to use in an enclosure and sell the original ram off.

 

[andrewbabcock]

I've heard that if you say drop 5 f-bombs or so in a row, they will transfer you to someone who is completely fluent in english and trained to calm people down. I've never tried it but i will if i ever have to call dell tech support.

 

[imported_kenyee]

Originally posted by: andrewbabcock
Dells are a tremendous value are not the low quality you claim they are.

Just remember to get the extended warrantee. I realize they are great value and have recommended them to customers on that basis, but that came back to bite me 1 month out of warrantee (it was the older Inspiron 5150)...there are various posts from people who had similar problems just out of warrantee. The screen died and it would have cost $400 to probably fix (they wouldn't guarantee the fix)...I suggested they just buy another laptop and they were mad at me for recommending Dell instead of a place that sold laptops locally...