Need some notebook help.

[TurkishMafia]

My uncle is looking to buy a notebook for himself and he asked me if what he wants to buy is any good, but I don't have a clue what good specs for a notebook are.

What he's buying is a Medion Akoyo MD 96684 I've never heard of it, and after trying to Google search it neither has most of the world so heres the specs as listed on the catalog he gave me.

Pentium Dual Core T2330 (1.6ghz, 2mb L2, 533mhz
Nvidia GeForce 9300m GS Dx 10 128mb GDDR2
2gb DDR2 RAM (frequency not specified)
160gig hard drive
Windows Vista Home Premium

Personally I don't think its much, but he says he needs it to be able to play DVD movies without a hitch and it needs to be able to handle light video editing work like windows movie maker.

Will this notebook be able to do what he needs?

 

[Harvey]

I'm all for building desktops from components, but for a notebook, I'd stick with a machine from a major manufacturer with known good reputation for tech support and with models that are well reviewed from several sources.

My personal comfort zone is with Lenovo for their rep for the strongest builds and HP/Compaq because I've had good luck with both specific models of their machines and the excellent tech support I've received when I needed it for me or for friends.

If you're in a major U.S. city, you'll find various decent models starting around $450 on sale at the chain stores. I don't have much info about how to get a super good deal if you don't have such stores available.

Hope that helps.

 

[TurkishMafia]

He doesn't particularly care the brand, and he's buying from a store similar to BestBuy. Also, he lives in Turkey so I'm willing to bet he can't choose any more reputable brands from the store he's using. I really just need to know if the laptop will do what he wants.

 

[corkyg]

The basic specs are adequate for what you have stated he wants to do. Overall, if he ius going to buy locally in Turkey, then he should buy what is supported locally in Turkey. Seems he is looking for a media oriented laptop.

If he is buying locally, then try the candidates out in the store playing a DVD movie, etc. I think Medion Akoya is based in Germany.

MD

Note - the above note is 3 years old!

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: TurkishMafia

He doesn't particularly care the brand, and he's buying from a store similar to BestBuy.

He should if he expects any customer support when he needs it. The packaging designs of notebooks are to tightly interwound with the system that they can't easily be serviced by your average computer tech or even a knowledgible geek.

Many members of this forum can field strip and reassemble most decent desktops without a second thought. Even then, I wouldn't attempt to do it with a laptop without at least a service manual (not the owner's manual) and the right tools.

As I posted, I like HP/Compaq's tech support. Complete info for most models, including the manuals, drivers and more, are easily available. Contrast that with the horrible experiences I've had trying to help friends with Gateway machines where info is difficult to find and if your machine is out of warranty, the first thing their techs try to do is to sell you a service policy.

Also, he lives in Turkey so I'm willing to bet he can't choose any more reputable brands from the store he's using. I really just need to know if the laptop will do what he wants.

Specs, alone, don't tell the whole story. As you found, there's little info available about the machine on the web. You also want to know if there's a history of problems with a given model. Search google for the model numbers of major makers' machines, and you'll find forum discussions, links to drivers, resolutions for known problems and more.

If you didn't find any info for the machine or the maker when you searched, who is he going to call when he needs help?

I can't force your uncle to buy or not buy the machine. All I know what I'd do, and that's what I gave you.

Again -- Good luck.