Notebook which one to buy?!?!?! Is the qestion

[MGully]

I am a college student and I am looking to buy a notebook. But the problem is I don't know which one to get. I want something thats going to be able to travel with easy since I am studying abroad next semester in Denmark. I have built many computers and I am a huge fan of my current desktop computer. But I realize that I need something more mobile. The things I think I would like are portable, long battery life, good DVD playback, decent speakers, the uses would be basic computer use with some graphic editing, and light gaming. I've looked at Dell's but they seem a little to bulky or something. I was looking at the IBM T30 series (i think thats what it was). Remember I am a college student so I have kind of a tight budget. So throw some suggests at me, I want to hear what you guys got to say.

2 other things:
Who thinks CD-RW are a must have in notebooks?

Also I was wondering what my old comp is worth it has an Epox 8kha+, an athlon 1500+, Radeon 8500, everything else would be just standard components nothing too exciting. Should I part it out or sell as is.

 

[ynot167]

A good one!!!

You may wanna check out reviews from CNET or ZDNET

Remember, since you're going to be in Denmark, make sure you have the proper connectors to charge the battery.

Also, as for me, a CDRW is a must or a DVD/CDRW ... you might get bored and wanna watch a DVD or even burn some mp3s.


Good Luck!

 

[bharok]

check out the small form factor and notebook forum.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

the ibooks are VERY nice ... PC wise I would get a Compaq. They have a special over at warehouse.com
where you buy a notebook and u get a free 15' LCD screen

 

[stranger707]

If you can afford the T30, buy it. I have had a T20 for 2 1/2 years, and it has been a reliable laptop - no problems at all. Their support is great, and they will take care of you regardless of where you are. I had a friend who was on a business trip to Brazil and forgot his power supply. He called them up and they Fedexed him a replacement the next day. I really can't say enough about IBM laptops. They are the best, and I have owned a Dell, a Toshiba and an NEC (yeah, NEC really did make laptops back in the early 90's).

 

[JZilla]

Welcome to Denmark (when you get here), I'm danish. Where and what are you going to be studying ?

Like stranger said, the IBM Thinkpads are really good notebooks. I have an old IBM R30 (600mhz Celeron) and it just keeps going. The T30/T40 line are very nice and robust. The only downside on the IBMs is the gpu, the T30 has a 16mb Radeon 7500 which gets 3000 points in 3dmark01, if you care about that. But overall I would say that IBMs are notebook heaven, if you are not a gamer.

For good value I'd say Dell, either the Inspiron 600m or Latitude D600. Plus they got a better gpu.

Don't expect good quality from notebook speakers. If you are going to be hearing mp3s, then bring some headphones. You don't NEED a cdrw in a notebook, but it's a nice feature to have. If you are not going to be using your desktop the next year, then why not sell it now, at least you would get more for it.

Laptops (decent ones) are so expensive here, so buy from home (US ?). Heck you can even bring one for me if you want.

Oooooohh, post no. 100...burn baby burn...

 

[Aeryk9]

I have an HP ze5185 that I really like. It has a P4 2.6Ghz cpu, 60GB hdd, combo dvd-rom/cd-rw. This is their loaded edition. It would be easy to find one of the ze5100 series laptops that is a lot less expensive and I paid less than $1700 for mine new. They have since then come out with a new line, so these should be even cheaper. It was a lot less expensive than many other other brands and carried a much more powerful processor.

 

[Wingznut]

Be sure to get a notebook built around Centrino technology. Higher performance, lower power, longer battery life, built in Wi-Fi... What more could you want?

As for a manufacturer, I'd probably go with Dell. They usually have the best value, especially if you keep your eye on the Hot Deals forum.