Purchasing Laptop

[Xenon14]

Although against my advice, a lot of my friends are going with laptops as opposed to a desktop system. They're asking me for advice but I'm not really familiar on what's a good deal for a laptop. Right now a friend is asking what laptop she shoudl get... she's not a gamer so the Radeon mobility or nvidia gf4 mobile is not necessary. Basic internet use, word processing, and mp3's (storage) would be something she needs. Any good deals? Online? Stores? What brand - compaq, dell?? Thanks

 

[dOrKuS]

If that's all she needs it for then I would head over to FS/FT.

Good luck, I hate it when people ask me to spec out computers for them

 

[Xenon14]

I'm not asking for a spec - I'm not gonna be building a laptop. I'm simply asking what company to purchase the laptops from - especially since laptops have varying performance that usually doesn't add up to the componants inside. SO, what model laptop and what company should she purchase the laptop from, that will give her the fuctionality she needs with no extras?

 

[Rallispec]

I've had great experience with Toshiba Laptops and personally love mine.

its been thruogh hell and back and still runs great.

what kind of budget is your freind on?

 

[vi edit]

Dell Refurbs

 

[dOrKuS]

Xenon, I didn't mean to imply that you were asking to spec out a computer.

I meant that I'm uncomfortable doing it for family and friends because everyone has different needs, and more often than not, they end up coming to me for help when they have problems with their new computer.

sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[Rallispec]

not sure if this link will work or not, but here is a great laptop.. toshiba satellite 1200

ESUP: $1,319.00
Equipped with a Mobile Intel® Celeron® Processor 1200MHz (1.2GHz), 14.1" TFT active matrix display, 256MB SDRAM, Intel® 830MG integrated graphics controller with 8MB external UMA video memory, DVD-ROM, 20GB1 Hard drive, V.90/56K modem, 10/100 Ethernet LAN, integrated 802.11b Wireless LAN and Windows® XP Home Edition.

1,299 @ bestbuy

 

[Rivergater]

how do these compare? dell special edition notebooks. they are around the same price range as those toshibas but they are running p4 chips:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/offers/specials_notebook_special.htm

 

[Xenon14]

Nice, yeah her price range is as low as possible but so far it looks good. I was also thinking about HP's... they have AMD processors push cost down. Anyone have experience w/ HP?

 

[RossMAN]

If your friend can wait until August 26th they can buy this Toshiba Satellite 1105 for $899 on CostCo.com or at CostCo B&M

--

The Toshiba Satellite 1105 goes wherever you go and has the power to help you complete your tasks easily and efficiently. Designed to give you optimum performance with its Intel Celeron 1.13 GHz processor, this notebook features Windows XP Home operating system and a DVD drive, so you can watch your favorite movies on the go.
Intel Celeron 1.13 GHz processor
256 KB Level 2 Cache
133 MHz front side bus
Microsoft® Windows XP Home
Operating System
256 MB SDRAM memory (expandable to 1024 MB)
DVD-ROM drive
20 GB Hard Drive
14.1" TFT Active Matrix display
Intel 830MG integrated graphics controller with 8 MB external UMA video memory
3D Graphics Accelerator with AGP bus support
3D Graphics Accelerator, BitBLT hardware, Hardware cursor, Direct Draw support
Internal display supports up to 1024 x 768 resolution
Integrated V.90/56k modem with Data & Fax support
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Battery: Rechargeable, 43WHr removable NiMH battery
Built-in 3.5", 1.44 MB diskette drive
Dimensions:
12.6" L x 10.9" W x 1.5" H
Weight: 6.96 lbs.
One-year warranty on parts, labor and battery
Audio:

Realtek ALC202A codec chip, software sound audio controller
3D sound support with HRTF 3D positional audio, Direct 3D Sound supported
16-bit stereo, Windows Sound System, Ver. 2.0
Built-in stereo speakers
Keyboard:

85 full sized keys with 12 function keys
Dedicated Windows and application key support
Integrated TouchPad pointing device with scroll buttons
Security Features:

Setup security
HDD password
Screen blank (by hotkey)
Screen saver (by software)
Expansion Slots:

Two expansion memory slots
Two PC Card slots (support two Type II or one Type III PC cards) 32 bit CardBus ready
I/O Interfaces:

Three USB ports
ECP parallel printer port
RJ-11 modem jack
RGB (monitor) port
RJ-45 LAN port
Included Software:

Lotus Smart Suite

Intuit Quicken Basic 2001

Microsoft Windows XP Home Operating System
Toshiba Custom Utilities
Satellite Pro Series Online Documentation


Standard shipping is via FedEx Ground. Estimated delivery within 7 to 10 business days.


Costco.com products can be returned to any of our more than 390 Costco warehouses worldwide.



[Model PS110U-00003X]

 

[dionx]

dont get one of those huge desktop replacements that are top of the line. in like months, they will be a huge obsolete laptop.

best thing u should recommend are slim lightweight notebooks and they don't have to be top of the line. this way, you don't need to worry about obsoletion because they arent already the best, and when they do get older, at least the feature of "thin, small, and light" don't get obsolete over time.

if you want the best of thin but want longevity in terms of not getting obsolete quick, recommend a Powerbook. sure its not a PC, but you don't see powerbooks really getting obsolete by another model every few weeks.

 

[Rallispec]

Originally posted by: Rivergater
how do these compare? dell special edition notebooks. they are around the same price range as those toshibas but they are running p4 chips:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/offers/specials_notebook_special.htm

that dell looks really good, and you cant beat a 400 dollar rebate.
i'm still partial to toshiba's though.

 

[hans007]

just buy her that el cheapo dell. the smartstep 200 or whatever. its only on the educational site though. you have to buy the 2650 on the normal site.