Questions about laptop

[valo123]

I'm familiar with desktops but I really have no clue when it comes to standards with laptops. I'm searching for a laptop for my brother and my friend, neither of which will be gaming or editing. Their budget is $1200 give or take a few bucks.

They will be watching movies, listening to music, burning cd's and dvd's, and browsing the internet on the laptops. They both want 17" screens and 1 or 2 gigs of mem along with a 250gb. hard drive. Is there something special they come with in order to access the internet anywhere? I think you need a wireless card provided by a phone company like sprint but I'm not sure of the details...

I guess my main question is what is a good cpu for a laptop? dual core 1.7ghz or higher? Is intel better than amd? How do I know if the drive will burn cd's and dvd's? I see a lot of them on newegg with DVD Super Multi, will that burn cd's and dvd's?

Also, is it very difficult to upgrade ram in a laptop? I've done it many times with my desktop, is it just as easy with a laptop?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me with this.

EDIT* Is this a decent system? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834220314

 

[Zap]

Notebooks can generally have RAM, HDD and CPU upgraded (with varying levels of difficulty). Any dual core CPU will be suitable for movies, music, burning discs and browsing internet. Heck, I do all that with a single core notebook! Intel based notebooks are AFAIK available at higher speeds than AMD based units. If battery life is important, then do a lot more research! 2GB RAM is pretty mandatory with Windows Vista. Most of the optical drives in notebooks can burn discs these days. "DVD Super Multi" will probably burn discs. That Asus notebook you linked to probably does not have good battery life. If that's important (second time I'm mentioning this) then look for 8 or 9 cell batteries as most of these notebooks may not even be able to finish a movie on one battery charge.

Originally posted by: valo123
I think you need a wireless card provided by a phone company like sprint but I'm not sure of the details...

Yes. I think all the major carriers offer this kind of service these days. Performance ranges from slow DSL speeds to dialup speeds (according to a trucker friend of mine). Service available anywhere you get wireless phone signals. My friend uses Verizon (IIRC) and pays around $70-80/mo for unlimited access. You need to get a card in your notebook (PCMCIA or ExpressCard depending on your notebook). Those cost $100-200. Some companies like Dell offers the card as an upgrade when you buy the notebook. Some of these "factory" options are built-in meaning they don't stick out of the notebook and don't take up your ExpressCard/PCMCIA slot. Cards are like phones, often locked into a carrier.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: valo123
EDIT* Is this a decent system? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834220314

LoL!

I was getting ready to type up a long reply, but it seems that you've already figured it out. 😀

The ASUS F7, et al, would be a great choice!

Basically, what they'll need is a multimedia lappy with with 3-4 GB RAM and Vista HP, so...

 

[valo123]

Excellent, thank you guys very much. 8 or 9 cell, I'll keep that in mind, I honestly didn't consider battery life.

And one more thing, does the battery have a specific amount of pins or will I be able to purchase an 8 cell even though that comp. comes with a 6 cell?

 

[onlyCOpunk]

If you don't intend to play any games then you should look for one with an integrated GPU it will save on cost and battery power. But Asus is a good brand, a little lacking in the battery department, but their warranty is top notch.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: valo123
Excellent, thank you guys very much. 8 or 9 cell, I'll keep that in mind, I honestly didn't consider battery life.

And one more thing, does the battery have a specific amount of pins or will I be able to purchase an 8 cell even though that comp. comes with a 6 cell?

You would need to get a compatible battery - it would have to have the right input for the notebook, the right shape for the chasis, etc...

For example (don't know if it's true):
The Dell Inspiron 15.4" notebook is offered with a 4, 6, or 9 cell battery. You get the notebook with the 4 cell. If you wanted a larger battery, you would have to get the Dell 6 or 9 cell battery that was designed for your notebook.