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What laptop to get with these specifications?

C

cmp1223

Senior member
Looking for a laptop, but really have no idea of what brand to get. Quality and durability is key, has to last 4 or more years. Portability is also key. I saw a quote here that said Dell is the Ford and IBM is the BWM of the laptop world, but have little laptop experience with either. Here is a wish list of components, if anyone knows of manufacturers that offer something similar:

1-Quality case- metal/magnesium chasis to prevent screen flex and general damage

2- 14" to 15" SXGA screen. Hopefully, without any type of XBrite or TrueLife coating because i hear the glare is quite distracting if not in a dark room

3- Uses the Pentium M with the new Sonoma/Alviso chipset

4-512MB of RAM, plus an open slot for a 1gig upgrade in a year or so

5- 40 to 60 gig HD at 5400rpm (7200 might suck too much power)

6-General graphics, maybe even integrated. Even with a mobile radeon it probably wont be up to par for games in a year, and those GPU suck too much battery power.

7- Internal Wireless, with good antenna

8- Good battery, also optical drive- CD-RW or DVD-RW nice but not neccesary at all.

9-Around 5 pounds

10- NO APPLE, sorry

11- Hopefully sub $2000

I know i probably can't get all of this, but you get the idea; a portable, durable laptop for MS word/Internet but with a nice screen size and keyboard, i can't see myself typing on an ultralight keyboard for four years. Thanks for the input on brand/model suggestions.
 
I bulit a laptop my selft the motherboard came with the the screen/case. I would highly recommend a self built laptop if you want to upgrade later on.
 
Just went to check out some laptops at CC. The 14 inch and 14 in widescreen screens were suprisingly large. I though after using a 17 in Flat screen i would think it would be unmanagable, but not at all. The 15.4 inch seemed almost too big. Also, i read that 7200rpm HDs take alot of battery power, so the 5400 should do. I think under 5.5 pounds is key. The compaqs there offered alot for alittle price, but i have never trusted compaq desktops, so i cant be sure about their laptops.
 
Originally posted by: shoRunner
7200 rpm does not suck *signifcantly* more power than 5400rpm

*edited for the anal*
Click to expand...

Right, 7,200 doesn't use more power than a 5,400rpm laptop drive, but you won't find 7,200rpm HD unless you are getting some Alienware laptop or Dell XPS.
 
By the way, I have a 5 lb laptop which I bought in July 2004.
It is a Samsung P35 and it was about $1900.
Spec is Centrino 1.5M + 1GB DDR333 + ATI R Mobility 9700 + DVD/CD-RW + 60GB HD with a 15" SXGA inch
Battery last well over 4 hours (claim to last 5-5 1/2).
I think it's a good compromise between 3D-graphic/performance, battery life and weight.
but I didn't buy in here in the US though.
 
Thanks for the replies. There is a hell of alot of laptops out there. Asus and IBM seem to make very solidly built laptops, but you pay for it. I read a post that Intel will introduce a new Pentium M around July, causing price drop for notebooks, can anyone confirm this? I was also researching Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) which basically means that a few companies in China/Taiwan supply many of the laptops under different badges, and the quality of these is ussually lacking. I think i'm leaning tward the IBM T43, as it is the only sonoma T series i believe. Even though I don't need a fingerprint reader, it seems to have everything i need. Could anyone estimate how much the price will fall for these in 3 months, if any? Would the sale of the notebook division to that chinese company effect anything? Also, if anyone can recommend a T43 competitor, please do.
 
I'm an IBM fanboy. Once you use one you will always use one. A T42 sounds like it will fullfill your needs nicely.
 
What about not being sonoma; the new Intel chipset. Is there a significant difference? I would like DDR2 and SATA, but it might not be necessary. The only negative I have heard about IBM is the screen, not bad, just not excellent like the rest of the laptop.
 
Originally posted by: cmp1223
Thanks for the replies. There is a hell of alot of laptops out there. Asus and IBM seem to make very solidly built laptops, but you pay for it. I read a post that Intel will introduce a new Pentium M around July, causing price drop for notebooks, can anyone confirm this? I was also researching Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) which basically means that a few companies in China/Taiwan supply many of the laptops under different badges, and the quality of these is ussually lacking. I think i'm leaning tward the IBM T43, as it is the only sonoma T series i believe. Even though I don't need a fingerprint reader, it seems to have everything i need. Could anyone estimate how much the price will fall for these in 3 months, if any? Would the sale of the notebook division to that chinese company effect anything? Also, if anyone can recommend a T43 competitor, please do.
Click to expand...

You can get a T42 for less than $2000.00. It is a much better price bang than a T43 and the performance difference isn't that much. A 5400 or 7200 hd is a must. Ibm uses Hitachi travelstar and you can buy them separately. They have been tested to use the same or less power than the 4500 and also there is little difference between the 5400 and 7200 transfer rates. I just got an 80 gig 5400 last week for $130.00. I would never even consider a different brand. Your 4 year desire is a shoe in. Once you own one and realize all the extra features you will never go less. Brand new can be found on ebay or ibm has an epp program with good discounts. Ibm has flexview which is a screen superior to others right now, but it's an extra option. Don't be mislead by the glossy finish on a lot of laptop screens. The reflections will really annoy you after a while.
Try to base your input on suggestions from actual users and not just opinionated review readers.
 
Look no further than HP's new nc6230. We pretty much get all the new latest and greatest Dell and HP laptops, and the new nc6230 is just BAD ASS! This thing is packed with feature and is extremely durable. I'm telling you man, check out the 6230, it's AWESOME! And yes, you can equip it with a 7200RPM 60GB drive.

Note: I've used several laptops including IBM T40 and T42s, and I like the nc6230 WAY better than all the laptops I've ever used/tested.
 
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