Laptop shopping: questions

[Jeff Snyder]

I have said it countless times, but once again: Dell SUCKS. Do not EVER, even under any type of hallucinogenic influence, buy a Dell. You have been warned!!!

Bob

I think this goes to show that there is NO best brand! I, and MANY others, have been perfectly pleased with their Dells. EVERY computer brand will have horror stories, so you'll find it very difficult to find the best. Try reading website reviews (pcmag.com, pcworld.com, etc), as you can probably get more in-depth reviews for many different brands and models.

 

[Bob Hartig]

I have said it countless times, but once again: Dell SUCKS. Do not EVER, even under any type of hallucinogenic influence, buy a Dell. You have been warned!!!

:lol: I'm getting that impression, but I see that a lot of folks here use 'em and like 'em, and a friend of mine and fellow-chaser says that the higher-end Dells are the only way to go for his business, which involves a lot of CAD/CAM. But after looking around and reading a few reviews, I'm leaning toward HP (including Compaq) or Acer. No rush--storm season is still a few months distant.

Tony Laubach, you mentioned that you love the AMD processors. Why do you prefer that over the Pentium M (aka Centrino) processors? I know nothing about the AMD, but I understand that Centrinos are supposed to be easy on the battery and help the laptop operate at a cooler temperature (which I've gotta believe is a plus on a hot day in the Plains).

 

[David Wolfson]

I and Monica have HPs. For the last few years I've used mine for everything and taken it on the road. It's rather heavy but holds together well. Monica's stopped charging the battery -- mostly likely a main board problem.

For about $350 on eBay I just bought a somewhat faster completely working twin of hers. It will be my "weather" computer to take on the road, and not have personal files and all sorts of other stuff on it. When it's hanging around the house which is most of the time, Monica can use it to keep her batteries charged as-it-were.

The used computer isn't the latest and greatest, but the processor and memory are ample. I need to add a USB 2.0 card so I can efficiently use an external hard drive (WD 60Gb USB powered shock-resistant now available at Sam's Club for $100) and it's good to go.

HP/Compaq is good IMO for the same reasons others have posted and because there're a lot of them out there. You can probably find compatible cheap replacements and parts for many years to come when you need them.

 

[Chris Nuttall]

I have a new Dell 6000 just like Jeff. In fact, I think we ordered almost the exact same configuration at the exact same time. Dangerous minds think alike....but I digress.

I owned a HP for the last 3 years, and for the most part it was okay. The only thing I ever used it for during chasing was Street Atlas/GPS and then at any WiFi spots that I found. The HDD was only 20GB, and just got to be too small for my uses.

I spent about 5 months researching around and waiting for deals. With the Dell coupons, I wound up getting 35% a pretty high-end config, and I've been extremely pleased with it.

My best advice for anyone considering buying a new laptop...and this pretty much goes for electronic prodcut over $99....DO YOUR RESEARCH. There are tons of websites out there with great user reviews. I highly recommended http://www.cnet.com. The "Editor Reviews" are sometimes pretty biased, but the user reviews generally reveal a lot of key info. The user reviews are usually written by the people that have owned and used the item long-term, so they know of any long-term problems.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Originally posted by Bob Hartig

Tony Laubach, you mentioned that you love the AMD processors. Why do you prefer that over the Pentium M (aka Centrino) processors? I know nothing about the AMD, but I understand that Centrinos are supposed to be easy on the battery and help the laptop operate at a cooler temperature (which I've gotta believe is a plus on a hot day in the Plains).

Haven't heard on this yet and would like to. Does anyone have any input on the the AMD processor compared to the Centrino? (Do I even have my terminology right?) Thanks.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

The Centrino is a platform, consisting of the Pentium M processor, a particular Intel chipset, and Intel Wifi. The Pentium M is an excellent laptop processor, given that it's very low power (TDP <26W I believe) yet still powerful. We'll see what the new crop of 65nm Pentium M-type processors bring...