looking At A New Laptop

Hey all

I've finally managed to come into some oh-so-needed cash in the recent months, and one of my main purchases is to be a laptop. I'm looking to not really spend over 800 bucks on one though, as I plan to invest in a few other things. Mainly, i want a good laptop, that can play older games, handle normal day to day apps, and have wireless.


I was wondering what's your opinion on this one:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10076701&catid=11520&logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2658C9C3AEACAD768CB54621D0AF149C0DFD2045C93C1B102FDAEB6118AC0D73C810C1A82265BAB7DCA93ECA74CDBA585B0EC08CCAE43D2234E513FF3E5FAE3FC213883DE3E9A4BB50FCB0414741494B0FD8776ABF33DD28C5808B446571A560B3436B60696C41A42BAB6A6E15BA773FD

really long url isnt it? lol

Any suggestions?

I'll be posting others, as i find them



Ryan

 

Get something like a Dell Latitude C810 off ebay. Thats what I just did. It ran me about 350 for a good used one. Here are its specs:

Intel Pentium III mobile @ 1.2 GHz

512 Megs PC133 Ram

40 Gig 5400RPM HDD

Nvidia Geforce 2 16meg


And whats great is this a a few other models have interchangeable video cards. next 40 bucks I get im picking up either a Geforce 4 64meg for it or a Radeon 9000 64meg. The cards are cheap on ebay so its a good way to go for me.

Right now even without the new card I can play games like warcraft III on medium settings and such. After the new card I plan to give CSS a go but im not sure how well the CPU will deal with it, I know it runs ok on low medium on Geforce 4 cards though.

 

Looks like a good model. I think the 1 gig of ram is the minimum in terms of having enough to never have it bother you. The screen isn't the biggest in the world at 14" but it looks like a compact model. Good DVD drive for burning. I've read that AMD had fallen behind Intel but I'm sure someone else would be better able to comment on that.

You should also check out CircuitCity.com. They always seem to have one model on a rock bottom price special.

Find a site that has reviews to see if there is any common theme...and good luck.

 

If your going to buy a second hand one off ebay or something get a nice IBM. Recently got one and its the best laptop ive ever had.

edit:

Just seen the laptop on the link. My gfs dad has one (though not the same model its an intel model but the laptop looks the same) and its ok. The keyboard isnt the best and it gets pretty hot (mind you what laptop doesnt these days) also he was complaining that the battery life wasnt the best. Oh and i think the screen is 16:10 so watch out for black bars on dvd playback.

 

Dell or Acer are the way to go IMO. The Dell I recently bought has been outstanding and even though I got some upgrades, the base E1505 model would meet your requirements and be below your budget. If you get one, just wait for the free 1GB upgrade, which should be around the middle of August I think.

 

I got an acer as well its nice but its sooooo hot when playing games. Sometimes i think the plastic is going to melt.

 

Same with the Dell, but all laptops are like that these days. You can't really play them in your lap anymore.

 

somtimes i use it on a small box (no where else to put it when in bed) and it just crashes as it gets too hot!

 

That one looks to be just fine for what you want. I suggest taking a look at the newer IBMs. They are having some good deals. Actually they are now called Lenovo laptops. Also take a look at the Dells, but they might have a laptop at the same price as that one but with lower specs. Compaqs in general are OK. Look into Toshiba's as well.

 

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Notebooks_English&product=2515740

I'm trying to steer clear of ebay and such, as ordering something over 100usd online scares me lol

This one is an acer, not too bad feature wise...but man, that compaq looks tempting, it has alot of features, and it seems a good price..


so these newer laptops get hot?....how hot are we talkin about?


edit* I've looked at alot of toshiba's, and frankly, their price drives me insane. For me(and from what I've looked) Toshiba's have been the highest priced....


Ryan

 

Toshibas have had quite a few reliability issues, especially for AT&T who used to be customers. A huge number were returned for motherboard replacements a year or two back.

 

I have a Dell E1505 and while it sometimes gets hot, it has never become uncomfortable on my lap.

With your budget, I wouldn't even bother looking at used laptops. If you are a student, check to see if you can get the educational discount through Dell or another manufacturer.

 

My tiny small 12" IBM thats 1.2ghz Pentium M can stay on my lap most of the time. My Acer would burn me if it was on my lap for any longer then 10-15mins. That Compaq in its intel form at least i cant leave on my lap for more then 10-15 mins otherwise it will burn me.

I still recomend you look at new IBM's or try find a reliable seller on ebay as they (at least here in the UK) tend to be pretty cheap second hand and are built really well. Best keyboards ive ever used as well.

 

Still using my Toshiba Satellite 430CDT and nothing gone wrong so far on my mothers Toshiba laptop that is now 4 years old that she bought for $800.

 

I have worked with a lot of Acers, they're available mighty cheap (Working in a school IT dept - try to find the connection!) and not bad systems. Battery life can be pretty poor on the low models, but for most there is a larger one available for a decent price by laptop standards. The screens are pretty good, and theres a variety to choose from.
My school also recently got in a load of lenovo R50's in. I really don't like them, they feel quite cheap, they're pretty slow (mind you we have the 1.7 celerons) and the lack of a touchpad and windows key annoys the hell out of me, mainly because i use a lot of keyboard shortcuts (when you do the same thing on system after system you quickly learn the fastest way to do it)
Dells are alright as long as you avoid the absolute bottom model.
No idea how hot these systems run though, as I usually am working with them on tables.

Of course, I have to reccommend a mac. You won't turn back when using them for simple laptop-like uses, such as web browsing, word processing etc.

edit: Forgot to mention my mum had a toshiba satellite - died about a week after the warranty expired in multiple ways - screens backlight went, bad connection between the mobo/PSU, and the battery got bloody hot and held no charge. I'd advise keeping away from them, but thats only because I had a bad experience

 

Too hot and overpriced. :110:

 

Toshibas are pure garbage - at least, the one I owned was. After the battery died (common enough), the power plug went to hell. It had stability issues before that though, so having the thing completely die wasn't a huge surprise. This was a few years ago on an older Satellite, but I hear they haven't done much better since.

IBM laptops (before the "Lenovo" name change) are built like tanks. If I had to choose a laptop to last through an apocalypse, it would be an IBM. I plan on buying one shortly.

 

Taemos reminded me of something VERY important to consider with a laptop to: the position/construction of the power plug. Granted if you are constantly using it unplugged, it isn't much of an issue. However, if you use it like I do (always plugged in on my lap), then you need to make sure that it will "fit" on your lap without risking bending or breaking the actual power connection.

This is a HUGE problem with Sony laptops. A combination of poor and cheap design has given just about everyone I have known who has had/used one of these laptops problems Iincluding electrical shocks/grounding issues).

 

dude, dont get a gell, those bitches blast on you! you dont want it to burn your legs do you? you should totally get a macbook, heck you can even cook eggs with it!

 

The compaq my gfs dad has (the same hes shown) has had an issue with the power plug. The plug that plus into the computer has brken inside and the little yellow point at the top has gone inside the plug. Making it a bitch to make the thing charge properly. HAving to order a new one this week.