Laptops

Laptops

I am considering purchasing a laptop. Could you all give me some advice as far as merchants, brands, specs, etc.? There is a sea of laptops out there and I am drowning trying to figure out what the best option is. Oh, I am cheap and don't want to spend more than $600 for what I am going to use it for. Thanks!
 
If you don't care about weight, I personally have a preference for Dell as far as a "good deal" goes. They usually have several in that range if you aren't too picky.
 
Here's my take on it:

I went through 2 Dell laptops in 5 weeks.
I bought them brand new, both gave trouble.
The first one was replaced under warranty (useless on the internet, -connection problems), the 2nd one was ALSO useless on the internet.
I did not ship it back but decided to use this one at my bussiness for non-internet use.
Cost was around 1300 Cnd dollars each.

Last week I bougt a Mac laptop.
Cost 2400 Cnd dollars......more money but seems to work fine.
 
I usually check the sale ads in my Sunday paper- I find Acer makes a very nice dependable laptop.
 
Macs always work great. I love both of mine. But, usually when someone is looking for a laptop, they need a PC.
 
I have been eyeballing Acer pretty closely. It looks like a nice machine with all the features and reasonably priced. Best Buy has some good deals from time to time also. Walmart.com has a Compaq refurbished that I have also been considering...Any thoughts on refurbished?
 

Macs are not PCs. They don't run Windows, they run OSX. They have a much smaller market share, and by and large, when people want a Mac, they ask for a Mac. Otherwise, they are asking for a PC. Personally, I prefer Macs, but I have found some software is a LOT easier to get ahold of for PCs.

EDIT: Macs are also quite a bit more expensive in general. Especially with laptops. I know the iBook isn't too bad, but it's also tiny, and a lot slower than most modern laptops.
 
I love macs but I still use a pc.

Have you considered an HP or Toshiba? HP seems to have some range laptops at your price but I dont know how reliable their machines are.

If I were you, I would do more research on a refurbished machine. They might not come with a warranty.
 
I have been looking into those refurbished models. There are so many choices out there. I almost bought a used HP from a friend but it ended up having several "issues" so I declined. Too bad; it was a nice machine for cheap.
 
I just scored a HP zv5000 from a friend who had 3 of them. It is a good quality laptop running XP. I don't know if I am ready to run Vista yet as it sounds as though it is quite buggy yet. Plus, I hear it is a big memory hog.
 
Gibby - I have read that in the opinion of many computer marketing executives and industry moguls, Vista® is just Microsoft's answer to a problem that doesn't exist. They formulate new operating systems to create a new marketplace for the users of operating systems that they take off their support list... thus forcing users to 'update' into OP systems that may not be wanted or needed. Let's all hear it for Bill "billionaire at our expense" Gates...
 
Microsoft runs the world, you know. I think they should offer Vista updates to XP owners at no charge. Ha ha, I am funny. :rolleyes:
 
One lesson I learned a long time ago- just because MicroSoft comes up with a new operating system doesn't mean your other software and your hardware companies are prepared for it- usually a new system will appear with lots of bugs and need more than a few patches and driver updates to function smoothly with any older machine. Sometimes your old hardware (or software)is outdated and the manufacturers won't put out a patch leaving you in a position to- you guessed it- spend more money. Don't get me wrong I am all for updating but unless I buy a new machine specifically made for the new system I prefer to wait a little while!
 
I ran a diagnostic test on this new laptop and it stated the video card was not adequate but everything else would accomodate Vista. I will be waiting some time before switching; probably when our desktop crashes and we have to get a new one.
 
Same here Gibby my pc will probably have to kick the proverbial bucket before I upgrade- but I will be watching to see how Vista works out.
 
Gibby - I have read that in the opinion of many computer marketing executives and industry moguls, Vista® is just Microsoft's answer to a problem that doesn't exist. They formulate new operating systems to create a new marketplace for the users of operating systems that they take off their support list... thus forcing users to 'update' into OP systems that may not be wanted or needed. Let's all hear it for Bill "billionaire at our expense" Gates...

Vista? Nah, it a political diversion. Get most internet users busy working out the kinks of a new OS and they aren't commiserating about the price of gas! j/k :D

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky
 
Vista

I have beta tested Vista since the Beta 2 release. (thus, been using it for over a year)

Most of the issues are driver and software compatability issues. DirectX 10 (Vista) has once again moved 3d modelling technology far ahead of consoles such as PS3 and Xbox360.

The security features are well above most if not all LINUX platforms.

In short, it is a sweet, elegant OS that requires more RAM than you probably ever thought you would need to run an OS.

Trust your resident engineer: It is the best product Microsoft has ever offered, but TODAY ... might be for everone.
 
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