I'm thinking of purchasing a new laptop and wanted to know where is the best place to buy one? Is it better to buy online or at the store? I'll need something for school, won't be playing games on it, just need it to surf the net, play a movie here and there but that's about it. What are some good brands? I've never owned a laptop so I'll be a first time buyer. Thanks for any help guys.

PS: What's the difference between centrino and duo core processor? Speed I assume?

 

I got mine for school from dell. Search google for dell coupon codes I got 200 or 250 off and free shipping for a laptop orig price 999.

 

As someone who sells laptops for a living, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM DELL. I don't know anyone I work with (myself included) that has had any good things to say about Dell. Computers are really good for a little while, but when they stop working (an average 9 months later I've heard) you're in for a load of crap. Terrible customer service, and you get connected to some palestinian who doesn't know crap about the computers.

Personal Experience has shown me that buying like -
Sony, Toshiba, and Compaq are top of the line. Acer is good too, but I'm not a fan of the AMD processor, so I won't recommend it.

As far as the difference in processors they're all pretty much on even ground anymore. For now anyway. Having used both Centrino and Dual Core, I haven't had any noticeable gains on either.

Things to know when buying a laptop -
If internet it your deal, see 1) if it has a Wireless LAN switch which most all laptops have nowadays. The thing you want to see there is the processor speed. Most are about 1.63GHz to 1.83GHz right now. Mine is 1.73GHz and it's an Intel Pentium Dual Core.

Here are the specs on my Sony VAIO T2370 laptop...I will highlight all important information....

• Manufacturer:Sony
• Part Number:VGNNR360E/S

General

• System Type Notebook
• Built-in Devices Wireless LAN antenna <--IMPORTANT FOR SCHOOL
• Width 14.2 in
• Depth 10.6 in
• Height 1.5 in
• Weight 6.4 lbs
• Color Silver
• Notebook type Mid-size laptops (6-7.5 lbs.), Budget
• Screen type Wide-screen
• Wireless capabilities 802.11g, 802.11b

Processor

• Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 / 1.73 GHz <-- IMPORTANT
• Multi-Core processor technology Dual-Core
• Data bus speed 533 MHz <--Good speed. Not most important but important.
• Chipset type Mobile Intel GL960 Express

Cache Memory

• Type L2 cache
• Cache size 1 MB <--PERSONAL PREFERENCE

RAM

• Installed Size 2 GB / 2 GB (max) <--IMPORTANT
• Technology DDR2 SDRAM - 533 MHz
• Memory specification compliance PC2-4200 <--IMPORTANT TO KNOW IF YOU EVER WANT TO UPGRADE MEMORY.
• RAM configuration features 2 x 1 GB

Storage Controller

• Storage controller type Serial ATA
• Storage Controller / Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA-150

Storage

• Floppy Drive None
• Hard Drive 200 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm <--MUCHO IMPORTANTE!!!
• Storage Removable None
• Hard drive type Portable

Optical Storage

• Type DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM - Integrated <--total personal preference
• CD / DVD read speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
• CD / DVD write speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD?R) / 4x (DVD?R DL)
• CD / DVD rewrite speed 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)

Optical Storage (2nd)

• 2nd optical storage type None

Card Reader

• Card reader type Card reader
• Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick, SD Memory Card <--not a must have, but nice for school

Display

• Display Type 15.4 in TFT active matrix
• Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
• Widescreen Display Yes
• Features X BRITE <--x brite = Trubright screen = quality

Video

• Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel GMA X3100 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 <--good to know. If you're not into gaming or graphic design it's not anything to worry much about.
• Total Available Graphics Memory 358 MB

Audio

• Audio output type Sound card
• Audio output compliant standards Microsoft WSS 1.0/2.0, High Definition Audio, DirectSound3D <--best sound system in laptops on the market IMO

Input Device(s)

• Input device type Keyboard, Touchpad
• Keyboard localization and layout QWERTY

Telecom

• Modem Fax / modem

Networking

• Networking Network adapter
• Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
• Data link protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g <--important if you're connecting via ethernet cable from a dorm room or whatnot.
• Networking standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Expansion / Connectivity

• Expansion Slots Total (Free) 2 ( 0 ) x Memory, 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard/34
• Interfaces 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45, 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11 <-- all good to have

Power

• Power device form factor External

Battery

• Technology Lithium ion
• Installed Qty 1
• Mfr estimated battery life 5 hour(s) <-- pretty decent. Some batteries last longer, but their corresponding laptops tend to lack some features too.

 

Dell is without a doubt the worst computer ever made. They have "fail" parts like cars used to. You know, works for a certain average amount of time (9-15mo.) then just "fails" and it is always something that is more expensive to fix than to replace the whole unit, thus Dell sells more computers.

I have been building PC's for about 7-8 years and I also sold computers, laptops & PC's for about 2 years at Circuit City. Unlike King, I wouldn't ever buy a laptop with an Intel processor. They run too hot in large, well-vented PC's, even hotter in small cramped laptops. The only Intel chip I have seen stay fairly cool in a laptop is the Core 2 Duo (Centrino).

This is pretty much my Brand recommendations. This is how I always recommended computers to my customers, I base my recommendations in order of what I would buy, not necessarily just because of quality.

7. -Dell = Complete crap.
6. -Sony = Good, but you pay more for the name than the performance. Plus they come loaded with a crap load of useless software.
5. -Compaq = Basically a cheaper version of HP. Slightly lower quality, but hardly noticeable.
4. -Acer = Great for starter laptops and actually are starting to get even better.
3. -HP = Good, splits the pros and cons of Toshiba and Sony.
2. -Toshiba = Better than sony, but still too expensive and probably more than you need.

1. -Gateway = My personal favorite, they typically have great ventilation systems, above "average" speed, awesome LCD screens and most have a good amount of Memory and hard drive space and are usually expandable beyond what you would probably ever need.

In two years of managing the "technology" dept. at Circuit City, I never once had a Gateway Desktop or Laptop come back for any reason. They are moderately priced, good-working machines.

 

I have an HP that I got a few weeks ago and love it. Only problem is the battery life..but I did get most of the better options for it.

It ended up being around $1400 because of the warranty, but here are the specs
HP DV5T /w Vista home premium (hate vista but oh well)
250gb SATA hdd
Nvidia 9600M GT 512mb/128bit
Intel P8400 2.4ghz dual core processor
3gb DDR2 memory
15.4" Brightview infinity screen (1680x1050/ high-def, best looking screen I've ever seen on a laptop)

Then there's the other stuff that it comes with normally, it's a sweet laptop. Much better than my brother's dell anyway. I built it mostly to be a higher-end/gaming laptop so I could use it for school and fun, but you could easily make a good school laptop out of one for under $1000

 

i'm going back to college and decided to get rid of the old hunk of junk desktop.

i went with the acer aspire laptop. i went with it because it's small, i don't need it for much else than writing a few papers and it's highly portable.

i don't know what you're looking for but this one works great for me

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1216425209738

 

When I left for school I wanted a laptop that was really media oriented. I got an HP Pavillion dv9000, and I still love it a year later. My only real problem with HP is that their customer support sucks bawls. A friend of mine was under warranty and needed a repair, so he contacted HP and they gave him an address to take the laptop for repairs. I wish I was making this up, but when I drove him to the address it was a chicken farm. A freakin CHICKEN FARM. I guess the guy just looked up some random nearby address. The computers are good, but don't hope for support.

 

<3 my macbook

 

DELL FTW

 

I absolutely Love my Toshiba Satellite...400gb Hard Drive, 4GB Ram it is extremely fast bought from best buy on sale for 1099, when it was all said and done for 1650

 

Damn you must have dealt with a shitty employee having a bad day. From my experiences with them they have one of the best customer services. Id strongly suggest HP if your wanting to stay with a pc.

 

+1! I love everything about it. Not one complaint! You'll never want a pc again.

 

I guess it's just me and you then jack. Been using dell computers for years and never had a problem. Not that any of the other brands mentioned are bad either. In my opinion any of the 7 brands Evan mentioned should work fine, just pick whatever you like and is in your budget.

 

Dell = Epic Fail.

They burn up, their screens crack, buttons fall off, and they have no customer service that is good.

 

Im in IT and Ive had alot of laptops and by far the best laptop is the IBM thinkpad or Lenovo Ideapad. I carry this laptop with one hand with screen open and it will not flex. They are pricey but retain their value. My wifes old thinkpad is still running at 9years. I gave it to my sister 3 years ago and my wife bought a Toshiba satellite. Its great but since its a 17in widescreen uses batt lift like crazy. My current thinkpad has 5 hours of battery.

Thinkpad or Ideapad would be my first choice followed by Toshiba. If you are just going to be doing simple stuff just get one that costs 700 and under. I know someone that use to service dell and they do have alot of issues as the parts on the lower end models are cheap hence the price you pay. Look at Best Buy for their weekly special on Toshibas for one thats in your price range.

You dont need to spend 1k. My wifes 17 xp Toshiba cost $450 and I bought one for a friend for the same amount but a Vista 15in widescreen recently. Remember the bigger the lcd the more batt it will use and the heavier. If you want to speed up a Vista machine just install XP on it .

 

x2 on the BestBuy option.

 

I got an HP laptop (zv6000 with an AMD Athlon thing) about 4 years ago before college and have been satisfied with it the entire time. It does have several drawbacks such as; it's pretty big and not very portable, but it just sits on my deks 99.9% of the time and I don't take it to class. The battery life isn't great, but better than my Girlfriend's Sony Viao. And the RAM is pretty low for today's standards at 512mb, I'm looking to upgrade that maybe in the near future. But there are alot of things that I like about it and would buy it again I knew then what I know now.

There are a few things you want to consider when buying a laptop if your used to using a desktop. Things like size and weight. If you want to carry your laptop to class, you might not want a 17" honker of a macheine, it will be cumbersome like mine. Consider where the USB ports are and how many you need/want. I have atleast one USB port on each side of my laptop (not the side facing you). My girlfriend's Viao onl has three ports and they are all one one side, side-by-side, which is annoying. Also consider: convienence buttons like volume controls, being able to turn off the mousepad (I like to use a wireless mouse),
and also think about where the headphone jack is, mine is on the side, sometimes I wish in was in the front. Also, think about the way when you close the laptop the screen turns off. My HP has a little "stick" poking up that pushes down when the screen closes. The GF's Viao has sensors in the clasp, so she can close the screen almost completly without the screen turning off, I have to leave mine at like a 35-45 degree angle.

Just all kinds of stuff, go to the stores and get a feel for what you think you want in a laptop.

 

Thanks for all the great advice guys...

 

This reminded me to mention a thing about the term 'laptop'.

When talking about a laptop, they are generally lighter machines weighing in at or around 4-6lbs and are almost always 13.1''-15.4'' screens. So when looking around, if you want something lighter weight the those "honker"s then look or ask around specifically for a laptop.

The term for the heavier machines are notebooks. Meant as a smaller desk machine, and occasional lap use. They screen sizes are usually in the 17'' range and a lot of them have the 10-key pad on them. They are thicker, heavier and harder to lug around all day at school. But can come with better performance values too. All depends on what you're looking for.

So-
Laptop - Light, thinner, smaller.
Notebook - Heavier, thicker, bigger, and sometimes have some performance bonuses.

 

I have and always will use Dell. I bought my first dell before my freshman year of college back in 2004, had it for 2 years, trouble free, not a sneeze out of it, and then dumped a bottle of water into the keyboard. Well, we have an insurance policy through our insurance policy on it that covers theft, damage, etc, so it was replaced, free of charge. I still have the same dell, I still have had ZERO problems with it...

However, every HP Ive ever dealt with, problems and shitty customer service. My gf's laptop has been with HP since march, and they JUST agreed to send her a replacement computer after about 10 phonecalls. She STILL doesnt have a computer...

the ex had an HP as well that was nothing but trouble...and my HP printer sucked too

 

Yeah mine is classified as a desktop replacement type of laptop/notebook, something I didn't think about untill after I got it. I would like something a little smaller.

 

my bud just got a Lenovo..he loves it.

 

Lenovo was IBM. IBM sold the desktop and laptop side of their buisness to Lenovo a chinese manufacturer of computers, well known in China. There was an agreement to phase out IBM Thinkpad name brand to Lenovo Ideapad.

If you can afford it its one of the top of the line laptops you can get.