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[austybostybear]

I'm considering buying a laptop, but I have no idea what to look for because up until now I've only ever owned a desktop. Does anyone have any suggestions about what to look for, where to look, what to avoid, etc?

P.S. I want a PC...

Comments

[al_urdun]

no, you want a mac

[boy_asunder]

East-coast elitist mac-loving bastard!!!!!!!!!!

'n stuff like that.

[wayward_one]

And what about forthcoming Intel Powerbooks? I think even Ryan C. Fox would be hard-pressed to turn down a dual-booting Powerbook...Rumor has it that the prototype has a dual-core processor and is only 3/4" thick...

PS - I'm a west-coast mac-loving bastard. But I'm not elitist, I want *everyone* to have a Mac. ;-)

[onthesnap]

First answer the following:

Rate in order of importance (1 = most important)

Size / Weight
Appearance / style
Performance
Price
Manufacturer's perceived quality
Warantee

...and then write a brief thing on what you'll be using it for most. Travel? Will it stay at home? Will it be for only office and home, or will you also bring it to coffee shops, friends' places, etc.? Are we talking only online stuff (email, chat, web), basic word processing... or heavy Photoshop, CAD, and movie editing?

[austybostybear]

1 - Price
2 - Performance
3 - Size/Weight
4 - Warantee
5 - Appearance/Style
6 - Manufactuere's percieved quality

I want to use it for online stuff, including email and chat, and for entertainment (mp3s, play DVDs), however the ability to use Photoshop if I wanted to would be a big plus. The main reason I'm getting a laptop is because I'm moving back to New York, so it will: 1, be easier to travel with and 2, take up less space in my no-doubt tiny apartment. I wouldn't use it at work, but I would like to be able to take it to coffee shops and other places with it.

[onthesnap]

PCMall.com has:

IBM ThinkPad R50e Notebook (1842QFU) for $849.99

Hp nx6110 for $599.99 (#200292)

--

You may also want to look into Dell's Inspiron B130 series. It starts around $550

...and what is your budget, btw?

[austybostybear]

The ThinkPad is really nice. I'm looking anywhere from $800-1200 I think. If I see something I can't live without, maybe $1500.

[wayward_one]

I agree with Jordan, you want a Mac. Trust me, it will make you a happier and more productive person. I've been using both every day at work for 9 months, and I still perfer Macs. I switched initially because PC manufacturers can't seem to figure out how to make a decent laptop for less than $2000. If you'd ever even consider an Apple computer, it looks like there will be Intel iBooks in January which could dual-boot to Windows

[austybostybear]

The 14-inch iBook looks pretty nice actually. I'm surprised how much I get for the money, especially compared to other brands.

What's the difference btw the iBook and the PowerBook? Why is the PowerBook so much more expensive?

[onthesnap]

Actually, I'd advise to avoid Sony like the plague.

They have the weakest warantees, and the worst customer service. On top of that, their laptops tend to be promlematic. Yes they look nice and have nice components, but they fail.

As far as Macs go, they're still more expensive than Windows-based laptops. They absolute cheapest iBook still runs almost $1000, while their Windows counterparts are around $600. As price seems to be the biggest concern of yours, I wouldn't make the mistake of succumbing to the pretty white glow of Apple.

iBook : PowerBook :: Toyota : Lexus

...PowerBooks are a little nicer, slightly higher construction quality, slightly faster, etc.

[wayward_one]

At the moment, the difference is slight, since they're stalling until the Intel Macs hit the streets in January. The biggest difference is a faster bus speed, which makes everything go faster, and higher resolution displays. And despite Steve's logical assumption that the Powerbooks are built better, the iBooks are actually more rugged (their plastic is much more forgiving than the aluminum), and Apple's even started marketing them that way

[mamabrent]

don't know if you're on fullerton's LJ, but he posts about this:

http://laptop.media.mit.edu/

[austybostybear]

I did see that article on his LJ. Too bad $100 laptops aren't widely available.

[julilla1]

Maaaaacc....come....join us.....

[austybostybear]

Yeah yeah, I'm thinkin' about it!