copied from my facebook note
So I've got it narrowed down to three laptops, if I may share, and perhaps pick a brain or two for opinions. I will list the pros and cons as well as I can interpret the specs of each machine, but I really don't know much, so this is just to the best of my understanding.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-VAIO-15-4-Widescreen-Entertainment-Laptop-VGNFZ240EB/sem/rpsm/oid/191735/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Slim, light, attractive.
- Performance specs all look good as far as I can tell.
Cons:
- Probably out of my price range =(.
- Hard drive speed is only 4200 rpm, which is slower than the other two I'm looking at. Maybe there's a techie explanation for this, though?
- Circuit City.com reviews include a couple complaints about battery life, though I don't know if those are reliable.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-A215-S5822-15-4-Laptop-A215S5822/sem/rpsm/oid/199732/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Specs look good here, too, as far as I understand them.
- Cheapest of the laptops I'm seriously interested in.
- Decent reviews for battery life.
Cons:
- Larger, clunkier dimensions than the Vaio, though not heavier. Seemed much bigger in person.
- I read somewhere that AMD processors are not generally as optimal for mobility as Intels? But I don't know if that's a reliable statement, or if I should even bother taking it into account considering this one has a better battery life rating than the Vaio...though again, it's only based on a few consumer reviews.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-M205-S4806-14-1-Widescreen-Laptop-M205S4806/sem/rpsm/oid/199881/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Smaller and lighter than the other two. Would be more convenient to take with me to campus or wherever on-the-go. I like mobility.
- Consumer reviews overall seem good.
Cons:
- Slower processor.
- Smaller monitor.
- Not great battery life reviews, but I still don't know if I can rely on those. Would like more info from another source but haven't been able to find any.
The Vaio is probably just a pipe dream because of the price, but if concerns about hard drive speed and battery life are legitimate, maybe I shouldn't feel too bad about it (if they aren't legitimate, I might just cry because that computer is WANT). As to the Toshibas, I'm not sure whether I prefer the performance and monitor size of the one or the portability of the other...kind of hard to say because I lack the technical knowledge to really assess the difference between the processors, and I need to find some third party reviews that evaluate battery life.
Also, the sales guy at Circuit City advised me against getting one without an operating system and installing XP from a disk because he said I would have to go download all the drivers myself manually...my brother and Zach inform me that this is not quite true. So I will see if I can in fact purchase one without an operating system and whether this will have any effect on price or the conditions of my protection plan. Otherwise, I'm pretty much screwed into getting Vista because Circuit City doesn't sell Dells, and that's where my $160 credit is. Though, according to Somewhat Questionable Sales Guy, installing all the updates for Vista will drastically reduce its horrendous RAM usage. I'm also only looking at models with 2 gigs of RAM on them.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-VAIO-15-4-Widescreen-Entertainment-Laptop-VGNFZ240EB/sem/rpsm/oid/191735/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Slim, light, attractive.
- Performance specs all look good as far as I can tell.
Cons:
- Probably out of my price range =(.
- Hard drive speed is only 4200 rpm, which is slower than the other two I'm looking at. Maybe there's a techie explanation for this, though?
- Circuit City.com reviews include a couple complaints about battery life, though I don't know if those are reliable.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-A215-S5822-15-4-Laptop-A215S5822/sem/rpsm/oid/199732/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Specs look good here, too, as far as I understand them.
- Cheapest of the laptops I'm seriously interested in.
- Decent reviews for battery life.
Cons:
- Larger, clunkier dimensions than the Vaio, though not heavier. Seemed much bigger in person.
- I read somewhere that AMD processors are not generally as optimal for mobility as Intels? But I don't know if that's a reliable statement, or if I should even bother taking it into account considering this one has a better battery life rating than the Vaio...though again, it's only based on a few consumer reviews.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite-M205-S4806-14-1-Widescreen-Laptop-M205S4806/sem/rpsm/oid/199881/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Pros:
- Smaller and lighter than the other two. Would be more convenient to take with me to campus or wherever on-the-go. I like mobility.
- Consumer reviews overall seem good.
Cons:
- Slower processor.
- Smaller monitor.
- Not great battery life reviews, but I still don't know if I can rely on those. Would like more info from another source but haven't been able to find any.
The Vaio is probably just a pipe dream because of the price, but if concerns about hard drive speed and battery life are legitimate, maybe I shouldn't feel too bad about it (if they aren't legitimate, I might just cry because that computer is WANT). As to the Toshibas, I'm not sure whether I prefer the performance and monitor size of the one or the portability of the other...kind of hard to say because I lack the technical knowledge to really assess the difference between the processors, and I need to find some third party reviews that evaluate battery life.
Also, the sales guy at Circuit City advised me against getting one without an operating system and installing XP from a disk because he said I would have to go download all the drivers myself manually...my brother and Zach inform me that this is not quite true. So I will see if I can in fact purchase one without an operating system and whether this will have any effect on price or the conditions of my protection plan. Otherwise, I'm pretty much screwed into getting Vista because Circuit City doesn't sell Dells, and that's where my $160 credit is. Though, according to Somewhat Questionable Sales Guy, installing all the updates for Vista will drastically reduce its horrendous RAM usage. I'm also only looking at models with 2 gigs of RAM on them.