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Hi guys,

My wife & I decided to get a laptop computer with wireless so she can help the kids w/ homework without fighting me for the computer.

Could y'all make a suggestion on specs & if certain computer companies should be avoided...etc..

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS! Jack

Jack, try Dell. They build to your specs, unless you want a "good deal". And, they will not install Vista if you want to keep XP (at least that was the last thing I heard). :rolleyes:

Get the biggest display they offer. It will save your/their eyesight. :cool2:

And, get something can grow with your needs. :smoke:

Randy/RedDevil may have more input, he just got something new?

Ed

Dell's 17 inch laptop is a hefty one, you'll save money on the gym equipment :)
it's a good deal tho and Dell has all sorts of deals floating around every week
their support system is OK, it's mostly India/Pakistan sort of, they type well but speaking to them is a nightmare, I always ask for English as a native language only persons to call, if they need to speak to me .. I just have a hard time understanding them otherwise.

Best Buy and Circuit City have some good deals on HPs and Compaqs oftimes, so comparing is necessity :) best thing to keep in mind is support and repairs..
All PCs pretty much use the same components anymore and they all break just as much as the next one so that's nothing to worry about, it's how long and where it's gotta go to get fixed is..

get the best video card you can as most are soldered into the boards and you cannot change them out, try to avoid the cheapo "mobility" ones
256 or 512 meg cards are awesome, but costly

HDDs are a cinch to replace, mostly 4 screws and it's done.
memory is also easy to upgrade in most laptops, but many only have 2 slots, if you can get 2 GB, get it.
Get 4 GB only if you're planning on a 64bit OS as 32bit systems(which 80% of us here are running) only see 3 GB anyways.

Jack,

I game on a dell inspiron E1505, I ordered it with the full boat Vista ultimate, I could not be happier! I maxed out the cpu and the ram.

Phil

Jack....about two years ago we replaced our dinosaur big computer with a Dell laptop, supplemented with a wireless keyboard/mouse. It was initially a disaster, and I had the wonderful pleasure of two days on the phone with Bangalore perfecting my Peter Sellers accent, while being talked through installing a new operating system. As you are, I am sure, aware, my computer skills are pretty much Stone Age, so it was a testament to the patience and skills of the help desk people that we actually ACHIEVED this feat. We have had no trouble with the computer since. (Our many difficulties come from the server, which was, I am advised rejected by Burkina Fasso in 1980).

I dont like the laptop keyboard, which may be fragile, and I hate the trackpad thingy....the wireless keyboard/mouse works very well. Basically we use the laptop screen and all the stuff inside. The Briscoes could do worse than our Dell setup, which suits us well indeed

Cheers
KKR

"Get 4 GB only if you're planning on a 64bit OS as 32bit systems(which 80% of us here are running) only see 3 GB anyways."
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Randy, you lost me with that last sentence. Please try again...(lol)

Guys, I really appreciate the help.

Mrs. B will use this info to start her/our search.

If you think of anything else please let me know.

Thanks again!

Since you're asking, it's prolly out of your league anyways so don't worry with it unless you're wanting to run some serious CAD and processor intensive programs :)

just get 2 GB ram minimum and you'll be fine, any thing else is mostly excessive.

Dell, HP, and Sony all make good laptops. But you are paying a premium for them and their service is rather bad. Remember, that HP, Dell, and Sony don't make their own laptops - but rather use other companies parts to put them together and slap their own label on it.
Dell and Sony use ASUS motherboards. Most people in the US don't know that ASUS makes their own Laptops.

My company and our partners have been using PortableOne for our laptop needs. Service is better, product line is better, and cost is better.

PortableOne is based in California and has several corporate accounts, serving laptop needs. They are a top notch operation and the service is the best I have had with computers. The are an authorized dealer for ASUS, Sony, APPLE, Panasonic, and others.

See: Reseller Rating

If price is an issue and you want the most power for the money, the SX37 (ASUS) is probably the best bang for the buck on the market.

The SX37 is a light and portable laptop (13" screen) if you are looking for bigger - check out the following:

WS (Asus) This has a 17" screen bigger footprint than the SX. If you are going to be porting the computer around alot I would look at the SX, if it is going to be a desktop replacement then the WX or even the GS series below might be better.

ASUS GS Series These have dedicated graphics card. Sweet machines! Great for gaming.

I just bought the following tablet PC - and love it: ASUS R1E

Two of our traders are using the SX model with external LCD 24" monitor (updated to the T7700 processor with 4gig ram).

Give them a call - speak with Ivan about your needs.

Great service, fast response, and great product line. Additionally it will be hard to beat PortableOne prices - vs. the equivilant speced out Dell, HP, Gateway, or Sony.

Note: ASUS currently has a 1 year Accidental Policy - you break it they replace it!

:stirawg:

As you know I am a CIO, (Head Computer geek also known as Career is over). Anyway in my experience most of the new laptops are not too bad. A lot of it will come down to price and personal preference. That being said, I am a technology bigot and will never buy Dell again. Everywhere I have worked where we used Dell the support sucked and the last place I used Dell laptops had a 28% failure rate as they were not rugged enough to deal with travel. That was 4 yrs ago though. I deal with a lot of consultants that are constantly traveling to bermuda. Most use HP and really like them. We have been on HP's here and at my past shop for some time and stay with them mostly because of the great service. Like I said that is my personal preference and I am a bigot in that area.

As for size and speed, I would load it up with the max you can afford. If you plan on running vista a 2.something dual core processor and at least 4 gig of ram. The next thing you want to look at is size. In laptops that is measured in screen size and can run from 12" to 19". You need to think about that if you are traveling and want to use it on a plane. If just using it at home I would go with the largest screen you can afford. I have 17" myself (something any porn-star can be proud of) and like it as I am 1/2 blind in one eye and can't see out of the other. I also like the wide screen format for watching movies. Some other things. I use a corporate industrial model (they cost more but have better keybrds and are more rugged. They do not have the same nice features as lot so the home lines do). You need to decide do you want a glossy or satin screen. I like the glossy if using indoors and satin if using in bright offices. You need to decide do you want an intergrated cam? Do you want blue-ray dvd (yes to that one so you can play the ne movies without having to buy another dvd player)? SOme come with built in TV turners and even remote controls. Others are tuned for graphics and pictures or music. One of my more knowledgable staff just bought the HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Notebook PC for himself and loves it. It is on the high end of the scale as it is a 20" huge bastard and with all the bells and whistles comes in at almost 5 grand.

Here is his config:
Operating system Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) edit
Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Processor X7900 (2.8GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) edit
Display 20.1" WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display(1920x1200) - "True HD" 1080p res edit
Memory 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
Graphics Card 256MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ HD 2600 XT edit
Personalization HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone edit
Networking Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth™ edit
Hard Drive 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) edit
Primary CD/DVD Drive LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support edit
TV & Entertainment Experience Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers +the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer edit
Primary Battery Extra 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery edit
Security Software Norton Internet Security™ 2007 - 15 Month Subscription edit
OS and Recovery Media System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) edit
Productivity Software Microsoft® Works 8.0 edit
HDX Premium Software Bundle Power Pack software - Includes Roxio Creator Premier, Muvee AutoProducer Premium and Serif Web Plus edit
Your additional options:
Click edit to modify. NOTE: These items are in stock and will ship immediately.
Easy Vista migration Belkin Vista Migration Cable edit
AC adapters & batteries HP 180W Smart-pin AC Adapter for HP Pavilion HDX 9000 Series Notebook PCs edit
HP 9-cell Battery for HP Pavilion HDX 9000 Series Notebook PCs edit


This is probably overkill for what you want but if I was buying new for home this is what I would get. I like the large screen and 500 gig harddrive. Now for this money if I did not need a laptop, I would rather buy an Alienware gaming PC from hell but that is another story. Feel free to email me if you need other infor.

j

Thanks guys! I knew I could count on you.

I think I will go with the 17 inch screen for those "money shots"!!;)

Merry Christmas to y'all.