Buying a new laptop

I've begun the process of pricing new laptops, but as usual I'd like to turn to some knowledgeable friends for a little push in the right direction for where I'm looking

Basically, I have two questions. The first, is it better to buy online or in-store? The second, given the requirements I'm gonna put below, does anyone have any specific recommendations for a make or model that I should look into?

I need:
-A fast processor (going to be doing lots of virtualization and likely running dynamips)
-2GB of memory at least to start, with ability to upgrade to 4GB
-A decent videocard for if I want to do some gaming here and there (suggestions welcome as to what would be good to go with)
-At least 80GB of hard drive space. Doesn't necessarily have to be bigger, as I can always get an external drive if I need more storage space
-A DVD/CD burner

Those are pretty much my basic requirements. I'm looking at spending about $1000.

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Comments

mgeorge

Personally I like dell my sell... Of course everyone hates them but they are so easy to work on
or fix... And if something goes bad just call dell and they ship ya new crap no questions asked
pretty much...

You do that with most other companies then they try to find ways not to ship you what ya screwed up...

I personally use a Dell D630 now with docking station. Dualcore, 4gb ram, 128mb graphics.
64GB SSD, works like a charm.

But thats just me

Tryntotechit

I normally start my computer shopping at Tiger Direct http://www.tigerdirect.com

I think that they have decent prices. I don't think that you will find a laptop with much smaller than an 80 gig hard drive. Normal ones have at least 120 gig. I would suggest trying to compare prices online and in store. Good luck in the search.

Talic

I'd look at either a T61p or a XPS 1530 depending on your taste, feature benefits and so on. For what it sounds like your looking for, its going to be hard to find all that at the price range your looking for. I got my T61 a few months ago for about 1000 and I had to go with a integrated graphics, 2 GHz cpu and 2 GB of ram. Maybe you can squeeze in a 8400 in there if you really price around.

Other manufacturers to look at are Asus and HP. HP is kinda of a wild card in my opinion. They are really glossy and smug easily and only offer a single resolution. Not to mention a lot of people have them.

Heres a good site for doing research, it helped me when I was looking for a lappy. http://www.notebookreview.com/

c0d3_w0lf

Thanks for the link, Talic.

I'll have to check that out!

And I forgot about TigerDirect...I'll have to compare prices between them, Newegg, and Fry's. I honestly might look into a Dell, depending on whether or not they have a decently priced solution that meets my requirements.

dynamik

I'm with you Matt, I like Dells as well (especially the ability to just call them up for some internal component and have them ship it out to you without any hassle). However, you're probably going to be looking at $1500-2000 depending on how serious you want to game on that. You could always toss another grand on that and go with Alienware.

I hope you have better luck than I have been having. It's like, if I get the cpu, resolution, and graphics card I want, they don't have a 7200rpm drive option. Sometimes I can get the right cpu. Sometimes they have odd resolutions (1440 and 1920 on a 15.4", but no 1680?). Maybe I'm just too picky

mgeorge

Alot of people always talk bad about dells but i love them... They are so dang easy to fix.
Totally Screwless. Their support is great, if you need something they ship it next business day
no questions asked if your still in warranty.

I've worked with alot of their poweredge servers and they are totally awesome.

And they by far have one of the easiest support websites to look up drivers and issues.
HP support website is a mess. You have to click like 50 links to get to drivers. With dell ya just
select ya machine and wah-lah.

If you are like me and you like to be able to use your laptop on ya home network. Look at the
latitude series. I wouldnt trade nothing for my docking stations. Come in and slap it on it.
Have keyboard, mouse, gigabit nic, 22inch widescreen and external 250gb attached to the
station. Its great.

moss12

buy a apple macbook pro :P

Lee H

Hi

My perosnal choice would be this, absolutely amazing!!!!!

100%20laptop.jpg

Lee H

liven

Go DELL , stay away from HP...

Just my 2 cents.

Schluep

Certainly look at some of the Dell, HP, and others available as has been suggested. One thing about laptops that you will find however is that they are all largely customizing the cosmetic side of identical hardware produced by the same manufacturers (Compal, Clevo, Asus, MSI, Mitac, Arima, Wistron, Inventec, and Quanta are the manufacturers of the "barebones" system with Clevo, Compal, Asus, and MSI being by far the most commonly used by the big and small reseller companies alike). There was a young high school student down the street that saved up $3000 for an Alienware laptop he wanted not realizing Dell had a laptop with the same hardware based on the exact same Clevo model for half the price (and without a giant glowing alien on the lid). There are some smaller re-sellers of re-branded versions of these same products that can offer very competitive pricing and sometimes more options than going from the big guys, so you should really shop around a lot more for a laptop than you would for a desktop. This is something you really see being significant with laptops for this reason that you don't have to consider when buying a desktop.

If you buy from a smaller reseller as opposed to a larger main brand be sure to check them out on www.resellerratings.com to see how they are rated for customer service. Stay away from low ratings. When I bought my last laptop I got it through www.xoticpc.com who has a 9.78/10 for customer service on reseller ratings which is an incredibly high value. A friend of mine had a dead pixel in the middle of his screen and they exchanged it immediately for a brand new one with no questions asked and offer nice warranty options (though I never extend it past the default myself if it is for personal use).

As for your recommendations above, I would look at the following:

1. Sager NP 2092 (based on Compal JFL92): This has a GeForce 8600GT video card which should be sufficent without breaking the bank. If you can spend a little more you may want to consider upgrading the processor to the Core 2 Duo T8100 instead of the default Core Duo 2330. The other things to consider based on your description would be an upgrade to the screen (relatively inexpensive but very worthwhile for better resolution and option of matte type screen instead of glossy which is my personal preference). You can choose to get the 2GB Ram you were looking for on a single stick so it is easier to upgrade to 4GB later if needed. You could likely find it for similar or possibly less at other re-sellers but be wary of the customer service and check them on reseller ratings as mentioned above.

2. FORCE 3298 (also based on Compal's JFL92): This is based on the same barebones as the one above, but has a better included warranty (Three years full parts/labor and free lifetime tech support). Some of the options cost more or less but it is definitely something worth looking at considering the same option recommendations above. Sager is a better known re-branded name however that has better upgrade customization options available.

3. You could probably get a good deal on a Dell Inspiron 1525 (in the 1520 line but with some better options to customize at this point). You will likely have to customize it a bit to get it to similar specifications as the one above and really compare the price closely. You can customize it at www.dell.com under home and home office. Personally I have never been a fan of Dell tech support and you need to purchase time with them I believe, but if you want to save some cash and go lower on specs you could probably get the lowest price on one of the Inspiron 1520 models over anything else. The Vostro 1400 series could be something to look at as well if they sell them for personal use.

4. You might even be able to customize on HP (Compaq) 8510P down to your price range (and yes, the Compaq laptops did get a lot better after HP bought them). There are some other good HP options you can consider as well such as the HP Pavilion dv6700t series which I would recommend taking a look at. You can customize both of these at www.shopping.hp.com or at an HP reseller (such as Circuit City if you want to buy in person as opposed to over the internet). These both should come with free shipping and good warranties if purchased online (and no free shipping if purchased at a store but you can handle that part and likely still a good warranty).

5. ASUS M51SN-A1: If you want a better video card and can skimp on the processor a bit they have the ASUS M51SN-A1 at Xotic PC for a pretty low price and free shipping right now. There is no 2GB RAM option but the default is 3GB for it on their site now and 4GB comes fairly cheap if you customize this one. It also comes with a 2 year warranty, free overnight pre-paid shipping both ways, free 24/7 tech support, and 1 year accidental damage protection. With some customizing you could get it at a similar price at the above with the lower speed Core 2 Duo processor offered as the default.

Tyrant1919

I prefer buying used but in good condition laptops. I got my laptop and servers off of Craigslist, it's really big in the Bay Area.

If I were to buy new, I'd get somethin' like

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DYCQH21&s=dhs&dgc=EM&cid=28968&lid=655352

RTmarc

I really like IBMs. System Update was enough to win me over. Reimage the machine, load the network drivers, download System Update from the Lenovo website, and it will take it from there. It will download all necessary software, drivers, and updates for your machine and install them. Much, much better than having to go out and manually download all of the software manually.

Schluep

RTmarc wrote:

I really like IBMs. System Update was enough to win me over. Reimage the machine, load the network drivers, download System Update from the Lenovo website, and it will take it from there. It will download all necessary software, drivers, and updates for your machine and install them. Much, much better than having to go out and manually download all of the software manually.

I used to love my old Thinkpad a while back. It was a pretty clever design. Some of their newer ones are fun to play with since the keyboards are designed to take spills and drain the liquid out the bottom of the laptop. The T61 definitely looks like a nice laptop.

dynamik

Schluep wrote:

1. Sager NP 2092 (based on Compal JFL92): This has a GeForce 8600GT video card which should be sufficent without breaking the bank. If you can spend a little more you may want to consider upgrading the processor to the Core 2 Duo T8100 instead of the default Core Duo 2330. The other things to consider based on your description would be an upgrade to the screen (relatively inexpensive but very worthwhile for better resolution and option of matte type screen instead of glossy which is my personal preference). You can choose to get the 2GB Ram you were looking for on a single stick so it is easier to upgrade to 4GB later if needed. You could likely find it for similar or possibly less at other re-sellers but be wary of the customer service and check them on reseller ratings as mentioned above.

Awesome. And they don't screw with you either (i.e. they start you off with the 9-cell battery and other options that you would commonly want). The thing I hate about Dell configurations is that they're "starting price" is always about $300 below any decent configuration. This place even gives a cash discount, and you can do things like omit the OS. Like I said, this is awesome. These guys will definitely be my source for laptops from now on.

I'm on my 12.1" Dell Pentium M 1.6ghz at the moment. I'm really fighting the temptation to just order a pair of these (the wife has the same laptop, and there's no way I'm getting a new one on my own) right now.

The only downside is that the 0 dead pixel policy is now another $200. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed on that.

Thanks you so much, Schluep.

Schluep

dynamik wrote:

Schluep wrote:

1. Sager NP 2092 (based on Compal JFL92): This has a GeForce 8600GT video card which should be sufficent without breaking the bank. If you can spend a little more you may want to consider upgrading the processor to the Core 2 Duo T8100 instead of the default Core Duo 2330. The other things to consider based on your description would be an upgrade to the screen (relatively inexpensive but very worthwhile for better resolution and option of matte type screen instead of glossy which is my personal preference). You can choose to get the 2GB Ram you were looking for on a single stick so it is easier to upgrade to 4GB later if needed. You could likely find it for similar or possibly less at other re-sellers but be wary of the customer service and check them on reseller ratings as mentioned above.

Awesome. And they don't screw with you either (i.e. they start you off with the 9-cell battery and other options that you would commonly want). The thing I hate about Dell configurations is that they're "starting price" is always about $300 below any decent configuration. This place even gives a cash discount, and you can do things like omit the OS. Like I said, this is awesome. These guys will definitely be my source for laptops from now on.

I'm on my 12.1" Dell Pentium M 1.6ghz at the moment. I'm really fighting the temptation to just order a pair of these (the wife has the same laptop, and there's no way I'm getting a new one on my own) right now.

The only downside is that the 0 dead pixel policy is now another $200. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed on that.

Thanks you so much, Schluep.

I am using a Sager NP2090 (Compal IFL90) that I purchased from then in August 2007 and am very satisfied with it. The 9 cell battery is great and I was able to customize everything exactly as I wanted it (liked the option to put a single 2GB stick in instead of two seperate 1 GB sticks so I can add another 2 later if needed). Though their zero dead pixel policy is $200, their standard dead pixel policy applies for all laptops purchased. If you divide the screen into 9 seperate equal sections you are gaurenteed to have 0 dead or lit pixels in the center section and less than 4 in the surrounding sections if I remember correctly.

I was looking at an Inspiron 1520 before ordering this one but I couldn't configure it the way I wanted and the price was higher as a result (without even including what I wanted). It was my first time ordering from them but a number of people at my office have used them in the past with great customer service stories to tell when issues arose and you certainly have a lot more control over what you recieve. After comparing what I got to the Dell Inspiron 1520 I was very glad with my choice. It is nice to have a laptop capable of performing virtualization well. I remember years ago when you couldn't get a laptop anywhere near the capability of a desktop PC, but times change very quickly.

dynamik

Well, I broke down and did it. Here's what i went with:

SAGER NP2092 Custom Laptop (Built on Compal JFL92) 	SAGER NP2092 Custom Laptop (Built on Compal JFL92)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Matte" Type Super Clear Ultra Bright Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® T9300 45nm "Penryn" Core™2 Duo 2.5GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 800MHz FSB
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 8600GT DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- 1GB Intel® Robson Turbo Memory (Vista Only)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 160GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Receive FREE Internal Bluetooth with purchase of 2092 with WSXGA+ Screen (Limted Time Offer)
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter - Included
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- Microsoft Office 2007 SBE - (Word/Excel/Outlook/PowerPoint/Publisher)
- None Standard
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Tech Support
(Extra 2 Year Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

Per unit, the total was $1909, and I saved about $60 by choosing to pay cash. Obviously, you can drop that down a bit if you take off Office, go to a cheaper version of Windows, slower CPU, etc. I'm really curious to see how this compares to my E6600 desktop configuration.

Thanks again.

edit: Please don't make fun of me for choosing the ultimate edition. I'm going to do the Vista exam in a bit, and I wanted to make sure I got all the features, such as bit locker.

I'm also curious to see if that turbo memory does anything.

Schluep

Haha, I didn't mean to provoke an impulse buy with my post! That is a great laptop though, I think you will be very impressed. In fact, since you got two at once it will probably have an even greater impact.

dynamik

Schluep wrote:

Haha, I didn't mean to provoke an impulse buy with my post! That is a great laptop though, I think you will be very impressed. In fact, since you got two at once it will probably have an even greater impact.

No problem at all. Like I said, I've been on a slow machine with a tiny screen for around four years. This purchase has been in the works for quite awhile.

The sad part is, I'm probably the most excited about the matte screen. I am never going to get a glossy screen again. The amount of glare this thing gives off is ridiculous, and it is a constant source of aggravation. I couldn't care less if it provides more saturated colors.

Talic

Compal is a good choice also, they've always had good reviews. Although that laptop does look pretty similar to a T61 though. Thinkpads always have niffty software and durability. The thing with laptops is once you start researching them it really pulls you in, so maybe its a good idea to just do a little impulse buying; otherwise you'll probably spend weeks or even months reading about them :P

Schluep

Talic wrote:

The thing with laptops is once you start researching them it really pulls you in, so maybe its a good idea to just do a little impulse buying; otherwise you'll probably spend weeks or even months reading about them :P

Now that I think about it, my experience from back in August probably could have been a certification or two.

dynamik wrote:

The sad part is, I'm probably the most excited about the matte screen. I am never going to get a glossy screen again. The amount of glare this thing gives off is ridiculous, and it is a constant source of aggravation. I couldn't care less if it provides more saturated colors.

I have never owned a glossy screen on a laptop as I can't stand the glare. All of mine have been matte and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Most retail stores have almost all or even all glossy on display in some cases though. I remember someone asked me about screen preference and I suggested they go to Best Buy just to compare screens on the display laptops that are powered up, but he reported back that every single one of them in Best Buy was a glossy. It is interesting that some people prefer the color and brightness of a glossy screen and strongly prefer it while others can't stand them.

BeaverC32

I'm also curious to see if that turbo memory does anything.

What exactly is this Turbo memory they have listed? I am assuming it is just a 1GB flash device that will be used to utilize the built-in Readyboost feature? If so, you might have saved some $$$ by just buying a cheap flashdrive off of a site like Newegg.

ilcram19-2

dude build a pc instead i got a core 2 quad 2.66 with 8gb ddr2 800mhz ram, 512 ddr3 video card,
this machine is freaking fast and i less than 1200 dlls, i can play any game the i have 8 vms running smoothly, i consider that money well spent plus with the money left u can buy ur self a 24 in dell monitor

undomiel

BeaverC32 wrote:

I'm also curious to see if that turbo memory does anything.

What exactly is this Turbo memory they have listed? I am assuming it is just a 1GB flash device that will be used to utilize the built-in Readyboost feature? If so, you might have saved some $$$ by just buying a cheap flashdrive off of a site like Newegg.

Pretty much just built-in flash.

http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/turbomemory/index.htm

dynamik

Schluep, I believe that was right when glossy screens were becoming popular. At least, I hadn't seen one before. I don't think I was given an option when purchasing it, and I didn't realize it until it arrived. Ordering online without being able to see the product really hurt me there.

Beaver, it's integrated and it was only around $30. Between a cheap drive and shipping costs, I'd rather pay a little extra for the integration. Good suggestion for anyone wanting to test it out though. Here's their page on it: http://www.xoticpc.com/intelÂ®-robson-turbo-memory-a-35.html

Schluep

ilcram19-2 wrote:

dude build a pc instead i got a core 2 quad 2.66 with 8gb ddr2 800mhz ram, 512 ddr3 video card,
this machine is freaking fast and i less than 1200 dlls, i can play any game the i have 8 vms running smoothly, i consider that money well spent plus with the money left u can buy ur self a 24 in dell monitor

He is purchased a laptop not a desktop. Typically buying a barebones laptop and ordering individual components to put in results in a substantially higher price for laptops. Also, in terms of power keep in mind that laptops do not have nearly the ventilation and cooling capabilities that a desktop does and the price of laptops typically runs higher than that of a desktop.

I am guessing the Turbo memory utilizes 512 MB for the Readyboost cache with Vista since it is listed (Vista Only). I don't think performance wise there is going to be a whole lot of difference with your system having 4GB Ram and a 7200 RPM hard drive, but for a cheap integrated solution it probably won't hurt you any to have it in there. I think the Readyboost/Readydrive type technologies make a lot of sense but need to be perfected more to allow for any substantive performance benefit.

c0d3_w0lf

ilcram19-2 wrote:

dude build a pc instead i got a core 2 quad 2.66 with 8gb ddr2 800mhz ram, 512 ddr3 video card,
this machine is freaking fast and i less than 1200 dlls, i can play any game the i have 8 vms running smoothly, i consider that money well spent plus with the money left u can buy ur self a 24 in dell monitor

I need the mobility that a laptop requires, I'm going to be using it for a lot more than gaming. Gaming is sort of a secondary purpose, because there are a lot of PC games I'd like to try. But the main focus is for work/study.

With all the good reviews, and the recent good experience dynamik just had, I think I'm going to see about customizing a laptop on xoticpc and see what I can come up with. If I have to shell out a little extra to get what I need, I'm willing to wait a little longer until I can afford. The main thing is to get an acceptably speedy laptop that will last me a few years, instead of paying less for a low end one and then having to upgrade in a year anyway when I find out it doesn't do what I need it to :P

dynamik

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

With all the good reviews, and the recent good experience dynamik just had, I think I'm going to see about customizing a laptop on xoticpc and see what I can come up with.

You should wait until I get it before you say things like that! Aren't you concerned that none of us have heard of that place before? That might just be Schluep's shadow company which will disappear after my funds have been transfered. Why oh why did I choose to pay with cash?

c0d3_w0lf

I didn't say I was going to BUY right away, I just said I was going to see what I could come up with there.

Besides, maybe Schleup PAID me to start this thread so he could pimp his shadow company...uh oh. Hope the cat will fit back in the bag...

Schluep

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

I didn't say I was going to BUY right away, I just said I was going to see what I could come up with there.

Besides, maybe Schleup PAID me to start this thread so he could pimp his shadow company...uh oh. Hope the cat will fit back in the bag...

And I thought with that 1337 h4(k3r name I could trust you to keep your cool under the pressure from Dynamik. Perhaps JDMurry would have been a better choice with that calm and collected looking avatar.

c0d3_w0lf

Well, my avatar IS of a giant ball of flame

Besides, you know dynamic is the MASTER of persuasion