Topic: New Laptop

[Antares]

As I earlier mentioned I'll be ditching my desktop when I move next week, I'm thinking I'll buy a laptop to replace it.  This is not going to be a gaming machine, and I'm on a budget.  Ideally I'd like to spend no more than $750 or so.

Right now I'm leaning toward this one:

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/dhs/catalog?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Dell E1505 (4th system down starting at $699)  The only thing I'm upgrading is from Vista Basic to Vista pro which brings the tag to $728

A couple questions:  From what I could tell from anandtech the Intel Core 2 Duo was about a 5% increase over the Dual Core model at the same frequency. Dell is charging $100 for a core 2 duo, I'm thinking it isn't worth it.  Also, is 1gb enough ram for Windows Vista?  The recommended specs are 1gb, it would run $150 to up to 2gb, would I be better off upgrading on my own if necessary?  Also, the video card that comes with that model is pretty much shite, but since I won't be using it for gaming I'm thinking it doesn't really matter.

Thoughts?  I haven't even thought about purchasing a pre-built system in forever  Any thoughts or input would be valued.  I'd like to make the purchase sometime soon so I don't have to go long without a computer.

[JacksRag(e)]

If I remember correctly, the main difference between the Dual Core and the Core 2 Duo were power consumption.  The Core 2 Duos are more energy efficient while maintaining the same speed, I think.
And if you're going with Vista, you really should upgrade to 2 gigs.  Whether you do it now or later is up to you, but it will probably be very necessary.

[Antares]

Yeah, it seems like 2gb will be necessary.  Now I'm comparing HP and Gateway's similar laptops.  HPs dv6000t series is starting to look good, as is the Gateway Gateway® NX570X:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Usage&v1=Entertainment&series_name=dv6000t_series
http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529664155.php

[scottws]

Intel has a CPU called a "Dual Core?"  Or is this some AMD processor?

[Antares]

There are actually 3 to chose from (from cheapest to most expensive that HP has to offer):

Intel(R) Pentium(R) dual core T2080(1.73GHz/1MB)
Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo T2350 (1.86GHz/ 2MB L2Cache)
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T5300(1.73GHz/2MB L2Cache)

[scottws]

The only one I would personally consider is the last one, but that's just me.  How does a T5300 compare to the E6400 I have?

[Antares]

The last one is going to put the system out of my price range.  As for performance I don't really know I've had difficulty finding  good comprehensive benchmarks for the mobile processors.

[JacksRag(e)]

I guess you could look at T5300 as being the mobile version of an E6300.

The HPs are pretty good.  We've got an HP dv6000 and it's great.  

[Antares]

I'm actually leaning that way.  I've got the HP at $823 right now with the Intel T2080 2gb of memory and a 120 GB HDD, which edges out the gateway that has an 80gb HDD and the Intel T2060 processor but is a little cheaper at $798.  The similarly configured Dell is $880

[ruchti]

*cough*Apple*cough*

Just kidding... I know you're a PC addict.

But seriously, I had some major issues with an HP and Compaq laptop about two years ago. Both were new models at the time and suffered from redundant overheating. The Compaq fried out a year after I bought it, and the HP is well on its way now. I've heard good feedback regarding the newer Dell notebooks, but haven't seen anything myself.

On a side note, 2gb is a must in my opinion.

-jb

[JacksRag(e)]

Mmm, we've got two HP notebooks that have been good so far.  A dv5000 and an older dv model.  Both have held up pretty well for the year we've had the dv5000 and the 3 years we've had the other dv notebook.
Dells are nice, too, but the only issues I find with them are their touchpad buttons and how they're so springy.  The left-click and right-click buttons have so much spring sometimes they get stuck or don't register.  But maybe that's me. 

And if it were up to me, I'd go for a Lenovo Thinkpad.  They're rock-solid and just have a great feel to them.

[Raisa]

no to Dell!!! no offense but the people i know who've gotten Dell shortly ditched their laptops and got HP or Toshiba.. I had a compaq before.. have had a toshiba for 2 years now.. love it

[iPPi]

I have a Dell XPS M1210 and I love it.  No issues whatsoever and runs great.  I just loaded Vista on it and haven't really used it lately since I've been either at work or at home.  But I have a trip coming up pretty soon and will be bringing my  laptop with me.

I used to have a Compaq laptop and it's a piece of crap. 
Toshiba makes good laptops, but I HATE how the windows key is in the top right corner.  It's an utterly retarded design.

[Antares]

I've heard horror stories from both HP and Dell, although it seems to me that as a brand Dell has been on the decline and HP is getting better.  Back in the old days HP and Compaq were absolute trash.

My other issue with Dell is the shady pricing scheme they have going.  Depending on what links you click you could end up paying 4-5 different prices for the exact same system.  I priced out some Toshiba Laptops today, they seem really good, but for my needs seem to be about $200 out of my price range.

[ren]

I'm probably going to just get a macbook. With the student discount it's the cheapest not piece of crap laptop I can find. I don't game on the pc so that's not an issue, and loading bootcamp or parallels in case I need windows will be done.

[Antares]

Macbook comes with a free iPod Nano as well from what I understand.  I've considered that route as well but I'm not willing to drop $1000 right now.

[Antares]

Its ordered.  I decided to go with the HP.  It should be arriving sometime the first week in July.

[Raisa]

I'm currently scouting for a nice SMALL laptop.. nothing fancy.... something light and easy to bring around.. most files are kept on an external drive anyhow.

Any suggestions would be well-appreciated.

[iPPi]

The true ultraportable laptop would be a Sony Vaio TX series.  It's got an 11.1" screen and weighs like 2lbs or something like that.  The CPU is a low voltage processor so you can expect over 8 hours of battery life.

My friend has one and really likes it for its portability, but does complain every once in a while about how slow it is.  If you're into productivity work, this might not be what you want, but it can do it, and it is an ultraportable.

Thing is, it's really expensive.  You're looking at probably $3000 for it easily.

[Raisa]

My friend has a wonderful sony vaio that's tiny but it is damn expensive.. $3000 is a bit over my budget too..  i think if i spent that much, I'd rather get a really good toshiba.

thanks though...  There's a little Acer my friend has which i may check out.

[Antares]

I've had the new laptop for a couple days now, and overall I'm pretty impressed.  I was dissapointed that the system didn't come with a windows disk, but oh well.  Windows vista is pretty underwhelming aside from the new windows media center, which is actually pretty slick.  With about 15 minutes of setup I'm now able to connect with my XBox 360 and view any media on my PC on my TV through the connection.

I'd take a picture of the new laptop, but my camera is packed somewhere in a box and I have no idea where it is.

[scottws]

Ant, you're talking about the Windows Media Connect feature.  You can get that in XP too.

[Antares]

Ant, you're talking about the Windows Media Connect feature.  You can get that in XP too.

Actually, no.  There is the media connect feature that works with Media Player, but Vista comes with a standalone program called media center that offers some additional functionality.

[Pugnate]

*cough*Apple*cough*

Just kidding... I know you're a PC addict.

But seriously, I had some major issues with an HP and Compaq laptop about two years ago. Both were new models at the time and suffered from redundant overheating. The Compaq fried out a year after I bought it, and the HP is well on its way now. I've heard good feedback regarding the newer Dell notebooks, but haven't seen anything myself.

On a side note, 2gb is a must in my opinion.

-jb

Who the fuck was this guy?

[gpw11]

Haha. One post and no one noticed.

[scottws]

It says "-jb" at the bottom.  Maybe it was iPPi?

[iPPi]

It was not me.

[Ghandi]

We must get to the bottom of this mystery.

[gpw11]

One of Ant's friends maybe?