Looking for laptop computer buying advice

[Robert_in_NY]

Hi guys, I don't really need a laptop computer but I do want one as it will come in handy. My personal computers were always built and maintained by my friend but his health is not as good as it use to be and he has cut back on things that give him headaches. So I do have a desktop computer and it does what I need it to but isn't portable.

So here is what I need in a laptop. I would like it to play DVD's (I wanted to get a portable DVD player for my daughter when we go to certain places so this would fill that need), I would like to be able to write to dual layer DVD's (photo storage). My main use will be working with high res photos and internet. Ideally I would like to go with a wireless card for internet so I can check up on you guys while working in the field . Other then that, just simple things like running a word processor and spread sheet are really all I do. I would like a decent screen though for working with photos and watching DVD's.

So as far as priority goes,
Photos
High Speed Internet
DVD player
Dual layer DVD writer
Word processor
Spread sheet.

I don't play a lot of games any more so that won't be an issue.

Last thing, I would like to keep this system under $750 if possible.

So who makes a nice, reliable and affordable laptop that will meet my needs. I don't want to buy something and when it fails be told I can't get a part anymore and have to buy a new system.

 

[dgl24087]

You might try here. Tiger Direct sells a fair selection of brands, I think some can be custom configurations. I've heard Systemax makes good machines at reasonable prices. I've had 2 Gateway Laptops and 1 Dell, the Dell has been far better than the Gateways. TigerDirect.com Best Deals - Computer Parts, PC Components, Desktop Computers, Laptops, Notebooks

 

[hockeypuck]

ASUS makes a fairly inexpensive line of laptops in that price range. Compare price at PriceGrabber.com - Comparison Shopping Beyond Compare or just go to Newegg.com - Buy Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! if you want peace of mind.

 

[Soundguy]

Only problem is 'expected lifespan' due to the poor upgradeability of a laptop.. even if it is running good in a couple years it can/will be obsolete.

I bought a top o' the line laptop 2 ys ago... for business and pleasure.. as of this year.. it won't play -ANY- of the games that have been out for the past 6 months... but does business fine (wink).

Get a wide screen option if available.. and check on if it has wireless G/N built in. Also investigate what wireless service provider you will get your broadband card from.. etc.

What will you be doing with the hi-res photo's? Just storing and sending them.. or editing them.. if doing much manipulation.. make sure you have a video card that is better than the economy models..

Check your storage capacity as it's hard to add internal storage after the fact ( though USB and firewire storage is easy )

Make sure the dvd player will fit your needs.. again.. hard to swap DVD's on a laptop once it's more than a few months old.. part of that top issue i mentioned.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[N80]

I'd have recommended a Mac, but Apple has nothing in the $750 range. I just convinced my B-I-L to get a MacBook, mostly for managing photos but he will probably import his cattle manangement spreadsheets too. In any case, after 20 some-odd years with Windows he his thrilled with the Mac. But, they don't come cheap.

 

[jimg]

Macs can be had in his price range...refurbed PowerBooks for instance. They can be gotten from several resellers (do a goggle search). I recently bought a PowerBook G4 for $800 in a private sale but now of a couple resellers that carry PowerBooks or various sorts.

I would also recommend a Mac for ease of use and reliability.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I don't upgrade my computers very often as I don't play games other then the windows games that come with the OS.

Photo wise, I print a lot of pictures for various reasons so I am constantly editing them. To be efficient I have multiple programs open at once working on pictures. I planned on getting as much Ram as possible.

I planned on getting at least an 80 gig hard drive but hopefully being able to write to dual layered DVD's will keep storage on the hard drive down.

I am not new to computers, just laptops. So I guess what I really don't know is who makes a good laptop? I have no idea what reputation these companies have but Dell and HP do a lot of advertising and Best Buy is pushing Toshiba (they had a real good deal on a system last week but I didn't know if Toshiba was very good). I have always had good luck with Sony equipment also but that doesn't make me believe their computers will be reliable so any help on which brands to concentrate on would be great.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm also a Tiger Direct fan. I've bought a lot of stuff from them the last several years..
As far as a laptop, I like Acer. You can get one for >$500. However, that's basically a throwaway unit which is what I want in a laptop.
As far as word processing and spread sheets, you'll get whatever comes with the installed OS (probably Microsoft Works). I keep an extra copy of Office (older version) to load on the laptop.

So, if you don't need...but do want...a laptop, Acer isn't a bad choice. These won't hold up in a work or business environment, but as a spare home unit, or for carrying with you on vacation, they do fine

BTW, you don't get an installation CD with the cheaper Acers. There is software installed to copy the important (set up) files to CD (probably DVD now), but you'll have to provide the CD-R or CD-RW blanks.

BTW, Toshiba does make a good laptop. My "business" laptop is an older Toshiba. It's quite robust.
As far as getting a big HD...you might be better off going for the standard HD and buying an external HD to transfer data (USB) to your PC.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Roy, I do want something that will hold up for a while and be able to take some abuse while still working hard. I can see myself using the laptop more then the desktop if it works like I hope. Then I can have it in the barn while working or take it with me to the field and be able to update records right on the spot instead of remembering to do it later.

Right now I am looking at this Toshiba from Best Buy Toshiba - Satellite T2080 Notebook - Mist Gray - A135-S4527

It looks like a system that will do what I want and the price is very attractive compared to a lot of other Laptop systems. Does anyone have any thoughts on this model?

Also, how does the wireless WiFi work? I see my local McDonalds has a "hotspot". Does this require you to have your own service or does McDonalds have the service and you use their system like a wireless router in your own home?

Also, I am thinking of going to Verizon for a wireless card. I have been with Verizion for cell phones for a while now and have the internet on my phone thru them and I can't complain. They have a great network here which is a big plus. But I have no idea how these cards work or what the service cost yet as I have not even started to look into it yet. Does anyone have much experience with the wireless cards to help give me some basic information before I start going around talking to the Verizion people?

 

[RoyJackson]

That Toshiba should work fine.
My old Toshiba (a 2000 or 2001 model) still works well and we use it...just not as often as the Acer. The Acer has a much much clearer display.
The Toshiba you linked to weighs 6 lbs, which is heavy for a laptop. I expect the keyboard and overall machine will be more robust then my Acer.

As far as wireless...I wouldn't add a seperate card until you see how the integrated wireless works.
My wife's sis brought her laptop (a Fijitsu, I think) and it picked our secured LAN right up. Obviously, she couldn't read the shared files on our LAN but did access the internet with no problems. My Acer did too...for a while. But there was interference or a software conflict of some sort, so we use a wireless PCI Card in it now.
However, since you're planning on using this in the barn and field...well, that's probably going to beyond the integrated wireless' capabilities, unnless you can rig an antenna. I'd still try it first though.

That Toshiba comes with Vista. If you plan on using one of your printers as a network printer, you'll probably need new drivers (for the printer). Also...what do you intend to do for word processing and spread sheets? The MS Works package (normally bundled) never worked with Office, if I recall.

Boy, Robert...I just realized...God loves me!

 

[jimg]

Also, how does the wireless WiFi work? I see my local McDonalds has a "hotspot". Does this require you to have your own service or does McDonalds have the service and you use their system like a wireless router in your own home?

Also, I am thinking of going to Verizon for a wireless card. I have been with Verizion for cell phones for a while now and have the internet on my phone thru them and I can't complain. They have a great network here which is a big plus. But I have no idea how these cards work or what the service cost yet as I have not even started to look into it yet. Does anyone have much experience with the wireless cards to help give me some basic information before I start going around talking to the Verizion people?

I cant say how to do the Windows admin part for the first question. It might be as easy as turning on the wireless device then again it might not. Once you get that sorted out most advertised hotspots allow you to hop right on and some require a password. Windows will let you know whats required. Usually its a hop on sort of affair. Then there are the unadvertised hotspots. Youll just have to find them as you go but motels and big companies are a good bet. My town library also emits a wireless signal and sometimes after hours I park in the lot and read my email. My truck is my second office.

I just did the 30day trial w/ the Verizon WWAN USB device and found it lacking. My application was business only and my need was for a fast link I could tunnel thru to work. My home is literally right on the edge of their extended net coverage area. (I used my phone to determine this.) To get best coverage I needed best signal quality and that was in the extended net area.

First, no one at Verizon really knew anything about WWAN other than the vanilla sales info which I could read for myself. I think I needed an external antenna to get best service b/c of my location but no one at Verizon knew how this might work so I was on my own. Since I took the device back Ive studied about EVDO and how I might use an external antenna to get better service. However, Im a long way from understanding it all. Second, Verizon pitches their WWAN product offering as unlimited but you really have a 5gb/month limit. If you go beyond that I believe the cost is very high and based on time used. If youre shipping pics/sound/vids you could use that up in a hurry. Anyway, I might go back and try again but not until I get the reception and capacity issues sorted out. Its unclear exactly what the WWAN target audience is b/c the 5gb/month limit seems rather small. On the plus side most of the eastern US has very good coverage and you have net access nearly everywhere (even though some places would have faster access than others).

 

[randy41]

if your laptop has wireless capacity as long as you are in range of a wireless access point you can get on the web. in mcdonalds or taco bell or in the parking lot of your local library. the only time you would be denied access is if you need to log on to a network to receive signal such as is the case for many businesses.

 

[jimg]

Sometimes though its more than just a password. Some routers would be fitted up w/ a list of allowed MAC addresses. In that case you need to have 2 bits of info before you could gain access. However, in the case of advertised hotspots this usually isnt the case. BTW not all businesses protect their wireless net. Ive pulled into a few parking lots of big corps to look at email etc. Its surprising all of the unadvertised access points that are available.

 

[crbr]

I don't upgrade my computers very often as I don't play games other then the windows games that come with the OS.

Photo wise, I print a lot of pictures for various reasons so I am constantly editing them. To be efficient I have multiple programs open at once working on pictures. I planned on getting as much Ram as possible.

I planned on getting at least an 80 gig hard drive but hopefully being able to write to dual layered DVD's will keep storage on the hard drive down.

I am not new to computers, just laptops. So I guess what I really don't know is who makes a good laptop? I have no idea what reputation these companies have but Dell and HP do a lot of advertising and Best Buy is pushing Toshiba (they had a real good deal on a system last week but I didn't know if Toshiba was very good). I have always had good luck with Sony equipment also but that doesn't make me believe their computers will be reliable so any help on which brands to concentrate on would be great.

Good luck.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

My printers can not handle the high res photos I deal with. It is not uncommon to find 10-15 high res photos open at once as I edit them either for posting or printing. My current system has an 80 gig hard drive and it is plenty as long as I don't fill it up with photos. Right now I have over 21 gigs of pictures on this system and a lot more saved on DVD's. However, it is hard to find pictures on DVD's when you have to look thru multiples trying to find the right file.

If I try to print directly from a chip to the printer it freezes their computer in the printer trying to open one picture. We take around 3-4k high res pictures a year (5-8 meg each). The pictures range from family events to shows that we do on up to just fun pictures we take for no reason other then we can. A standard DVD does not have the capacity to hold a lot of our pictures. And I don't deal with movies other then watching them. Now if I am using the Camtrakker camera the printer is fine printing from a chip as they are small pics (2 megs).

I have an older version of MS Office also but I don't do anything in depth with Word or Excel but they do get used a lot for simple things like keeping track of list and printing address labels from a list.

I currently run XP Professional and like it. I am a little nervous about the Vista program but I will worry about that if I have to.

 

[jwstewar]

Robert,

I'm on my 4th or 5th Toshiba. Don't remember, but that is all that I've ever bought except for the $399 Winbook we bought for the kids for Christmas a year before last. I just bought my latest Toshiba in January. It came with XP Media Center and I got the upgrade to Vista Home Premium. Mine has the multi-drive w/ a gig of RAM expandable to 4 (Very pricey to go that high right now). But I really like it. It is only the 1.66 dual core, but it runs pretty quick. I've been doing a little bit of travelling with it lately and I was able to jump on Wifi where some of the others with me with the Dell business laptops couldn't reach or if they could it was a very weak signal. I also think my Toshiba has a better screen than some of the low end Dells & HPs. For $799 with a printer and antivirus software, I thought it was a pretty good deal.

 

[Wesdor]

Maybe I missed a post on this topic, so please excuse me if I am repeating. I would recommend that you take a serious look at a Mac of some sort. I currently have two computers for work. One is a sony Viao 17" running XP Pro. The other is a Mac Book Pro 15" running OS X and Parellels with Windows XP Pro.

I get at least 4 hours of use on the battery of the Mac Book and less than 30 minutes on the Sony. The iLife that comes with the Mac includes photo handling, DVD construction and DVD burning.

I am in the process of phasing out the Sony and will soon be using what many people consider to be the most dependable and powerful PC - a Mac. I also have a 300 gb external drive, but would strongly recommend that before you burn a DVD that you move everything to the internal drive of your computer.

To summarize. You can buy a PC or a Mac, or you can buy a Mac that will run both systems. Good luck on your search for what is right for you.

 

[RoyJackson]

I have an older version of MS Office also but I don't do anything in depth with Word or Excel but they do get used a lot for simple things like keeping track of list and printing address labels from a list.

That'll work fine...I'm using Office 2000 on my laptop and 97 on the Toshiba.
The only times there's a hassle is if I'm opening a file created by a newer version of Office...and that's only if I've used some of the newer features when I created the file.
For me, this has been most noticable with Power Point.

MAC's???? They still make them?

 

[riptides]

Also, I am thinking of going to Verizon for a wireless card. I have been with Verizion for cell phones for a while now and have the internet on my phone thru them and I can't complain. They have a great network here which is a big plus. But I have no idea how these cards work or what the service cost yet as I have not even started to look into it yet. Does anyone have much experience with the wireless cards to help give me some basic information before I start going around talking to the Verizion people?

These websites should help you out. I run both a card and a cellphone for my broadband connections. The card has the newer revision for faster connections.

The site and store front are authorized Verzion and Sprint retailers. I have had excellent results when dealing with them.

EVDO Forums

3G Store

-Mike Z.

 

[texbaylea]

We have two Toshiba laptops and like them. Very usable. Regardless of the brand of laptop you get - BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. Because of the way laptops are used they are more apt to have problems. Our older Toshiba was prone with problems with the connector for the AC adapter. Had to go back twice in 3 years for a system board replacement. They sent the box for shipment of the laptop. I packed and returned, got the unit back in 2 weeks no charges.

I dumped half a glass of water into the key board of the newer unit, blew it out, opened up the case as much as I could and let it dry for about 24 hours. That was about a year ago and the unit works fine except when Windows clutters itself up with junk.

I use CCleaner, Autoruns and Registery Mechanic frequently to keep the OS from stranguling on the junk that collects.

Vernon