Recommendations for new notebook.

[cowboydoc]

I need a new notebook computer. My old one needs more work than it is worth. My uses for it are I take it home to do work from the office and then bring it back and hook back into my network for my billing and office notes program and upload work that I did at home. It also gets used alot for internet use and sometimes for electronic billing. I also use it for doing seminars of which I use alot of pictures and slide programs. Those are the main uses and then I take it with me alot to work on other projects. When we go on trips the girls also use it to play their games and do school programs on it.

I would appreciate from you computer gurus which one you think is best and recommended configuration.

Thanks

 

[Andyfr]

Hi Richard

I don't have a laptop myself but I work in IT over here in the UK. We have some Dell laptops and they seem to be pretty reliable.

Regards

Andrew.

 

[CVHoss]

Richard,
I have a PIII Dell that I've had for just under a year. So far, it's been very reliable. I've drug it around to use at shooting matches to do scoring on the scene, it's bounced around in the back of my truck and has remained fully functional. My desktop is a Gateway, but my franchisor worked out a corporate deal with Dell whereby we, as franchisees, could purchase at a pretty good discount. Spent about the same money on the Dell that I would have on a Gateway, but got a lot more bang for my buck. I've only had one service related issue in that one of the batteries I received with the unit was the subject of a recall. Not only did Dell send me a new battery before I returned the old one, when I returned the old one they sent me another battery (that wasn't a mistake, just part of their recall program). Not bad service.

Hoss

 

[MikePA]

I prefer IBM Thinkpads. They have a feature called UltraBay 2000 which is a tray that can contain a variety of devices, e.g., CDRW drive, second battery, etc.

My criteria for a laptop were developed after using one at work and while traveling. The laptop from work had a separate, external floppy drive which was a major pain to carry around. So I searched for a laptop that contained all the devices built in, including a floppy drive, CDRW drive, Ethernet and modem. I did not want the Ethernet and modem to use PCMCIA cards that needed a separate cable (called a dongle). It is a major pain to have to gather up all the cables and separate devices and put them in a laptop bag.

The ThinkPad line met all these criteria. I looked at Gateway, Dell and Compaq as well and none of them (about 1 year ago), in my price range (under $2,000) met these requirements.

I bought directly from IBM's web site as there wasn't much of a discount buying elsewhere. I can take my laptop to work, connect to the network and work away. Bring the laptop home, plug into my network and work away. I use Windows2000, but since you mention your kids want to play games, WindowsMe or WindowsXP would be better. Windows2000, in order to be more stable, does not allow software to directly talk to the hardware, something many games do.

Mike

 

[TonyC]

When anyone I know is looking to purchase a computer, the first thing I tell them to look at is maintenance. Whatever you buy it is inevitable that you will someday have a problem. That is when your purchase decision has the biggest impact. All of us can promote our favorites for a vast variety of reasons. For the average user I think the rules are simple. First, buy a name brand...stay away from the junk. Dell, IBM, Toshiba, Gateway etc etc are all quality computers. Find one that suits your budget and compare the basic features. More importantly ask about the service. Personally, I insist on LOCAL service. A shop nearby where I can bring it if it fails or in-house service is even better. Mailing them back is no fun.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Recommendations for new notebook-Compaq or Dell

Most bang has been Compaq ~$1600. 1Ghz.,20GB,DVD/CD-RW and great support {don't know what the future will hold with HP merging?}

Dell solid performer ~2100.(8100 series) for basically same config.

Both Fedex next day parts, no playing games, excellent websites for T/S, software future downloads/upgrades...

Other major companies as HP, Toshiba, Sony... when the unit is 1 day out of warranty, have your credit card ready for $39. tech. support call, and loan papers ready for spare parts.

Gateway t/s have deteriorated much the past 18 months on both desktop and laptop, long hold's on phone...

Remember, all laptops are proprietary unlike generic desktops, order everything you plan on using for the next couple years on day 1...

Bottom line... Dell is the strongest financially right now and has always had consistent product performance along with outstanding tech. support... Compaq future is unknown with HP {HP t/s has always stunk, non-toll free #'s, cheap, cheap, cheap.}

Dell is a class act but a little more pricier than Compaq...

Good Luck Richard.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color=blue>...I prefer IBM Thinkpads...</font color=blue>

Sorry, I forgot IBM... would be my third choice however after the others mention...

Great support and website, I personally don't like the "pointer" and pad arrangement. Dell has the best of all worlds {8100 series}

 

[RPM]

I've used laptops extensively (and abusively) for the last 10 years or so now.

My best experience is with IBM and Dell - I would recommend them at the drop of a hat. I would also consider Toshiba - although it has been 2 or 3 years since I used their latest model - so would only recommend them with a caution to research thoroughly.

By the way, I'm typing this on an IBM T20 right now - and my previous two machines were IBM's also. No problems with any of them - just keep getting newer models from the company. I travel with it frequently, use it on and off networks, swap hard drives/CD ROM drives/floppy drives etc.

I would write-off any interest in Compaq or HP. I have senior-level friends at both companies and there is extreme uncertainty about what will survive the proposed merger - whether or not it succeeds. That does not bode well for any support in a year or two.

I would also stay away from NEC (had terrible problems with them before my company scrapped them after a couple of months), Gateway (company is in dire straits) and any of the smaller vendors. Sony VAIO laptops are cool - but overpriced for the performance.

Get a laptop with Windows 2000 and lots of RAM if you can (256MB+). Windows 2000 is much more advanced than Windows 98 or Windows ME when it comes to laptop work. If your kids need to run their games software then Windows XP looks to be a good bet - based on Windows 2000 with improved compatibility for games and entertainment software ...

I would be much more open-minded about a desktop solution - but there are still so many non-standard pieces of hardware to these laptops that you need to be really careful what you get.

Patrick

P.S. Best bet for laptop longevity - find out where the cooling fan is and don't block it. Overheating kills more laptops than you'd like to know about.

 

[bpence]

I've been running a Dell for about 8 months and it's performed admirably (don't remember the model and it's in a docking station at the moment). It travels with me a lot and seems to be "built Dell tough". As far as configuration - get as much RAM as you can, the biggest hard drive there is, and the model with the largest screen they offer. Good hunting.

Bob Pence

 

[ejb]

Something to keep in mind... pc's are so darn fast, that it is rarely cost-effective to buy the newest/fastest machines any more. Everytime a new chip is released, you can get the older models a heck of a lot cheaper.

I buy almost all of my equipment from www.ubid.com (it is an auction format) and you can find plenty new, with full manufaturer warranty machines for a lot cheaper than the newest from dell/ibm etc.

For what you want to do, I would bet a 600-700Mhz machine would be plenty fast enough. I am a professional software developer and I do all my work on 400Mhz machines that I bought for about $500 a piece on ubid. You can only type and read so fast! A faster cpu won't increase your download times from the internet either.

Right now there are plenty of laptop machines in the 5-700 mhz range for well under a grand.

Just my two cents...if you are not budget conscious nothing wrong with brand-new ibm's and dells.