laptop advice

[minx]

...not lap dance advice. since i don't spend anytime on computer/tech/nerd websites, i thought i'd ask a bunch of climbers.

 

looking to buy a new laptop. don't want to spend a lot of money on it. doesn't need to have a lot of highend features. any suggestions on inexpensive laptops/places to buy one?

 

i am not going to buy a dell.

[markwebster]

I've had a Dell, but it died after two and a half years. I have a toshiba now and it's still rock solid after almost 3 years. Who is making the best laptop, and has the best customer service, seems to change every few years. Do some research at cnet.com and amazon, reading the customer reviews of the models you are looking for. People are very frank about who is good and who is bad. Pick the one with the least bad comments. If you take digital photos, don't buy the bottom of the line. You'll need some processing power to edit them if you get into Photoshop.

[minx]

i've got desk top options for photo processing but that's a good point. i'm really just looking for something that has basic internet capabilities and something that handle some basic office functions for work.

[cj001f]

they are all pretty much the same. laptop life has more to do with other factors.

 

I know quite a few IT monkeys who swear by (not at) Dell

[minx]

OK- so who is the cheapest and where is the best place to buy one?

[drater]

ebay is cheapest but riskiest.

 

Dell will finance anybody (trust me on this one) and has some pretty killer deals going almost always.

[underworld]

laptops often show up here for pretty cheap: link

 

i think it's like pricegrapper...

[counterfeitfake]

I love Dell laptops. Curious why you hate 'em?

[minx]

i've just run into several people at work who travel with them. they seem to have lots of problems and short life spans. no first hand experience.

[archenemy]

i've got desk top options for photo processing but that's a good point. i'm really just looking for something that has basic internet capabilities and something that handle some basic office functions for work.

i.e. Spray

 

 

Dell works fine, and for as cheap as they are, you can get a new one every couple of years. You are probably going to want to anyway (after you become more nerdy it is an addiction)

[minx]

hey it's very important that i be able to spray from work, airports, hotel rooms around the world and for fucksake my own damn couch.

 

if dell can handle it, maybe i'll try it but if it breaks i'm blaming you.

[lummox]

unless you need to work within the evil empire, get an apple ibook. worth the cost imo.

i got a dell. it drives me crazy at times. it is a necessary evil.

[archenemy]

I agree with the first statement, but I gotta think abouut the second. What might blaming me involve?

[counterfeitfake]

Do not buy any Apple product ever.

[archenemy]

Do not buy any Apple product ever.

apple sauce, apple butter included?

 

I am just about to replace my home computer with an Apple. What has your experience been? Did you buy an Apple recently? What model? What happened? Do I sound panicky?

[minx]

i'm not spending the money for an apple. and yes i do work with/for/at the mercy of the evil empire...sort of.

 

i'm cheap and i'll probably break whatever i get.

 

any thoughts on toshibas or HPs?

 

arch--it's got to be somebody's fault if i don't like it. might as well be yours. how do you feel about penalty slack or offwidths for punishment?

[archenemy]

Penalty slack I can handle.

 

And I used to have a toshibah way way way back in the day. It was like carrying around a friggen lunchbox. That was a long time ago though. I had no problems with it and was actually talking to a friend at work who had the same thing. He has a new Toshibah currently and likes it a lot. He works with me in IT, so I feel comfortable saying that it might be a good thing to look at the ole toshi.

[Mr_Phil]

Go to Circuit City, play with the laptops, play with the 17 yr old salesboys and take one home.

[selkirk]

I've had a Gateway for a couple of years and have been pretty happy with it.

 

Usually I'm anti- "paying for extended warranties" But I did on the laptop. It seems like enough end up with some problem, battery, screen whatever and it's not something I think I could take apart and fix

[drater]

I have a Dell. Sometimes it fucks up, at least compared to my two Apples. My friend has had an HP and a Toshiba since I bought my Dell. Both would crash frequently and give him nightmares everytime he installed new software.

 

<3 applesauce!

[olyclimber]

laptops are passe. get a suitcase computer

 

[minx]

Go to Circuit City, play with the laptops, play with the 17 yr old salesboys and take one home.

 

i didn't know that you liked boys. guess i shouldn't be surprised.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Dell almost always has the best prices if you are patient. Tricks to save more money: Every couple weeks/months, Dell roles out some huge coupons that can save up to 50% or so. Sign up for dell email and they will send you the coupons. You can sometimes buy stackable coupons on ebay that will save you more money. some of these are just straight dollar off coupons http://cgi.ebay.com/HUGE-300-OFF-Coupon-...1QQcmdZViewItem

and others are percent off. Not all can be combined with other coupons, which is the trick to really good deals.

[counterfeitfake]

Do not buy any Apple product ever.

apple sauce, apple butter included?

 

I am just about to replace my home computer with an Apple. What has your experience been? Did you buy an Apple recently? What model? What happened? Do I sound panicky?

 

Eh, I'm mostly just spraying. I only own an iPod Shuffle but it's been enough to piss me off... iTunes blows...

 

I think new Apples are good, the operating system is nice from what I understand and I think you can get most software you might need for them.

 

I think the hardware fails about as much as any other hardware but Apple won't really own up to it, I've heard and read a lot about people having trouble using their Applecare warranty, having to argue with the "geniuses" at the Apple store (the title alone bugs me) for coverage they were promised when they paid however-many-hundreds-of-dollars for the plan...

 

Like I said, mostly spraying. Apple might be fine for you.

[iluka]

I'm not much of a technofile but happen to have an ibook and and ipod and have been really happy with both. My ibook (knock on wood) is still running well after 3 years and one system upgrade. My latest ipod is great and I think they resolved the battery issues with the earlier generation ones.

 

My only beef with Apple is the service. It irks me that you have to fork over for the AppleCare plan after already giving them big $ for the machine. That being said, I got Apple Care and when I had a big malfunction at one point, they fixed it with no hassles, fed exing it down to California and fed exing it back up just two days later.... all for free