Hi all,

I am getting ready to graduate and start my residency and was looking for some advice on the best computers to buy-- I am thinking of purchasing a laptop and wanted some idea of what amt of ram, speed, etc I should look for in a computer and how much I should expect to pay for it. I am basically looking for a laptop that I plan to use for internet use, a DVD movie now and then, and for the all important powerpoint presentations. I would also be grateful if anyone has any suggestions as to any good websites/stores where one can get one. Also, are there any good websites (other than ebay) that offer used laptops (any advice as to what a "good" price is for a used/new laptop would be much appreciated!). Thank you so much in advance.

go read consumer reports. Also, a laptop is not as cost effective as a desktop.

I just got my sister a great Laptop from Dell for $650. It has 512 ram/80G hard drive with Pentium M processor. Also gots a DVD burner.

Not sure about all the details on prices now but I picked up an Averatec laptop a few months ago. They are light, look good, and give you a lot of bang for the buck. Also their support is GREAT. Not a lot of people know of the brand but I think they are fairly large in Europe. You can find them at costco's online site.

g/l

I've been using Dell laptops VERY happily since 2000. You definitely spend more for lesser specs than with a desktop, but I've found in internship I use the computer a ton for lit-searches, putting together talks, and organizing my life, and sometimes I just don't want to do that at home. After spending all day and night in the hospital looking at the same sick, unattractive people all trapped in the vortex of the hospital, it can be really, really nice to head out to your local coffee shop/library/bar with Wi-Fi and see what normal people look like. It's hard to calculate the value of that compared to a desktop, but it's definitely worth it for me.

For specs, I've got 512 of ram, 30GB HD, DVD, CD-R, wireless card built-in, pretty big screen, and it was maybe 1400 a year and a half ago. For reference, though, when I bought this one, I sold my 2000 dell inspiron 5000 (128 ram 12 GB, windows 98, DVD) on ebay for $500, so they seem to hold their value.

Apple 12" Powerbook. You won't have the problems that you do with Dell and Windows based PCs. It also has a much more stable operating system, and certainly the most portable. The better machine is slightly more expensive. But you get what you pay for.

www.apple.com

Apple 12" Powerbook. You won't have the problems that you do with Dell and Windows based PCs. It also has a much more stable operating system, and certainly the most portable. The better machine is slightly more expensive. But you get what you pay for.

www.apple.com
Agreed about Apple. I have a PC desktop, but when I bought my laptop I went Mac. A bit of a learning curve, but awesome once you get the swing of it. When I replace the desktop that'll be a Mac too.

Agreed about Apple. I have a PC desktop, but when I bought my laptop I went Mac. A bit of a learning curve, but awesome once you get the swing of it. When I replace the desktop that'll be a Mac too.


i prefer apple if you want to get a mac or a sony vaio (pc). they are more expensive, but def worth the extra money. the sony's are configured for media/entertainment and are very powerful. my problem with dells have been that if not configured 100% correctly, they tend to crash.

Another vote for Apple. I switched from Windows a few years ago, and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I'd much rather spend my time actually using my computer instead of hunting down viruses and spyware and all that crap. They run MS Office, and the new MacBooks will even boot Windows now. So I can't think of a reason not to by a Mac these days :)

Not sure about all the details on prices now but I picked up an Averatec laptop a few months ago. They are light, look good, and give you a lot of bang for the buck. Also their support is GREAT. Not a lot of people know of the brand but I think they are fairly large in Europe. You can find them at costco's online site.

g/l

Hey, we just bought my dad one of those this past Christmas. He loves it and it looks so fun and is sooo lightweight. I want one now.
My husband sells them (not just them but all laptops). I have no idea how much they are at costco but the one we got him was about 1,000.

Edit: I just looked at the website - it was just $750 - maybe it is a different model, but very cool all the same.

Another vote for Apple..... They run MS Office, and the new MacBooks will even boot Windows now. So I can't think of a reason not to by a Mac these days :)

So, what's the point of buying an Apple computer only to run windows?

Go with OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org). It handles all MSOffice files and is OpenDocument compliant. Best of all, it is FREE, so you don't blow 2-400 dollars on M$$$Office.

I agree that OS X is better than windows, because it is based on UNIX (BSD actually), so is out of the box more secure. There have been less than 20 viruses for OS X over the past 5 years - what number is it for windows? The biggest drawback for Apple machines is that the hardware is mucho expensive - Steve Jobs and Co. have really made a good job of sticking it to their users in hardware costs. Of course, with complete control of their software and hardware, you never have to worry about incompatibility and can really streamline your OS. So, if you have the $$, go with an Apple.

If you aren't going to use a Unix variant (like Linux or BSD) use OS X and be safe. And for God's sake - DON'T use Internet Explorer! Use firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox) instead.

jd

So, what's the point of buying an Apple computer only to run windows?

Go with OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org). It handles all MSOffice files and is OpenDocument compliant. Best of all, it is FREE, so you don't blow 2-400 dollars on M$$$Office.

I agree that OS X is better than windows, because it is based on UNIX (BSD actually), so is out of the box more secure. There have been less than 20 viruses for OS X over the past 5 years - what number is it for windows? The biggest drawback for Apple machines is that the hardware is mucho expensive - Steve Jobs and Co. have really made a good job of sticking it to their users in hardware costs. Of course, with complete control of their software and hardware, you never have to worry about incompatibility and can really streamline your OS. So, if you have the $$, go with an Apple.

If you aren't going to use a Unix variant (like Linux or BSD) use OS X and be safe. And for God's sake - DON'T use Internet Explorer! Use firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox) instead.

jd

Sorry but I think open office is a piece of garbage. It has the esthetics of Stalinist Gulag. MSOffice is nicer. But I still have a strong opinion that apple should be bought, and I have a couple of suggestions. Apple's word processing program that will save and read documents of any format (except maybe wordperfect but that's for lawyers) is amazing and beautiful, as is their presentation program, it will make much more beautiful presentations than power point and the two come together for about 60-70 bucks.

Also if you are still a student, you can go on apples website and get the student discount, which usually takes a couple of hundred off.

Seriously these are much better machines.

Sorry but I think open office is a piece of garbage. It has the esthetics of Stalinist Gulag. MSOffice is nicer. But I still have a strong opinion that apple should be bought, and I have a couple of suggestions. Apple's word processing program that will save and read documents of any format (except maybe wordperfect but that's for lawyers) is amazing and beautiful, as is their presentation program, it will make much more beautiful presentations than power point and the two come together for about 60-70 bucks.

Also if you are still a student, you can go on apples website and get the student discount, which usually takes a couple of hundred off.

Seriously these are much better machines.

This argument coming from someone who uses a Mac is understandable - OOo may not be the most beautiful piece of software available, but it works. Do you want something excessively pretty, or something you can use to get your work done, is highly compatible with just about every other software program out there, can export files as PDF, and is compliant with the future of document storage and publishing - OpenDocumentText (ODT)?

You make the decision. I'll continue to work with OOo - it does what I want it to do, and much more. I've created text documents, "powerpoint" presentations, and created spreadsheets - and I haven't spent a penny. Sounds like a good deal to me.

And I still stand by my Firefox statement.

jd

And I still stand by my Firefox statement.

Firefox is sweet. Makes Internet Explorer seem archaic.

This argument coming from someone who uses a Mac is understandable - OOo may not be the most beautiful piece of software available, but it works. Do you want something excessively pretty, or something you can use to get your work done, is highly compatible with just about every other software program out there, can export files as PDF, and is compliant with the future of document storage and publishing - OpenDocumentText (ODT)?

You make the decision. I'll continue to work with OOo - it does what I want it to do, and much more. I've created text documents, "powerpoint" presentations, and created spreadsheets - and I haven't spent a penny. Sounds like a good deal to me.

And I still stand by my Firefox statement.

jd

I actually don't use a mac I just wish I used a mac. Regret buying my PC everyday. Hate Bill Gates and his stupid school that he had on Oprah. I have used OO though. No offense but I Hated it.

I have a Dell Inspiron 1900 or 1700 or something. Whatever it is, it works great. Haven't had any problems what-so-ever.

Dude, you're getting a Dell. I've been using one for 5+ years without ever having a problem. I'm sure there are some other good brands out there but I'll never know. When I decide to upgrade, I'm getting another Dell.

Thanks for all the advice above. I have a few more questions (pardon my ignorance as I am not a computer whiz)-- Is it possible to watch television on your laptop and if so, how does one do this? Please let me know. thanks.

I know you used to be able to do it on your Desktop PC if you got a card for it. I've never seen it in a laptop though. Pretty much anyone you get today will play dvds though.

Thanks for all the advice above. I have a few more questions (pardon my ignorance as I am not a computer whiz)-- Is it possible to watch television on your laptop and if so, how does one do this? Please let me know. thanks.
ATI makes a setup to watch TV. It's just a box that plugs into a USB port and has a ports for Co-Ax and A/V cables. Comes with software for watching the tv or playing any type of video source. Costs about $100.

Thanks for all the advice above. I have a few more questions (pardon my ignorance as I am not a computer whiz)-- Is it possible to watch television on your laptop and if so, how does one do this? Please let me know. thanks.

you need a tv tuner card. the best way to do this on a laptop is to get an external tv tuner that has a usb cable:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=usb+tv+tuner&btnG=Search+Froogle

http://www.hauppauge.com/html/usb_data.htm

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=316266&pfp=BROWSE

I heard these ones are pretty good from a friend (2nd one best). Expect to pay between $50-100. There are cheaper ones out there, but they are crap.

These do require coaxial input... if you want to watch tv over the internet, ABC just added a few of it's series online in which you can watch them for free. Also, if you download WinAmp, they used have shows like family guy and futurama and seinfeld, etc that you could access over the internet.

I've been using Dell laptops VERY happily since 2000. You definitely spend more for lesser specs than with a desktop, but I've found in internship I use the computer a ton for lit-searches, putting together talks, and organizing my life, and sometimes I just don't want to do that at home. After spending all day and night in the hospital looking at the same sick, unattractive people all trapped in the vortex of the hospital, it can be really, really nice to head out to your local coffee shop/library/bar with Wi-Fi and see what normal people look like. It's hard to calculate the value of that compared to a desktop, but it's definitely worth it for me.




I would just like to echo this comment. I am very happy with my Dell 700m... small, lightweight, very portable. The main things that are important when picking out a laptop are:
-less than 5-6lbs
-6-9cell lithium battery
-celeron processors suck. never go with a celeron.
-pentium M is a good processor
-at least 500mb ram
-at least 60gb Hardrive

Laptops have come down substantially in price over the last couple years. If you are not into gaming, you should be able to get a decent Dell laptop for under $1000. If you want the best/most expensive, go with an IBM ($1000-$2500). IBMs are more likely to last than Dells, but you definately pay for it.

I would just like to echo this comment. I am very happy with my Dell 700m... small, lightweight, very portable. The main things that are important when picking out a laptop are:
-less than 5-6lbs
-6-9cell lithium battery
-celeron processors suck. never go with a celeron.
-pentium M is a good processor
-at least 500mb ram
-at least 60gb Hardrive

Laptops have come down substantially in price over the last couple years. If you are not into gaming, you should be able to get a decent Dell laptop for under $1000. If you want the best/most expensive, go with an IBM ($1000-$2500). IBMs are more likely to last than Dells, but you definately pay for it.


Dell has very affordable laptops that are fast for what you pay. my first choice would be an Apple, but they cost 2500 bucks. quite a rip off for a laptop IMHO. HP has good laptops too, but not as cost effective as Dell.

that being said, i bought a Dell about a month ago. it's the E1505 and it's sick. you have to wait for the good deals/coupon offers that come out weekly. mine has a WSXGA+ screen (highest upgrade), 1GB RAM, 100GB memory @5400rpm SATA, 128mb dedicated video card, tv tuner, intel Core Duo processor 1.6GHz (two processors in one...very fast), DVD burner upgraded with double-layer technology....all for $1050 (i got a coupon for 450 bucks off....retail it was 1500). go to their website and build a computer....and wait for good deals. btw the E1505 is specialized for running multiple tasks at once, with good multimedia capability and just came one the market within the last 2 months.

Firefox is sweet. Makes Internet Explorer seem archaic.

Firefox by Mozilla people - download it now.

Dell has very affordable laptops that are fast for what you pay. my first choice would be an Apple, but they cost 2500 bucks. quite a rip off for a laptop IMHO. HP has good laptops too, but not as cost effective as Dell.

that being said, i bought a Dell about a month ago. it's the E1505 and it's sick. you have to wait for the good deals/coupon offers that come out weekly. mine has a WXGA screen (highest upgrade), 1GB RAM, 100GB memory @5400rpm SATA, 128mb dedicated video card, tv tuner, intel Core Duo processor 1.6GHz (two processors in one...very fast), DVD burner upgraded with double-layer technology....all for $1050 (i got a coupon for 450 bucks off....retail it was 1500). go to their website and build a computer....and wait for good deals. btw the E1505 is specialized for running multiple tasks at once, with good multimedia capability and just came one the market within the last 2 months.

I'd second that.

www.bensbargains.net offers some coupons dell laptops occasionally that are pretty good

You'll get a decent laptop that can perform the tasks you asked earlier

It won't be anywhere as nice as one of those new Mac laptops though

Of course, it will also cost roughly $1000 less :)

you can also check out edealfinder.com They occ. have dell coupons. A friend of mine got 30% of anything at dell from that site and saved a bundle.

www.slickdeals.net www.fatwallet.com

last year, i was able to save 50% of my laptop ($750 off $1500 deal). They ran those deals for about 3 months and haven't seen them since. Don't buy a dell without having some kind of coupon of at least 30% off. They come out so often that there is no reason not to.

So, what's the point of buying an Apple computer only to run windows?

I didn't say get a Mac only to run Windows. I meant that because they do run Windows, what's the point of not buying a Mac. Lots of people balk at buying a Mac because they think they "need" Windows to run some program they have to have. Well now that argument is moot. FWIW, I have Virtual PC on my Mac and have used it maybe once in the last couple years. I'd much rather spend my time in the far superior OS X, but it's nice to have the option in case I'm forced to use some bonehead Windows-only piece of software.

And yeah, the Macs cost more, but evey Dell or Gateway I have owned or had to use for work was an unreliable, tempermental piece of crap. The Macs OTOH are very well-made. You get what you pay for. It's well worth it IMO

I just got a Dell XPS M140 yesterday. I paid $1042 for a 2GHz, 533FSB, 80GB HD, 1GB RAM, a 3yr warrenty, and an extra battery. I was able to get an extra $50 off by calling a dell direct store because they said they could get a better deal than online. I have found the best site for coupons is edealinfo.com, they have all the dell discounts and coupons. Although I do not have the computer yet it is described as a lightweight powerhouse. It weighs onlt 6lbs, and with the upgraded battery (get and extra one because it is only $30 more than upgrading the original) it will go for 7 hours. Check out the review on cnet.com. After looking at numerous notebooks this looks like the best one for the price for someone who wants a portable computer with long battery life, but also has a fast processor and a great widescrene.

Apple -> Hardware-wise definitely good built quality (space age plastics, rubber padding for harddisk impact etc.) and stable due to well tested hardware components. The OsX does 'seem' stabler, and being based on Unix makes it more secure. Traditionally Macs were used by ppl using media intensive applications.

Windows is definitely more common, hence a windows-based lap would give u less compatibilty issues and hence more portable. Besides, Windows XP is quite Stable...any crashes seen are usually user induced, for example, downloading virus/spyware (by clicking those "Click Me to install malware popups"), bloating the system with resource hungry softwares, improperly uninstalling softwares resulting in larger corrupted registry. XP being based on the NT system, definitely has helped it become more stable.
Now if you don't want to use a windows OS, then go ahead and use a user friendly LINUX distro (Suse, RedHat etc.) which is definitely more stable or secure; but getting updated drivers etc. for ur components will be a problem.
Use a good firewall(if ur not using the XP firewall) like Tiny, Kerio, Kaspersky etc. And a good, small antivirus solution like Kaspersky's (i use version 4.5, a more user controllable version) not bloated resource hungry apps like Norton, McAfee. Also use a spyware remover from time to time like Adaware. It would do u some good if you check ur registry from time to time with a reg checker like RegSupreme.

Also Browsers, use the popup blocker which comes with IE 6 or IE 7(also has tabbed browsing). Or if ur not an IE fan, i suggest a tabbed browser like Opera(its free) & NOT firefox. Firefox is too much a plugin based browser for my taste..and the more plugins u use, more bloated it gets. Opera imho has more user tweakable, faster(www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html), a better interface and better AD blocking potential like proxy .pac file, anti-ad CSS userstyle sheets, an advanced popup blocker, an adblock list etc. http://www.opera.com/download/

Getting back to Laps... Lenovo(IBM), Toshiba, Vaio (over-rated imho) etc. do offer the built quality+stability that a Mac offers. But it costs more.
Toshiba has one of the best quality screens, if u want ur screens to be good.
Talkin abt screens, there are basically 3 types..XGA, SXGA, UXGA(S for Super & U for Ultra...Ultra is the best but too costly). If u want a wide screen version look for one which has 'W' like Wxga, WSxga etc. I definitely recommend a SXGA, definitely worth the extra $ over an XGA.
Also the size...the smaller the screens (like 12 inches) the costlier it gets. So if u want a more portable lap to carry around a lot, get a smaller screen(or better yet get them tablet pcs). But if the lap is meant as a desktop-replacement, then ur better of with a bigger screen (to watch movies and for gaming).

Coming to processors for Laps... i would recommend waiting for AMD's Turion X2(the dual processor version of Turion..should come out by year mid). Why? For 2 reasons...
1) Its a 64 bit processor.. might not be useful now, as most users have a 32 bit OS now. But soon XP 64 bit is gona be released and then Windows Vista. Its good to have a processor which would run a 64 bit OS unlike an intel centrino/duo core.
2) Plus it is a Dual-Processor like an Intel Duo Core. When more OSes & apps come out which can utilise the multi processing, then u will have a system where u can multi-task more efficiently and fast; and of course a configuration which will not get outdated too soon.
But if u can't wait for a Turion X2... then its between a AMD Turion or an Intel Duo Core. If u aint goin to upgrade ur OS to a 64 bit OS then get a Duo Core...its 2 processors as opposed to one. If u plan on upgrading to a 64 bit OS in the near future, then get a Turion.

If u really need a strong graphic machine which is non-mac...then i suggest the laps made by Alienware.

If u are just lookin for reasonable build quailty, personally Dell is sufficient or probably an Acer.
ps... www.deals2buy.com/delldeals.htm ..gives u the latest dell deals, where u can use the coupons for ur own configs as well. Make ur own system, if u feel comfortable enough... built a system where u increase it price till u can use the coupon. There are other lap deals on the site. This site is the best i have seen so far. I have got some amazing deals on toshiba, Acer, and self-configures Dells.

Hard disks...i would go for a 7200rpm harddisk not a 5400rpm. Why? its faster, meaning helps in faster access, the disk becomes more responsive. But the problem is that its costlier than a 5400 rpm hdd.

Memory...minimum is 512 MB thesedays but i would be happy with 1 GB (either as a single dimm or as two 512MB dimms). And plz go for higher speeds for Rams (minimum 500mhz), definitely makes a difference in performance. Especially if ur getting an Intel Duo Core which has an FSB of 667mhz, then get if possible a 667mhz ram.

And plz get a CD writer..bare minimum, if not a DVD writer.

And do make sure to look for the lil things...enough USB ports, firewire port, ethernet/LAn , Video Out (in case u wana hook up to a projector for ur seminar), Wifi etc.

Get a tablet Toshiba refurb from http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/bstorelist.to?coid=-29405&seg=HHO&location=computers