Laptop advice...

[Pyxis]

I'm looking for some advice on a laptop to get. I'm going to be using it for college stuff mostly. I'm going to be commuting to college so it doesn't have to be a desktop replacement or anything. These are what I'm mostly looking for:

1) Wireless access for law library...but I don't have a wireless router at home so it needs to be able to connect to my home lan. I might change my home lan to a wireless one though if need be.

2) I'm going to mostly use it for writing reports and research and sh!t like that...but I'd also like to play dvds on it once in a while. I also like to play occasional games (i.e. Hitman: Contracts, nothing too CPU intensive)

3) Real good warranty service/support I suppose. I've never had a laptop before so I don't know which brands are good or if they break often.

4) 30-40 gig hard drive should do well...I'm not going to be loading that much stuff on it. One or two games, Microsoft Office, and other small programs.

I like the look of the widescreen Dell Inspirons but I can live without the WS if that costs too much.

Well that's all the info I can think of now but if anymore info is needed let me know. Now I'm off to party for my last weekend before law school

Thanks

 

[Abhi]

your budget? Can you afford a T42?

Btw... IBM has the best quality and support... but are expensive....

 

[Pyxis]

lol...I completely forgot about the budget part. I suppose something around $1500. Definately no more than $1800 though. I'm kinda partial to Dell but I don't know how their laptops are. I like the IBMs too but they seem overpriced a bit.

 

[jkresh]

in that pricerange an 8600 or 7000 would be a good bet, you would need to go over 2000 to get anything worthwhile from ibm. IBM has the best build quality of any notebook manufacter, dell used to be great, they have fallen a bit, and there support is not what it once was. Nevertheless they still make good machines at reasonable prices and their waranty is better then most.

if you realy dont plan on gaming at all then get the 700m, it can handle basic gaming, has a 13.3 inch widescreen and is nice at light.

if you want power and portability the 8600 is the way to go. Its bigger and heavier then the 700 but still quite portable, and can be configured for serious power.

Also check with your school they may have discounts, if the discount is big enough ibm might come within budget, or they might over a discount on the dell. If you do deside on the dell, look around the net for a percentage off coupon, if you can wait a week or two you may find as much as %20 percent off, which will certinaly make things easier for you.

 

[Pyxis]

cool...thanks That was one of the ones I was interested in.

 

[WackyDan]

"and their waranty is better then most. "

More like, it's in line with everyone else. Nothing is better with the Dell Warranty when compared to HP, IBM......

 

[fbrdphreak]

Take a look at the HP zt3000 series as well. Major retailers (BBY, CompUSA, etc) carry several pre-built models that usually come with some nice mail-in-rebates. The plus side to this is that you can get the extended warranty from whereever you get it. IMO Best Buy has one of the better third-party warranties out there. They cover everything except software & accidental damage, plus they replace batteries for free. The HP zt3000's have a lot of nice features for the money and the warranty will probly run you about $250. You can get a decent zt3000 (Pentium M 1.6~, 512MB, CD-RW, 15.4 WS, 64MB Radeon 9200, 40-60GB) for ~$1300-$1500. GL

 

[Pyxis]

Well I looked into IBMs but even with the educational discount they would be too expensive. So right now I'm looking at Dells but haven't looked at the HP zt3000 mentioned above yet.

I modified some of my requirements after thinking about it. I guess I don't really need a WS laptop. I'd use it for movies and such but that's not a biggie. And I can do with a decent vidcard for gaming. I can stick with my desktops for more graphic intensive games.

Right now I'm trying to decide between the Inspiron 5150 and the Inspiron 600m.

I configured a Dell 5150 with these specs and it came out to around $1760.

Mobile Pentium 4 3.06GHz, 15-in. SXGA+
64 USB Memory Key
512 DDR SDRAM 2 DIMMS
FREE 40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive (might upgrade to 7200 RPM)
FREE 24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive upgrade
64MB DDR NVIDIA GX Go5200 AGP 4x
65 WHr 8-cell Primary Battery
Intergrated Network LAN
Dell Wireless 1450 802.11 a/b/g 54Mbps
Consumer PLATINUM Service Plan

Here's the specs for a Dell 600m for around $1940

Pentium M 715 (1.5GHz), 14.1-in. SXGA+
64 USB Memory Key
512 DDR SDRAM 1 DIMM
FREE 40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
FREE 24X CD-R/DVD Combo Drive upgrade
53 Whr Primary Battery
48 Whr Additional Modular Battery
Integrated Netrork LAN
Dell Wireless 1450 802.11 a/b/g 54Mbps
Consumer PLATINUM Service Plan

I guess I could mess around some with the warranty coverage and go for the GOLD plan which is $100 less I believe. I haven't really looked into the details yet.

Which laptop do you guys think is the better option of the two?

And thanks for the help so far...I have no clue what to look for when it comes to laptops. My "specialty" is desktops at the moment!

 

[EvanAdams]

I have been looking at the HP dr1000. It looks cool but HP build quality has bothered me in the past. Maybie we will see in some reviews sometime.

 

[xcrunner51]

I'd recommend getting a Latitude over an Inspiron, they're just better build quality for pretty much the same price. That being said I love my T42

 

[Tracer]

I've been thinking of buying this machine. http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=34-115-138&depa=3 $1409 at newegg. I don't know much about laptops, so not sure how great the specs are..

Here's the specs...

Weight: 6.5 lbs
CPU: Intel Pentium M Processor 715 1.50GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
Display: 15" WXGA TFT
OS: Windows XP Pro
Memory: 512MB DDR333
Graphics: ATI Mobility RADEON 9700, 64MB
HD: 40GB
Optical Drive: Modular DVD-Dual drive
Communication: 56K Modem, GbE LAN, 802.11b/g

8-cell lithium ion battery: up to 5.0 hours life depending on configuration and usage

 

[Pyxis]

Well I decided on an Inspiron 8600. I found a 20% off coupon so total is somewhere around 1600 I believe. Plus it's with a 4 year warranty with the CompleteCare coverage (I think that's what it was called). That's good enough for now. I'll try it out and see how I like it...if not, I'll just return the sucker!

Thanks

EDIT: I'm off to order this puppy right now