Laptop recommendations

[rhuss]

i am looking for a laptop for mainly use around the home, indoors and out. internet, IM, connecting to work through VPN, connecting to locally networked PC's through VNC, DVD, MP3 playback. using word, excel, access.

i would like:
-win xp pro
-512 mb RAM
-don't care about hard drive size, just need it to not be a huge bottleneck RPM wise
-decent graphics, nothing to play hardcore games on, maybe some kids games (i.e. backyard baseball, etc). any comment about chipset or card performance would be great.
-wifi g
-good battery life
-kinda like the widescreen laptops, would like to be able to watch DVD's. i like the quick play stuff by HP for some reason, DV4000. anything out there similar to HP's quick play?
-DVD ROM (no burner)
- don't really care either way about Intel or AMD, just best bang for my buck
-low heat, don't want it to burn my lap
-portable, that i could take in the car or on an airplane, doesn't have to be super light, but don't really want a DTR

i've been looking at HP and Compaq mainly, not really a huge fan of dell's. i know IBM's are the best, but I don't think i can config one the way i want for my price range.

i have a mac powerbook G3 that i have been playing around with, but it needs a new battery, so i would probably stay away from apple's just cause i can use that if i want to play with a mac.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

*sigh* not another thread....

 

[wffsoccergmail]

get a dell, cheap, reliable, and good.

 

[rhuss]

anything out there similar to HP's quick play?

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

AVERATEC AV-3360
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834149024

 

[kenan921]

HP nx6125 - Business Oriented AMD Turion Notebook.

Pros: 3 Year Warranty, Finger Print Reader, Nice size, 3.5 hour battery, Good Performance, Decent Integrated Graphics, Business Level Build Quality
Cons: Not Widescreen

Link

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: rhuss
anything out there similar to HP's quick play?

I want to say Acer included it in a couple models, but I've not heard anything about it in their latest models.

I think Averatec has it built into some of their models, probably the 15.4".

If you want a 15.4", the dv4000 is not a bad deal. HP build quality is respectable for the money, above most Dell's IMO.

If you want portability and to be able to take it on a plane, I'd suggest staying away from a 15.4". Get a 14" widescreen, like the HP dv1000.

 

[d2arcturus]

Originally posted by: BlingBlingArsch
*sigh* not another thread....

:thumbsdown:

 

[rhuss]

thanks. any more reccomendations would be appreciated.

 

[Liver]

Those specifications are pretty generic. What I mean is that any modern laptop will satify that.

Check out the forums regarding "for sale" notebooks and save yourself some cash.

Many people selling used, quality notebooks that fit your specifications. Hell, put a wanted to buy ad and see how many people respond.

Liver

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

Originally posted by: d2arcturus

Originally posted by: BlingBlingArsch
*sigh* not another thread....

:thumbsdown:

ot: i dont like ppl to create threads when there are like 5 other threads on the first page with the same topic.

 

[Cook1]

It has been happening for years and it will continue to happen. Just don't read the thread if you don't want to.

Oh and I'd look into a Dell on those coupons they are doing often.

 

[Tostada]

Not sure why you don't like Dell, but whenever budget is a concern you have to consider them pretty seriously because of the coupons.

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
If you want portability and to be able to take it on a plane, I'd suggest staying away from a 15.4". Get a 14" widescreen, like the HP dv1000.

This would be my advice, especially since you already said you like HP/Compaq and you like the quick play feature. You did specifically mention the DV4000, though, which is a pretty big laptop, so you must not be that concerned about taking it on a plane.

For the most part, I think the only reason to stay away from Dell when budget is a concern is the fact that they don't have any 14" widescreen models, which is just about the perfect size for the average non-desktop-replacement non-ultra-portable laptop. HP or Gateway are probably the best choices for a good 14" widescreen. The Gateway M250X is thinner, lighter and cheaper than the HP DV1000 / Compaq V2000 line, and it also has a better keyboard and comes with 512MB by default instead of 256MB. If you don't mind a Turion that says "LIVE STRONG" really big on the back, it's really hard to beat the HP Lance Armstrong model wich does come with 512MB and a 5400 RPM hard drive.

 

[rhuss]

i was looking at the compaq v2000z, then i read of a review comparing that to the compaq v2335. one interesting thing was the wireless. does the intel centrino platform have better wireless reception/signal? i have a linksys wireless G router in my basement and i get about 50% - 60% signal strength 1 floor up with a Linksys USB adapter on a PC. basically my question is which would get better wireless reception farther away from the router? like upstairs or outside. is it worth the extra $ to get a p-m w/centrino? would probably be an extra $200+

from the article:

Wireless

The L2000 and V2000Z clones use integrated Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN and Broadcom Bluetooth wireless. The V2335 uses the Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 802.11BG and Broadcom Bluetooth wireless. Wireless is enabled and disabled by a button above the keyboard, or by using HP's included management software.

I fired up Netstumbler on each machine, and let them each sit in the same place for 10mins.

* The V2335 (Intel) found 19 Access Points
* The V2000Z (Broadcom) found 9 Access Points

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2455

 

[fbrdphreak]

I've always been very satisfied with Intel's performance, but most people say Broadcom is a better card. Technically the Intel card has better power management, but that probably only kicks in on battery; i.e. if he was testing that on AC, it might have skewed the real world usage.

only big diff I've heard is that Broadcom has Linux drivers; Intel deoes not.

Otherwise, flip a coin

 

[mmebane]

It's the other way around, actually. The Intel card has Linux drivers at http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/. The Broadcom card requires NDISWrapper, which is basically an emulation layer to use Windows drivers in Linux. That's why I made sure to get a laptop with Intel wireless.

 

[OsSaloris]

just get a toshiba sattalite a series. they use a moblie p 4 with ati chipset that has a intergrated x300 se in the mobo for the lite gaming that can play cs too. I cant get link for some reason. just go to google n search toshiba n clock on toshiba direct

 

[gsaldivar]

Several friends of mine jumped on the recent 50%-off Dell laptop deals, one got a brand-new Inspiron 700m widescreen ultraportable, DVD/RW, 256MB RAM, 60GB HD, WiFi wireless, Remote Control, two Premium (8-cell?) Batteries, and an extended warranty all shipped FREE for under $1100. (For an extra $100 we dropped in a 1GB stick of after-market RAM)

At these prices it doesn't make any sense to rule out Dell...

The build quality is great, and the prices are right.

Keep an eye out for future deals here in the Hot Deals forum or at http://gottadeal.com. :thumbsup:

Good luck! :beer:

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: OsSaloris
just get a toshiba sattalite a series. they use a moblie p 4 with ati chipset that has a intergrated x300 se in the mobo for the lite gaming that can play cs too. I cant get link for some reason. just go to google n search toshiba n clock on toshiba direct

The Satellite A70 might look like a good deal at first for $782, but that's with a Celeron. It doesn't even have the option to upgrade to a Pentium M. You can upgrade to a mobile P4, but that isn't a very mobile CPU at all. He said he wanted good battery life and low heat which is the complete opposite of what you get with a P4. Getting a P4 also forces you to get a $75 battery upgrade.

Also, it's a 15.4" screen which has no options other than a 1280x800 display, which is ridiculously low resolution for a 15.4" widscreen.

The integrated Radeon isn't all that good. It's a little better than the Intel GMA 900 in most games, but it's about even when you turn down quality (and you need to turn down quality to make newer games playable). Actually, the GMA 900 has 4 pipes and the Radeon IGP only has two. The GMA 900 can also dynamically allocate memory.

It doesn't even come with WiFi by default. By the time you add the cheapest P4, XP Pro, upgrade to 512MB and add Wi-Fi you're already up to $1,065.90 for an extremely mediocre laptop with a 40G 4200RPM drive, integraded graphics, and no extra warranty coverage. Shipping isn't included either, but they only charge $20 for 2-day air.

You can easily get a Dell that is much better than that for less with the coupons. Even without coupons, HP and Gateway have much better deals on laptops.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: mmebane
It's the other way around, actually. The Intel card has Linux drivers at http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/. The Broadcom card requires NDISWrapper, which is basically an emulation layer to use Windows drivers in Linux. That's why I made sure to get a laptop with Intel wireless.

DOH! My bad, I had the two mixed up. Thanks for the correction

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: OsSaloris
just get a toshiba sattalite a series. they use a moblie p 4 with ati chipset that has a intergrated x300 se in the mobo for the lite gaming that can play cs too. I cant get link for some reason. just go to google n search toshiba n clock on toshiba direct

The Satellite A70 might look like a good deal at first for $782, but that's with a Celeron. It doesn't even have the option to upgrade to a Pentium M. You can upgrade to a mobile P4, but that isn't a very mobile CPU at all. He said he wanted good battery life and low heat which is the complete opposite of what you get with a P4. Getting a P4 also forces you to get a $75 battery upgrade.

Also, it's a 15.4" screen which has no options other than a 1280x800 display, which is ridiculously low resolution for a 15.4" widscreen.

The integrated Radeon isn't all that good. It's a little better than the Intel GMA 900 in most games, but it's about even when you turn down quality (and you need to turn down quality to make newer games playable). Actually, the GMA 900 has 4 pipes and the Radeon IGP only has two. The GMA 900 can also dynamically allocate memory.

It doesn't even come with WiFi by default. By the time you add the cheapest P4, XP Pro, upgrade to 512MB and add Wi-Fi you're already up to $1,065.90 for an extremely mediocre laptop with a 40G 4200RPM drive, integraded graphics, and no extra warranty coverage. Shipping isn't included either, but they only charge $20 for 2-day air.

You can easily get a Dell that is much better than that for less with the coupons. Even without coupons, HP and Gateway have much better deals on laptops.

:thumbsup:

 

[rhuss]

i think i am looking specifically for a p-m centrino now ... been looking at Acer TravelMate 4151LCi or compaq v2000