- Lookin for a decent notebook....

[flippinfleck]

I am looking to purchase a notebook soon and was wondering if anyone had any reccomendations. Budget is $1,000 - $1,500. Any brands I should stay away from? Any help would be appreciated. If you need any more 411 let me know. Peace

 

[jaywallen]

Hi, recommendation should depend a great deal on what you intend to do with the system. Be as specific as possible about the apps and peripheral hardware you'll be using. Also, it's important to know WHERE you'll be using it, and how long you'll be using it in various types of locations. The notebook that works for you on a table in a library for 4 hours may not serve you at all in an airline or train seat. Also, if you have to use the thing out-of-doors, you'll absolutely have to have a TFT screen, whereas you could make do with a dual scan screen if you work only indoors and don't intend to do anything where a little "ghosting" of the image will interfere significantly with system functions.

Regards,
Jim

 

[Degenerate]

I think you should stay away from small brands. I personally like IBM, Dell, Compaq.

Same, it really depends on what you'll be using it for.

 

[flippinfleck]

Okay, here goes. It will be used a lot indoors during class. But that's not the only place. In the car, on the campus grounds, etc. al. I'm not lookin to go big on the apps. Mostly just Word, Excel, ICQ, Photoshop(wont get a lot of use on the road though). I looked around a lot lastnight, and so far I like the IBM Thinkpads. Not sure which model I'm going to go with. The battery will need to last 3-4 hours normal use (not running huge apps for extended periods of time). Needs to be compatible w/my home network (Win98SE) so built in 10/100 lan is a must. Floppy is a gotta have, as is CDROM(NOT DVD!). Reliability is my main issue here, as it will be used by my fiance mainly(not a computer junkie). I've never delved into the world of notebooks so I wouldn't know the first thing about adding/removing/installing hardware. Should I avoid buying at a BestBuy/Staples? Any reccomendations as to an online retailer? Thanks for the help! Peace

 

[jimmt]

Fujitsu, 3 yr warrenty and they go all out for thier customers. I worked there for a couple of months as a Tech rep. One of the customers had his Lifebook in a flood and called Fujitsu to see how much the laptop would cost to fix, Fujitsu said don't worry about and had him send it in. They replaced the whole damn thing! I have never worked or seen a company do something like this for a customer. I worked for IBM for 3yrs prior to working at Fujitsu. If your Thinkpad comes in with crack plastics, it will leave with crack plastics, unless you request them to replace it. If you do request them to fix it, they will charge you. Fujistu's policy is to make the product brand new when before it leaves the shop. They are also a great when it comes to prices and performance. Nice machines all around. Hell, I am looking for someone to trade me one for my Powerbook G3. Anyway, great customer service, great prices, and outstanding warrenty. Can't beat that. Look at thier S series, thin and sleak.

Jim

 

[ejoech]

Euclid Computers


GREATTTTTTTTTT prices!

I got my Hewlett Packard Pavilion N5195, which is great, for about 500 dollars including overnight shipping cheaper than at CompUSA and BestBuy.

-Sage

 

[Eug]

<< Needs to be compatible w/my home network (Win98SE) so built in 10/100 lan is a must. >>

The 10/100 LAN cards are as cheap as US$40 these days. For this reason, I don't think you should necessarily limit your choices to those with built in LAN. I agree that 10/100 is a must, but unfortunately, the notebook makers haven't clued into that yet. Thus, there are many excellent machines are missing only the LAN access built-in. If you've got two PCMCIA slots, filling one up with a LAN card isn't a big deal.

 

[jaywallen]

I agree with Eug. Don't predicate your decision on the single issue of whether or not the notebook has a built-in Ethernet port. That can be added.

I'd say don't get hung up on brands. The advice in this paragraph may be hard to follow, since you may not be able to get a look at the systems first-hand, particularly those like Dell that aren't sold out of stores. Look at examples of each model you are considering, holding them on your lap, trying out the keyboard and screen, checking positions of key items like CD-ROM tray and floppy slot to be sure that you can use the system comfortably. If you have to have access to all devices all the time, then don't get a system that forces you to choose between floppy and CD-ROM. (Using an external floppy can be a PIA when you're traveling.) And while we're talking about it, notebook computers don't work well on the lap. They run too hot. If you wish to hold one in your lap, get a lap board -- to protect you from heat, and to protect the notebook from overheating (possibly). Also, check the unit for sturdiness. If you want to carry it around a lot, be aware that some of these puppies are FLIMSY! I'd say that top-of-the-line IBMs and Toshibas are sturdiest among the most popular brands. I like Fujitsus, but some of them have the stupidest pointing device I've ever seen. Some Dells are sturdy, and some come apart as though they were made of cheap cardboard. (I've owned Dells, Toshibas and IBMs. Enjoyed them all for the most part.)

Since you plan on using the unit &quot;on the road&quot; (literally) a TFT screen is an absolute must. Those dual-scan technology or &quot;high performance&quot; screens that look so nice an bright indoors will be washed out to the point of utter uselessness when you're out-of-doors. (Even TFT can be pretty hard to read in such lighting conditions.)

You said that you don't want to go heavy on apps, but then mentioned Word, Excel and Photoshop. Well, Word and Excel like lots of memory, but Photoshop adores it. I wouldn't think of using Photoshop on a system with less than 512 MB RAM. Remember that a notebook computer is going to have a SLOW hard drive. Some are faster than others, but you will NOT be blown away by the speed. A unit that swaps Photoshop or anything else constantly to disk will drive you crazy.

Oh yes, W2K on a notebook is a far better OS than Win98SE or WinME. It actually makes most systems feel as though the hardware has been upgraded. It really is that good. But you might wish to wait for Whistler Personal if you're not into systems. NT-based OSes are a bit more unforgiving of things like configuration mistakes, especially security setting errors, than the consumer Windows OSes.

So let's see: TFT, 512 MB RAM, 4 hours battery life -- uh, I think that's gonna cost a lot more than $1,000 to $1,500. If you find those features for that money, you've gotta promise to post a link!

Good luck!

Regards,
Jim

 

[Eug]

Dell just dropped many of their notebooks by 20%.

(P.S. It's great having a PDA, Visor for me, with AvantGo. Very useful info.)

 

[flippinfleck]

Thank you all for the 411. I got a chance to try out a Fujitsu today, along with a Toshiba and Sony. Didn't like the Sony and the Toshiba had what I was lookin for (other than the fact that it had DVD) for the price. Fujitsu also seemed fairly nice. I guess I'm gonna do some more lookin round fore I actually purchase, just to compare/contrast. I'll use the reccomendations given here along with the customer service info (thanks Jim). Peace

 

[hans007]

Check hot deals forum. you can get the thinkpad i1340 for $900 at onvia with a coupon. free shipping no tax.

its
celeron 500
12.1 tft
64mb ram
56k
10/100 lan built in
24x cd
2mb video
5 gig hard drive
6 pounds, pretty nice

they also mention a $1000 HP one at wallmart.com

that one is
celeron 500
12.1 tft
64mb ram
8x dvd
4mb savage ix
tv out
5 gig hdd

 

[tbumpus]

I'd suggest a Dell or a Thinkpad. You may end up paying more for what you want, but there's a reason for that. We've used Dell boxes at work for years and I can't say enough good things about their service and support, which has been great on those very rare occasions when we've needed it.