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Laptop recommendations?

post #1 of 19
4/19/09 at 2:33am
Thread Starter 
Yes, I'm familiar with Google. Yes, I'm familiar with CNET and PCworld. If you can't help a brotha out just ignore the topic.

The fact is, there are a million fucking laptops out there with new models every minute. These resources haven't done me a whole lot of good as so many computers seem indistinguishable without having them in front of me to experiment with. I haven't bought a new computer in 6 years, having replaced my last purchase with a hand-me-down that lasted a good 2 years and it has been even longer since I purchased a laptop.

I'm going back to school next fall and that will be its primary use. Word processing, internet, the occasional movie, maybe some photo editing. I'd put battery life at a premium and I'd like to spend less than a grand if I can help it.

There are some pretty savvy computer folks here and I figured maybe someone could at least help point me in the right direction. I'd really appreciate any honest responses.
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post #2 of 19
4/19/09 at 3:00am
I have a Fujitsu P series laptop that I bought back fully loaded in 04. I've had zero problems outside of dropping it once and breaking the hinge. Sent it in no problems and had it as good as new in a week.

Outside of that, I had to get another battery. Honestly, I've looked at all the laptop makers on the market, and I'll be getting another Fujitsu, no questions asked. I just would like to have a slightly bigger laptop. The P series is super small and one that has a 12 inch screen would probably the perfect size.

Some would get a larger one, some would get the 17inch giant laptops. But, unless you work on the road alot, just get something a little bit easier to lug around and that has decent battery life. If you want a bigger screen. Get a flat panel and a docking station.

Hope this helps.
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post #3 of 19
4/19/09 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 
I will look into that, thank you. The 12 inch screen is a little too small, but I imagine screen size and battery life are inversely proportional. I'm going to have to find a happy-medium there.
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post #4 of 19
4/19/09 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
I guess I was feeling impulsive today. After a lot of comparisons I went with a Dell XPS m1530. I'm not thrilled about having to use Vista but the machine itself sounds fantastic for the 1100 (with tax) that I paid for it.
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post #5 of 19
4/19/09 at 6:27pm
Should have gotten a MacBook!

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...family/macbook
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post #6 of 19
4/19/09 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
I want one, and maybe after I graduate from law school I'll be able to afford anything other than a base model.
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post #7 of 19
4/19/09 at 7:16pm
Wow, an XPS m1530? That seems like a bit much for the things your looking to do on it. If you end up playing games on it though let me know. I'm really curious as to how the laptop graphics cards handle games.
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post #8 of 19
4/20/09 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZombieFever View Post
Wow, an XPS m1530? That seems like a bit much for the things your looking to do on it. If you end up playing games on it though let me know. I'm really curious as to how the laptop graphics cards handle games.
Yea, I know. I haven't had a laptop in so long I just get scared something bare bones around six or seven hundred dollars won't be able to keep up with my multi-tasking ways. I want movies to look nice too. So, even though I'm now pretty much broke I hope that extra few hundred will be worth it. A grand for a laptop seems pretty reasonable to me.

If and when I play some games on it (likely when), I'll let you know.
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post #9 of 19
4/20/09 at 5:58am
Anyone of you guys willing to give me the lowdown on this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Compaq-Presa...0217272&sr=8-1

I'm in the same boat as Judd, just want it for writing, listening to music, watching videos, browsing etc. But the HDMI is important to me so that I can hook it up to my TV.
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post #10 of 19
4/20/09 at 6:25am
Bit of a slow hard drive. Likely to be shared memory graphics card giving you about 2GB of useable ram.

Minor quibbles, i've had nothing but problems with my Compaq laptops but for that price it's hard to beat the spec. Especially considering your requirements.
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post #11 of 19
4/20/09 at 9:04am
I decided to go with a Dell Studio 15 model, some IT literate friends gave me a dressing down as the laptop I wanted to buy had a celleron processor which is like computer aids of something
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post #12 of 19
4/20/09 at 9:37am
Celeron used to be the most battery-friendly thing going. The graphics card in that dell is a significant step up... for all your web-browing needs.

Still, not that much more expensive. Guess Dell's at least better than Compaq.
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post #13 of 19
6/8/09 at 10:31am
So how's the laptop working out, Judd? I'm looking for something similar.
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post #14 of 19
6/8/09 at 5:40pm
Thread Starter 
Y'know, I meant to come back and post my impressions and just plain forgot. It's fantastic though. Really I couldn't be happier. The only game I have for it is Rome: Total War, an older game but it still runs impressively smooth on high visual settings. Everything else runs well, and I even kinda like Vista (my first experience with it).
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post #15 of 19
8/6/10 at 5:05pm
Current business laptop ended up drinking a large glass of hot chocolate. I cannot locate a part number for a motherboard. I was offered one of these at around $499. This weekend is tax free back-to-school weekend and I either need to find a motherboard or get a new laptop.

Any thoughts?

I had a Lenovo ThinkPad R61i.

The laptop needs to function as sort of a desktop. Nothing too crazy, no game playing, just basic internet, Quickbooks, MSOffice (powerpoint, publisher), Netflix viewing. Bluetooth would be nice but if not I have an adaptor.
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post #16 of 19
10/31/10 at 9:52pm
Well, my laptop is on the way out. The HDD makes horrible noises occasionally and the system is incredibly slow*(the startup tune even stutters). I'd just get a new harddrive, but the computer is outdated to begin with, so I'm not sure it's worth it.

I don't need anything top-of-the-line, as the least expensive laptop on shelves would probably still be an upgrade for me. I don't game on my computer, but I do use Photoshop and music-making programs a good deal. A big HDD is a plus, as I deal with a lot of photos.
Any recommendations for a thrifty consumer? I'll probably go through Best Buy or a brick and mortar store of that nature as I don't want to have to deal with a big mess if I have to return it for whatever reason.

Thanks much in advance!

*From research, it seems that it could be a "dirty" harddrive. Does anyone know of free scans I can download to scan the condition of the harddrive, or if there's something like that built into Windows(I'm on XP)? I found some stuff online but it wasn't particularly helpful.
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post #17 of 19
11/4/10 at 8:55pm
Anyone? I have several friends on the case, but it never hurts.
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post #18 of 19
12/5/10 at 2:37am
My niece's hard drive was on the verge of death. I replaced it with a faster and bigger HDD for $45 (and it was really easy to replace). I discovered when I opened the back that one the memory chips was dislodged, so the machine was only recognizing 1 GB instead of 3. Fixed that, then installed the new HDD.

The great thing I was able to do--I installed a clean version of Windows 7 on the HDD using an upgrade edition. I found a site that tells you how to hack it, and I got to the last option, and that worked. Awesome.

As far as scanning your HDD, you can try going to the computer in Windows, hit "properties" on the hard drive, then go to tools and select disk scan. Check the box that says to automatically fix any errors, then hit start. It should tell you that you need to schedule one. Say "OK", then re-boot the machine. When it comes back up, it should go right into the disk scan. It will probably take a couple of hours, though.
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post #19 of 19
12/5/10 at 2:57am
Late to the thread but it's been one year since we bought an ASUS UL80VT -- incredible battery life, dual graphics depending on what you're doing, dvd drive, several usb ports plus an hdmi port. Only gripe is built-in WiFi is only 802.11n 2.4GHz instead of dual band, and bluetooth requires a daughter board.

Haven't explored if any of the newer stuff from ASUS is any better.
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