I Need (want) a Laptop

[aaronc879]

My 7 year old Sony desktop computer is on it's last legs and I was thinking about getting a laptop. I know next to nothing about computers and could use some advice. All I do is surf the net, do email, and watch tv shows online. Maybe a very limited amount of Word documents. What do I NEED to have in terms of speed, memory, etc? My understanding is that I need a good graphics card to watch tv shows online without having skips or pauses in the show but what exactly is "good"? I don't want to spend more than I need to because every dollar I spend is another dollar I need to earn before FIRE. So what are the minimum specs I should be looking for? Brand name recommendations? I'm definetly staying under $1000 even after wireless router, wireless mouse, and anti virus.

 

[freebird5825]

Check out TigerDirect for some later model computers left over from the holiday "stock up" operation. Sometimes TD will run a special just to offload inventory they didn't move quickly in a peak season. You picked a great time to shop.
My advice is always buy a little better capability than you think you need in case you get into something that is more processor intensive down the road. Memory and video card upgrades are very expensive. I used to spec out and buy a lot of digital equipment and computer systems when I <gulp> w*rked.
Stay away from the high end gaming systems featured on the home page. Too expensive and are geared for the addicted gamer market who have to have the fastest blah blah blah...
I am a lover of Dell systems, strictly a personal preference. Avoid all Gateways if they still make them - the mean time to failure (break down)tends to be very short based on my past experience.

 

[laurence]

A certian fuzzy rodent pointed this gem out to me. Good price on a high end laptop:

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System - $599

Bought it yesterday. Get the free upgrade to the 250 gig 7200 rpm hard drive with drop sensor.

 

[Rustic23]

After you get advice here check: Dell Outlet - Refurbished Computers - Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished PCs

You will find a Inspiron Mini less than $349 with a 16 gig solid state drive. It depends on you desire for screen size if this will work for you. The computer is light, good battery life, good for email, and net surfing. Not sure about TV.

Anyway if this is not your cup of tea, there are good deals on just about all dell products.

As recommended above, Tiger Direct, has good prices and gets good reviews for service.

I have 2 HPs. one 4 years old, one 6 months old. Both have been good computers, but I have heard their service is not rated very high. I also have a Gateway desktop. 1 year old. Worst computer I have owned and I have owned computers since 1978!

 

[dex]

If you don't need a dvd drive or can live with a separate one; look into the Lenovo S10

 

[aaronc879]

How about warranty's? Are they worth it on a low end laptop?

 

[Martha]

Depends on the cost of the warranty, the one Laurence linked to has a good deal on an extended warranty.

My Thinkpad is three years old and had a three year warranty. In that time period I got a new keyboard, new touchpad and a new fan. I don't think that it is a lemon either, this is the first time I have had a laptop last three years. I drag them everwhere.

 

[Rustic23]

I have never paid for the extended warranty on a computer. Take it home, turn it on and leave it on for a week or so. Heat kills computers. If it survives, it will usually be good for as long as you hav eit.

 

[Running_Man]

Go to Ebay and purchase a used laptop. An excellent computer loaded with Microsoft Office, a DVD/CD RW drive and wireless internet capability can easily be had for $250 that will meet all your needs.

 

[wrigley]

How about warranty's? Are they worth it on a low end laptop?

I think they are. I bought my first laptop about 8 years ago. (HP). At that time everyone I talked to told me to get the extended warranty because laptops are more fragile than desktops. I wound up purchasing the 5 year extended warranty for $250.00. Sure enough.......4 plus years into the warranty my hard drive bit the big one. I called the service department # on my warranty and they replaced my hard drive free of charge. This situation happpened to work out for me.

P.S. As a rule of thumb I NEVER purchase the extended warranty on anything I buy!

 

[MichaelB]

My 7 year old Sony desktop computer is on it's last legs and I was thinking about getting a laptop. I know next to nothing about computers and could use some advice. All I do is surf the net, do email, and watch tv shows online. Maybe a very limited amount of Word documents. What do I NEED to have in terms of speed, memory, etc? My understanding is that I need a good graphics card to watch tv shows online without having skips or pauses in the show but what exactly is "good"? I don't want to spend more than I need to because every dollar I spend is another dollar I need to earn before FIRE. So what are the minimum specs I should be looking for? Brand name recommendations? I'm definetly staying under $1000 even after wireless router, wireless mouse, and anti virus.

Why do you want a laptop over a desktop? A desktop offers more and better video options and has beter price performance than a laptop. Do you need mobility or have limited space not mentioned in your needs summary?

Michael

 

[Moemg]

Best Buy has specials each week on different laptops . I bought a Dell duo processor for $499 .

 

[REWahoo]

I'd recommend you take a look at the Acer Aspire AS4730-4857 Notebook or one of it's may variants. Based on the recommendation of a certain hairy hare, I bought it a month ago and have been very happy with the results. I've seen it priced from $399 (at Newegg) to $549 (at Office Depot) and I've also seen other variants with larger screens and hard drives priced in the same range. Check out the customer reviews at Newegg and you'll see the unit offers a lot of bang for the buck and should meet the needs you described very well.

 

[W2R]

Why do you want a laptop over a desktop? A desktop offers more and better video options and has beter price performance than a laptop. Do you need mobility or have limited space not mentioned in your needs summary?

I think these are good questions to think about, Aaron, especially given your inclination to LBYM more than some others here might (like me - - I have both a laptop and a desktop). Desktops do tend to be sturdier, in my experience, and seem to last me about a year longer than laptops. Desktops are often cheaper than laptops so you might be able to save $100 or so. Or, you could upgrade to a larger monitor with a desktop than you might have with a laptop.

I hesitate to recommend a model of laptop, since I am unfamiliar with what level of various resources might be required to watch TV on a laptop. I would assume that nearly any laptop would be able to handle the rest of your requirements.

 

[FinanceDude]

The best deals I have seen are on www.dealnews.com

 

[Rustic23]

As I said earlier I have both. There was a time when I had no use for a laptop. They were heavy, hot, and lower powered. I still think many are too heavy/big. However, I use a laptop almost exclusively now. It sits besides my chair and I turn it on and off multiple times a day. Check in here, look things up on google as questions come up, check tv listings, just about anything that comes up during the day. It is the older of the two and as far as I know going strong. Battery will still last about an hour, however I never use it on battery.

I bought a new laptop to replace this one, but when I had so many problems with the Gateway desktop, by the way I think it is made by Acer now, I gave DW the new laptop and she uses it as a desktop replacement.

 

[laurence]

DW benefits from a laptop in that she can drag it throughout the house to work on the business while still being in the same room the kids are playing (ah, wireless). I agree you get more bang for the buck on features with a desktop vs. a laptop, but that price difference has seriously converged. The laptop I linked to would cost almost as much in a desktop format. My experience with laptops is you have less flexibility to upgrade, but at the same time they've been more stable (both OS and hardware) since the parts are essentially tailored for each other. DW's current laptop is 4 years old (stinkpad) and is just fine. But it's provided to her by largest client/former employer and really shouldn't be used for other business.

 

[Bestwifeever]

How about warranty's? Are they worth it on a low end laptop?

Also, your credit card might double the original warranty period provided by the manufacturer (mine does).

 

[MichaelB]

Granted, the difference in price has declined, but it is still there. The same processor, memory and hard drive costs less in a desktop, while the monitor is larger (important for TV) and the video card probably somewhat better. Laptop packaging has an unavoidable cost, to be paid either in less function or more $$.

The advantage of a laptop is mobility and footprint.

The advantage of a desktop is component upgradeability. This means additional functionality and capacity can be introduced over time, and component prices are also less expensive than their laptop counterparts.

Both have their uses, and we have had so many of each I can’t even keep count. My only point is to try to narrow down the requirement – that makes it easier to find the best solution.

Michael

 

[laurence]

I went desktop for those reasons. Still, DW picked up a docking station for $40 and can have whatever size monitor she wants that way. If cost is the only/primary consideration then laptops can't compete, but the premium for the convenience is becoming very small. Unless you are a gamer (which I am) the laptop makes a strong case for itself now.

 

[aaronc879]

Why do you want a laptop over a desktop? A desktop offers more and better video options and has beter price performance than a laptop. Do you need mobility or have limited space not mentioned in your needs summary?

Michael

I would like the mobility that a laptop provides. I have a nice large deck at my condo that I would like to go on with my laptop. I'd also like to take it with me when I visit my parents. Also, i'd like to have a laptop so I can bring it along when I travel. I've had a desktop for 7 years, i'd really like to try a laptop this time around.

 

[OAG]

I would like the mobility that a laptop provides. I have a nice large deck at my condo that I would like to go on with my laptop. I'd also like to take it with me when I visit my parents. Also, i'd like to have a laptop so I can bring it along when I travel. I've had a desktop for 7 years, i'd really like to try a laptop this time around.

I have both a DT and NB and I agree the notebook is very convenient. The Notebook is very nice when you travel and, even at home, I find myself using the Notebook a lot (using it now, in the living room). However, to get the graphics and horsepower you want you may have to spend more. Personally, I am using a Dell Notebook with a SSD (solid state hard drive) and a Dual Processor Chip with 128 MB of Video. Adequate for me but now I see you can actually get one with 256 MB of Video and a SSD twice as large as mine for about the same $$. Good luck on your search. BTW I would recommend you consider a longer term warranty (longer than a year). Notebooks have a habit of being tough to fix (and are expensive to fix) if they act up.

 

[MichaelB]

I went desktop for those reasons. Still, DW picked up a docking station for $40 and can have whatever size monitor she wants that way. If cost is the only/primary consideration then laptops can't compete, but the premium for the convenience is becoming very small. Unless you are a gamer (which I am) the laptop makes a strong case for itself now.

I use a laptop because I travel a lot and when at home connect to an external monitor. My DW uses a desktop.

I would like the mobility that a laptop provides. I have a nice large deck at my condo that I would like to go on with my laptop. I'd also like to take it with me when I visit my parents. Also, i'd like to have a laptop so I can bring it along when I travel. I've had a desktop for 7 years, i'd really like to try a laptop this time around.

Good reasons for a laptop. Do you want to hook up to an external monitor when watching tv/movies?

Lets see, laptop $725-750 1.88GHz, 2GB memory , 250GB hard disk, 14.1” monitor The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
linksys router $48 Amazon.com: Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router: Electronics
norton antivirus $28 Amazon.com: Norton Antivirus 2009: Software

You can still get a 19” dell monitor for $150 and stay under $1K. This configuration will last a good while, especially if you keep the SW.

Note - the dell link is just an example, not a recommendation. The configuration is more than adequate for your need, but there are certainly other good options, including HP and Lenovo. Whichever brand you choose, you should stay toward the low end - it's where the real price performance is. You should also make sure to have as much memory as you can afford (2 GM minimum) - this is key if you want the computer to last.

Michael

 

[ERD50]

I wound up purchasing the 5 year extended warranty for $250.00. Sure enough.......4 plus years into the warranty my hard drive bit the big one. I called the service department # on my warranty and they replaced my hard drive free of charge. This situation happpened to work out for me.

P.S. As a rule of thumb I NEVER purchase the extended warranty on anything I buy!

I'd also suggest that anyone buying a new laptop determine if the Hard Drive is user-serviceable. Some are easy to replace, some are major.

Not uncommon for a hard drive to go bad, but new ones can be had for $80 (probably much less), and *some* are very easy to replace.

But in general I agree that a ext warr makes some sense for a laptop, they do have a higher tendency for failure. I"m surprised the ext warranties are not even higher $.

I also avoid warr, but this area is worth considering.

-ERD50