Help with a laptop

Talk about anything under the sun or stars - but keep it civil. This is where we really get to know each other. Everyone is welcome, and invited!
User avatar
GodInYourEyes
Soldier
Soldier
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:18 pm
Location: Imp Sin Alone, MN

Help with a laptop

Postby GodInYourEyes » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:24 pm

I want to buy a laptop, but I know little about them.
I need somthing with everything to full fill all my computer needs.
Can someone give me some halp? please!
Lost in the dark with only one light to guide us

Dr. Mobius
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 2539
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:11 pm
Title: Stayin' Alive
First Joined: 17 Aug 2002
Location: Evansville, IN

Postby Dr. Mobius » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:38 pm

Image
The enemy's fly is down.
Image

User avatar
Wil
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 1373
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:07 pm
Title: Not the mama!
Location: 36° 11' 39" N, 115° 13' 19" W

Postby Wil » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:18 pm

I has that notebook. Sweet notebook. I can totally beat Hangman every time.

Anyways; Any laptop you buy now will work. Unless you're looking to encode video or render 3d images you could buy the cheapest one and still have it run multiple programs with ease. Last time I checked Lenovo was still a good brand and they still let you order laptops with XP installed on them so that's always a plus.

Stay away from Vista if at all possible. ;)

fawkes
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 915
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 3:53 pm
Title: punk
Location: Denver, Colorado
Contact:

Postby fawkes » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:19 pm

I have vista. I can't play any games. It sucks.

Dr. Mobius
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 2539
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:11 pm
Title: Stayin' Alive
First Joined: 17 Aug 2002
Location: Evansville, IN

Postby Dr. Mobius » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:22 pm

I have a Mac. I can't play any games. It sucks.
The enemy's fly is down.
Image

Jayelle
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:32 pm
Title: Queen Ducky
First Joined: 25 Feb 2002
Location: The Far East (of Canada)

Postby Jayelle » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:41 pm

I have vista. I can't play any games. It sucks.
Vista has this great way of telling you that there's something wrong with Adobe so they have trouble opening .pdf's. No, Vista, there's nothing wrong with Adobe, there's something WRONG WITH YOU!!
One Duck to rule them all.
--------------------------------
It needs to be about 20% cooler.

User avatar
Luet
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4511
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:49 pm
Title: Bird Nerd
First Joined: 01 Jul 2000
Location: Albany, NY

Postby Luet » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:15 pm

I have vista because it came on the wicked cheap laptop deal that I got from the store ($450 or something) and I haven't had any problems with it. It took awhile to get used to the look of the menus and stuff but other than that, it's fine. I would have preferred to stick with XP but I didn't really have a choice if I wanted to spend as little as possible on a new laptop.
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus in Return to Tipasa

ender1
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 690
Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:22 am
Title: I know Photo-fu

Postby ender1 » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:45 pm

Stay away from HP

User avatar
Syphon the Sun
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 2218
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:59 pm
Title: Ozymandias

Postby Syphon the Sun » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:07 pm

Stay away from HP
See, I've had a lot of success with HP.

eriador
KillEvilBanned
Posts: 2512
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:02 pm
Location: North Plains, OR (read Portland)

Postby eriador » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:20 pm

I have a Mac. I can't play any games. It sucks.
http://simonhaertel.de/

Otherwise, I agree.


Anyway... I'd suggest laptop-wise to go with linux. It's a lot easier on batteries and has fewer requirements.

User avatar
locke
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 3046
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:07 pm
Contact:

Postby locke » Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:17 am

you can still get xp on dell computers if you buy through the small business menu. prices are comparable too.
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

zeroguy
Commander
Commander
Posts: 2741
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:29 pm
Title: 01111010 01100111
First Joined: 0- 8-2001
Location: Where you least expect me.
Contact:

Postby zeroguy » Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:26 am

Anyway... I'd suggest laptop-wise to go with linux. It's a lot easier on batteries and has fewer requirements.
Silly zealots, proselytizing is for... other threads? I thought the question was of hardware/what to buy, not what to run on it.

Anyway, it'd be helpful if you clarified what "all your computing needs" are. If it's just web surfing, reading/writing documents, email, etc., then yeah, anything on the market now would suffice. After that, you just need to determine based on price, hardware reliability, and style.

I will say Thinkpads are pretty darn good for hardware reliability. I've had this one for over a year and a half (T60), and absolutely no hardware problems that I've noticed (I don't use a few things, like bluetooth, IR, and the fingerprint scanner). It's very sturdy. Unfortunately, I've heard bad things about pretty much every laptop manufacturer regarding actually fixing/replacing broken stuff. So, if something breaks, it's probably not fun. And I'm assuming you don't care... but they are pretty Linux compatible.

Not generally regarded as "stylish" though, except possibly for some new models I heard about and think look like crap. Generally, look elsewhere for that. They're also not cheap.

Oh, and if you just want to know what others are using... I generally see Thinkpads and MacBook Pros around the generally-knowledgable computery people I'm around.

Edit: I have a laptop running Linux. I can't play any games, except for the only one that matters: Nethack. It rocks.
Proud member of the Canadian Alliance.

dgf hhw

User avatar
Luet
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4511
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:49 pm
Title: Bird Nerd
First Joined: 01 Jul 2000
Location: Albany, NY

Postby Luet » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:15 am

Anyway, it'd be helpful if you clarified what "all your computing needs" are. If it's just web surfing, reading/writing documents, email, etc., then yeah, anything on the market now would suffice.
Exactly. If those are your computing needs, you can pretty much get one of the cheap laptop deals at any of the big chains for under $500 and be fine, like I have done. Try to get a dual core, at least 1gb ram (for Vista, which it will probably come with) and say NO to anything the sales rep try to sell you. I had a compaq that lasted a few years until I decided to upgrade and now I have an acer. I have pretty basic computing needs though. Internet, documents, digital pictures, etc.
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus in Return to Tipasa

eriador
KillEvilBanned
Posts: 2512
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:02 pm
Location: North Plains, OR (read Portland)

Postby eriador » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:53 am

I have a laptop running Linux. I can't play any games, except for the only one that matters: Nethack. It rocks.
Too true. I def. compiled it from source on OS X :D

Jayelle
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4027
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:32 pm
Title: Queen Ducky
First Joined: 25 Feb 2002
Location: The Far East (of Canada)

Postby Jayelle » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:56 am

Stay away from HP
Anyone else's brain immediately go to "Harry Potter"?
One Duck to rule them all.
--------------------------------
It needs to be about 20% cooler.

User avatar
GodInYourEyes
Soldier
Soldier
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:18 pm
Location: Imp Sin Alone, MN

Postby GodInYourEyes » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:05 pm

I really dont care how the laptop looks as long as it works.
my computer needs are for video games, pictures, videos,
and other school stuff (going to collage next year). I did plan
to stay away from vista. Dont want to sound like a rich snob
but money isnt a problem I'm willing to spend like 5000 or
more not sure yet.
Lost in the dark with only one light to guide us

User avatar
Luet
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
Posts: 4511
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:49 pm
Title: Bird Nerd
First Joined: 01 Jul 2000
Location: Albany, NY

Postby Luet » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:25 pm

Okay, well then disregard my recommendations and listen to the computer nerds/experts.
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus in Return to Tipasa

User avatar
daPyr0x
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 820
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:28 pm
Title: Firebug
Location: Inside the blackhole that became of my heart

Postby daPyr0x » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:30 pm

Up until you said you're looking for something pricy I was going to say EeePC (partially because I think they're the God's gift to laptops :-p).

You've gotta figure out what your priorities are. You can go to Alienware or Voodoo and buy an insane laptop for $5000 (or more) that can play games at speeds that would make HP desktops scared; but then you lose battery life and have a laptop that's rather large and hot. Or you can go to Lenovo and buy a X300 that has tons of battery life (and hey, with that kinda money, you can always buy an extra battery or 5), is super portable, and basically everything you could possibly want out of a laptop; but it's not going to be a gaming monster.

If I had money, I'd buy the X300 in a heartbeat. Maybe a bit thicker than the Macbook Air; but I get replacable batteries, optical drive, and the like. I just lose the cool factor of being a mac geek... :roll:

But, given that I don't have money; the EeePC is what's right for me. I recommend it to everyone because it's fast, inexpensive, and really everything a laptop needs to be with none of the 'fluff'
Stop trying to be perfect. Focus on being you; perfect will come.
"If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy I could have won"
Image

User avatar
Borommakot_15
Soldier
Soldier
Posts: 126
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:09 pm
Location: Near Cincinnati, Ohio
Contact:

Postby Borommakot_15 » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:36 pm

Stay away from HP
See, I've had a lot of success with HP.
I didn't like HP until I just bought my new lappy.

It is an HP Pavillion dv9700, it came with Vista Home Premium (which doesnt have secpol.msc on it... bah!), and it works fine.

I don't really care for Vista, but.. I didn't care for XP, when it first came out, either. I would STILL rather go back to Windows 2000.

But, so far as laptops go, I can reccomend this one.

So, I don't know what to say about HP.
PWeb 2.0 Join Date:
October 19 2002, 08:01

ender1
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 690
Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:22 am
Title: I know Photo-fu

Postby ender1 » Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:38 pm

Stay away from HP
See, I've had a lot of success with HP.
I deal with over 500 HP machines at work, they're nice, when they work. Support is the worst I've seen, so much so I'll never buy from them.

Noodle
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 553
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 6:18 pm
Title: Pastamancer Tony
First Joined: 06 Feb 1916
Contact:

Postby Noodle » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:27 pm

I've sold HP, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Acer and Lenovo. Of all of those I will recommend Lenovo Hands Down. Their tech support is fantastic, their laptops are functional and durable.

The X300 is the sexy Lenovo these days, but any ThinkPad or IdeaPad would suffice. ThinkPads are usually business class (durable, reliable, and no nonsense) IdeaPads are for Home users and they come with some more consumer level features (Fancy speakers, glossy screens, consumer software).

I own Toshiba, HP, and Mac laptops. If I were to buy one today I'd get a Lenovo hands down.
Co-Founder of the Canadian Alliance

I'm known as Tony on the internet.

User avatar
Syphon the Sun
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 2218
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:59 pm
Title: Ozymandias

Postby Syphon the Sun » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:34 pm

I'm not sure I'd even want to do serious gaming on a laptop. You'd get the most bang for your buck to buy a quality laptop for laptop things and a quality gaming desktop for gaming things.

zeroguy
Commander
Commander
Posts: 2741
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:29 pm
Title: 01111010 01100111
First Joined: 0- 8-2001
Location: Where you least expect me.
Contact:

Postby zeroguy » Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:38 am

my computer needs are for video games, pictures, videos, and other school stuff (going to collage next year)
Games, like, 3d-accelerated ones? Okay, then the only real non-basic requirement you have is a halfway decent graphics card. NVIDIA or ATI these days, probably; I'll let someone else recommend a particular one if they want, as I don't pay too much attention to them.

And are you actually going to be moving around with it? I got a laptop before going to college because it seemed like everyone did, but I didn't really need to. All it does is sit at my desk. It probably uses a lot less power, though, than a desktop, which is nice. Would battery life actually be a concern?
Proud member of the Canadian Alliance.

dgf hhw

User avatar
GodInYourEyes
Soldier
Soldier
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:18 pm
Location: Imp Sin Alone, MN

Postby GodInYourEyes » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:41 am

Would battery life actually be a concern?

Well battery life is hard to determine because I could carry the charger
but then theres that what if I forget it or I can't plug it in. :/ well if
it lasts 8 hours or more it good

User avatar
daPyr0x
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 820
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:28 pm
Title: Firebug
Location: Inside the blackhole that became of my heart

Postby daPyr0x » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:43 am

Would battery life actually be a concern?

Well battery life is hard to determine because I could carry the charger
but then theres that what if I forget it or I can't plug it in. :/ well if
it lasts 8 hours or more it good
8 hours? You're dreaming. Maybe if you carry an extra battery or two (more like two on most laptops)...
Stop trying to be perfect. Focus on being you; perfect will come.
"If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy I could have won"
Image

User avatar
GodInYourEyes
Soldier
Soldier
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:18 pm
Location: Imp Sin Alone, MN

Postby GodInYourEyes » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:45 am

well I said it before I dont know much about laptops, 2 hours is
good I guess. dose any one know how to make a nuclear power
laptop battery :D

User avatar
Rei
Commander
Commander
Posts: 3068
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:31 pm
Title: Fides quaerens intellectum
First Joined: 24 Nov 2003
Location: Between the lines

Postby Rei » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:59 am

My mac gets a range of 3-6 hours, depending on how much I'm running. That's definitely more than I've ever hoped for out of a laptop.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
~Blaise Pascal


私は。。。誰?

Dernhelm

jotabe
Toon Leader
Toon Leader
Posts: 2105
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:59 am
Title: Leekmaster Kirbyfu

Postby jotabe » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:18 am

Image
Humm... that looks like a Mac...


Btw, now on topic: from my own experience, if you want to do some gaming on your laptop, always chose amd processor. Why? because amd laptop motherboards are often the ones with best integrated graphic cards.
Image


Return to “Milagre Town Square”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests