So I'm getting a laptop... Help?

[sabertooth1217]

So I'm getting a laptop.... Help?

Currently my desktop well... sucks. I'm looking to get a cheap laptop for college next year. So far I have $545.00 USD saved up and I can expect to get about $800 in total to spend. I'm looking for any type of laptop that would suit my needs, and I thought that you all might be able to help me out!

Basically I want it to be able to do everything basic, such as standard stuff fast and efficiently as well as having the ability to play PC games on it. (I lost my PS2 when I moved to PSP and I've decided just to get a Laptop that has the power needed to perform gaming at a good level.)

Right now my Desktop has these:

-Windows XP Home
-Intel Pentium III processor
-597 MHz
-224 MB of RAM

not so good.. I'm looking at this notebook:

with so and so changes:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0929096293.1135804315@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccekaddgikjeeemcfngcfkmdflldfjl.0&template_type=cto_store&sto_cto=PT165AV

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor Intel(R) Celeron(R) M 360 (1.4 GHz)
Display 14.0" WXGA Widescreen (1280x768)
Graphics Card Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 900 - Celeron
Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)
Hard Drive 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking Integrated 56K Modem + 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Primary Battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money

with the price after rebate $599.00

Is this a good buy or is there a better laptop for my needs around the same price range?

Any comments / feedback is very appreciated.

[Tuvok8917]

COMPAQ!! Don't buy!!

I will show you some good ones on MSN

[lionhead]

Yeah, listen to Tuvok8917. Compaq computers suck. You can't acces them at all.


Get a Dell

[Dirt]

I don't recommend a laptop for playing games. Desktop computers are better for those. As far as the specifications are concerned they look ok, nothing spectacular. But again, it wouldn't be a good gaming system, it would be good for an office/windows/internet machine.

[Leo Wyatt]

No don't get a Dell! I had a Dell it is a piece of crap. No compaq either. Hp Paviolon sorry for the poor spelling. Hp is pretty good.

[Republican_Man]

They may be expensive, but I'd see about getting a Toshiba. Dell laptops are fine, but DO NOT get Compaq or HP. No way. Highly inadvisable.
Plus, 512 RAM, I would say, for the things you want, is the bare minimum. Plus, you should really get a Pentium IV or, my preference, an AMD Athlon processor.
I built my own PC and it honestly is the best I've used--it has all the good things needed in a good computer.
I know you're getting a laptop, and I would advise that you get a PC over that, but if you're getting a laptop, since it doesn't have interchangeable parts, I would do odd jobs and stuff to be able to afford a really good one, especially considering the things you want it to do.

[Tuvok8917]

Dell, Compaq and Hp are bad!! I agree with you Dirt. It's not highly recommended to use a laptop for games. Or you must have a real game laptop, but those are very expensive.

[LightningBoy]

I'd highly recommend Averatec laptops, it's all they do and they do it well. Especially the 1000 series.

The apex of stability, portability, and effeciency.

My laptop, Averatec 1025:
http://www.topwords.com.ua/inet/images/05/38.1.jpg

[Image tags removed: No hotlinking - Puck]

[Tuvok8917]

Yes i also do advice them, but they are very expensive..

[LightningBoy]

I only paid $999 for mine, and the Averatec1010 was only $799

Though that was last May.

[Tuvok8917]

Well, i just checked and it was around the 1,000

[B'Elanna Torres 7 of 9]

I've got an HP Pavillion and I love it.

You know, your best bet would be to go in to an electronics store that sells various brands of laptops and desktops, and talk to them person-to-person. Before i bought my laptop i went to a few places, and i was able to ask all my questions, and get lots of solid answers before i bought anything. Once you have an idea of what you're looking at from talking to people, then come and look online at reviews of that product. The more info the better! That's what I did and i'm very pleased with what i've got.

Good luck!

[Hitchhiker]

I'm running a Toshiba Satellite A70 (which happens to be discontinued now): 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, Intel Celeron 2.0 GHz processor, etc.

Laptops, I must agree, are not good for gaming. You could install some games if you wanted, but the your results will be mixed and they'll basically just take up space. You want the sheer power of a desktop for gaming.

HP/Compaq are the same. They also aren't very great. HP is okay-ish depending on what you get.

Never tried Averatec but they look wubbly.

Dell has good hardware but bad tech support.

You'll need 512 MB RAM which is pretty much the standard nowadays. I'd wub a gig of RAM or even 2 GB. Hard drive space is also important. I only have 40 GB and find that only sufficient. If you can find something in the 100-150 GB range, go for it, because it will last you a longer time.

Wireless networking is a must. That's the only reason to use a laptop really, is for the wireless access.

Getting something better than a Celeron would be neato, but honestly I couldn't imagine you finding one for your price range. Same goes for choice of graphics card.

One more thing: software. When I bought my laptop, I paid almost as much for the software as I did for the actual machine. Microsoft Office was pretty hefty. If the machine doesn't come with software bundles, one thing I highly recommend is going open-source and for free software. There are some very good free alternatives to most popular proprietary programs.

So I'd agree with B'Elanna Torres 7 of 9. Go to a store even if you don't plan to buy from it, because you'll get a better idea from looking at the machines they have for you to try out. When I was shopping for my laptop, I went to about three different stores to figure out what I wanted. (Actually I knew exactly which one I wanted, but I wisely went out and looked at alternatives just in case I was wrong. And I did learn a lot from that experience about what you need when looking for a computer.)

[PrankishSmart]

I don't even think you can get the P4 laptops anymore. I have one of the last model of the P4 laptops released and the battery lasts for 40mins max. This one is huge though, 17inch screen, 80gig (7200rpm desktop drive), P4 2.66, 512 ram etc. It's about 18 months old now.

Just remember that the money you spend on a laptop, you can get a desktop twice faster that will run games. This laptop of mine only just runs really crappy games (in software only) like condition zero lol

[sabertooth1217]

Yeah, I am very aware of the price difference between a desktop and a laptop. I have a good compaq desktop... that sucks only because it was made in the 90's but from all the ... upgrades that we have done to it, it has never let us down. I don't see why there are so many people against the compaq/hp brand name... I will be going into some places to talk with people before I spend that much money, of course.

The reason I want a laptop is so that I can easliy take it into college with me... It makes a whole lot more sense to bring in a laptop into class than a desktop...

Gaming wise... I know that laptop are not really made for that but it would be nice to be able to have a system that includes the ability to play a few games on it.

I've looked into dell and I'm considering them. My entire school right now is dell and their desktops seem to work fine. I've never tried any of there laptops. My dad has a toshiba laptop, but it's massive. I want something lightweight and small which will give out a lot of power... I've even looked at the IBM thinkpad.

We do have a wireless router at me apartment next year so I'm all set for that, All that I will have to do is get a card for the laptop when I buy it. Not sure if I will be able to use the internet in the college... they are bound to have wep security that you won't be able to access.

I don't need that big of a HDD on my laptop.. I have 160gigs on my desktop which most of it is completely empty.. (I used to have it filled with illegal copies of star trek which I got rid of a while back).

[Arellia]

Definitely a 'no' on Crapaqs (Compaqs, for those who honor them too well). I've never had so much trouble with a computer as I had with a Crapaq-- (Well, unless you count the HP's, but those are off the scale). The problem people have with them? For one, especially in desktops (I never did a Crapaq laptop, but I assume the worst) getting into a Crapaq for repairs, upgrades, anything inside the case is heck. HP's are simply monstrous things which I cannot begin to describe my frustration with. I've had wars with HP's and Crapaqs. And burnt my pizza in the process. I shan't forgive them for that.

Toshiba's okay, my Satellite has served me well enough for quite some time. And it does play games very well for me...I've run NWN (an MMO) along with a number of Star Trek and Star Wars games with no problem. The only problem I've had is with my CD drive, which I had to replace.

I have a friend who's an engineer, and he swears by Dell...price-wise, it's definitely nice. I think Dells are alright, that which I've used of them. As for IBM, I had a thinkpad at one point--older--and it was a reliable little thing, I liked it a lot.

[PrankishSmart]

[Republican_Man]

Yeah, get a desktop, and make your own, too. That's what I did, and it's great. Sure, you don't have a set warranty for the computer, but you do for the parts--and you can really customize it to make it great.

[PrankishSmart]

Yep. I'm saving my money to build my next great pc... running two 7800's in SLI. you can't do that with a compaq or dell

[sabertooth1217]

Hmm, I would need a lot of... "study" to start to build my own desktop. I still need a laptop, perhaps not for gaming.

Thanks for all of the help.

[Starbuck]

its not very hard to build your own desktop. Its just time consuming.

[Janeway26]

i got a laptop for xmas! but i had 2 get me dad to get it all ready! it took ages!