Help for a computer illiterate college girl in need of a new laptop?

Question

My grandmother has just told me that she is going to take me to get a replacement for my laptop (many things wrong with the old one, stemming from the fact that it was second hand). She is expecting me to know what to ask about, good brands, etc., but I know literally nothing about computers, not even what's good or bad as far as memory, hard drive space, capabilities, brand name, or anything! I'm in my second year of college studying to be a teacher. I don't play MMORPGs or any other computer games that have offline componants, and the internet is too slow at school to download much of anything, so that's not important to me. I know that I don't want a MAC. I am going to use this computer mainly for writing papers, going online, editing and storing my digital photographs, and listening to and burning CDs. Since someone else is buying this, I would like the cost to be as low as possible. Can someone tell me a range of what I need for memory, etc. and/or recommend a few products? Thx!

Answer 1

dell inspirion e1405
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_e1405?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Intel® Core™ Duo T2050 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
No Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Selected
14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp™ TFT Display with TrueLife™
512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
80GB Sata Hard Drive
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Integrated Audio
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)
Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo
1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service
6 Months America Online Internet Access Included
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
E1405 Dual Core
Intel Core Duo Processor
Windows Vista™ Capable

>> $ 819

should be more than a handful for you
these are the specs u gotta look out for
maybe hp/compaq has something cheaper ... lemme check

basis of selection is a 14.1" widescreen with truelife
any bigger & it becomes too bulky to lug around
any smaller cost shoots up
____________

hp / compaq pressario v 3000t

Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Intel(R) Core(TM) Solo T1350(1.86 GHz/2MB L2Cache)
14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 w/Ports
Imprint Finish + Microphone + QuickPlay
Memory 512MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
60GB 5400RPM
DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
System Recovery DVD w/Genuine XP Home Edition

>> $ 616

a lil below the dell specs, but pretty much good enuf for your needs !

# post / mail me u'r comments & any clarifications plz

Answer 2

I would recommend calling Dell Computers: Contact Us: 1800-394-7486

I could tell you what you need, but it wouldn't make any sense to you. Dell is an excellent brand of computers and they are willing to talk with their customers, even those who don't know very much about computers.

I would recommend that you go with a Intel Processor (they are better than AMD and I think that Dell only works with Intel). I would also ask for a built in wireless connection. See if you can get a printer as well. You want at least 2 gigabytes of memory and the larger your hard drive it the better it will be.

First though I would get together with your grandmother and go to Dell's Website: http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=sg&l=en&s=dhs and browse through their notebooks, looking for the features.

Dell offers good service, but don't fall for their extended contract. Run the notebook computer for 24/7 for a week. If it is going to fail then it will probably fail during that period. After that, as long as you don't go inside it electronics are pretty stable and will last a long time.

Answer 3

If you have a USB port (which you probably do). Your best bet would be to buy a USB wireless adapter and a cheap wireless router if you want to go wireless. I am not sure how much they cost were you live, but you can normally order a decent USB wireless card online for under $20 US and a basic wireless router for around $35. Although the laptop itself is probably not worth money to upgrade, when you buy a new computer you can still use the wireless router so it may not be a complete waste of money. In order to tell if the laptop already has wireless there are a few places you can look. If you have any wireless related software on your computer it should show up in add/remove programs. If you have a wireless card it should show up under device manager as one of the network devices. If your motherboard has a built in wireless card it would show the information in the BIOS.

Answer 4

I would suggest purchasing or at least looking into a Dell Inspiron with and Intel Processor. If you buy from http://www.dell.com then they will take you step by step and let you chose the parts and they will make sure that they are all compatible. I would go with Microsoft XP Home Edition or Media Center Edition and get a wireless network card so that you can connect to the internet. If you plan on playing many games on it then you need a good video card. Like I said before, I would look into a Dell, personally, I like them better than Apple or Compaq.

Answer 5

Go with Dell. They are reasonable and very reliable. Good for students and stuff that you will be using it for. You don't have to get anything fancy either.
I would suggest call Dell and just ask them what they suggest. I know they have laptops that would work out great for you.
Or check out their website so you can get a better idea of what you want.
Get something that you can use for years to come.
Tell them everything you told us.

Dell is great! Had a laptop for years and it never gave me problems. My brother has it now just for word processing and burning cd's and printing pics from his camera.
Now I have a MAC. But still love them Dell's.

Answer 6

I would suggest that you contact your IT department at the college and get their recommendations. They will know the requirements of their systems and generally what the professors are requiring. They may also know of a computer store in your area that works with students or has a student discount. If there are none, once you have this information, go to a store like CompUSA or BestBuy and give them your requirements. Your new laptop should have at minimum the requirements given to you by the IT department.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Go the the DELL website and you can configure a laptop to suite your needs ... for something basic but with a few extra bells and whistles for your needs should be around the $900 - $1200 mark
Good Luck (in both your search for a laptop and your studies) :)

Answer 8

Dell Inspiron is a great laptop for your needs. Give em a try.