Can you help me buy a notebook?

Question

I sort of took up a nomadic life & I can't keep hauling a desktop around. It's nuts. I need a good, tough, cheap notebook.
I watch movies sometimes, so a 15.4" screen is a good idea. Also, I take billions of digital photos, & am crazy about mix tapes. I might want to play some games sometime (I played Resident Evil the other day & nearly peed my pants, so I kind of want a scary game now).
I think it's ok if I only have 80g - it makes me nervous to have everything all in one place & I don't mind a few USB drives. I hear good things about Toshiba, bad things about Dell, and can't afford a Mac. I don't want to spend a ton of money - maybe around $700USD. More or less is negotiable, but things change so fast it seems senseless to invest too much. I mean, none of them seem built to last, no matter how much I pay. What about processors, drivers, that sort of thing? What am I looking for?
Please answer thoroughly, w/ specific examples and links to recommended models if possible. Thx!

MacGeek, that's waaayy too much for something I can't pass down to my grandkids! I'm sure they are lovely, though.
I'm not experienced enough with computers to know why Apple everything is purportedly superior. Why is it so expensive? Are there compatibility issues? Convince me it's worth the price of a used car and I will consider it.

I would really love some details about why Macs are better, why Dells are acceptable, why a Toshiba is good. Do you know anything about the guts of the machines? If something is poor, why? Does the screen break, does the doodad come apart, does the B-9A Whatever have a stronger thingamabob? Something concrete to take to the electronics store.

Answer 1

For a modern laptop for a beginner i would suggest an intel duo processor with at lesat 1.6 ghz processor, 512mB of ram, an 80gb hard drive. Those requirements should net you a laptop for around 700 anywhere... a good one. Ignore everyone who supports one particular brand over the other. The components that i listed above aren't even made by the computer manufacturers and are made by external companies that make these same parts for every computer. These are the most important components of the laptop. No one is referring to how long the laptop will last when they speak of quality. This is a highly variable matter because considering a laptop's mobility it is subject to bumps, bruises, falls, and spills, more than a desktop. How long it lasts is really up to you. The components i listed above are really the only ones you need to pay attention to. Everything else is a given (monitor, cd-rw/dvd-rw drive, video card, etc.) You should check out http://www.dell.com or http://www.gateway.com you can compare and configure models that have at least the above specified requirements to get a really decent laptop. Here is an Toshiba example:

skuId=8219796&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat103700050018&id=1166236115695

This is sold at bestbuy.com and would be a great starter laptop for that price.

Answer 2

Even though you said you can not afford a mac, I would say go for it any way, it is worth it. My friends that just purchased their laptops over the summer ( a Toshiba and a Dell) they are already having problems with them. Get the mac, you won't be disappointed!!

Why is a mac better? Well macs do not get as get nearly as many viruses as a PC, in all the years I have had a mac never have had a virus. Another thing is they are faster, I have found that PCs are very slow. On a mac you can also run windows, if you get a certain program. Also all the programs such as iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie and iTunes are great and easy to use. I also like that the Mac has a camera built in, we use it to talk to family who don't get to see my kids on a regular basis. In my opinion I think it is pretty durable too.

Answer 3

You can get a low-end Dell for about $599 - $699. There is a Inspiron 1501, that starts at $599, that is your best bet for a nice little machine. Dell laptops are reliable, I have a 6 year old laptop i take care of and love it.

That machine will do fine for you picture needs. It starts with an 80GB HD. As far as gaming, you probably will not find a laptop under your budget that will do extremely well with the hardcore games. It will play them if you can decrease the frame rate.

Dell has some great coupons at http://www.24houredeals.com/Dell-coupons-23-mer.html

Good luck.

Answer 4

It relies upon what you will use it for. a number of issues to contemplate :- a million. volume of inauspicious disk area on the HDD (In Gigabytes) 2. volume of RAM 3. Processor (dependant on person's standards) 4. working gadget (dependant on person's standards) Judging via the innovations you have presented. it style of feels, you may purely require a straightforward laptop, that are particularly low-fee. via procuring abode windows Vista abode straightforward, you heavily isn't getting the Microsoft workplace Suite blanketed in the fee in lots of cases, and could ought to pay extra. you will get tiny laptops many times happening as 'Pocket Surfers', that are manafactured via Acer, and fee approximately £2 hundred, those are small however, particularly compact. I completely reccomend acer, very advantageous desktops, and good high quality build ordinary. there is no choose in anyway to purchase an Apple Mac, as different purchasers of Yahoo have stated. this might only be a waste of money, except you intend on gaming, video enhancing, or require intense overall performance. any further questions or data, e mail me (link on Profile) Regards GDJ.

Answer 5

A $1,099 MacBook is too much? Try a Mac mini, they're not difficult to lug around, especially if you have an LCD display.

Also, try looking in the Refurbished section of Apple's online store, you could get a deal.

Answer 6

In my opinion, Dell is the best for laptops

There are also HP, IBM, Toshiba, and Gateway if you want some price comparisons.

Answer 7

get a dell they are good no matter what you heard and don't get Acer they only stay charged for an hour