Help me pick a laptop

[Vayate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billybob_jcv /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's just a difference in buying philosophy - in my experience, any 4 year old laptop is tired and ready to be replaced. The screen will suck compared to the latest models, the built-in wireless will probably be outdated, the DVD door might be tweaked, the keyboard might have cr@p stuck in it, and you might be on your 2nd or 3rd AC adapter and battery. In most corporate environments, most laptop users really start getting cranky after about 3 years - sooner if they are techies or gadget freaks.

I've had the opposite experience . My tablet was purchased in february 2007, used daily while I was in college, and the only problems I have with it right now are the lack of RAM and a proper video chipset (1GB DDR2 and an Intel 950 running Windows 7 RC). Both of those problems could have been fixed by buying a little more hardware. I can currently correct the first, but I'm doomed to use Intel graphics for the rest of the laptop's life -- meaning I'm going to be buying another machine sooner than I would have liked. However, I also take a lot better care of my equipment than anyone I know, so my idea of "equipment lifespan" may be different from that of most people.

Seconding YMMV, OP I hope this discussion was helpful to you in some way.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vayate /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had the opposite experience . My tablet was purchased in february 2007, used daily while I was in college, and the only problems I have with it right now are the lack of RAM and a proper video chipset (1GB DDR2 and an Intel 950 running Windows 7 RC). Both of those problems could have been fixed by buying a little more hardware. I can currently correct the first, but I'm doomed to use Intel graphics for the rest of the laptop's life -- meaning I'm going to be buying another machine sooner than I would have liked. However, I also take a lot better care of my equipment than anyone I know, so my idea of "equipment lifespan" may be different from that of most people. Seconding YMMV, OP I hope this discussion was helpful to you in some way.

Perhaps I'm jaded by the coconut-cracking gorillas we have at work that constitute our laptop users...

 

[Clincher09]

Well, my plan to buy a custom HP fell through, so I'm back to the drawing board. I was looking at this gateway, but again I haven't heard anything about them lately. How do they check out?

Gateway - Laptop with AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor - NV5214u

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, I just saw this on deals2buy.com "Dell Inspiron 15, Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T6500 (2.10GHz), 15.6" WXGA, 3GB RAM, 160GB, 8X CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD, 802.11b/g, 6-Cell Battery, Windows® Vista Home Basic, 1Yr InHome Warranty, 1yr 2GB Online Backup » for $449 at Dell.com" Add a 256mb ATI HD4330 for 100$ and you have the whole thing for 550 bucks.

I actually really like this deal here, do you know how long it is going on?

 

[Vayate]

Gateway is junk. My university used them and had nothing but problems. I've generally had good experiences with Dell business models, and my Toshiba is also really nice.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clincher09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, my plan to buy a custom HP fell through, so I'm back to the drawing board. I was looking at this gateway, but again I haven't heard anything about them lately. How do they check out? Gateway - Laptop with AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor - NV5214u I actually really like this deal here, do you know how long it is going on?

The Dell deal is still on, I just checked deals2buy.com

Expiration says limited time, no specific date shown.