INFO: Building/Buying a Laptop (PC or Mac)

[Teger]

I'd like to spend under $500 if possible, with $650 as my limit.

[GaliemVaelant]

Whoa... Do NOT try to post using speech recognition! Close call.

I just bought a laptop from CyberPowerPC, and figured I'd share the vitals here. I'm copying/pasting from the invoice because it's less long winded than I am. Hope it's readable. Best bang for the buck in the 17" widescreen market, from what I saw.

ITEM DESCRIPTION QTY UNIT PRICE PRICE
=============== =================================== ===== ========== ==========
ID-INFO 100807 NTBKX647000 1 0.00 0.00
NB-BAG-101 PACIFIC DESIGN II MESSAGER XL CASE 1 0.00 0.00
BAG-101-101 CYBERPOWER ACCESSORY BAG 1 0.00 0.00
CPTSHIRT CYBERPOWER T SHIRT 1 0.00 0.00
ADP-101-101 I-ROCK AC/USB POWER ADAPTER CHARGER 1 10.00 10.00
MO-103-111 BLACK MS EXPL OPTICAL MOUSE 1 26.00 26.00
UPS-101-102 OPTI-UPS VS575C 575VA/345W BACKUP 1 46.00 46.00
CU-139-401 AMD TURION 64 X2 TL-60 2.0 GHZ NB 1 1329.00 1329.00
HD-309-104 NOTEBOOK HD 120GB 7200 RPM SATA 150 1 24.00 24.00
RM-213-104 2 GB PC5300 DDR2 667 SODIUM NB RM 2 60.00 120.00
BB-101-101 HAWKING BROADBAND BOOSTER 1 33.00 33.00
NB-311-101 MSI 17" WSXGA WIDE ATI M76 512MB 1 0.00 0.00
NB-311-DVDRW MSI SUPER-MULTI DVDRW 1 0.00 0.00
RUSH RUSH ORDER FEE (NEXT BUS. DAY) 1 69.00 69.00
NC-109-117 INTEL WIRELESS 802.11 4965 AGN NIC 1 0.00 0.00
BOX1 SYSTEM BOX AND FOAM 1 0.00 0.00
SW-141-119 MICROSOFT AGE OF EMPIRE III LICENSE 1 0.00 0.00
SW-141-120 MICROSOFT AGE OF EMPIRE III MEDIA 1 0.00 0.00
SW-141-123 RISE OF NATIONS: RISE OF LEGENDS 1 0.00 0.00
SW-141-124 RISE OF NTNS: RISE OF LEGENDS MEDIA 1 0.00 0.00
SW-152-108 CALL OF JUAREZ 1 0.00 0.00
SW-160-116 WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE 64-BIT 1 124.00 124.00
SW-160-113 WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE LICENSE 1 0.00 0.00
SW-160-114 WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE COA 1 0.00 0.00
BACK-ORDER NB-BAT-311 1 139.00 139.00
=============== =================================== ===== ========== ==========
Subtotal 1920.00
Shipping 100.00
Shipping Discount -39.00
Tax 0.00
Total 1981.00

[Tuco]

Anyone ever try loading a Mac OS onto a non-apple-purchased laptop?

[Aulirophile]

Originally Posted by Tuco

Anyone ever try loading a Mac OS onto a non-apple-purchased laptop?

Yes. It isn't fun, but it works if you have the right hardware. There's a HCL list around on the net.

[Zarcath]

Alright i'm in the market for a new laptop that can run WoW decently.

Vostro seems pretty fucking decent for the hardware. The only option I didn't see was one for media input. The laptop would HAVE to have firewire ports so I could do video editing on it. Can anyone confirm if the Vostro has a firewire port?

Also all of the different wifi card options confused me. I hardly deal with wifi nics, imo all nic cards are pretty much the same. Do I need a beefy one or is the default 803.1 shit good enough? I wouldn't even really want to use wifi unless I was forced to, i prefer cat5s.

is this $384 savings a holiday thing or what? how long can I put off buying one?

edit: also, I own XP Pro, can I dump the default XP Home and install Pro or is there some gay proprietary shit going on with the software? I remember my Sony laptop would shit bricks if I tried to do anything with the installed software that didn't originate from their back-up cds.

[tjac]

Originally Posted by Zarcath

Alright i'm in the market for a new laptop that can run WoW decently.

Vostro seems pretty fucking decent for the hardware. The only option I didn't see was one for media input. The laptop would HAVE to have firewire ports so I could do video editing on it. Can anyone confirm if the Vostro has a firewire port?

Also all of the different wifi card options confused me. I hardly deal with wifi nics, even imo all nic cards are pretty much the same. Do I need a beefy one or is the default 803.1 shit good enough? I wouldn't even really want to use wifi unless I was forced to, i prefer cat5s.

is this $384 savings a holiday thing or what? how long can I put off buying one?

edit: also, I own XP Pro, can I dump the default XP Home and install Pro or is there some gay proprietary shit going on with the software? I remember my Sony laptop would shit bricks if I tried to do anything with the installed software that didn't originate from their back-up cds.

A 4 pin IEEE 1394 slot is firewire, right? If so, my 1400 has one, and it looks like the other Vostro specs do, too. I don't use it, so I'm not sure.

For Wifi, I've heard that the intel options (the a/g and AGN) are best if you want easier linux compatibility. Other than that, I don't think it matters.

I don't know how long the 'sale' will last. Dell's sales are really cyclical, so don't worry about missing the boat. Also, check into refurbs. You can score some even better Vostro deals there. Some are new quality.

I'm not sure about your XP Pro install question. I know I ran into proprietary problems when I tried to install from a dell XP disc onto a Toshiba.

[Zarcath]

ah I believe the port I needed is a 6 pin, but I could probably just buy a 4 pin cable.

edit: took a look at the refurbs and there's no discount involved, it's pretty much the same price as buying a new one.

[Aulirophile]

Originally Posted by Zarcath

ah I believe the port I needed is a 6 pin, but I could probably just buy a 4 pin cable.

edit: took a look at the refurbs and there's no discount involved, it's pretty much the same price as buying a new one.

4-pin ports transfer data, the other two pins recharge peripherals. As long as whatever you're running (DV cam I assume?) doesn't need to be charged from the computer should be fine. I have a 4-pin firewire port on my shitty HP and I just carry around a 4-pin to 4-pin cable and can connect to basically everything.

[USAWrestler]

if anyone likes the sony laptops( I do, since they are small and just awesome) buy them from portableone.com

Sony has crappy customer service, but portableone.com is a certified re-seller and does repairs etc, they have GREAT customer service.

[Kuriin]

I just want to warn people to not get a Sager laptop. My twin got one (He's in Army Intelligence stationed in Korea) and they put his BIOS as a desktop and they installed Windows incorrectly so that the product key does NOT work. Add to this that they don't have weekend customer support.

Lame? Yeah.

[Lenas]

So.. be like everyone else on the internet and get a fake product key?

[Kuriin]

I tried using my desktop's product key since it was XP Pro, but it still didn't take. I think something's wrong with the OS itself.

[Ortega]

I had a Sager a few years ago and it worked fine for the year I owned it. I did however install my own pirated version of XP so : /

[OhSeven]

My PC has started to show its age and I've decided to invest in a new one.

I have about 3-4k to work with. Any suggestions from you pros

[Aulirophile]

Originally Posted by OhSeven

My PC has started to show its age and I've decided to invest in a new one.

I have about 3-4k to work with. Any suggestions from you pros

Post in the other sticky if it is a desktop. Unless you buy a monitor you won't spend more then 1.5k on a "sweet-spot" computer.