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

Millie · 08-19-2007, 11:00 AM

Please post your laptop-related concerns, questions, and answers in this thread.

Warrik · 08-26-2007, 03:08 PM

Macbook Pro is the win. Its seriously a top notch laptop, and with its ability to run both OSX and Windows, is absolutely the best bang for your buck, if you can afford it. The backlit keyboard is a nice touch.

Nanaki Ikanan · 08-27-2007, 10:27 PM

Anyone looking to get a really nice midrange laptop, I'd seriously recommend the new Dell Vostro series. They're designated as Small Business laptops, and their prices are unbelievable.

Just got mine recently, and I love it so far. Absolutely NO Bloatware, just Windows XP Pro. (Or Vista Business) Magnesium Alloy Case, Sealed Keyboard, amazing battery life, 2 gigs of ram standard. Definitely worth checking out the Vostro, it's the first time I've actually been impressed by Dell. Exceeded my expectations.

Nark · 08-28-2007, 01:05 PM

I second the macbook pro comment.

I purchased 3 months after it's release and have been completly satisfied.

Apple care protection STRONGLY ADVISED.

I tried to fix my M button and broke a small piece of plastic that can be easily replaced.......The apple place said it needs an entire new keyboard....so w/e i got it for free

Secondly My dvd/cd reader/burner quit working on me, i got a new one for free.

Downside - Laptop gets hot......laptop expensive.

PS. Windows + OSX = orgasm

Warrik · 08-29-2007, 06:29 AM

I second the notion of Apple Care. Its an absolute must.

ALso just say this article on Slashdot today:

Apple now sells more than one in six laptops in U.S.

Usha Starchild · 08-30-2007, 04:07 AM

Flash hard drives and Eink need to come to life. Then we will have awsome battery life.

It's really depressing that we can make huge huge huge leaps and bounds in every feild except electrical storage. Invent a new battery that stores enough power for a month, recharges in a matter of minutes and does not explode or weigh a ton. Thanks

Soriak · 08-30-2007, 05:25 AM

I'd be happy with 18hrs of battery life... but not "low powered, dark screen, no activity" 18hrs, but actual use time. Even a 6hrs recharge time is fine, I have to sleep at some point anyway.

But yeah, my next Laptop is going to be one with a flash harddrive; no point upgrading earlier for me.

Grooverider · 08-30-2007, 06:45 AM

just got my 2nd macbook, they are clearly the way to go.

although I paid $1600 dollars, which is pretty high for a laptop I think.

roosta · 09-03-2007, 09:46 PM

do you have to do anything special to get a vostro? i think that will be what i purchase but someone said i have to have a company ID number to get a small business laptop like that. is he full of shit or what?

Aegdaien · 09-03-2007, 10:16 PM

You don't need anything. I ordered a Vostro about a month ago for my gf and I had no problems ordering it. I think I may have had to put a company name in but I just used my school. I think they even make you select a radio button if it's for personal use or resale.

Forgot to mention that she loves it. I'm actually real jealous of her too. I bought a E1505 back in May when they had a blowout sale on them, but the Vostro's came out at an unbelievably low price for a ton of features. The laptop feels much sturdier than mine and it looks awesome (matte black finish).

Jabberwhacky · 09-04-2007, 01:33 AM

I ordered a Vostro 1400 back on 8/30 and it's due to be delivered Wednesday (tommorow since it's after midnight!). Final price was 1196 after tax but before $150 Dell Bucks that I'm hoping to sell for like 140 or something since I'd rather have the cash. So, assuming that goes through, it'll be about 1060 when all is said and done. Stats were 1.6ghz C2D proc, 120 gig HDD, 2gb RAM, 8400 GS, webcam, built-in bluetooth, and a 3 year Complete Care warranty. The warranty means that if all is going well after 2 years or so, I'll "accidentally" drop the laptop off the local library just to see it go smash, for no other reason than it'll be fun to watch and on Dell's tab. What can I say, I'm immature.

As for the Business ID, the first time I called into Dell, I spoke with the people in the Home department and he told me I did need a Tax ID number. I was like WTF and so he transferred me to the Business department, where they told me that I did not in fact need a Business Tax ID thingy. When I called back later to place the order, I got a different guy, and the extent of info they needed was a positive answer to the question "Will business be done on this laptop?" Long story short, anyone can get a Vostro.

TKarrde · 09-12-2007, 02:26 PM

Honestly, I wouldn't really recommend a dell laptop to anyone. The vostro's are a nice change, in that they have a carbon fiber frame with some metal support in it, but everything else is simply plastic, with all of the actually support being done by the motherboard and lcd. That means all of the stress put on the laptop, ever, is also being placed on the display and motherboard - not a good thing. I used to work in an environment where there were ~2000 laptops loaned out at constant to staff for their use. We probably had 20 come in for repair every day.

Dell components are cheap, and I wouldn't trust them.

If you're after a business laptop, IBM/Lenovo is where it's at. The Thinkpads are practically indestructible, and with the deals that you can get on them, they aren't that much more expensive than a Dell.

As far as gaming laptops go, look into Sager. Alienware, Falcon Northwest, etc, when it comes to laptops, resell Clevo. Sager does the same, and for considerably cheaper. There are a couple of other resellers out there that also do it for significantly less than the botique brands, so you might be well served to do a bit of research, and see if any of them are currently beating Sager on the price (Though you're paying for support too, which I've found to be excellent on Sager's end).

prescient63 · 10-05-2007, 01:15 AM

Anyone know of something equivalent to a panasonic toughbook but with a 17" screen? Or even just something with a 17" screen that has a magnesium case and is well made? I looked at a couple websites and didn't see anything that had what i was looking for.

Edit: I plan on doing a bunch of traveling pretty soon so the tough books looked good weight wise, but i really wanted the 17" screen since it will be my primary computer.

Blide · 10-09-2007, 11:03 PM

I have a 17 inch laptop as my primary computer, the size is somewhat unwieldy. I'm not sure I'd necessarily go smaller but it is something to consider. I'm also not sure how much traveling your going to do or to where but a Toughbook seems to me to be a bit overkill for average traveling. Something like a MacBook Pro is extremely solid but not as solid as a Toughbook.

To answer your question, it looks like Acer makes some 17" laptops with magnesium casing in their TravelMate series but I failed to find a site selling it though. From what it looks like, all the extremely durable laptops are 15.4" or less.

tranceMiNuS · 10-19-2007, 02:35 PM

The past month or two I've been thinking about getting a laptop, and after a lot of browsing it seems to me like putting together your own laptop isn't a very popular or common thing, even though the pre-built laptops classically offered to consumers seem to me to be quite overpriced for the components offered.

I'm thinking that perhaps laptop prices suffer from an even greater degree of inflation than pre-built desktops simply because consumers aren't really presented with the option of building their own.

Does anyone here know anything on the topic? Are there any resources out there on this subject that are kept up to date?

08-19-2007, 11:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
Millie A Relic Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,873	INFO: Building/Buying a Laptop (PC or Mac) Please post your laptop-related concerns, questions, and answers in this thread.

09-03-2007, 09:46 PM	#9 (permalink)
roosta Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 356 -14 Internets	do you have to do anything special to get a vostro? i think that will be what i purchase but someone said i have to have a company ID number to get a small business laptop like that. is he full of shit or what? __________________ ------------------------------------------------------ The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

10-05-2007, 01:15 AM	#13 (permalink)
prescient63 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,918 -42 Internets	Anyone know of something equivalent to a panasonic toughbook but with a 17" screen? Or even just something with a 17" screen that has a magnesium case and is well made? I looked at a couple websites and didn't see anything that had what i was looking for. Edit: I plan on doing a bunch of traveling pretty soon so the tough books looked good weight wise, but i really wanted the 17" screen since it will be my primary computer. Last edited by prescient63; 10-05-2007 at 01:18 AM..

10-19-2007, 02:35 PM	#15 (permalink)
tranceMiNuS Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 72 +0 Internets	Building your own laptop? The past month or two I've been thinking about getting a laptop, and after a lot of browsing it seems to me like putting together your own laptop isn't a very popular or common thing, even though the pre-built laptops classically offered to consumers seem to me to be quite overpriced for the components offered. I'm thinking that perhaps laptop prices suffer from an even greater degree of inflation than pre-built desktops simply because consumers aren't really presented with the option of building their own. Does anyone here know anything on the topic? Are there any resources out there on this subject that are kept up to date?

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08-26-2007, 03:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Warrik Ive been reading these boards since noows....that makes me uber Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 2,146 -12 Internets	Macbook Pro is the win. Its seriously a top notch laptop, and with its ability to run both OSX and Windows, is absolutely the best bang for your buck, if you can afford it. The backlit keyboard is a nice touch.

08-27-2007, 10:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nanaki Ikanan Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 488 -3 Internets	Anyone looking to get a really nice midrange laptop, I'd seriously recommend the new Dell Vostro series. They're designated as Small Business laptops, and their prices are unbelievable. Just got mine recently, and I love it so far. Absolutely NO Bloatware, just Windows XP Pro. (Or Vista Business) Magnesium Alloy Case, Sealed Keyboard, amazing battery life, 2 gigs of ram standard. Definitely worth checking out the Vostro, it's the first time I've actually been impressed by Dell. Exceeded my expectations.

08-28-2007, 01:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
Nark Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 126 +6 Internets	I second the macbook pro comment. I purchased 3 months after it's release and have been completly satisfied. Apple care protection STRONGLY ADVISED. I tried to fix my M button and broke a small piece of plastic that can be easily replaced.......The apple place said it needs an entire new keyboard....so w/e i got it for free Secondly My dvd/cd reader/burner quit working on me, i got a new one for free. Downside - Laptop gets hot......laptop expensive. PS. Windows + OSX = orgasm

08-29-2007, 06:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
Warrik Ive been reading these boards since noows....that makes me uber Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 2,146 -12 Internets	I second the notion of Apple Care. Its an absolute must. ALso just say this article on Slashdot today: Apple now sells more than one in six laptops in U.S.

08-30-2007, 04:07 AM	#6 (permalink)
Usha Starchild Still in China Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,437	Flash hard drives and Eink need to come to life. Then we will have awsome battery life. It's really depressing that we can make huge huge huge leaps and bounds in every feild except electrical storage. Invent a new battery that stores enough power for a month, recharges in a matter of minutes and does not explode or weigh a ton. Thanks

08-30-2007, 05:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
Soriak Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 5,833 +54 Internets	I'd be happy with 18hrs of battery life... but not "low powered, dark screen, no activity" 18hrs, but actual use time. Even a 6hrs recharge time is fine, I have to sleep at some point anyway. But yeah, my next Laptop is going to be one with a flash harddrive; no point upgrading earlier for me.

08-30-2007, 06:45 AM	#8 (permalink)
Grooverider 1234567890 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Svenborgia Posts: 1,299	just got my 2nd macbook, they are clearly the way to go. although I paid $1600 dollars, which is pretty high for a laptop I think.

09-03-2007, 10:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
Aegdaien Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,311 -17 Internets	You don't need anything. I ordered a Vostro about a month ago for my gf and I had no problems ordering it. I think I may have had to put a company name in but I just used my school. I think they even make you select a radio button if it's for personal use or resale. Forgot to mention that she loves it. I'm actually real jealous of her too. I bought a E1505 back in May when they had a blowout sale on them, but the Vostro's came out at an unbelievably low price for a ton of features. The laptop feels much sturdier than mine and it looks awesome (matte black finish).

09-04-2007, 01:33 AM	#11 (permalink)
Jabberwhacky Walker told me I have AIDS Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Busan Posts: 3,334	I ordered a Vostro 1400 back on 8/30 and it's due to be delivered Wednesday (tommorow since it's after midnight!). Final price was 1196 after tax but before $150 Dell Bucks that I'm hoping to sell for like 140 or something since I'd rather have the cash. So, assuming that goes through, it'll be about 1060 when all is said and done. Stats were 1.6ghz C2D proc, 120 gig HDD, 2gb RAM, 8400 GS, webcam, built-in bluetooth, and a 3 year Complete Care warranty. The warranty means that if all is going well after 2 years or so, I'll "accidentally" drop the laptop off the local library just to see it go smash, for no other reason than it'll be fun to watch and on Dell's tab. What can I say, I'm immature. As for the Business ID, the first time I called into Dell, I spoke with the people in the Home department and he told me I did need a Tax ID number. I was like WTF and so he transferred me to the Business department, where they told me that I did not in fact need a Business Tax ID thingy. When I called back later to place the order, I got a different guy, and the extent of info they needed was a positive answer to the question "Will business be done on this laptop?" Long story short, anyone can get a Vostro.

09-12-2007, 02:26 PM	#12 (permalink)
TKarrde Beebop a loubop awhapshamboo and domo arigatou if I got to Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 709 -13 Internets	Honestly, I wouldn't really recommend a dell laptop to anyone. The vostro's are a nice change, in that they have a carbon fiber frame with some metal support in it, but everything else is simply plastic, with all of the actually support being done by the motherboard and lcd. That means all of the stress put on the laptop, ever, is also being placed on the display and motherboard - not a good thing. I used to work in an environment where there were ~2000 laptops loaned out at constant to staff for their use. We probably had 20 come in for repair every day. Dell components are cheap, and I wouldn't trust them. If you're after a business laptop, IBM/Lenovo is where it's at. The Thinkpads are practically indestructible, and with the deals that you can get on them, they aren't that much more expensive than a Dell. As far as gaming laptops go, look into Sager. Alienware, Falcon Northwest, etc, when it comes to laptops, resell Clevo. Sager does the same, and for considerably cheaper. There are a couple of other resellers out there that also do it for significantly less than the botique brands, so you might be well served to do a bit of research, and see if any of them are currently beating Sager on the price (Though you're paying for support too, which I've found to be excellent on Sager's end).

10-09-2007, 11:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
Blide Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 835 +4 Internets	I have a 17 inch laptop as my primary computer, the size is somewhat unwieldy. I'm not sure I'd necessarily go smaller but it is something to consider. I'm also not sure how much traveling your going to do or to where but a Toughbook seems to me to be a bit overkill for average traveling. Something like a MacBook Pro is extremely solid but not as solid as a Toughbook. To answer your question, it looks like Acer makes some 17" laptops with magnesium casing in their TravelMate series but I failed to find a site selling it though. From what it looks like, all the extremely durable laptops are 15.4" or less.