iSkawt

I'm looking for a laptop that is current and good quality. I want it to be able to run vista smoothly, and I want it to be my main computer. I have been having a bit of a look, and I can get this from Dell:



I'm content with those kind of specs - though a floppy drive would be nice - as long as it's going to run quickly and smoothly for me. Networking is also important (Don't think I saw anything about a nic...). I want to be able to plug in and be good to go. Also not sure what's the way to go with the battery and power adapter.

Only problem is that from what I've read in the Staff Picks thread, Dell isn't the best place to buy from. As mentioned before, I want good quality and I don't mind too much forking out some extra dollars if it is going to be well spent. I want it to last me a long time and be able to be used a lot, in a lot of different places. I also read that IBM/Lenovo might be a better way to go for quality, but I am unsure of where to go or what to look at (lenovo.com or ibm.com?).

I'm a complete novice when it comes to laptops, so please give me any advice and suggestions you have!

P.S The widescreen is unecessary. And I'm in Australia.

iSkawt

I've just been having a look at the lenovo site. They seem to be quite a bit more expensive, and also not quite as clear as to what you are getting.

HawMan

For a good quality laptop i would look at 'Acer'. Ive heard some really good things about them.


Is there a particular site you going to buy it from?


Take a look at this list (Click NoteBooks)

http://www.shopacer.com.au/ecprod/XC...ml?entity=0030

macten

Whatever you buy, I would get the 3 year extended warranty. I would also load that laptop up if you want any kind of performance out of it.

I just bought a Gateway with Core 2 duo, 2GHZ, 4M L2 cache, 2G RAM and a dedicated ATI video card and Vista Ultimate. This is the first time I've used Vista and am having no trouble what so ever. 2 keystrokes and it was added to my network. The cannon printer installed in a couple of minutes. I played a sample of World of Warcraft and the video and sound was perfect.

This Gateway is manufactured and shipped right from China. My older Gateway was assembled in the USA with imported parts. So we can't compare the older laptops to the new ones. By the way, my older Gateway laptop is 4.5 years old and still running strong.

One other thing, put this new laptop on a flat surface and it really heats up. I put 2 narrow slats of wood on a cooling pad and it stays nice and cool now.

edit....your specs now show up. They didn't when I originally made this post. I would add a dedicated video card.

On my post....my comment about the sound was with external speakers hooked up. The built in speakers aren't all that great.

with shipping and tax from China mine cost $1768. And that's really loaded up with the 3 year ext. warranty.

iSkawt

Been checking out some websites again. Dell laptops seem to be the most customisable and the cheapest. Are they really that bad?

Gateway looks pretty good, highly customisable also, but I couldn't seem to find an australian version of the website, so I guess all the prices were in USD and thus cheaper than they really would be for me. Does anyone have any beef with Gateway?

Had a quick look at Acer. Seem expensive and not very easy to customise. Same deal with Lenovo. Didn't look for very long though, I will go back again shortly.

macten

Asus is another good one.

I've seen some posts saying that Gateway is crap. But are they talking about the units built in the USA or China? I've had good luck with them. The cover seems a bit flimsy on my new one. But I treat it with kid gloves as I would with any brand.

edit...anyone who puts these new core 2 duo units on a flat surface is looking at a lot of heat build up. The cooling pads are mandatory in my opinion.

iSkawt

Couple of quick questions:

~ How much do cooling pads cost? Where can you get them?

~ When you buy a laptop and it comes with the OS and other software pre-installed, do they also send you the legit oem versions of the disks (ie would I be able to do a complete format and reinstall and have it just the way it was)? I thought they legally had to, but apparently they don't?


Still looking at websites, trying to find the best deal. Still wondering if Dell really should be avoided or not. Seems to be a few people who swear by them, and every company seems to get complaints. So hard to choose =(

macten

Try New-Egg for cooling pads. Probably $15-20 or so.

One of the mods mentioned that Asus and Acer are two of the better brands. I suspect he is right.

I would email whatever brand you are interested in and ask if they include the software. They did on my Gateway.

Whatever you buy, the 3 yr. ext. warr. is mandatory in my opinion.

Pan

I think HP and Acer are good choice for you. Both of them don't need to pay much and the quality is good though. I bought my HP last year. Everything is good. I bought my laptop in the Computer Parts, maybe you can check the price. Hope that it can help you.

TheMatt

Just some advice on the cooling pad, read about it and make sure to choose an aluminum one. There are many cheap cooling pads out there that will not help much. This is one I prefer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834999336


As for laptops, HP is down on the lower end along with Toshiba. If you want a high quality laptop look at the Lenovo laptops. Acer, Asus, MSI, and Fujitsu also have nice laptops.