S.K.Board

i really really want a good laptopn one i will be able to be multi tasking on and i think the best bet would be able to but my own if anyone knows a lot about computers can u pm me or post here and u could help me out i could give u some grams (2,000)

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Quote:

Originally Posted by replica True... it's just a ladder step by step to get your weed to you

Darque Pervert

Meh. I don't need the grams.

Here are my recommendations:

1. Buy a name brand.
   The brand isn't all that important. Everyone will have an opinion on a specific brand based on negative experiences. Personally, I don't like Gateway. Some can't stand Dell. Some think Toshiba is garbage. Whatever. However buying a brand that you (or the rest of the world) has never heard of is probably not a good idea. Support will be difficult to obtain if something goes wrong.
2. Get the most RAM you can afford.
   More RAM means better windows performance, period. 512MB is a minimum these days for acceptable performance.
3. Get the largest hard drive you can afford.
   Running out of storage space sucks. If you had to choose between more RAM and more HDD space, take the RAM. You can upgrade the HDD at any time.
4. Get the features you want from the beginning.
   You want WiFi? Get it built-in. Same with bluetooth, a DVD burner, and any other functionality. It will simply cost more to add those later on down the road. Now, if you have a WiFi adapter that will work with a laptop already, you can save a few bucks by not getting WiFi on your laptop. Chances are, most of those features will add so little to the cost of the laptop, just get it up front.
5. Set a maximum price point and stick to it
   Sounds like common sense, but... I've seen many people go into a laptop purchase saying "I'm only going to spend $XXX" and rationalize spending more with thinking like "I can have more RAM for $75 more" or "I can get a fingerprint reader for another $50". By sticking to your price point, you're going to probably get a slower CPU. Considering the speed of today's CPUs, it's not going to matter much, if at all. Get the slower CPU and don't look back. You'll be happier with a slightly slower (you probably won't even notice the difference) laptop, but all the functionality, features and storage you need/want.

I hope my suggestions help choose.Good luck.

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Life is always a spiral. It's the choices of the individual as to whether that spiral is aimed up or down.

Frojoe

How much are you looking to spend, that will help us give some suggestions.

kontroversy

Id say 1GB RAM minimum these days, especially with vista around the corner.

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roor.lux.strobel.royal.alexK.EA

JnEverett

And whichever one you choose read some reviews. I bought an Acer (5th largest computer manufacturer) and have had a less than happy experience.

I just created a website to help others avoid them....its called AVOIDACER.COM

so listen to the post above and also read some reviews before buying.

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Rastafari420

If anything, dont get a compaq. My uncle is a computer engineer, and says they are the worst computers he has ever dealt with

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The truth is cryin out and its so loud and so clear, but most people wont even hear

innervision311

Compaq hasn't existed for years. HP bought them out at least two or three years ago.

And in my experience...Avoid HP

But seriously. Like Darque said, the brand of the computer means nothing except tech support. It's ALL (let me emphasize: ALL, ALL, ALL, ALL, All, ALLLLLLLLLLL) about the user. Treat your computer well and you'll have no problems except maybe a hard drive malfunction or something else that can be replaced for <$100. And if something does go wrong, if you bought the computer from a reliable dealer, then you should have the problem fixed without causing any other problems.

Laptops are essentially "smart terminals" as I like to think of them. You shouldn't expect them to do any hard core processing but they enable you to get your work done.

You can expect a kick ass machine but don't be surprised to spend close to $3000 for something like that.

If I were you I would go with a rig that simply gets the job done with lots of RAM. If you want a completely seemless experience with multimedia and anything else you can throw at your computer then get at least 1 gig of RAM and try for 1.5 gigs with Vista coming out soon. 1.5 gigs of RAM will make your computer great for at least three or four years.

If you don't know anything about computers just think of RAM as how many things your computer can do at once. If you want to watch a movie, download stuff, defrag your hard drive, and rip CDs at the same time without any pauses then RAM is what you need.

And RAM is completely dependent on the speed of the FSB or Front-Side Bus. Intel has a new processor out called the Core 2 that comes in a laptop flavor. I don't know what the Centrino Duo has for an FSB speed but the desktop version clocks in at a whopping 1066 Mhz.

In other words go with a Core 2 processor and lots of RAM if you want a computer that will last for a long time...as far as computers are concerned.

And stay away from Mac OSX at all costs. You can't possibly justify using that OS for any reason...period. Windows for the win.

ADIDAS

HP Pavilion zd8000. Thats what I have, its sweet. Sorry for not helping haha.

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All Day I Dream About Smoking

kontroversy

667MHz, T7200 and up have the 4MB L2...

IGemini

I've heard many people have bad and good experiences with almost any brand line, though I guarantee that some of those negative experiences are their own fault. It's especially noteworthy that a lot of people who have computer problems aren't computer-savvy. Buying any laptop is a calculated risk, but knowing proper maintenance can make the difference of having a laptop that works and one that doesn't.

Knowing your price range helps, since laptops are an extremely variable cost, going from $500 to $2500. Also knowing what you want to use it for helps (i.e. photo editing, gaming, straight FLOP power, music, movies, downloading, etc.) and answering these questions I would have specific suggestions on what to get. But for now, these are my recommendations based on what you said you wanted.

For multitasking, get a laptop with a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processor with 1 GB of RAM. 512 MB on a dual-core is bare minimum. The speed difference between Core and Core 2, unless you're doing any encoding, will be negligible. And if you're using any sort of broadband internet, get a firewall. For PCs, lack thereof is the number one fault of why people have crappy computers. Concern yourself with commercial brands only if you're interested either in technical support or getting upgraded to Vista.