Best Place To Buy A Laptop?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:53am

I have $1,200-$1,500 to spend for a laptop, NO MORE THAN $1,500.

I need the following in a prioritized order (where is the cut-off?):

1) Quality and Speed of the system.
2) Anti-virus
3) Wireless Internet
4) DVD-R/RW +/- drive (I don't need to burn CDs, just DVDs.)
5) (Crap, can't think if there were other necessities or not.)

Where is a good place to buy a laptop? Sony Vaio? Dell? Gateway?

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 10:00am

I am a big fan of Dell... -- just love my 2.5 lb notebook -- lots of powers and very very portable....of course you will get 10 opinions with 10 people..

Good luck!
Dell

[katygrace84]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 10:02am

Apple. I have an ibook and it's amazing. I'm not sure of the pricing, though. Put OS X Tiger on that baby and you're off to the races. I don't think I'll ever buy anything but an Apple again.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 10:19am

I recommend Dell Outlet.

You can get a $3000 laptop for what you're willing to spend. Don't be turned off by the fact that they're "refurbished", all that means to you is that unlike off-the-shelf systems, these have been tested more thoroughly.

I'm not sure about getting DVD burners on a laptop, you might have to get a plugin device.
Dell Outlet

[Patronus]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 10:38am

I personally am not a huge fan of Dell. I don't have any horror stories or specific reasons why I don't like them - I have just always felt that my Dell desktop (which I don't even use as my primary computer) was a bit overpriced for what I actually got in turn.

That being said, I know a lot of "computer people" who swear by Dell.

Currently, I am using a Toshiba Satellite Notebook as my primary machine and it has everything you listed except the DVD-Burner (I use my desktop for that) and I spent $1000 on it last Christmas at Best Buy. If you shop accordingly you can often times get some good Mail In Rebates on Computers.

I would recommend getting an external DVD Burner rather than internal because disc drives on Laptops tend to leave a little to be desured.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 2:39pm

I just got a Dell Latitude and I'm quite satisfied. A DVD-burning optical drive is an option, and a wireless card is included. Anyway, it's at the Dell Small Business store. Your school might have a special buying arrangement with Dell or Apple, so I'd look that up if cost is a big concern. In that case, obviously, you'd be in the Education store, but you'll have fewer customizability options there.

Anyway, I liked the Latitude more than the Inspiron because the former is aimed at business rather than home users and is therefore more worried about being sturdy and functional than bundling in 25 pieces of crappy software you don't need. Online coupons appear for the Inspiron more often, but every once in a while a huge coupon comes along for the Latitude, too.

As for other necessities- think about your accessories. What kinds of ports do they need? USB? Ps/2? Firewire? Do you want a discrete graphics subsystem? A port replicator? To save money, would you be willing to downgrade from Windows XP Professional to the Home edition? Do you want Bluetooth?

Regarding memory- get 1 DIMM so you can always fill in the other. Also, make sure you get a 6-cell battery included rather than a 4-cell one. It'll make your laptop a few ounces heavier but increase battery life a lot. And get a warranty that covers accidents. Updated On: 8/31/05 at 02:39 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 2:50pm

I've had a Dell for four years with no problems. The website is constantly having sales and specials with better prices than their major competitors, Gateway and Apple. As far as price, versatility and quality are concerned, Dell is the way to go.

[KelRel]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 3:41pm

Don't go to Best Buy. Horribly customer service when things go wrong and trust me, if their tech department gets their hands on it there will be something wrong with it.

[Sarah2]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 12:20am

I'm actually looking for a laptop right now too. I'm trying to decide between an HP and an apple. I'm leaning towards the apple right now...it's a bit more expensive but I think it would be worth it...what do you think?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 12:22am

I purchased two Dell Inspiron 600m today for about $1100 each. I will post about my satisfaction!
Updated On: 9/1/05 at 12:22 AM

[Plum]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 12:47am

Sarah, I've heard unspeakably horrible things about HP's customer service, and their website is horrible. On the other hand, buying Apple means using OS X or Tiger or whatever the heck, which is a deal-killer for me. But if you're considering Apple I guess you're okay with their OS; I'd go for that. Just out of curiosity, why are you looking only at HP out of all the PC brands?

[Sarah2]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:05am

Well, I don't want to get a dell, so I thought of an HP or an apple. My friend has an HP and I think she likes it and my sister just bought an HP. I like apple computers (I've never had one but they seem cool and I like that they have video/music editing programs even though they're EXPENSIVE), but I might need to get something with windows. And if I don't get an apple i'll probably be getting an HP...what brand would you suggest?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:16am

MicroCenter on Long Island. They have website too.

[BroadwayBettini2]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:32am

I have a Gateway, and I have alot of problems with a bunch of diffrent things.

I have problems with wireless connections, internet connections, crashing, freezing. It's just so many things go wrong with my laptop on a daily basis, which I am typing on right now. I don't recommened Gateway, but I do think HP is quite good.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:34am

Oh, definitely Dell.