Posted on 04/08/2007 6:28:05 AM PDT by johniegrad
I love my BlackBook. 2GB RAM.
(For the uninitiated: That’s a black MacBook.)
If you’ve got the bux, the MacBook Pro is even better.
It's really pretty unnecessary at this point in our lives. I don't like seeing her work 70 hours weekly and then trying to squeeze in additional education beyond that. I'd rather just see her bide her time in her current position and then retire without all the extra rigmarole.
My widescreen HP is the most stable machine I’ve ever owned.
I multi-task with several large apps and a few smaller ones and it never even coughed once in three years and with a bunch of USB hardware pieces, too.
But one thing to consider is that there is a separate numeric keypad like any keyboard. Many notesbooks don’t contain this numeric keypad to have a smaller footprint.
If one does any crunching of numbers, it may be very helpful to some to include this feature.
My current Toshiba has the monitor that swivels and acts as a writing pad. Pretty kewl. I always buy the mid-range model. Not cheapest, not most expensive.
As far as comps go - I would suggest A: You stay away from Vista and B: Get a nice Windows XP off of Ebay. I got a very nice souped up one for a fraction of the originial price AND I have a 2 year warranty
Good luck with that "ol' bat" thing.
Whatever brand you purchase make sure not to skimp on the cpu and memory. I recommend Intel core duo or Amd dual core cpus. Stay well away from the low end $500 and $600 specials advertised at the big box electronics and office stores. Get at least 1GB of memory, preferably two. You will not be able to avoid pre-installed Vista at this point. Microsoft allows users with Vista installed to downgrade to XP, but you must have an unactivated Vista serial number, provide your own XP media and perform a clean install. I would call microsoft to get details on the downgrade before you buy the laptop- there may be restrictions on which version of Vista downgrades to which version of XP.
I would stay away from Dell also. I’ve worked with and repaired hundreds of Dell notebooks. Buying one is really like rolling the dice, you might get a winner but chances are...
My choice would be Lenovo- you pay more up front but they have a rugged chassis and are known for their reliability (really IBM). Fujitsu is also a good brand as is Toshiba.
FIRST OF ALL - decide how she will actually use it. I am a dedicated laptop user, because I use it for taking notes in class, powerpoint presentations, taking minutes, and as a personal active calendar. PORTABILITY and connectivity, including wireless, are absolutely vital to me, so I chose a SMALLER screen instead of one of the behemoths now available. If I need a bigger screen (or a projector) I can easily attach one. Also, I CANNOT seem to coexist with a touchpad, so I carry and use an attachable mouse.
As an occasional adjunct economics instructor and president of the local Mensa society, I use PowerPoint and Excel spreadsheets a lot, and a few databases. As a result, I need ample processing power, memory, and disk space.
I MUST have MS Windows and MS Office, but I will NOT use MS Internet Explorer due to its status as the primary target for hackers. I use Mozilla instead.
So first of all, decide how you will use it. If you will be taking notes in class, be concerned about battery life, or be sure that you can recharge it in or between classes. If it will matter, consider convenience and weight, and how it will fit on a classroom desk.
As for me, I bought a Gateway with a bigger screen, then took it back and got a HP Pavilion dv2125nr entertainment notebook PC, with XP Media Center.
But if she smokes, she can use it as a cigarette lighter as well when it bursts into flames.
They cost more.
Consider a new baby. When I was 45, that’s all I wanted. ;)
I always wanted to be 71 when my kid graduated from high school.
“Do NOT get a Dell...But if she smokes, she can use it as a cigarette lighter as well when it bursts into flames”.
If you’re referring to the Battery Recall, you need to
add Sony, HP, Compaq, Lenovo, and Apple to that crowd too.
Is that an Osborne?
Just a few notes from a heavy laptop user. Apple products have always been a little pricey for me but are the way to go if you are going to do any photo or movie editing. I’ve never used a Dell, but have a partner who is very happy with his. I shied away from them because when I first started researching for my first laptop a few years ago, they had a bad rep for becoming very hot underneath and were uncomfortable for those who were actually using them on their lap. I don’t know if this is still a problem.
The 15.4 screens are just about right. I wouldn’t get anything bigger than that. It doesn’t sound like you’re going to be doing any gaming at all, but if that is ever in the cards, you are going to need to spend extra for one of the better video cards. Tom’s Hardware is the site to tell you which ones are best. Be sure to get a machine with a Core 2 duo (Intel) processor. The performance studies show these blow single processors away and use a lot less power so battery life is greatly improved. Core 2 is second generation Intel dual processor and is superior to just a duo processor, so be sure that the 2 is there. A medium grade Core 2 duo will beat the fastest single core processor. Go right out of the box with 2 Gigs of RAM, even if you have to spend an extra $100 to add a Gig. You will be glad you did. Get built-in WiFi and then set your house up with a WiFi system, so your wife can use the internet from anywhere in the house. I’ve had it that way for several years and would never go back.
Circuit City had some blowout sales on laptops at Christmas. Just after I bought an HP6400 for $1,100 with great features (it has been a really nice and fast machine for my uses but would probably not be a good gaming machine), my son-in-law got an even better deal on a comparably equipped Toshiba—about $950 but had 1 Gig of RAM less. We are both VERY happy. These had fairly high end Core 2 duo processors, 15.4 screens, DVD burners, built-in WiFi, lots of ports, 1-2 Gigs of RAM, free upgrade to VISA if I want (which I probably won’t do). This new machine boots up and revives from hibernation in about one tenth the time of my older laptop, which was a high end machine when I bought it three years ago.
Remember, to sell laptops cheaper, they are going to skimp on something: usually a cheaper, older generation processor, or less RAM, smaller or lower res screen, a battery with fewer cells (shorter use time per charge), a CD drive instead of a DVD drive, etc. Pick your poison. My new laptop, e.g., only had a two cell battery, which had a pretty good time per charge but not what I was used to, so I just spend another $95 to get an 8-cell battery which only gets me about another hour per charge.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck.
IBM Thinkpad, Win XP.
My HP laptop mouse thing left clicks from the pad, and it is more sensitive than my ex-wife!
I use a usb mouse and doesn’t left click by “itself” anymore
2 of my sons have MacBooks. It is the ideal laptop.
I have a 15" MacBook Pro. It is just a bit too big.
There is no need for a 17" display unless you are doing road presentations. If you want a larger display at home, just plug a flat screen into the video-out.
WindowsXP works as well as Windows can with Boot Camp.
We got all of them refurb from the online Apple Store - very reasonable.
I don't have any recommendations, but IF this is the only thing she's going to be using it for then go cheap.
Windows Vista is a real resource hog and I have yet to see a reasonably priced laptop that would seriously run a full featured version of Vista.
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