buying a laptop

[Perspective]

i know theres a new post like this every other day but i really need some input. this seems like a good deal, what do you guys think. i want a top of the line laptop. i figure theres no point in buying something thats gonna be out-dated in 6 months.

its a Dell
Inspiron 600m
Intel Pentium®M Processor at 1.4GHz w/ 14.1" SXGA+ Display & ATI 64MB Video
Unit Price: $2,451.00 (thats canadian, ~$1,838.00 US)

Inspiron 600m Intel Pentium®M Processor at 1.4GHz w/ 14.1" SXGA+ Display & ATI 64MB Video

B14ZXHC-[221-1970] 
Memory Free Upgrade from 256MB (1 DIMM) to 768MB (2 DIMMs) DDR 266MHz

P768MB2-[462-0817] 
Hard Drive 30GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

30GB-[340-8045] 
Floppy Drive / USB Memory Key 16MB Dell USB Memory Key

16UMB-[340-7271] 
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition - English

WHXP-[412-0313][313-1828][420-2427] 
Integrated Modem and NIC Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card

56MPC-[313-1659] 
Optical Devices 8X Max Variable DVD-ROM Drive

8XDVD-[313-1299][313-1370] 
Wireless Networking Card Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100 WLAN (802.11b, 11Mbps) miniPCI Card

IP2100I-[430-0481] 
Productivity Software Microsoft® Works Suite 2003 with Money 2003

CNWORKS-[412-0245][412-0174][412-0338] 
Security Software Norton Antivirus®2003, 90-day introductory offer

NAV2003-[412-0324] 
Primary Battery 48 Watt Primary Battery

48WHR-[312-0055] 
Warranty 1-Year Return-to-Depot Service+Complete Care, 24x7 Phone Tech Support, 365 days a year

[Fountain]

Does that chip not have the wireless thingy included? forget its name. Begins with 'C' I think. Anyhow, if it doesnt it will be outdated.

[Xei]

I think that's a really bad deal for the money you are spending. 2 Weeks ago Future Shop was selling a 2.4 Ghz P4(not celeron), DVD-Rom, blah blah blah... for $1700 CDN (In a Calgary location, N.E.). Laptop prices are very odd at times, it all depends on where you shop, etc. Take a look at www.futureshop.ca, their prices actually seem fair (depending on the model, other prices are insane) and they also have financing options for monthly payments(warning: by the end of monthly payments you can end up paying slightly over twice as much as the laptop retail price).

[Perspective]

fountain: yeah its got the centrino and the new pentium M technology (not pentium 4-M)

xei: i looked at future shop and couldnt find anything that really compares for less than $3,000. i know $2,400 is alot but im getting 768Mb RAM, pentium M (woohoo, the latest buzz word ) and a 64Mb ATI. im gonna take a look around the city and see what i can find before i order anything. this "triple your ram for free" deal is only on till july 7.

on another note -> Has anyone ever delt with dell? are they any good for servicing and what not?

[Xei]

Originally posted by Perspective
fountain: yeah its got the centrino and the new pentium M technology (not pentium 4-M)

xei: i looked at future shop and couldnt find anything that really compares for less than $3,000. i know $2,400 is alot but im getting 768Mb RAM, pentium M (woohoo, the latest buzz word ) and a 64Mb ATI. im gonna take a look around the city and see what i can find before i order anything. this "triple your ram for free" deal is only on till july 7.

on another note -> Has anyone ever delt with dell? are they any good for servicing and what not?

My friend had one, and the service only ever referred to their System CD that they give you. They tell you to install that CD and that should fix your problem.

[mart_man00]

i want a top of the line laptop.

some places like alienware and i think dell(?) will sell you a 3.06 or a 3.2 soon.

check them out, alienware is pricey but awsome. too bad i had nothing but crap from those people. dell is good. not that pricey.

[Speedy5]

IBM makes the best laptops. They never break, the keys never come off like most cheap laptops do. They have amazing support for the extreme rare chance you have to use it. They're fast and reliable.

For example, I'm using this **3 year old** laptop yet it works just fine for everything! Its a Thinkpad 770Z PII 366 ($4600 US). I've dropped it before accidently down 5 steps and nothing broke to my suprise thanks to the titanium case (7 lbs total). The speed of it is just 40% of my P4 1.6 ghz computer which is amazing. I still have my warranty on it btw until August.

My dad bought another IBM laptop a year ago. Thinkpad A31 ($2400). Another astonishly great model.

I will never buy anything but IBM for laptops. Of course, the company buys them so price,

When I go off to college, I'm probably only getting a sub $2000 model which are still great. Like last time I checked, the A31 (P3 1.6ghz, 32mb ATI 7500) sells for $1200 at TigerDirect.

[mart_man00]

doesnt their drive bay (for extra things like floppies) use some odd connection? is it linux friendly (im sure it works but is something a normal distro would know of)? ive only seen the really old ones.

i hate their touchpads and desktops.....

<edit>
what about the tablet laptops for college?

sure ms is evil but that is a nice idea. wonder if they made a disto just for them yet

[confuted]

I hate laptop keyboards. They just suck. I hate the touchpad too. It also sucks. This is a kinda pointless post, so I'll make it better. Do any companies make laptops with keyboards that suck less - meaning more like a normal one? And are there any laptops with a way to control the mouse that don't suck? (not counting mice that plug in) I hate laptops, but I'll probably need one for college. Will I get used to that crappy keyboard, at least?

[mart_man00]

besides from the lack of a number pad and the function keys being to low laptop keyboards are good(mine is a older dell, 500mhz, 256 mb ram, 8mb video. i forget its model, its cpx something).

im not a big fan of touch pads either, i dont like the knob-thingy in the center of the keyboard either. maybe a track pad is better(i never used one. havnt seen them in awhile either).

but I'll probably need one for college

ive been to a near by college a zillion times and the cs guys have nice ones. beside from the nerd factor it will come in handy for other things.

that why i asked about the tablets, im wondering if a laptop is as good as a (paper) notebook.

id like to keep it linux, but from what ive seen i wouldnt mind a dual-boot.

[Perspective]

>> a way to control the mouse that don't suck?

the track ball was the best. my dad had a laptop back in the day with one and it was easy to use. havent seen one in a long time now.

i found my way to Staples in my quest for a laptop and it seems that they have some pretty good prices on their own brand, the Xplio or whatever. i guess when it comes down to it its all the same brand name schtuff inside so ill probably end up going with one of those.

[Speedy5]

My Thinkpad supports Linux but I use Windows. The keyboard on mine is *real*. Its not those $$$$ty keyboards you see at BestBuy/Circuit City laptops. Those really suck. Mine makes a slight crunch noise and the keys don't easily come off. You'll have to yank your heart off to get one off, lol. I prefer my laptop keyboard over any other external keyboard I've used.

The new A31's keyboard isn't as good but its still better than any other non-IBM laptops I've used. Maybe its cause its not a T-model, like mine.

The Trackpoint is a little red thing above the b-key. Its your mouse. I love it and its very efficient. Use it with your index finger and you're back to typing in 10 milliseconds. I really don't see why people don't like it. Touchpads get dirty and greasy and you have to move your finger like heck. Trackpoint, you don't. And you can even double-tap it for a mouse click but the mouse buttons aren't that far away, just below the space.

Drive bays for IBM's are hot-swappable. I can swap my DVD drive, my floppy drive, an extra hard disk, or a second battery in seconds while the computer is still on. If I need say the DVD and the floppy, I connect the floppy using the cable.

The A31 has two hot-swappable bays so you can have both floppy and combo drive at the same time without some cable.

With Tablet PC's, although they look cool and probably are great to use, you don't get a keyboard unless you dock it. There is that one model that has a keyboard and you can use it as a laptop, moving the screen around. But imagine, those screens get destroyed from so much use. And they're not exactly the fastest things either. I'd wait a few years before buying one of those.

Choose IBM. If that fails, choose Toshiba or Dell.

[Perspective]

>> Choose IBM. If that fails, choose Toshiba or Dell.

i looked into IBM, very pricey. Staples brand Xplio has toshiba and dell beat for prices too.

>> My Thinkpad supports Linux but I use Windows.

does a laptop need to "support" linux?? cant you just format and install like any other computer or is some of the hardware in these laptops windows specific?

[mart_man00]

cant you just format and install like any other computer or is some of the hardware in these laptops windows specific?

thats why i asked.

some use a parellel port for things like floppies. mine just has a parellel port looking ide connector.

but as long as it has a good optical drive who cares. just get a mini usb drive after(the keychain kind).

[golfinguy4]

IMO, Tablets are gonna be worth the same as Microsoft's Ereaders (or whatever they are called) in the future, nada.