Notebooks

ecntrc · 02-04-2007

hey guys
I am looking into getting a notebook/laptop er labtop? lol. Anyways, I was looking at a toshiba with one of those fingerprint security things. It has 2 gig hard drive and memory.. but I wanted to know what you guys recommend of if you have one does it work excellent or great or good with your programs.. being that i need ps and dreamweaver and a ftp program. it wouldnt always be used for that but most likely frequently to do work.. what do you guys recommend or suggestions.. ect what you like what works best for you.. thanks..

bedlam123 · 02-04-2007

What you should get really depends on what you will be doing with your laptop. Lots of graphics, video, web development, what?

I have a toshiba laptop and I do like it a lot, but, if I could do it all over again, I would go ahead and invest in a Mac. I know, heresy, right? Problem is having to buy all new software programs, yikes, what an investment! Back to the laptop....My laptop has maxed RAM, 10 gig hard drive and I also bought external hard drive as well of over 100 gigs. Got a great video card and a few other niceties.

I do a lot of design and video now so all the little extras make a big difference. Whatever you do don't skimp on anything and if you can afford it always upgrade.

Don't know if my rambling will help, good luck!

wombie · 02-04-2007

yeah i been looking into gettin a laptop too. depends what your looking to use it for i guess, but i fancy a Mac Powerbook. They can be a tad pricey but totally worth it. my mate has one and now they even brought out the software so you can have windows and os x as duel boot! its brilliant!

also if they try and sell you a laptop with only 2gb harddrive i'd run a mile

bedlam123 · 02-04-2007

Wombie is right about the hard drive, particularly if you intend to do any design or video at all. The Powerbook is sweet, but, just like I mentioned, if you have to purchase new software in addition to the laptop, it may not be worth it, at least at first.

*unleash* · 02-04-2007

bedlam is right about the software,

but the question remains, What are you going to do on the laptop?
I guess webdesign......so that would be alot of grapihcs( in every case photoshop, or a programm alike).

In that case, you should take a look at the RAM memory(the working memory) it should be at least 1024mb, but 2048mb is better. And offcourse you need a good harddrive and if you want to use this laptop for the coming 3 to 4 years...then you should have a pretty nifty cpu to(maybe dual core).

Oh, and if you're planning on having vista on the laptop, your RAM should be around the 2048(but 3072mb is better) because vista is pretty heavy on the working memory.

so...but still what are you planning to do on the laptop?

bedlam123 · 02-04-2007

I am unimpressed with the dual core option unleash as well as vista. But everything else you said I do agree with and encourage ecntrc to consider.

ecntrc · 02-05-2007

Hewlett-Packard - Special Edition Pavilion Notebook with AMD Turion™ 64 X2 - dv6258se

what about this one? what do you guys think? I am just in need of suggestions opinions..

do you guys know if all laptops or computers come with wi fi? wireless internest..

I also like this one.
Toshiba - Satellite Notebook with Intel® Centrino® Duo - Onyx Blue Metallic - P105-S6177
but the one i saw at best buy was black..

**Bub** · 02-05-2007

I personally would not get any larger than 14" wide screen on a laptop. I also prefer the glossy lcd (forgot what it's called). But you should definately get atleast a gig of ram. Processor is all about what you're gonna be doing and how much power you need. Hard drive space is not important for most people these days. Computers are coming with much more space than the average user uses.

As for wifi, I have not seen a laptop in the past two years or so without wireless "internest."

kokopedal · 02-05-2007

Custom built is the only way to go. For several reasons, first you get what you want. In the case of most laptops what you get is what you got,this means no upgrades once you remove it from the box. The chances of being able to find the computer that fits you perfectly are pretty slim. You either pay for something you don't want or you settle for one that doesn't have everything you hoped for. The second reason goes along with the first,you can make changes and upgrade any component you want in a custom home built unit. Sure it may cost you more now but you won't have to throw it away in two years and start over. I built both of my computers, my laptop cost me about $3000.00 U.S. 17 inch widescreen, AMD FX-57, 2gigs ram, 2 wd raptor hard drives (10000 rpm) 150gigs each, bfg gs7800 512 mb vid card, and a whole lot more.This will last me for a while and when I get the bug to upgrade I can without replacing the whole thing.

*unleash* · 02-05-2007

I think they are almost the same,
the hewlett has a better graphicscard, but that only handy with games.
Then the toshiba has some expendable memory, wich could be very handy.
they have almost the same CPU, I think the toshiba has a dual core and the hewlett packard has a 64bits cpu.

It's really all about what your going to do with it,

I tent to go for the hewlett packard, because I think the AMD athlon processors are better the intel centrino CPU's are. but that's just me.

*notjustgraphics* · 02-05-2007

Just another opinion for consideration, but unless you're pretty computer savy hardware wise, i'd stay with a pre-packaged system rather than a homebuilt one. True you won't get the custom-tailored value but you will definately have the benefit of knowing that those quirky hardware/driver/os conflicts have been worked out.

More importantly, from a brand name like Toshiba or Dell (my preference) you get the benefit of massive buying power... no homebuilder can match the price of these machines because they buy in 1's and 2's and try to compete with companies that buy by the 1000's. Generally speaking, your best value all-around will come from the big box guys.

That said, my general rule of thumb is to ALWAYS buy the MOST computer you can afford at the time. If you can spend $3000 on a laptop (not that you need to these days) do it... if your budget is more in the area of $1200 - $1500 then shop for the best deal in that range.

Focus on the tasks you will do most often. If you need massive processor support for complex applications like PhotoShop or Illustrator then make sure you get a robust CPU... Keep in mind that the Newst and Fastest is ALWAYS 60% - 70% more expensive NOW than it will be in 3-6 months... Your best value will be buying one or two below the most up-to-date processor.

Always an important factor: Feed your machine as much RAM as you can afford or it can take. anything less than 1GB nowadays is going to dissapoint you, especially in a notebook where additional driver overhead is higher.

Screen size is important too. Remember, a bigger screen means a bigger footprint, heavier book, less battery life, and sorer shoulders... But with the 17.1" screens out there now... a notebook can be as useful to a GD/GA as most desktop configs.

It's pointless anymore to buy a laptop or notebook that does not have wireless networking capability... strangely, it's not too hard to find them. Make sure you get a book with wireless and/or BlueTooth built in. You be glad you did.

I am a big proponent of PC based machines for so many reasons we need not get into here, however, the new Intel MAC chips are superb and offer dual OS capability like no other.... If you can afford one of this new Apple's... Bite!

That's my 2 cents.

Mike.

*unleash* · 02-05-2007

Wow, a lot of reading there

But you're right about the home builders, sometimes its better to add hardware like a grapichs card yourself but most of the time you can indeed better buy something great to start with!!

Then the apple thingy, I like the apple hardware/ software but it's way more expensive then the pc version of it....

In every case it's a hard nut to crack....

*notjustgraphics* · 02-05-2007

In terms of notebooks, you're pretty much at the mercy of the chipset on the motherboard, there is not a lot of room for expansion or selection here...

As for the price of apple hardware, yes, it's generally 20-30% more, but output wise, you can expect 30-40% higher performance with some other significant advantages... the trade off, of course, being a total lack of support...

Mike.