Please recommend a laptop computer

[Natalina]

Hey folks. I'm in need of a laptop computer, and I know very little about them, as the last one I had was purchased for me by my parents when I started college. Any advice on what I should look for when shopping is appreciated. Perameters:
-I am not a Mac person and am not looking to convert, so I'll be looking at PCs only.
-The computer is for home use and should have a lot of storage and wireless internet capability.
-I'm not a gamer, so no fancy video stuff required
-I need it within the next few weeks, so I can't wait too long for one to be built

Thanks for your help, improv community!

[Telfer]

A similar discussion I recently had on another improv board:

http://www.improvresourcecenter.com/mb/showthread.php?t=54857

[schaefe]

Dell is still in the midst of some LCD Screen supply issues so if you need something fast, I would probably look elsewhere for the time being. Laptop orders may be delayed erratically (depending on model, video type, etc, etc.). Word on the street is that things should get ironed out by the end of the month.

Otherwise, if you have the scratch, the Lenovo Thinkpad systems are quite nice, even the non-tablet convertable models (and I used to hate Thinkpads with a passion back in the day...too damn hard to fix when they broke). IBM selling off all their hardware business was probably a smart move--they did not manage it very well.

Sony Vaios are nice as well, but they can be a little pricey, and I hear from the other peeps in my classes that they aren't all that great on the battery life. But, if it's at home and plugged in, no worries.

Geek out.

[Hamer]

You know, you can run Wndows on all Macs now, so at least that way when you finally do decide to switch, you won't have to buy a new computer.

And when nobody's looking, you can sneak on the Mac side and enjoy the greatness that is personified excellently by Justin Long.

[Frank Vu]

Hey folks. I'm in need of a laptop computer, and I know very little about them, as the last one I had was purchased for me by my parents when I started college. Any advice on what I should look for when shopping is appreciated. Perameters:
-I am not a Mac person and am not looking to convert, so I'll be looking at PCs only.
-The computer is for home use and should have a lot of storage and wireless internet capability.
-I'm not a gamer, so no fancy video stuff required
-I need it within the next few weeks, so I can't wait too long for one to be built

Thanks for your help, improv community!

Buy the cheapest Dell. Dell produces the most reliable computer with the best customer service.

On an unrelated point, your post makes you sound homeschooled.

[Natalina]

On an unrelated point, your post makes you sound homeschooled.

I'm not sure what this means. Incidentally, I was homeschooled for one year. Weird. And thanks, I am looking at Dell.

[stetsko]

Dell is fine, great even, if you have access to a corporate or educational purchase plan. If you do not have a corporate purchase plan, Dell's customer service will massacre you. Honestly, you're better off buying from Comp USA or one of those jackassess if you're going to try to buy a Dell as a member of the "general public." Basically, laptops are touchy creatures and the likelihood of your laptop needing service (even if you buy a magical "Macintosh") is pretty high. If you buy cheap, your service will be cheap...


If you work for a corporation, check with your IT dept and see if they have an employee purchase plan with whomever supplies their hardware. Even if the discount isn't worth mentioning, typically you qualify for a better level of warranty/customer service...

K.

[Amharclann]

Really basic and cheap: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11225950&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670|62881&N=4020108&Mo=5&pos=3&No=5&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=62881&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10590-Cat56670&topnav=

[Frank Vu]

I'm not sure what this means. Incidentally, I was homeschooled for one year. Weird. And thanks, I am looking at Dell.

Sorry if it came off wrong, I didn't mean anything by it. Just a vibe I got.

[Stacey]

I read her post several times and still couldn't figure out where the home school vibe came from. Not that it's a bad thing - just a weird thing to say. But now I know that she was for a year. So thanks for bringing out a little fact about my friend I didn't know.

Anyway, I know you said you don't want to convert Natalie, but I don't know why. So, I just encourage you to take a look at Macs. Mac laptops are really so nice and so much better than PC laptops in MY experience. A little MacBook would serve you so well and you could walk in, buy one, walk out. They are smaller, lighter, and more reliable in MY opinion.

I've had this one four years and NEVER needed service - just new power supplies and I could use a new battery - both of which are expensive and frustrating to replace. However, I have my computer on me all the time, and haven't need any service that required me to turn it in or send it off somewhere, so that's nice.

Anyway, you probably want a PC so I'll stop now. Except to say that BOTH PC and MAC laptops grow on trees in Portland and you just pick what you want for free any time you want. But that's just the way it is here...

[Chip]

I just got a refurbished Dell laptop from...well...Dell. I love it. It's like new. I love it, and I save a lot of money compared to what it would have cost to buy new. And, since it was refurbished, it wasn't subject to the parts issue that Schaefe mentioned.

Louie Saunders recommended the Dell Outlet to me. Here's the link:

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&lob=INSP&s=dfh&%7Eck=anavml

What I would recommend if you go this route, is to find a new Dell you like and see what the price is and what options you get. Then keep an eye on the outlet link to see when that sort of machine comes on the market. They vary from day to day and prices vary as well.

You can get a nice machine for very decent prices through the outlet store. If you're not into gaming, I'd say you could probably get something nice in the $600 range. That's just a ballpark guess. You might be able to do even better.

One caution - be careful talking to live salesmen in the stores. I'm pretty knowledgeable and talking to them, I could tell they were trying to oversell me on stuff I didn't need.

-Chip

[Frank Vu]

If you're thinking about going into any kind of graphic arts/video production field or if you fancy minimalistic industrial design and superior user interface, then you should seriously consider a mac.

Otherwise if you just email and use MS Office, go with Dell.

[stonelake]

I am a PC guy (and was educated by the Jesuits, the State of Pennsylvania, and Catholic Nuns, though not in that order) but I have to pop in here to mention the excellent wireless setup that comes with the MacBook.

Both of my brothers have one, and they can consistently get full performance out of wireless signals that my Thinkpad can't even see. This is so damaging to my ego that I have considered upgrading the wireless card in my laptop.

If you get a PC, stay away from Vaios and Toshibas, in my opinion. The buld quality is low for the price. Dells tend to be creaky as well but at least the price is right. I am generally happy with the Thinkpad, which is an industrial-strength workhorse that can take anything you dish out. The case alone is worth the extra dough. But I'm biased.

[Natalina]

Thanks, everyone. Chip, I got the refurbished Dell advice from Matt Larsen as well and I will give it another look. I feel a little weird ordering a computer online without actually seeing it. So I may have to go to some stores and look at stuff and then come home to order it, if it's going to save me money. This process is exhausting, especially if you don't know much about computers to begin with. Thanks for everyone's advice :)

[schaefe]

I completely forgot about the Refurbished Dell option. About 75% percent of those are brand new machines...never got used at all. If someone cancels an order they are typically marked "used", and send to refurb sales.

[moon_shoes]

Mine was a "scratch and dent" notebook from the Dell outlet. And when I received it I did not find a scratch nor did I find a dent.

Macs are fun. I'm too poor to have fun though.