I am looking to get a new laptop - which one should I get?

Question

Although it isn't financially plausible for me right now, I really would like to get a new laptop. I currently have an HP dv6500, and am not satisfied with it whatsoever. I got it my senior year of high school, and am currently a sophomore, and an completely dissatisfied with it (from the lack of battery life, slowness, loud fan, charger plug no longer works, etc).

Anyway, I would like to get the opinions of those who are satisfied with their computers, or have the knowledge of those that are worthy of a purchase. I've heard some of the good qualities of Macs, but I am not comfortable with the format of those computers at all - although I heard that you could get a PC interface.design on that computer, so it looks like a PC, but is a Mac - although I don't know all the details of how to get it to that medium.

Ok, I will stop writing, and await your responses. Thanks!

Answer 1

I just bought a Mac Book. I have used windows for years. I LOOOOVE my new Mac Book and will never look back. It's fast. Never freezes. Very quiet. Doesn't get that hot. You can purchase Microsoft Office for Mac with Word, Excel etc. It's a little different at first, but you will get used to it quickly. The Apple store has free tutorials to explain how Macs work.

Answer 2

Hey



Well putting a PC on a MAC is just a hassle, you'd rather get something which has the same features but no hassle and less price.

Talking about what type of laptop to get, it actually depends on what your going to use it for, entertainment, movie/music production, or just surfing the web.

I would go for a Dell, or a Toshiba.

Try getting a laptop with these features "at least".

Processor: Dual Core, Core 2 Duo, or a Centrino 2

Ram: 2GB at least

Graphics card: Any ATI or Nvidia would be great.



Try get some advice at the shop.



Cheers

Answer 3

Well I would definitely say that Hp is a very good choice



I would also suggest that you have an option of buying a refurbished laptop in Hp which will help you in saving some really good amount of money



Check out the below mentioned website

Answer 4

For a generic laptop you are looking at a (A) basic, (B) desktop-quality, or (C) high-end. Basic laptops will go for around $500, they will do word processing, internet, etc, but will snag once in a while on big multimedia. Desktop-quality are around $1,000, these are excellent desktop substitutes. Anything above $1,500 is Luxury/Professional (high-end).



The two brands I've had the most success with lately are Dell and HP. Historically Toshiba has been a dog that overheats and Lenovo is a China-fied IBM thinkpad (not sure what that means for their quality these days).



*** Good basic laptops:



Dell Inspiron 15:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/laptops_great_deals/fs.aspx?refid=laptops_great_deals&s=dhs&cs=19



HP Pavilion dv6z:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Everyday+computing&series_name=dv6z_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/Everyday_computing/dv6z_series



*** Good desktop-replacements:



HP Pavilion dv6t:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=High+performance&series_name=dv6tqe_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/High_performance/dv6tqe_series



Dell Latitude 6500:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/business/notebooks/laptop_latitude_e6500/pd.aspx?refid=laptop_latitude_e6500&s=bsd&cs=04



If you have some special uses, like gaming, hard-core video editing, etc, you probably want to look at something like Alienware. If you tend to drop your laptop out of the window, you may want to look at a Toshiba toughbook.



"Techie" things to know:

1. Not getting a separate video card will slow down your computer overall. Unless you're getting "basic", I recommend to always make sure you have a dedicated video card in your laptop.



2. One of the slowest parts on laptops is the hard drive. If at all possible, make sure your HD is 7200RPM (vs 5400RPM) or, if available and affordable, get a flash-drive (like Intel X25-M), which is sturdier and in many cases faster than triditional plate spinners.



3. RAM is your best friend in laptop performance. 4GB of ram is a good way to go.



4. Intel, unfortunately, trumps AMD chips in mobile options and performance these days (Dec, 2009). I would avoid obscure chip names and try to make sure your laptop has a "Core 2 Duo" of some flavor.



5. Screen size is directly proportional to bulkiness. If you will be carrying the laptop around every day, you are probably ok with 14-15". If the laptop is mostly a stay-at-home, you can go for the larger screens.

Answer 5

dont worry about the interface, it will take about a day and then you will be thinking how cool macs are, if your still not sure maybe rent of borrow one for a day or even install kalway or ubuntu on your pc laptop to get a feel for it.

Answer 6

I've been recommending this story quite a bit - the 860 readers comments in the below link are pretty helpful.

Answer 7

Check out Windows PC Scout for a great tool to help you find the best laptop for your specific needs: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/



Cheers,

Jeff

Windows 7 Outreach Team

Answer 8

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+TouchSmart+Laptop+with+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+X2+Dual-Core+Mobile+Processor+-+Titanium/9556401.p?id=1218123849979&skuId=9556401