Advice on Laptop

[josh]

Hey, my computer has really been giving me a hard time lately. I would like to buy a new laptop, however I am not sure if it is worth buying one now becuase next year I will be going to university.

Two questions:
1. I found this laptop in the futureshop add this week and I was thinking about getting it because it seems like a pretty good deal, and something that will last me for a few years in university (I am going into engineering so I figure I need something with pretty good specs). Does this look like a laptop that will be good for engineering programs/a good uni laptop in general.

2. Vista....is it really worth waiting for it, or is it just giong to be so buggy at the begingin, that it would be better to wait a while after it comes out and then get it?

EDIT: I just noticed that the vista won't be an issue, becuase they are offering a free upgrade to it when vista comes out.

Another question inatead:

For $300 more is it worth it to get the same laptop, but with a 120 GB HD, 2 GB RAM, and a Centrino Core 2 Duo processor instead of the Core Duo Processor?

Thanks

[Naveg]

Looks good except for the graphics card - if you plan to do any gaming or video editting the intel GMA just won't cut it. As for upgrades, 120 GB is personal preference if you think you'll use it. You can never have too much RAM, especially with Vista around the corner I'd say go for 2 GB. The performance advantage of the Core 2 Duo over the Core Duo is negligible for most users.

My advice: see how much it would be to upgrade to 2 GB RAM after buying. If it would be 150 or more, go for the 300 dollar upgrade and get the Core 2 and 120 GB hd as well.

[josh]

I don't really plan on using it for gaming (I have an Xbox for that) but I do like to do some photoshop work, but given the large amount of RAM, I think it would still be fine for this even with the medeocre graphics card.

Will the graphics on it be able to support the new graphics features in vista though? Like 3-D windows and the new UI?

[Windsurfer]

I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 640m (aka e1405) and i'm VERY happy with it. It has a 5 hour battery life (upgradable to 8 hours), core duo that can be upgraded to core 2 duo, an awesome wireless card, 14 inch wide screen, gig of ram, 80 gig hard drive.
All for only 900. I'm very pleased.

[bugzpodder]

the santa rosa platform seems really tasty... core 2 duo with a 800 mhz frontside bus.

[Silent Avenger]

Hey josh, what is your planned budget because if we know that we can help you find the best laptop for your price range.

[josh]

I was looking to spend around 1000 - 1300 dollars proboly, see I was gunna go cheaper, but I was thinkink that if I am already going to spend money on a laptop, I may as well spend a little bit more and get something that is good and won't get outdated very fast.

I am in grade 12 now and I want it to last till at least second year, and I am want to go into engineering (most likely at waterloo).

So something that is fairly portable but doesn't need to be ultra compact.

Thanks

[wtd]

General advice: wait as long as you can to buy. In all likelihood, machines will only get faster, more powerful, and cheaper with time.

[Naveg]

wtd wrote:

General advice: wait as long as you can to buy. In all likelihood, machines will only get faster, more powerful, and cheaper with time.

Generally good advice, but the fact of the matter is that computer are ALWAYS getting better, so a few months after you buy you'll get that feeling of "i should have waited" regardless.

If you want it and will use it productively now, then go for it. If you're getting it in preparation for something in the future and don't really need it until then, wait as long as possible.

[Silent Avenger]

Well I 'd say listen to wtd's advise and wait as long as you can to get it. So I'd say getting the laptop a month or 2 before you go to university and that way you'll have the most up to date laptop and with the extra time before university you'll be able to familiarize with the laptop and set all the settings that you want on the laptop. I found an Alienware laptop that starts off in your price range which you might want to check out. here's the link: http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pages/Area-51_m5550/area-51m_overview.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-AREA51M5550-R3&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
Alienware is probably the best company to get a computer from but the one downside is that they're a little pricey. Another recommendation would be a media centre laptop from HP. One such as this: http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=&webid=666965&affixedcode=WW would probably meet your needs quite well. Also if you just can't wait to get a laptop there's something in future shop that's on sale and it's $1299.99 but worth every penny in my opinion it's a Toshiba laptop here's the link: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10080304&catid=22497

You also said that you were debating over getting vista or not and you don't have to worry about it with the Alienware and Toshiba laptops since tthe Alienware one comes with a free upgrade to windows vista when you get windows xp media centre or windows xp professional and the Toshiba laptop is Vista ready.

[md]

Even two weeks before university is good, getting to know a laptop doesn't take very long at all.

If your looking to get a god laptop cheap, lenovo sells refurbished laptops fairly cheaply; they may not be the latest and greatest but they are good and really cheap. Thinkpads are really teh best laptops your llikely to be able to buy too.

Oh, and if your getting a laptop make sure it has really good battery life. If yoru going to be using it plugged in all the time then really just getting a cheaper and more powerful desktop is probably a better option.

[josh]

Thanks for all the advice .

The thing is I think I might be able to wait, and I would much rather wait, but my computer is rather....unpredictable. I can go for a few weeks with it working fine (like right now) and then I get these periods of major frustartion and problems, random blue screens, hard drive crashed and was totally destroyed, slowness, overall acting funny (I have done reformats and stuff as well).

Oh and silent avenger, that Toshiba laptop was the exact one I was looking at and nearly bought it. I am just worried that the graphics on it won't be capable of running the aero interface on vista.

[TokenHerbz]

waddup

ima get abnortgwe viv of eran for my cxomp

[md]

josh wrote:

Thanks for all the advice .

The thing is I think I might be able to wait, and I would much rather wait, but my computer is rather....unpredictable. I can go for a few weeks with it working fine (like right now) and then I get these periods of major frustartion and problems, random blue screens, hard drive crashed and was totally destroyed, slowness, overall acting funny (I have done reformats and stuff as well).

Oh and silent avenger, that Toshiba laptop was the exact one I was looking at and nearly bought it. I am just worried that the graphics on it won't be capable of running the aero interface on vista.

The solution there is not to run aero Linux with Beryl as your window manager does everything aero does and more. Oh, and it requires way less in the way of hardware. Did I mention linux runs most windows games with a little emulation? Oh, and it's free

[Mazer]

TokenHerbz wrote:

waddup

ima get abnortgwe viv of eran for my cxomp

Kid, what the fuck are you thinking? Shape up already.