Laptop

[Andy]

ok yea i noe, this have been posted many many times, but im seriously considering getting one now. my budget is 2300 canadian (tax included) so that would be 2k in canada, or about 1900 usd since there is no tax there. i've looked at alot of laptops, and i think i've finally found one. Its from Vicious Pc, the store has crazy high reseller.com ratings and i've read many many good reviews about them. the notebook is manufactured by a company named uniwill, and is based on the dothan core, instead of the new sonoma, but that doesnt bug me much. here are the stats:

Intel Pentium M Processor at 2.0 GHz, 400MHz FSB, 2M Cache
15.4 WSXGA 1680x1050 Wide Screen TFT LCD Display
Kingston 1024MB SODIM PC-3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (2 X 512 MB)
60GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive 8MB Cache
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro 256MB 8X AGP Video Modual w/S-Video TV out
Internal 8X Dual DVD+/- RW + 24X CDRW Rewritable Drive
Integrated AC97 Audio w/1 Mic-In, 1 Audio-Out/SPDIF out and 1 Line-In Jack
Built-in 10/100 Fast Ethernet Network Port
Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g Mini PCI Wireless Module
1 Game/Midi, 1 Modem, 1 1394 Firewire, 1 S-VGA, 1 Bluetooth port (optional) and 3 USB ports
1 Type II Card Bus PCMCIA and 4-in-1 Memory Card reader for MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro
No OS
DIMENSIONS: 12.1" Width X 10.2" Depth X 0.9"~1.4" Height. 6.6lbs.
All Purpose Carrying Bag
EXTRA 8-Cells Li-Ion Battery

there is supposedly another usb at the bottom of the laptop for bluetooth, and the battery is supposed to last for 3.5-4 hours, but wit 2, it'll last around 8. the no os option isnt available on the website, but u can call and request it. it'll save you 70 bux. another thing is, the manufacutre suppsedly underclocked, so i'll prolly need help overclocking it back up to ithe speed that its supposed to run in. the total comes out to $1861.55 usd, or 2300 canadian exactly. any input from you guys will be greatly appreciated

[Andy]

also, does anyone noe where to buy an mini pci dlink wifi reciever? i noe they make them, and the speed goes up to 108 mbps, if i can find one then i'll just install it in myself instead of using that intel crap

[Martin]

When you get a notebook, make sure you get a warrenty.

Go with either IBM or Toshiba.

[Andy]

i would but they are way way too expensive.. and yea the laptop has an 1year warranty

[Martin]

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?seg=HHO&coid=-28841&sel=0&rcid=-26367&ccid=1291021

$2000 US, really nice computer. Toshiba screens are incredible.

[wtd]

Andy wrote:

i would but they are way way too expensive..

Way too expensive will describe making any repair to the thing out of warranty. And if you're only planning on having it a year, then selling it, a 1 year warranty will be ok, but be warned: no name laptop + no warranty = low resale value.

Buy an Apple laptop. Seriously.

They have the best reliability and customer satisfaction ratings.

[md]

how much does it weigh? If your going to be taking it to class then you might want to make sure it's light. And if your planning on using it at university, i'd go for a really light, long battery life laptop, single spindle preferably, with built in wifi; that way it's easy to bring with you, and you can go the whole day without needing to charge it. Then get a good desktop machine for your room, and just connect to it to get your files and stuff.

You might want to talk to martin about this, but i think you'll find that using a cheap, light weight laptop, and a desktop for heavy duty things preferable to a "desktop replacement" laptop that's heavy and not upgradable. Plus if your running linux you can always pipe your X display from the desktop through ssl (or vnc), so you don't even need a really powerful laptop. Wouldn't work for playing games in class, but that's probably a good thing

[Martin]

One thing about Apple laptops that even you can agree on wtd is that their screens have absolutely terrible viewing angle.

Not sure if that's important to you though. Sony and Toshiba have the nicest screens that I've seen. In any case, definately get a brand name laptop.

[Andy]

cornflake, all the dimensions are listed... it weighs less than 7 lbs, and i think the battery life of 3.5-4 hours is fair...
and wtd, i will get an mac mini later, but i dun want a g4 as my main use for two years.

[Andy]

martin, your laptop does seem nice, but the one i listed has specs that blows yours out of the water...

[Martin]

The thing with laptops is that specs are only half of the story. Anyway, just be careful. Look into the terms and conditions of the warrenty. Get the extended warrenty if you can. Or, if you're just going for specs, get a desktop. Make sure you see the laptop before you buy it.

Sony's A-series of notebooks are really nice for something on the thin, light and 6 hours of battery side of things.

[md]

Andy wrote:

cornflake, all the dimensions are listed... it weighs less than 7 lbs, and i think the battery life of 3.5-4 hours is fair...
and wtd, i will get an mac mini later, but i dun want a g4 as my main use for two years.

So they are... I Still say that you'll end up wanting a desktop machine eventually, but it seems like a decent laptop so long as they provide decent service under waranty

[rizzix]

martin wrote:

One thing about Apple laptops that even you can agree on wtd is that their screens have absolutely terrible viewing angle.

what? hmm? i dont get it? its a laptop!

but yea Sony screens are sick! too bad sony laptops dont last too long.

[Andy]

i will be gettin a desktop within 1 year of the purchase, the lapy is is just for now

[SuperGenius]

it seems to me that battery life is greatly exagerated. Even for low power applications that don't use the cd drive the laptops i've used never seem to last that long.