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Need advice choosing a laptop...? - ideorama81 I have heard that Dell and Sony Vaio are really good. The only thing is my Dell Dimension PC slowed down tremendously within the first 8 months I had it and I hope their laptops don't do the same. Also, I was told by a retail store employee that the Sony laptops come with a lot of un-needed stuff pre-set on its hard drive. Does anyone know which laptops are good, some what affordable, are lighter weight, and will last a long time? I know a good one will sometimes be over $1500, but I just need to know what companies are the best and/or good alternatives to Dell and Sony?

Best Answer: Most PC Makers include random stuff on them when you buy, HP, Dell, and Sony. Good laptops that you should consider would be: Dell XPS1330 Apple Macbook Sony Vaio FX I was considering between the three and ended up choosing the Macbook. While many think that it is hard to change to a Mac it is much easier and much faster. You can still boot into Windows on a Mac for any windows only programs. And Microsoft office is way cheaper for the mac. Whichever you choose. You want a Core 2 duo processor of at least 2.2ghz. You want at least 2GB of RAM. and nowadays you will want at least a 120GB hard drive. - Travis D

For Vista, look at the MS requirements…and double it at least and make sure it's certified. Triple if you can afford…then Vista should rock your socks. If you learn how to use it, Vista features and technology blows XP away…when it works. ;) You want it to last so get 64-bit Vista Home Premium or Ultimate. It’s mega-fast with 64-bit apps as well as lets you upgrade > 4GB TOTAL RAM (system RAM + graphics card + other devices). 64-bit also requires “MS approved” (a.k.a. digitally signed) drivers so this “might” help with hardware compatibility, etc. This is MS’s way of trying to get everyone to “move on” if they are able to. But if you have old programs, they might not work (esp. with 64-bit version). Google “Vista compatibility list”. Knowing a bit about computers helps getting the old problematic ones to work (Internet has a lot of solutions that smart people share). Ultimate is the best but if you don’t think you need anything that fancy, Home Premium is good too. Get a good video card if you want Aero graphics (at least 256MB 128-bit in the newer cards)… better if you can afford. Vista technology distributes more graphics processing to the video card and relieves the CPU for other things. Therefore, a good video card will make Vista work better. Vista uses extra RAM to store commonly used files in a new activity known as “disk caching”. The computer uses artificial intelligence to determine which files will be used most and copies it to RAM (where it is much faster than accessing your hard disk). This includes components of the programs you use on a regular basis. When you need more RAM for programs you launch, etc. the computer purges the “least likely used” files from RAM to make room for the new program. That’s why if you look at the performance monitor, Vista always has near zero “free” RAM. So in theory, the more RAM (for disk cache) you have, the faster your computer will operate. This can also be augmented (to a lesser effect) with a flash drive/card with a technology called ReadyBoost. Just stick it in and select “Speed up my system” and leave it there. http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2917&p=6 Vista Home Premium and Ultimate has Windows Media Center, where with a TV card/USB adapter (if not integrated) of the type that fits your TV/Cable, acts similar to TiVo. You can play your videos, schedule recordings, etc. You can get a wireless keyboard / mouse or gyro-mouse and it will be sort of like remote control. If you do this, get a big Hard Disk. Vista supports touch-screens and voice recognition if you’re into note-taking and dictation. A good program to use with this is OneNote, which is included in some Office editions. Deals of America and Tech Bargains catch good deals on HP and Dell’s and sometimes you can get like $500 off! XPBargains has deals and coupons on Tablet PC’s!   Unless you are an artist, most Universities (and programs) as well as the rest of the world use Windows. WinMacs are popular but for the price, Macs don’t run Windows as well as other brands, but sometimes it doesn't really matter that much to most users. In addition some just want it for fashion and like them to match their iPods. Here are some statistics to put it into perspective. http://marketshare.hitslink.com/ Note that these “internet traffic statistics” actually miss a lot of Windows PC usage because many are used for work and do not surf the internet much (if at all). Thus the Windows PC’s out there may be even MORE than the representation on the charts! Macs are durable because many have an accelerometer in there that can "increase the chance" of saving your hard drive when you drop it. Like those used in airbags. The power cord is also magnetically attached so it reduces the chance that you yank it off the table. OSXMacs can exclusively install Final Cut Pro (which is good for media work). Adobe Creative Suite is also good and available for Windows but works better on OSX. The Windows version actually looks like an OSX port. Many OSX users are artists historically. Emotion workers are generally not as good with computers as logic workers so OSX is good for them. Because OSX is less complicated and harder to mess up, a lot of computer newbies also use Macs and you that’s why you see a lot of “Get a Mac! They are so awesome!” without any technical explanation to back up that opinion. ;) Mac Pros: OSX stability OSX is easy to use Dual-bootable to Windows More durable than many brands Trendy Mac Cons: Not as much peripheral support Not as much software support Windows doesn’t run as well Expensive Minority Windows PC Pros: More customizable More choices More styles Cheap hardware Vista has best gaming capability (Direct3D 10) Windows PC Cons: Less stable (unless you are an IT pro) Many are relatively not as fashionable Not as user-friendly Some extra features in Windows requires advanced knowledge to use The extra features require better hardware despite your use of them or not Details of features can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X Some brand statistics: In terms of recent sales, the top 3 manufacturers are HP, Dell, and Acer (Gateway). Apple is #4 in USA. http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/04/24/mac-q1-2008-market-share-3-26-percent-worldwide-6-26-percent-in-the-us.aspx Pretty good deal on a powerful laptop: $900 - Gateway M-6851 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600(512MB GDDR3 Dedicated Memory) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101154 Pretty good deals on mid to powerful Tablet PC’s: $700 - Gateway C-141X / $1100 - Gateway C142XL http://www.gateway.com/systems/series/529597319.php?mtr=DCYAONANC&sg=hm&ph1=8667187749 - Ericson M

Like choosing anything else it depends on what you want. First off, if your computer slows down as a factor of time, it is not the computers fault. Some outside effect slowed down that computer, most likely adware/spyware. In which case the manufacturer is not to blame. That said, I can move to your next point... "un-needed" stuff can be easily removed. In my opinion, Windows falls into this catagory, but even Windows contains the "Add/Remove" program which easily enables removal of (legit) programs. So software packages should not be a consideration either. Next... we move on to the good points to look for... price, weight, and durability... You can purchase such a laptop for well under $1500! I reccomend dell inspiron 1525. Or a compaq... However, if your primary purpose is gaming, you may have to shell out some $$, but you aren't paying for a laptop, your are paying for a graphics card that fits in a laptop.... - Kris

My personal experience tells me to avoid SONY like the plague. I have never had a good SONY related computer experience and when I used to sell laptops they were the ones coming back for the most repairs. My experience with Dell has been much better and the general concensus among my friends and family is that Dell gives you a decent value for your money among laptop vendors. I'm a bit partial to Toshibas at the moment because they are usually a bit mroe specced out for your money, but, from what I've observed, the worst that can happen with a Dell is you pay a little too much. - wattrlz

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