Okay kids, I need computer shopping help

[LeftyMom]

I :loveya: my Sony Vaio desktop, but after years of eying them I'll finally be getting myself a laptop later on this week. I considered an ibook, as I like the design of them, but I'm really not comfortable getting an underpowered powerPC chip just as apple begins the switch to intel. I really don't want to drop a grand on an instant legacy machine.

I'm buying new, because used laptops seem pretty overpriced considering the uncertainty involved in an unwarrantied portable gizmo with no warranty and a pricey battery that may require replacement at any time. I need it to have WiFi, and would prefer capabilities similar to my desktop, (it's not the best ever but it does everything I need) whose specs are 512 MB of ram, an 80 gig hard drive, DVD burner (I don't really need this on the lappie) and 2.6 ghz under the hood, but it's no big if my laptop has a bit less processor. I'll use it primarily for DUing, fiddling with my ipod and word processor/database stuff, but I want room to grow since I plan to use it for several years before I kick it down to LeftyKid and get a new one. I don't play games or do photoshop, but I do need enough horsepower to do minor alterations to photos taken on my digital camera.

Assuming I don't run into an unspeakably awesome deal while shopping, which of these ads from this week's paper do you think is the best deal? Feel free to mention any laptops worth buying I've missed, link to deals, try to talk me back into an ibook, etc. Any advice is good advice.

Thanks,
LM

[KitchenWitch]

1. I said the 649 Toshiba

Since you do not need a DVD burner in it. You want to get at least 512 mb RAM, a 60 gig HD is just a little smaller than what you have now, but you can, at a later date, get an external HDD for storage.

[jobycom]

2. Check out C-Net and Epinions first, and think about a wide screen.

They are advertised for DVD viewing, and are fun for that, but they are also good for viewing web pages without having to use the sideways scrolly bar thingie on pages where that becomes an issue.

As for which ones, I've had bad luck with Compaqs in general, but I haven't had a Compaq laptop in years. C-net and Epinions not only have some expert reviews on many machines, but also have consumer opinions of them. C-Net is best for this. If you can't find one on the exact model, check out similar models by the same brand. Many laptops have annoyingly bad designs that cause problems. For instance, my spouse has a Vaio that is notorious for not booting up, because of a problem in one of the memory slots. I have an EMachine widescreen. Normally Emachines are bad (though I've heard they are improving), but this laptop has been fantastic, with one problem. It has survived a couple of drops, it has lasted for years, it has been my everyday computer that whole time, and it is durale and fast enough for what I need. The problem is that the processor cooling fan gets clogged with dust somewhat often, which causes it to overheat and shut down randomly. This doesn't bother me, because I'm comfortable taking it apart and blowing out the dust, and because I can tell from the fan when it's starting to get clogged up. Others hate this, of course.

Anyway, that's my advice. It probably sucks, but there it is.

[LeftyMom]

3. Thanks, guys

any other advice? I'd really appreciate it.

[magellan]

4. Whatever you decide

...if you use or will use a Logitech camera with your new system, make sure you get an INTEL chipset, not the Via chipset. The Via chipset is known to have problems with Logitech cameras and may well render your camera useless. I have firsthand experience to back it up -- got a new computer with the Via chipset last summer, tried to hook up the Logitech Zoom camera, and only then learned by reading the Logitech site that the bad green distorted video I was getting was due to the Via chipset. As suggested I updated the chipset, my BIOS -- all for naught. But the Logitech Zoom works beautifully on my husband's system with the Intel chipset.

Good luck and happy shopping!

[lindisfarne]

5. consider looking at dell.

if you do, cheapstingybargains.com usually has some good coupons for dell stuff (sometimes the coupons have a limited # of redemptions so move fast if you get the price you want on the config you want)

AS for the processor: processing speed doesn't matter much for a lot of things (my pentium 3 700 mHz desktop works about as well as my (recently bought) intel centrino 7.5 mHz laptop), but the difference between the bottom-line and top-line chips could be worth thinking about? Do you realize "intel" can refer to a variety of processors (celeron is the least powerful - it might be ok for your purposes; just be aware of what you're getting and whether the price reflects that). Given the prices of the computers you've listed, they probably have Celeron processors, rather than the faster Intel chips. You might want to compare how much more a faster chip will run - it might not be a whole lot more, and it might give your computer a longer life (i personally wouldn't even consider buying any computer with a celeron chip).

It will cost a little more, but may be worth getting the 512 memory as 1 Dimm so you can add another later.

Don't buy Gateway. I had a nightmare experience with them a few years ago and if anything, their company has gone even further downhill since then. I had a warranty; hard drive crashed in less than a year; they replaced it but when it crashed about a year later, I discovered it was a "refurbished" hard drive - not new. They're using cheap and unreliable components in their machines. I realize it's true that reliability is an issue with most computers, but Gateway has gotten especially bad.

[LeftyMom]

6. Any advice from the day shift crew?

Thanks in advance. :yourock:

[LynneSin]

7. DO NOT BUY COMPAQ OR HP!!!

Ugh, I actually bought an HP and it crashed when I installed my Verizon DSL software. So I returned it (it was an open box buy figured it was messed up) and the Compaq did the same thing.

Actually - buy Sony, they have great products and it's a blue company!

[LeftyMom]

8. I do like my Sony desktop

I'll have to look around for a deal, the only one I saw advertised in the paper was about $1200. I could pay that much, but I'd rather not.

[LynneSin]

9. Try this link here

These are the refurbished & clearance models

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=RSeriesNPB&Dept=computers

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=ASeriesNPB&Dept=computers