I need to buy a laptop!

[WildHoneyAlways]

Okay, I need to buy a lap top for work and I have no clue what I actually need. I'm a teacher and I need it to be wireless. I won't use it for games or anything but at home I'm sure I'll use it for downloading music or whatever.
What are the "must have" specs?

People who have laptops, what kind do you have and do you like it? Any info would be much appreciated.

 

[melon]

You should get an Intel Centrino/Pentium M laptop. Built in Wi-Fi, great power consumption, and can create very thin and stylish laptops. It's because of this technology, I think, that Apple will "switch" to Intel processors in the next year or so.

Melon

 

[learn2kneel]

Get a 12-inch ibook installed with microsoft word. Apple offers a great education discount on their products. It comes fully ready for wireless and it comes with a very discounted iPod. You'll be the envy of every other teacher.
Expect to pay around 1000 dollars or mor depending on how many extra features you get.

 

[-macphisto-]

I got a sony Viao for free from one of those pop ups, when I got the laptop, I checked how much they cost to buy, and they cost 2000$. I actually paid about 30$ to complete the offers, but it was well worth it!

 

[Chizip]

I got a sony Viao for free from one of those pop ups, when I got the laptop, I checked how much they cost to buy, and they cost 2000$. I actually paid about 30$ to complete the offers, but it was well worth it!

one of those pop up offers actually worked?

 

[anitram]

I have a Toshiba (Satellite series). It's alright, never really had a problem with it, although I got the extended warranty to go. They are bulkier than Macs though, even with the Centrino technology.

If you want something really portable, and don't mind spending more $$, get either a Powerbook, or else if you hate Macs, go for a Toshiba Portege.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

Thanks guys. I priced the Macs today and they are more expensive for less features, free ipod or not. Right now I'm looking at Toshiba, HP and compaq.

 

[-macphisto-]

one of those pop up offers actually worked?

Heck yes, I was surprised too, but it worked, Im doing a apple ipod 40GB right now, I did all my offers in about 30 minutes, just waiting for them to confirm and then ship!

 

[Liesje]

If Powerbooks are out, go with Toshiba. They're a little higher end than HP/Compaq. If you buy something new, it's going to have the specs you need. For a laptop, I would recommend getting a REALLY good 3 year warranty. Sometimes, they have special deals where the battery is included (b/c you need to get a new battery every 1-2 yrs and they can be $100-$200). Basically though, the laptop will last as long as you know how to treat it. It's good to actually run the battery all the way down every few months or so and then charge it again. Laptops are also notorious for getting too hot and shutting off. I bought my laptop used for only $200 and it has this problem, but I got a cooling pad for it, keep it propped up, and monitor the HD temp with a thermometer that displays in the system tray so I can work around the problem. If you feel the laptop getting hot, I'd recommend using a cooling pad and never setting the laptop directly on your desk.

 

[RedRocksU2]

I got a Dell......love it , great customer support, awesome price...I highlt recommend them.

 

[Dismantled]

oooooooh love my IBM Thinkpad

It comes highly recommended by moi

I cannot think of any complaints I don't know about the customer service cause I've never had to use it

I did think of a complaint...the battery doesn't last very long this thing is a battery monster

 

[Imarocker]

Laptop

I bought a Toshiba lap top from Best Buy in Jan. It has a lot of features & the best one is I got interest free payments for a year.
I can tell you its a 80 gb hard drive, 15.4 in screen really clear, 2.6 mgz pentium processor, dvd R/W, 3 USB ports, centrino battery which last up to 5 hours. if you want any other info let me know.
Price was about $1500 after a $300 rebate.

 

[U2@NYC]

IBM is the best. I have one at home. Never needed customer service and I have owned it for 3 years.

Dell is pretty bad. I have one at work and it started crashing 3 months after they gave it to me.

 

[Liesje]

I would not recommend a Dell laptop. Every single person I know that's got one has had the same problem within the first year: the computer overheats and shuts off. Now, my computer does this b/c it's 4 years old and its previous owner had it infected w/ so much spyware and junk, lord knows how much care she was giving it....but a computer that's a year old should not have that problem. If you call Dell about this problem, they will check your fans. But see, the fans work fine and they turn on when the comp heats up, but that's simply not enough. But since the fans work and there's nothing wrong with the hard drive, you're stuck with a laptop that will shut off when it heats to a certain degree.

You don't really need the latest and greatest super fast processor if you're not doing serious stuff like music, video, or image editing with software that is stressful for the computer. If you're only doing online stuff, playing music, and word processing, 1.5 Ghz should be plenty and even a lower end new laptop will probably come with something that fast or faster.

My co-worker just bought a new Dell laptop, a very high-end one (probably cost around $2000) and on the second day he had it, the motherboard died and he had to start from scratch.

 

[ylimeU2]

Thanks guys. I priced the Macs today and they are more expensive for less features, free ipod or not. Right now I'm looking at Toshiba, HP and compaq.

Do NOT get an HP or a Compaq. You will regret it. Everyone I know who has one has had problems with them and I had a Compaq a while ago. I can't say it was a positive experiance. The battery life sucks. And the fan quit working the day after the warrenty expired.

I've heard great things about certain Toshiba models and others, not so great. I'd do my research before settling on a model. But if it were me, I'd spend the extra $ and get a Mac.

Macs

 

[U2SavesTheWorld]

Don't get a Dell. I have two (a Latitude X1 and an Inspiron 9300).

The Inspiron is about to go back for the 6th time in less then a year. I've had two harddrives, 3 keyboards, and I'm on my second battery. They are about to replace it entirely and are calling it a lemon.

The other one hasn't faired too well either. I'm not happy about it considering we are talking about over $5000 worth of laptops going to hell in 6-12 months.

I'm switching BACK to mac after these implode (which should only be a matter of time).