Buying a Laptop

[Sam_goUUUdogs]

dont really know where to start with looking for one, was thinking of getting an Apple one, but not sure if they are any good.

any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

[Wedgie]

Apple, ie Imac are the best hardware you can get BUT getting software for them is another thing, its so much easier getting "free" software for PCs.
As far as 'PC' laptops I always heard Toshiba were the best but having said that I got one for my parents but got a Compaq for myself and I wouldn't swap the Compaq for their Toshiba anytime, the Compaq I bought has been fantastic, I used it as my only PC for about 4 years and it never let me down.
A mate of mine who used to sell them actually took a Compaq up Mt Everest (I kid you not) and the thing kept going.
I know you're going to salary package (mad if you dont), but make sure you get an extended warranty thrown in, my best mate doesn't work in the computer area any more but can still get some good deals.
If you're after the best price/value for something that doesn't have a big warranty but would have good support then PM Dissident.

[rod_rooster]

If you want a laptop that costs 3 times as much and can do only one third of what it should get an apple. Otherwise you can't go wrong with Toshiba.

[Grahaml]

Depends on the money you want to outlay. Brands are better quality, and the better the rep, the better the brand basically. However, rep and quality come with a price tag. What did you need to do on it? Bearing in mind of course, that once you get something there's a good chance you'll do more than you planned! I recommend going into a couple of dedicated computer shops, checking out the specs of a few of their brand names vs entry level systems and compare them all.

One excellent indication of quality is the warranty. Make sure you ask about the length of warranty (you don't want a $2k machine packing in a board after 13 months), the usual turnaround time and what you need to do. Ideal is you can deal direct with repair agent but the retailer is willing to help you if there's a problem. Also, there are facilities to get extended warranty on laptops. If might be an outlay of $400 or so for a full 3 year or so cover on failures but when a board costs $1k on it's own and usually that's what packs it in this is a seriously valuable investment should something go wrong. If you REALLY want to find out more, you could try contacting the manufacturer and see if they can give you failure rates or call the repair agents and see what info you can get from them.

Most important really is that you don't get stuck with something that either has $500 worth of you-beaut gizmos you never use, but conversely doesn't turn out to not be capable of performing as you need. If the shop tells you that upgrading later is an option, then be careful. Usually the only thing you can upgrade is RAM, and this is rarely the bottleneck on a computer. Especially a laptop. Doing some serious operations, going from 512MB to 1024MB will boost performance by something like 5-10%.

[Sam_goUUUdogs]

i am planning to use it as my everyday PC, needs to have a very large hard drive, will really just be used for Internet, iTunes, DVD/CD Burning, Media Player, and quite alot of downloading, also will need good sound quality.

[Lunchcutter]

dont really know where to start with looking for one, was thinking of getting an Apple one, but not sure if they are any good.

any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Hi Sam

We purchased not too long ago a Compaq Pesario 949 with 100 bucks cash back... its a great pc but it is a little on the heavy side - we have a wireless connection in the house so I find it handy to take out to the pool room or anywhere else.. mind you would not be wanting to lug it everywhere - check out onlines reviews.. that helped me and dh heaps.

[Grahaml]

Well, you won't be needing anything great then. Most will perform fairly similarly if that's all you're doing with it. There will be better performance by some systems but not as much if you're not doing anything with 3d graphics for example. I can't say I'm terribly aware of much difference in sound quality from one to another, but like LC said, reviews can also help. But be warned, don't just take one site's word for it. Some web sites are sponsored by certain companies, and strangely enough those companies seem to be the favourites of those sites! The industry is riddled with bias and a lack of knowledge when it comes to picking brands. Most shops will only sell a couple of brands, so they will try to talk those brands up. The other problem is there's a serious lack of knowledge on the other brands that are out there if a shop doesn't sell them.

[Psyber]

I bought a Toshiba Satellite in 1999, a Targa [German] in 2001 and a HiGrade [UK] in 2003. The Toshi was always trouble, the Targa had an optical drive failure covered under warranty, the HiGrade has never put a foot wrong. It's only problem is that I accepted on board graphics. I am looking at a new machine now with core 2 duo and an 8600 Go 512MB video card, and WSXGA+ screen.

I would never again buy a laptop without a good video card. It limits your future options.

[SBR]

I'm similar to sams situation.

Where's a good place to look, and what price should i be looking around?

[Grahaml]

The price can really vary from just under $1k to several thousands. It depends on what you need and how much you're willing to pay for something a bit better. Brands cost a fair bit more, but you get good quality, better performance and better reliability. You really need to look around for yourself but I'd suggest trying a few places, and for decent advise go to a real computer shop (there are hundreds around Adelaide) instead of Harvey Norman where the fridge salesmen know nothing about computers!

[Psyber]

These guys are worth checking out for an Australian based product with a good warranty. They could give you a list of local dealers registered with them. They use Seagate HDDs and Hynix RAM.

The new web site has just gone up and has a few bugs though so you may have to ring.

http://www.qditech.com.au/

[stan]

Guys im also looking at buying a laptop, nothing exciting at this stage, just something to get me buy as the PC ive got at the moment is Poo! So if anyone has or knows of any more helpful sites to look at then put them up here.

[Psyber]

Guys im also looking at buying a laptop, nothing exciting at this stage, just something to get me buy as the PC ive got at the moment is Poo! So if anyone has or knows of any more helpful sites to look at then put them up here.

I'm shopping for one too, but I'm in the business and checking whoesalers. The big bottleneck with laptops is their video processing if they rely on "integrated graphics". I'd avoid that.

Apart from the QDI MX100 referred to in my post above ASUS and MSI make some nice models also based on the "Santa Rosa" Core 2 Duo chip. Just type ASUS or MSI into search and you will find them. Personally I wouldn't go below the T7300 chip [2GHz] as multi core chips can actually be slower for some single thread operations, even if they are better for multithreading. 1GB RAM is minimum these days especially if you go for Vista. Look for a dedicated video card - the ones I am looking at have an 8600 M with at least 256MB of dedicated [not shared] RAM. Retail pricing - about $2200 to $2600.

VISTA???

Only "Ultimate" seems to be worth having as the others are basically throttled in various ways to make "Ultimate" look like it is worth the money. Groovy looking, but a lot of common software and hardware will not work with Vista so if you don't want to shell out for that too stick with XP Pro. The next problem you'll run into is retailers telling you "It only comes with the [whichever] OS." This is not true. I've run into this with wholesalers too. They buy in in batches to get better pricing and then only want to sell what they have on hand.

Beware "downgrading". The pitch is you can buy it with the standard Vista crip version we offer but Microsoft will give you a key to downgrade to XP Pro. Yes, but you supply the XP Pro - you can use a licence you have on another computer and run it on both with their permmission if you are "downgrading" your Vista purchase, but, that disk does not contain the laptop utilities to run its sound card etc. so you then have to find them and install them yourself as installing XP over Vista wipes those already installed. M$ say you can reinstall Vista later if you downgrade now, but insiders are predicting they'll change that policy in a year or so, so get it from them in writing!

Having all started out pushing Vista due to their contracts with Microsoft, OEMs are beginning to realise there is resistance out there and are now starting to offer the laptops with XP Pro instead of Vista.

I ran into another one looking at the ASUS model - "It only comes with the 200GB 4200rpm HDD." Not according to ASUS when I rang them. "Oh well that's all we can get..."
[A 5400rpm drive is 2 ms faster than a 4200, and a 7200 will have a faster seek time again.]

ASUS & MSI offer an International warranty. QDI is National only, but includes accidental damage or theft cover from memory - check it don't rely on my memory.

[SBR]

I went with an Acer guys..

Here's the specs..

Acer Aspire 5573ZWXMi
Intel Pentium dual core processor T2080
(1.73 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache)
14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LCD
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
120GB HDD
DVD-Super Multi double layer
(Support DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+RW)
1GB DDR2
802.11b/g wireless LAN

[stan]

I went with an Acer guys..

Here's the specs..

Acer Aspire 5573ZWXMi
Intel Pentium dual core processor T2080
(1.73 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache)
14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LCD
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
120GB HDD
DVD-Super Multi double layer
(Support DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+RW)
1GB DDR2
802.11b/g wireless LAN

What did you pay for it, if you wouldnt mind sharing.