I need a new Laptop. =)

vivalajuicy · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject: I need a new Laptop. =)

Hey,

so im not much of a computer person, so i dont exactly know how to go on about this.
i am in desperate need of a new laptop.
ive been looking around and i just dont know!

does anyone have suggestions as to which brand/type would be good for me?

i want one thats good for itunes/music and for pictures/videos
and i want it to be easy to use & not so big.

im kind of on a budget, the most i would go is maybe...$900-$1000.
cheaper would be better, though.

can someone please help me?
thankyou!

DeadDisco · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:17 pm Post subject:

If you already have one now, what kind do you have? And how do you like it?
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mike · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject:

I'm getting a laptop soon and I want a Toshiba. I've heard they're really good.

This one's $749 and has 15.4" screen, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (more than plenty to keep your songs and pictures), wireless internet, webcam, and DVD + CD writer.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10097879&catid=25253
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DeadDisco · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:52 pm Post subject:

^I think that might be the one my friend has. Does it have a mic too?
If it's the same, I think it's a good one. Although my friend's webcam/mic doesn't work too well, but it might just be hers that is faulty.
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vivalajuicy · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:47 pm Post subject:

the one i have now is a Toshiba, and its okay, like..its not the best
its suuuuper old
like my grandma kind of old.
which is prolly why i dont think its absolutely superb.

does anyone know anything about the macbook?
or the sony vaio?

& that toshiba laptop has Windows Vista..
i kinda like windows xp, vista is much too confusing.

alexisgeek · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject:

New laptops these days aren't going to have winXP with it. It'll have winVista.
Just about all laptops (even at the cheapest of $500 depending on where you go) would be able to do what you want it to do (movies, music/itunes, etc).

For laptops, Toshiba is good - they tend to be slightly pricier (depending on what you're looking for, of course). Your criteria is very small, and would thus give you a very broad range of laptops for your $1000 price range.

Dell is getting better, HP is good (I have an HP), no idea about Gateway, Compaq/Lenovo is more for business users, Sony is more expensive than it should be (imo) for what you're getting...

"Easy to use" is really subjective. It only gets as complicated as you make it, and it's only "easy" depending on how much you're used to a computer.

Whereabouts do you live?

p.s. "standard" features you'd see in most laptops that cost at least $600 (excluding tax) these days are: a DVD-writer, 80GB storage space, 1GB (or 2GB - which is getting more and more of the standard) of memory, 15.4" widescreen, Dual-Core processing (either the AMD turion64x2 or Intel Core2Duo) of a CPU greater than 1.6GHz with built-in wireless A/B/G (N quickly becoming standard), shared video memory of 128MB. I can tell you now that the cheapest laptop you find would be good enough for what you want. The only thing is bulkiness/weight.... and even then, you'll have to keep in mind that there will be a battery when you're carrying it around.

jod; · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:28 pm Post subject:

whatever you do, buy a Duo Core processer

I didnt and it was such a waste of money
I've had mine since september and its so slow
and not you can get a really good toshiba with duo cores for around 700 bucks, about what i paid for mine

It might be worth it to invest in a little more expensive one, because they will have a longer battery life, which is very important to some people.
But i guess i depends how often you'll be using it without plugging it in.

macbooks are really really good if youre into photoshopping, graphic arts, and artsy stuff like that
i go to an arts school and about 90% of students have a mac
but they are WAAAY more expensive, so it would be a real investment.
But that's what im saving up for =)
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vivalajuicy · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:51 pm Post subject:

omgosh! i feel like im being attacked with all this information. lol
i live in calgary =)
i guess i should go with either a Toshiba or a HP, from what youre telling me.
and i wouldnt need a macbook, since im not artistic, so i suppose i shouldnt be spending alot of money on it.

but im wondering, why do you say sony is overpriced for what youre getting?
whats 'bad' about them?

^ and i will remember 'duo core processor' always, since you both mentioned it.
what exactly is it though?

like i said, i know like..nothing about this kind of stuff.

& im very very very thankful for all your help, guys.
seriously. <3 thanks alot !

alexisgeek · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:12 am Post subject:

^ & ^^
wellllllll... you don't have to get a mac just because you're not "artistic". A really close friend of mine isn't artistic at all (he really is not... lol) and he has a macbook. He said that comparing the ease-of-use between the two (he's not a computer person at all), he MUCH prefers his macbook. Also, just about everything you need comes included with the mac whereas with a windows-based laptop, you'll have to "buy" most of the software you want to use.

Macs have been quite famous for how easy they are to use. Plus, they're much less prone to getting computer viruses and such since 99% of the malware (malicious software) on the internet is inteded for windows-based computers.

And while macbooks are a lot pricier.. they do come standard with Dual-Core (not Duo Core.. it *is* called the "Core2Duo" but that's because it's the 2nd-generation CPU core, but there's 2 cores in a single chip.. hence Dual/Duo). They're also alot prettier Razz

But at cheapest, a Macbook is $1150 excluding tax. But they're quite good.

Dual-Core, in the simplest explanation that I can give you is like... hrm.
Imagine... a horse. This horse is a single "CPU core" (just bear with me) pulling a large cart FULL of things. It's going pretty fast. This is like you loading up a program in your computer (like iTunes).
Now have the same horse pull 2 large carts FULL of things. It'll go even slower. This is like 2 programs - iTunes and your internet browser. You notice how slow things are loading.
So now, add a horse (a 2nd CPU core) just as powerful as the first horse, help it pull the second cart. Now, they're back to being fast again. So the 2 CPU cores are both handling the load of the 2 programs, letting your computer to go fast, again.

That was a fairly bad (and extremely simplistic) example... but I hope you get what I mean by it.

Regarding Sony... they're just overpriced imo. You're really buying into a brand... but when it comes down to it - especially with laptops - it really isn't that big of a difference. What you're really buying into is the stuff inside (the features), and not the brand. Sure, labels and designers matter with other stuff... but such a thing is pointless when it comes to common laptop brands. It only matters if the laptop brand/make is known to specialize in certain things (for example, Alienware is known to make high-end, high-quality, gaming computers... and thus, they're pretty expensive). And afaik... there isn't anything particularly special that Sony Vaio has to offer...

vivalajuicy · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject:

^HAHAHAHAHAHA omg, i love you
that horse example was sooo dumbed down to my level,
i understood it like..right away, lol thanks.

so FORSURE i gota look for a laptop with a core2duo processor..
im thinking i should maybe save up for a macbook, since youre telling me
it comes with all the software and such. it would be worth it, right?
cause i dont wana spend sooo much money on it..then end up having to
get rid of it after a couple of years. i want it to last me quite a while. and
your friend said it was easy to use..so im totally all over it. i dont like
complicated things..obviously. lol.

is there different kinds of macbooks? or just like..one basic type?
also, on the screens of macbooks, is it like..the start button with the programs?
or is it the bottom thing where you scroll ontop and it makes the icon bigger
and such?
cause ive used a mac computer a few times in my life and i HATE that bottom part.
so im wondering if the macbook's screen is the basic layout like other screens?

emcee · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject:

^ To be honest, computers get outdated pretty quickly. If you're anything like my family - we have five computers - we upgrade them or replace them every two yeras. If you don't intend on upgrading/replacing, then I would definitely probably invest in a good one. Macs seem to have a pretty good reputation, I've never personally owned one, but they are definitely very user friendly (we use them in film class) and if you do photography/artsy things, they're definitely better.

At the same time, however, PCs are really user friendly too. They're really easy to use, I mean if you compare the two, they are pretty much the same. It's a matter of adjustment I would say, lots of people say Macs are confusing, but that's only cause they are used to the Windows interface and vice versa.
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vivalajuicy · Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:40 pm Post subject:

^ by 'PC' do you mean like..a desktop computer?
i was thinking about that, but im not sure id have anywhere to put it
but if i were to get one, is there a different brand youd suggest?
or still a MAC?

i hope no one thinks im a brandhoe..and im just going for the brands and such. lol
im not. =P
i just dont know whats good and whats bad!
=(

emcee · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 3:31 pm Post subject:

^ PCs are just "personal computers", basically any computer that isn't MAC. The unique thing about MAC and Apple is that the company is completely vertically integrated, they design the hardware, operating platform, etc. Regular PCs, like HP, Dell, Gateway, etc. etc. exclusively design hardware, and you can choose which operating platform you'd like to use (usually Windows, but you could choose others as well).

Think of it like those Apple computers, the ones where Justin Long is a MAC and the other guy is a PC. It's pretty much like MAC and other computers = PCs
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vivalajuicy · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

wow, i feel like im getting somewhere with all this knowledge!

so a MAC is like..a completely different type of computer in the world
of computers, am i right?

and saying its better or worse depends on what youre using it for..basically.
right?

emcee · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't say it's necessarily different, like I'm sure internally they're quite similar, they've just always been marketed as different. Especially if you consider the vertical integration process that Macs and Apple have always utilized, they produce everything for the computer from the actual hardware to the operating software (OS X). Like, my laptop is HP but it runs on Microsoft Windows Vista, which is made by a separate company.

And yeah, generally speaking, each company has its strengths and weaknesses. So you just need to find a computer that suits your needs.

Check this out from Future Shop about Macs vs. PCs:
http://www.futureshop.ca/learnmore/AskTheExpert/en/mac_vs_pc.asp?logon=&langid=EN

And this for other things you might want to look for in a laptop:
http://www.futureshop.ca/learnmore/AskTheExpert/en/powerful_laptop.asp?logon=&langid=EN
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Meg-san · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:33 am Post subject:

I will tell you this about Macbooks (since I've owned one for over a year):

The software/operating system is, in my humble opinion, far superior to a PC. Many of my friends, despite being careful, already have their laptops getting sluggish or have to take it in because it's had viruses out the wazoo. On my Macbook, I don't even need a virus scan. I'm not worried about shopping online or doing online banking because it's much more secure. People get really scared of Macs, but they're really not that different than Windows and once you get the hang of it it's much simpler to use. Except for being able to download Gameboy games to play (lol), I haven't had any issues with software not working properly either.

HOWEVER, the hardware is questionable. Mine is a very early model (a CoreDuo, not a new Core2Duo one) and I bought it right after they came out so there were bound to be more hardware glitches. But I've had my motherboard replaced because my Macbook kept overheating and shutting off, and a few months after that my hard drive died. But nobody else I've talked to has experienced these problems, especially with newer models. And it's covered under full warranty at least, so even if that does happen there's no cost to replace it. It does run much HOTTER than most laptops-it can get uncomfortable if you leave it on your legs a long time.

In the end though, I think the Macbook is worth the extra money. If you use the educational store at apple.com (just say you're a uni student and put a random student number in, they don't check) and you'll save a couple hundred bucks. I think they offer this for high school students also. Wait until August though-they give you a free iPod nano when you buy a Macbook as a back to school promo

I suggest though, whatever laptop you buy, don't buy a brand new model that may still have hardware glitches. When you see one you like, do some research online and see what issues people have had with it. If a serious issue is continually mentioned among people, it might be a good idea to stay away (but note that for every kind of laptop SOME people will have issues, so don't worry too much).