Which laptop to buy? I'm completely clueless

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imasportsgeek

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#75379 17-Jan-2011 18:52

Hi guys
i don't really know much about computers/specifications/makes so I am putting myself completely into your capable hands...

I want to buy a laptop. I have had an Acer (I've already gathered that that's probably NOT everybody's favourite make...

) for about 6 years but something's wrong with the wireless so I thought maybe it's time to upgrade.

I currently have a windows and an ubuntu partition and am keen to keep both if possible -any comments on that?
I will use it for surfing the web and emailing and some data/photo storage -but I'm also considering getting an external hard drive.
I would like it to have a built in camera.
I won't play games or anything like that at all.
Ideally I'll spend around $1000.

Could you point out what to look for, i.e. what sort of genreal specifications i should be looking for or what NOT to get? Or can you even suggest a good laptop (that's on sale at NoelLeeming even...

)
thanks a lot guys.

cheers
Nora

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2374 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Spark NZ

#428186 17-Jan-2011 19:59

I would in my view have a look at some of the Sony Vaio's if your budget allows. In my view they are a well made laptop (more so than most IMHO).

In saying that, I've just gone from a Vaio to a MAC Book Pro (Vaio's motherboard seem's to have given up the go), mainly because with the Intel MAC's I can run Windows too, and again they seem solid.

Spec's? I would be looking for 4GB RAM, however 2GB RAM may do it is worth paying a little extra to upgrade, and at least a 2GHz Dual Core processor.

Hard drive is really up-to you, but 320GB plus I would suggest is standard. External drives are relatively cheap.

Do you have something in mind you can post a link to?

nzbnw

kyhwana2

2566 posts

Uber Geek

#428187 17-Jan-2011 20:01

Hmm, what size laptop are you after? There's craploads of 15"'s around (just avoid compaq/HP, in the past I bought them for family members, no more!) but if you're after a netbook (10") or a "sub" notebook (11-13") there's a few good models around.

Mprezd

119 posts

Master Geek

#428325 18-Jan-2011 09:29

are you after portability at all?
if yes, then I would argue that a netbook like this would be sufficient: http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=13609 they are actually very nice machines.

You do get online storage as well if you need it.

personally I would stay away from Sony. I made the mistake of buying one with an ssd recently and opened it up and found it was some proprietary drive - and after doing more research it seems that any time you need parts it will cost you a bundle.

b0untypure1

1426 posts

Uber Geek

#429374 20-Jan-2011 22:12

shop by specs, many people have had problems with brands etc. id say, go for an intel i3 or i5, or even wait for new sandy bridges for laptops. get 512mb-1gb dedicated graphics, decent screen size/res and a good hard drive, 7200rpm.
4gb ram is sufficient

Mprezd

119 posts

Master Geek

#429395 20-Jan-2011 23:21

if you shopped by specs you would likely end up with an acer. Worst support in NZ.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#429403 20-Jan-2011 23:57

As far as laptops go, I have had a good run (so far) with Dell (two at work), Compaq (in a previous job a couple of years ago), and an HP (personal machine). I would buy either Dell or HP again.

I have had very bad experiences with ACERs, three died in a year and the data on the drive was unrecoverable in two of these cases. Performance and build quality, even when working, was mediocre at best. Therefore, I wouldn't touch an ACER.

I also won't touch a Sony (not just their laptops - pretty much anything they make). In general Sony kit is over priced for what it is, and from a company that is supremely arrogant, has a mania for proprietary solutions and DRM, and seemingly has a rabid dislike of its own customers.

For instance, see the issues someone is having with a Sony laptop in another current thread:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=37&topicid=75133

b0untypure1

1426 posts

Uber Geek

#429431 21-Jan-2011 08:40

Mprezd: if you shopped by specs you would likely end up with an acer. Worst support in NZ.

My post was based on the assumption that it's general knowledge that acer is rubbish :)

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Mprezd

119 posts

Master Geek

#429432 21-Jan-2011 08:41

JimmyH: As far as laptops go, I have had a good run (so far) with Dell (two at work), Compaq (in a previous job a couple of years ago), and an HP (personal machine). I would buy either Dell or HP again.

I have had very bad experiences with ACERs, three died in a year and the data on the drive was unrecoverable in two of these cases. Performance and build quality, even when working, was mediocre at best. Therefore, I wouldn't touch an ACER.

I also won't touch a Sony (not just their laptops - pretty much anything they make). In general Sony kit is over priced for what it is, and from a company that is supremely arrogant, has a mania for proprietary solutions and DRM, and seemingly has a rabid dislike of its own customers.

For instance, see the issues someone is having with a Sony laptop in another current thread:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=37&topicid=75133

I wouldn't say that is a Sony issue as that type of drive is well known to have issues with region locking.
Yes it is in a sony laptop and yes they do have drm issues, but if that drive was in most other laptops it would likely have the same issue.

HP and Compaq are the same these days anyway. Generally I find if you want a well made laptop, don't go for the retail models. That means you Toshiba Satellite, HP Pavilion, and some of the Lenovos. But what you get is limited to what you can afford.

b0untypure1

1426 posts

Uber Geek

#429433 21-Jan-2011 08:44

Toshiba or compaq. I find compaq is cheaper than others but still performs well. However a toshiba with i5 and 1gb graphics, will be faster and still be a reasonable price

Mprezd

119 posts

Master Geek

#429435 21-Jan-2011 08:49

b0untypure1:
Mprezd: if you shopped by specs you would likely end up with an acer. Worst support in NZ.

My post was based on the assumption that it's general knowledge that acer is rubbish :)

problem with ACER is that their service overseas (in the US in particular) is actually pretty good. And you get a model like the 4820TG/3820TG which just always gets fantastic reviews.

But hopefully the OP is well aware that ACER NZ is not worthwhile touching with a barge pole.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#429635 21-Jan-2011 19:58

Best build quality is indeed if you buy one of the business models, although they cost a bit more.

Business models also have the advantage of (sometimes) not coming preloaded with a bucketload of rubbishy 30-day trial software - that you are unlikely to want, impairs machine performance, and is a pain in the backside to remove properly (plus, like groundhog day, it all comes back again if you ever reinstall the OS).

At work, it's not an issue as we just wipe all machines and load our own pre-built drive image as machines come in from the vendor - so we couldn't care less about what is preloaded. For my own machine, I enquired how much extra I would have to pay to get a clean install and a real windows disk instead, instead of a machine loaded with trialware and a recovery partition. None of the vendors I tried (HP, Dell etc) was prepared to provide a price.

Mprezd

119 posts

Master Geek

#429651 21-Jan-2011 20:28

JimmyH: Best build quality is indeed if you buy one of the business models, although they cost a bit more.

Business models also have the advantage of (sometimes) not coming preloaded with a bucketload of rubbishy 30-day trial software - that you are unlikely to want, impairs machine performance, and is a pain in the backside to remove properly (plus, like groundhog day, it all comes back again if you ever reinstall the OS).

At work, it's not an issue as we just wipe all machines and load our own pre-built drive image as machines come in from the vendor - so we couldn't care less about what is preloaded. For my own machine, I enquired how much extra I would have to pay to get a clean install and a real windows disk instead, instead of a machine loaded with trialware and a recovery partition. None of the vendors I tried (HP, Dell etc) was prepared to provide a price.

wouldn't it just be easier to blow it away and get a windows 7 image - boot off usb and load your own image?

imasportsgeek

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#429652 21-Jan-2011 20:34

thanks everybody for all your replies, i appreciate it:)
so, i guess it's gonna be either toshiba or compaq. i quite like these two, and both have the features that were mentioned here.
i'm not sure if the compaq has a built in camera, couldnt find out on the PB website.

what do you think:

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKTOS1220908&name=TOSHIBA-SatPro-L650-i3-370M-2.4GHz-2G-DDR3-500G-15
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKHNB1137322B&name=HP-Compaq-620-P6570-2.1GHz-4GB-DDR3-320G-15.6-LED-

or does anyone have any other suggestions for any specific models?

thanks heaps:)

imasportsgeek

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#429660 21-Jan-2011 20:48

ah sorry, too useless to add proper links....

b0untypure1

1426 posts

Uber Geek

#429683 21-Jan-2011 21:53

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKHNB1174837B&name=HP-Presario-CQ62-278TX-i3-370M-2.4GHz-4G-DDR3-320G

I think this one is nice for the price, it does have a deicated graphics card which you may not need since you won't be gaming, but if you get into Photoshop or something it will help, having a graphics card.
It will future proof it a bit more as newer software may require users to have a dedicated chip etc

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