Help Deciding

bertman911

Baseband Member
Messages
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I am in the market for a new laptop. I will be using it primarily for school work, needing internet and MS office 2007 programs. Wont be doing any gaming or the like. Can anyone point me in a good direction for a new laptop around $1000+/- that will suit my needs. So far I seem to be interested in a duo core processor, 2-3gig memory, 250-350mb HD, etc etc. If you have had good luck with one brand or another, or have input as to what to stay away from I would appreciate it.

Also, what are your thoughts on Windows Vista on the new laptop versus keeping XP? I keep hearing bad things about Vista which leads me to think about staying with XP.

Thanks for all the help.
 
This is the one I am looking into:
HP Pavilion dv9700z
Price $1078.00 through Costco.com. Free tech support, double the manufacturer warranty (would be 2yrs) and 90 days to return. They also have a "concierge" service for support which I hear is good.


Selected Features:

AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0 GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache )
2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive!!
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M
802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth!!
17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support!!
HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone!!


Included Features:
HP PhotoSmart Essentials
QuickPlay 3.x
Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
1 Expansion Port 3 connector
1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
Notebook keyboard with scroll bar and integrated numeric keypad
4 USB Ports w/out Fingerprint Reader 3 USB Ports w/ Fingerprint Reader
IEEE 1394
1 Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)
HP Mobile Remote Control
TV-Out (S-video)
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Built-in Altec Lansing stereo speakers
Touch Pad with On/Off butto
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I just really want to stay away from Dell right now. I can't stand their tech support. #1- I cant understand a word they say because of their dialect, and #2- They are really not that good at troubleshooting it seemed, I had better luck figuring it out myself on a forum such as this.


Any thought on Sony Viao????
 
ALL SONYS ARE LOADED WITH CRAPWARE

not saying any big name brand dosent, but soney has so much it baffels me, i would never buy a Vaio

and dell is also iffy with me too, but pretty
 
I do not have a model as of yet. Just getting a general feeling for them first. I am sure I will get both sides of the spectrum when I am asking who likes what, since I am sure some people are going to have great experiences with each brand and some are going to hate them too. My thoghts are to get a general impression and then go from there, while along the way to see if anyone has some good specific information that will help me with my decision.

Anyone dealt with HP tech support? Good, Bad, Ugly?

Thanks for all the help everyone!
 
Bertman, one thing to consider is whether or not you're looking for a portable laptop. At 17", I'll safely say that the model you specced out won't be very "shoulder friendly" when carrying it around. I use a 14.1" HP for my school use, and that, IMO, is the biggest i'll ever consider....maybe 15". Maybe you can visit a shop and check out what they look/feel like.

Regarding HP support, I've dealt with them numerous times and they've always treated me alright. It sure beats some other companies that can't even hire normal English-speaking techs.
 
Good info GhostGT and thanks! I do not plan on using my laptop as a portable device per say. I will use it at home as a 2nd workstation (leaving the desktop for my kids) and then take it to my work on occasion to work on online classes.
 
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