It sounds like you mainly use your laptop for Internet surfing and word processing. I think you’d be able to get a lot of mileage at a reasonable price with the following:
1. A reasonable processor (nothing fancy, just not an obsolete one that is being cleared out for newer technology)
2. Maximize your RAM
3. An appropriately sized hard drive – if you like to save pictures and music, you’ll probably want to get a larger one
Do some research for a reliable brand, and pick a model at the price that you like.
Here’s a very limited, anecdotal list of brands I know about:
-Sony: I’ve had one die on me, and so have my cousin’s friends
-Dell: I broke 3 of them at work (well, I was working 60+ hrs/wk, maybe they couldn’t handle the overtime?)
-Toshiba: My sister bought one, and it had problems randomly freezing and shutting down
-HP: My father has one (he worked at HP 26 years), and likes it
-Apple: I had an iBook, and it was very reliable – even after I spilled a bottle of ginger ale on the keyboard, a week after I bought it. It dried out in a week and worked fine (disclaimer: DON’T try this at home). But the Mac version of MS Office isn’t as user-friendly as the PC version, so I stopped using it for work. And I switched back to the PC entirely when I started playing free Yahoo games – there’s Internet content that won’t run on Mac OS.
-Gateway: I worked there for 6 months – the one I had at work and the CX210X I bought are both good performance and reliable.
-Lenovo: My most recent 2 companies use Lenovo laptops, the ones I’ve had have been reliable
The laptops they sell in-store (like Best Buy) come with a standard configuration. If you’d like to play around with the price/options configuration, each of the major computer companies has a ‘customizer’ on its website that lets you choose what features you want. You can order your custom computer, and they’ll ship it to you. I don’t think there’s a price difference between the online and in-store prices.
And it can be a fun night of research (well, IMO). 🙂
I agree – go with a Mac, I wish I did – I am a software engineer and have two laptops ( one my business laptop, one belongs to the company I am consulting with, both PC based ), both stink. I purchased an imac for the family a month back and am now wishing I had taken the plunge and dropped the extra 5 – 800 into the mac ( you will pay a premium over a PC based laptop if you go with a mac ) – at the end of the day a mac is just plain easier to use and will not waste as much of your time ( with viruses / hassles installing software and learning how to use it / … etc )
I agree – go with a Mac, I wish I did – I am a software engineer and have two laptops ( one my business laptop, one belongs to the company I am consulting with, both PC based ), both stink. I purchased an imac for the family a month back and am now wishing I had taken the plunge and dropped the extra 5 – 800 into the mac ( you will pay a premium over a PC based laptop if you go with a mac ) – at the end of the day a mac is just plain easier to use and will not waste as much of your time ( with viruses / hassles installing software and learning how to use it / … etc )
I agree – go with a Mac, I wish I did – I am a software engineer and have two laptops ( one my business laptop, one belongs to the company I am consulting with, both PC based ), both stink. I purchased an imac for the family a month back and am now wishing I had taken the plunge and dropped the extra 5 – 800 into the mac ( you will pay a premium over a PC based laptop if you go with a mac ) – at the end of the day a mac is just plain easier to use and will not waste as much of your time ( with viruses / hassles installing software and learning how to use it / … etc )
I agree – go with a Mac, I wish I did – I am a software engineer and have two laptops ( one my business laptop, one belongs to the company I am consulting with, both PC based ), both stink. I purchased an imac for the family a month back and am now wishing I had taken the plunge and dropped the extra 5 – 800 into the mac ( you will pay a premium over a PC based laptop if you go with a mac ) – at the end of the day a mac is just plain easier to use and will not waste as much of your time ( with viruses / hassles installing software and learning how to use it / … etc )
I agree – go with a Mac, I wish I did – I am a software engineer and have two laptops ( one my business laptop, one belongs to the company I am consulting with, both PC based ), both stink. I purchased an imac for the family a month back and am now wishing I had taken the plunge and dropped the extra 5 – 800 into the mac ( you will pay a premium over a PC based laptop if you go with a mac ) – at the end of the day a mac is just plain easier to use and will not waste as much of your time ( with viruses / hassles installing software and learning how to use it / … etc )
I have used many IBM ThinkPads and can recommend them highly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know how the Lenovo machines are faring). I also have an old Dell Latitude that is running as well as a B-52.
I have used many IBM ThinkPads and can recommend them highly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know how the Lenovo machines are faring). I also have an old Dell Latitude that is running as well as a B-52.
I have used many IBM ThinkPads and can recommend them highly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know how the Lenovo machines are faring). I also have an old Dell Latitude that is running as well as a B-52.
I have used many IBM ThinkPads and can recommend them highly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know how the Lenovo machines are faring). I also have an old Dell Latitude that is running as well as a B-52.
I have used many IBM ThinkPads and can recommend them highly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know how the Lenovo machines are faring). I also have an old Dell Latitude that is running as well as a B-52.
