109 replies to this topic

[EcoSea]

I bought a Acer in Bangkok for $900 USD. I wanted a cheap one as I am traveling allot, and if it gets boosted, I will only be in mourning for a week. The Acer has been working fine for me, it has wifi and I had them load Norton which I am going to dustbin. I am using the cheap bitdefender on my desktop and seems to get the job done. I almost forgot what a blue screen was until I read this thread, thanks for the painful memories!

PS I needed a new laptop because my HP laptop died after only 3 years! Hey I understand their hiring if you are a C_O. :

[jbettencourt]

copywriter,
Since you're looking for the 17" screen I'm guessing you may be looking for a "desktop replacement" laptop. If so, I have to say that the Sony I've had since last November has been great. I had a Toshiba just before that; it was nice too. The Sony (VGN-A600P), while not cheap or light, has a phenomenal screen which gets bright enough to use in full direct sunlight. I would say that is the most outstanding feature of the Sony.

Also, if you are looking for a "desktop replacement" I would pass on a suggestion from my IT buddy: Get a machine with a mobile processor. Don't get one with a processor designed for a desktop. It's just too much heat for the compact design of a laptop.

[bazanna]

I have a Fujitsu N3530 Lifebook and I LOVE it. I love the duo core processor because it gives me just enough ooomph to have a bajillion photo editing windows open. It will be a couple of years before I run out of storage.

Love XP Media Edition so I can watch all DVDs without extra software (on the occasions I watch DVDs). Love almost everything about it. The one thing I don't love is its weight but for all that power and storage (and widescreen ), ya gotta have a tradeoff somewhere. And that's mine. LOL!

I also use AVG free with no trouble, and I sweep up occasionally with Adaware and Spybot S&D.

This is my 2nd Fujitsu Lifebook (sadly, my last one was stolen), and I've been really happy with them. I have small children swarming around me at times and it's held up well so far.

I have two businesses based out of my home that this machine helps me keep up with, as well as the usual family stuff, communications, pictures, etc. I do a lot of photo editing, more than I thought I would...so I'm glad I got this one this last time around. If I could have, I likely would have waited for Vista but at least XP is what it is, KWIM?

I'm computer-ambidextrous and in a utopian word, I would use Apple products and have a Linux machine to play around with to keep my skills sharp.

Now that I've been in the lovely world of laptops for the past couple of years, I will NEVER EVER go back to desktop machines. Seriously. LOVE being able to work from all over the house, on the couch, in bed...where ever! Don't mind lugging it around occasionally to the other offices. Very easy to tote and handy to have my whole office at my fingertips instead of a burned CD with most of what I thought I'd need but not that last-minute thing I wish I'd brought.

Oh, and IMHO, laptops are one of those things where the expensive extended warranty DOES make sense because the screens are always the first to go.

[doug88008]

I am getting ready to buy one of the new Intel Macs.

One of the awesome things about them is that they can start up in Windows or Mac OS. In fact, they run Windows as fast as the best of them.

The Mac OS has no viruses and no spyware so far (after five years-that is pretty impressive).

So if you are tired of running virus software and cleaning out spyware, you might check out the new Macs. You can always install Windows if you find that you miss it. However from my personal observations, once people get rolling on a Mac, they never look back.

Doug

[copywriter]

Lot's of new people! Welcome webangel, zephr, ecosea, bazanna and doug88008.

Hope I didn't miss anyone.

To answer some questions, yes, I want a desktop replacement. It's gotten to the point that I move around too much to be chained to a desktop.

Webangel, by a 256 laptop, I'm guessing you mean RAM, right? That's pretty low for any computer, IMO. I guess if you just want to run Word, Excel and surf the Internet, that would be OK, but it's not a lot of RAM at all. I'd get a minimum of 512.

My brother-in-law has a Sony and loves it. The display is awesome! I'd considered them until I read that their service sucked. Never known anyone who called them so I can't verify that from personal experience (my own or anyone else's).

Thanks for the tip about the processor. I'll keep that in mind.

Bazanna, I didn't even know Fujitsu made laptops. There's another option to check out.

I'd LOVE to have a Mac actually. I cut my teeth on Apple with those little, teeny, tiny 9" (or whatever) screen all-in-ones. What were they called? Apple makes GREAT stuff and always has top ratings for service. Never heard anyone complain about a Mac.

I had no idea they could now run Windows or the Mac OS. Good to know. Compatability issues were always my drawback. Because, unfortunately, most of the world runs PC. Can you Mac users tell me more about Macs playing nice with PCs? What about when I send Mac Word files to clients who use PC? How about on my home network ... a Mac on the same network as other PCs? Will that work?

[jehochman]

What were they called?

Periscope Macs.

I am on my third Dell and also bought one for my wife. Dell #1 from 1998 is being used by my two-year old son to play toddler games. I gave Dell #2 to my wife. She gave her original Dell to my mom. All four machines are still working as well as ever.

I replaced one of the touchpads ($13 on eBay) when my older son spilled White-Out all over it. A hard disk started making noises, so I replaced it. Other than that, I've had no problems. My machines have been hauled on hundreds of airplane flights, since I was communiting back and forth to Baltimore for almost two years.

[ttw]

I bought one of the little bitty Sony Vaios - it's about 8 x 10 inches and less than 4 lbs. It's great for travel and being onsite for client meetings. It's great for a back-up computer when my main desktop has a problem.

The only problem is that the harddrive is partitioned so I have to split which means backing up and restoring is a three step process instead of two.

But... I'd rather have a MAC.


Rosemary

[spellham]

I've had a Sony Vaio PCG-GRX650 for about three years that has been a really good machine. 16 inch display, been through two backlight replacements and a RAM upgrade to 1GB, several Linux distro installs, finally back to Windows to give to my eldest daughter. This was a good machine, but if I had to buy a new one now... it wouldn't be a Sony or any Windows PC for that matter.

I would go Mac. I don't have the MacBook or MacBook Pro, but that would be my choice if I had to buy something new. I purchased a PPC Mac Mini (before Intel hardware came out, but still a great little machine) that I'm using at the office now. I've moved totally away from Windows machines.

As far as PC compatibility. Unless you want to buy the Mac version of Office, you can download and install OpenOffice/X11 for free. I've not seen any problems with sharing Excel, PPT, or DOC files with other users of MS Office. I've been strictly using my Mac in the office for the past several months. There is a small learning curve with OS X and some adjustments to make with Application differences, but I've found alternate solutions with everything I used to do on my Windows machines.

As far as HW specs, I would look for the following:
Dual Core Processor
No less than 1GB of RAM - more if I had my choice.
80GB plus HD
Whatever display size suits your fancy. When I was in the office with my Laptop, I almost always connected an external 19inch LCD, keyboard and mouse/trackball - so the Laptop screen size wasn't an issue for me.

[jgoddard]

I have an ASUS laptop and I love it. I'd recommend ASUS for sure. I've also heard some really good things about Dell.

[sweepthelegnate]

I had no idea they could now run Windows or the Mac OS. Good to know. Compatability issues were always my drawback. Because, unfortunately, most of the world runs PC. Can you Mac users tell me more about Macs playing nice with PCs? What about when I send Mac Word files to clients who use PC? How about on my home network ... a Mac on the same network as other PCs? Will that work?

In the past it wasn't necessarily so...but macs and others play quite nicely. Where I work, 3 are on windows machines, 2 on macs... everything works seemlessly back and forth. files transfer back and forth, everyone can hook up to the network... the only problem is the guys that wish they could spend their day on a mac, but don't

[copywriter]

OK, I just went to the Mac website. My gosh! They've got some pretty little price tags on those laptops! And you only get 2 USB ports. I think I'm gonna tuck my tail and scoot back over to the more affordable PC side of the discussion again. What I want in a Mac would be around $2700. I can get it in a PC for $1000 less.

I have no doubt that Macs are every bit as good and reliable as I remember, but holy cow they cost a lot! Do they ever offer specials? (Beside just free shipping?)

[spellham]

OK, I just went to the Mac website.    My gosh!  They've got some pretty little price tags on those laptops!  And you only get 2 USB ports.  I think I'm gonna tuck my tail and scoot back over to the more affordable PC side of the discussion again.  What I want in a Mac would be around $2700.  I can get it in a PC for $1000 less.

But... you won't get the $1700 worth of additional problems that many experience with Windows... sorry couldn't resist.

A wise man once told me to go ahead and invest the extra 10-20% to go first class whatever you do - and you usually won't be disappointed. I think this would certainly apply to my business/work dealings.

I have no doubt that Macs are every bit as good and reliable as I remember, but holy cow they cost a lot! Do they ever offer specials?  (Beside just free shipping?)

I haven't really seen where they run specials -- I have seen 'educational' discounts, although the figures I saw were still pretty high.

But... Anything worth doing is worth overdoing - Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

[copywriter]

Oh yes. I completely agree. However, as someone who really hasn't been burned by Windows and has had good experiences with PCs for many, many years, I'm really more motivated to get the best PC I can get and not cough up the other $1000.

If something goes wrong, I'll be sure to let you know so you can say, "I told you so!"

[doug88008]

A recent price comparison of high-end computers found the new Mac Pro cheaper than a comparable Dell. See
www.macworld.com/2006/08/features/macproprice/

That article also contains links to price comparisons on Mac laptops versus Dell's. When the machines are identically configured , the Macs are priced the same (although it wasn't possible to configure the two machines to be totally identical).
www.macworld.com/news/2006/02/14/pricecomparison2/

Admittedly, if you don't need all the features provided, you can leave out some features and get a cheaper configuration of a Dell.

However that is not the whole story. What is the "total cost of ownership" (TCO) of a Mac versus a PC as you go forward down the road. Here is a quote from an article on the subject by a gentleman who uses both Macs and PCs and is a security expert in the PC world:

"The results of this TCO astounded me. For my small enterprise, owning a WinTel box for three years costs twice as much as owning a MacTel. When I talked with several of our clients, I found that the burdened cost of ownership per PC - just for support - ranged from $1,300 to $4,000 per year."

You can read the rest of the article here and there is a link for downloading his spreadsheet and a pdf with suggestions and instructions on using the spreadsheet to calculate your total cost of ownership.
www.networkworld.com/best/2006/022706bestbreaker-schwartau.html?page=1

Turns out that Macs are much cheaper to own when all costs are considered.

Doug

Edited by qwerty, 28 September 2006 - 05:57 PM.

[DianeV]

That may possibly be true.

However, in 10 years of using Windows PCs, I haven't experienced any huge problems. I *do* recall, however, my networking guy telling me that people often buy new machines when their computers slow down, when all they really may have to do is get rid of the adware, spyware, nastyware, etc. If cleaning those off a machine speeds it up, there's an answer.

Re anti-virus, I think it's important to know what AV is most effective; these folks test anti-virus programs and tally the results, which can be illuminating. virus.gr

As to RAM, I guess it depends on what you're doing. I don't like to wait for bootups, and run a lot of programs at the same time, many of which are graphically intensive. If all you're doing is surfing the Web and writing text, I guess less RAM is okay, but in my experience, the more RAM, the better.