Laptop Question

December 5, 2004 6:52 PM

Another laptop question.

I want to buy a laptop. I’ve read the other askmes, but I’m still horribly confused. I was at Sam’s Club and they seemed to have good deals on a Compaq and two HPs ($1100 - $1600). The guy working there pointed me to the Compaq when I told him that I store a lot of pictures and mp3s on my harddrive.

I’ll use is primarily for writing, watching movies, and internet surfing. I want it to be lightweight and have a nice screen in size and picture quality. I also want it to be fast. I need both wireless and modem capabilities. I’ll also want to add wireless keyboard and mouse for when I’m using it at home. I’m also thinking about getting a wireless printer/scanner/fax.

Currently, I have a pc with a cable modem. The guy downstairs installed a Belkin wireless router on my system so that he can use my internet connection. Does whatever laptop that I buy have to be compatible with the router so that I can use the wireless?

Customer service is also really important to me. I want to be able to call 24/7 and talk to someone that will actually help me fix whatever is wrong.

One of the plusses of purchasing from Sam’s Club is that I can return it for any reason for several months.

I don’t want to spend more than $1500.

Suggestions?

posted by Juicylicious to computers & internet (6 comments total)

I have an IBM thinkpad T40 and am extremely happy with it. I use it for pretty much the same things that you do - writing, websurfing, and music making. Though its plenty light and small it feels solid (Compaqs always feel flimsy to me) and has a good screen. Its fast enough for the things that you're going to be using it for, has built-in wireless, 2 USB ports and other ports for plugging in extra kbd, mouse, etc. Most important, I've been very satisfied with their customer service so far. I don't know if its 24/7, but its been easy to get them on the phone, and they have sent out replacement parts immediately, free of charge, no questions asked.

My only complaint is that the performance of the CD/DVD drive is a bit spotty - e.g., it has some trouble reading CDs that have been burned on other computers. But this could be remedied with a replacement or an external drive, I imagine.

A quick surf over to the IBM website shows the T series starting at $1429. They have other laptops that are cheaper (the R series) and may meet your needs just as well.

I am not an expert, but I'm fairly sure that it would be compatible with whatever router you have installed. I had no problems with hooling up my wireless.
posted by googly at 9:01 PM on December 5, 2004

er...hooking up my wireless.
posted by googly at 9:22 PM on December 5, 2004

Customer service is also really important to me. I want to be able to call 24/7 and talk to someone that will actually help me fix whatever is wrong.

Your only option, then, is IBM. The T40, as mentioned, has a very good reputation.

I have dealt with Dell, Compaq, HP and IBM tech support. The first 3, while occasionally useful, generally cost me way too much time, even if I eventually get what I need. IBM tech support, on the other hand, has always been quick and effective.

I once called IBM at 4 am on a Sunday, got a human within 2 min., explained my problem and what I'd done, was told I'd tested everything, so didn't need to go through the script and was asked if I wanted a box. Box showed up at 10 am Monday, I had my Thinkpad back, all fixed, early Wed. afternoon.

Your mileage may vary, of course.
posted by QIbHom at 7:16 AM on December 6, 2004

Dell's consumer tech support sucks, but their machines are pretty reliable (tho I may be biased; I'm a Dell tech but I don't work for them). IBM is also usually a safe bet. I've been pretty impressed with Acer tablet convertibles, but I've never used one of their regular notebook PCs.

Oblig. plug: Try an Apple. The iBook G4s start at a grand now and they're plenty fast, and they all include wireless across the board. There are games available for them, so (esp. if you're a light gamer) you won't be missing much there. The PowerBook G4s start at $1600; they're faster. Get it with Bluetooth (for your wireless keyboard; speaking of, Apple does make wireless keyboards/mice too now) and AppleCare, since the default warranty sucks (it being only 1yr).

As for Wireless - you need to be compatible with the spec, which is 802.11a, b or g. It's unlikely you have 802.11a, and 802.11b works on 802.11g networks (and vice versa, with some exceptions you probably won't ever have to worry about). Many PC laptops are available now with tri-band cards if you want to be really sure. It'll usually say on the case what it supports - if push comes to shove you can always grab the model number and look 'er up. This is really mostly a non-issue though, you're more than likely set up so all you have to do is turn the laptop on and you'll be connected.
posted by mrg at 7:25 AM on December 6, 2004

My concern with IBM is that they're selling off their pc/notebook division and I'm not sure how that will affect customer support.

What I'm looking for is:

How big should the harddrive be?
How much memory do I need?
How fast of processor do I need?
posted by Juicylicious at 12:26 PM on December 6, 2004

Hard drive - 30/40GB at minimum - more is better, best to see how much to upgrade.
Memory - 256MB at barest minimum - you want 512 or more (if you get a Mac, don't buy it from Apple - get it from Crucial)
Processor - anything nowadays will do.. Celerons are the bottom of the barrel PC wise, and Pentium Ms are spiffily nice - get at least a 2GHz Celeron/P4 or a 1.4GHz Pentium M.
posted by mrg at 7:05 PM on December 6, 2004