Advice Needed On Laptop Computer Purchase

[Techman]

How much hard drive do I really need? The Dell Vostro 1500 has 120 GB whereas the Dell Inspiron 1520 has 250 GB.

Also, is 1.5 GHz on the Inspiron 1520 processor to be considered adequate? Or should I pay an extra $100 and upgrade to 2.0 GHz? Does it really matter?

I note that the Inspiron 1521 processor comes with a 1.9 GHz, yet only 120 GB hard drive. Which is more important given my intended use?

I'd spend the extra $100 and go for the faster CPU. You never know when you might need the extra power and it's better to have it and not need it at this point in time than need it in the future and not have it. The same thing with the drive space. Right now you don't need it but if you plan on travelling you might find it comes in handy to load up a few movies to watch during a flight. It's amazing how fast disk space seems to disappear these days!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Techman,

I have no doubt that you would be a very effective salesman for Dell, lol. The "you never know when you will need it" sales pitch, while time honored and undoubtedly valid, takes you down the slippery slope of piling on extra after extra, GB on top of GB, and GHz on top of GHz, until there is no end in sight to the money being spent. Which of course is exactly what Dell wants me to do, especially since it is my money and not theirs.

I don't mean to be dismissive of your arguments as they are valid and potentially applicable, but at the same time I have a hard time possibly dropping $1500 on a laptop when I can spend some of that money on escorts and other useful things.

I am finding it very difficult to a strike a balance between the part of me that can only justify a reasonable expenditure on something I have not needed or used since the dawn of the computer age, and the other part of me that does not want to buy and later determine my purchase is lacking in some great respect. I will keep deliberating through the weekend until the final decision, which will likely be made after many painful hours of research, analysis and comparison. I need to make sure I get it right.

 

[Techman]

EB, if you are absolutely sure that your requirements are not going to change then I would just set a price point and get the best balance of options for your money. One thing you could do is write down the specs of the various models you are considering and drop in to a local shop, like Best Buy, and try out some similar models from other manufacturers. This way you could get some hands on data to use to make your decision. You may also end up finding a bargain in a discontinued model on clearance. My current favorite in laptops is Toshiba and they have some very good models at around the $1200 price range.

PS: I tend to be a pack rat and never delete anything from my hard drive so I'm always running out of space. But from what you have posted 120Gig should be plenty of space for normal use.

 

[metoo4]

You can fill a 120Gb same as you can fill a 320! Why copying movies to HD when that's what DVDs are for?

As far as music, I have over a thousand of songs, at 256K quality, on a 40Gb USB drive, and I still have space!

For the speed, the "you might need it later" argument can apply to everything in life but, the question are "What do you need NOW?" and "Will you reasonnably need it soon?" How can you know if what you currently have is milles away from what you want to purchase? Emails, playing music, doing PowerPoint presentations? Don't spend extra on more speed!

Vista: Peoples used to XP hates Vista. Same as those who loved 98 hated XP! If you're experience in computer is limited, as in not used to XP very much, then you'll find Vista easier than XP. If you're used to XP, then Vista will take you a few days to get used to. True, Vista have "teething problems" but nothing bad. The worst problems will be with upgrades from XP to Vista or Vista on older unsupported hardware. If not, Vista is a better choice on a new computer, even more on a laptop since new laptops are built, sold and intended to be used with Vista and the toys you can add internally is limited once it's configured.

So, the only thing IMHO worth paying extra for is memory: RAM and video memory. Be careful about buying memory later! Some laptops have only 2 slots and, maybe your 1G will be 2X 512Mb so, no more memory slot unless you replace the entire sha-bang when you want to go to 2Gb

 

[Techman]

You can fill a 120Gb same as you can fill a 320! Why copying movies to HD when that's what DVDs are for?

As far as music, I have over a thousand of songs, at 256K quality, on a 40Gb USB drive, and I still have space!

Currently I have over 150GB of MP3 and over 500GB of videos/movies. And I don't copy movies to my system...I download them in DivX/Xvid format via torrent. Like I said, I'm a pack rat and rarely delete what I've downloaded.

The main reason I suggested spending the extra $100 or so is that I have seen many clients wish they had spend the extra hundred or two after deciding to save a bit and ending up disappointed in their purchase. It's one thing going from $1000 up to a $1600 or $2000 machine, but in the lower price ranges an extra hundred or so can make the difference between being really happy or really disappointed.

As I mentioned...the best thing to do when you aren't familiar with the new systems is go to a store that has demo models and try them out and see what works for you. But stay away from the high end systems or you won't buy anything at all!

 

[IamNY]

TGW, we're not talking games here.we're talking email. That's why I suggested getting the low end in terms of processors. And getting the fastest avaliable versus the slowest is probably waaaayyyy more than $200!

What's important here is the cost/performance ratio versus what Beav want to do, not versus what's the biggest game that can run on this computer. I know lots of peoples who still run P2-400 and it's plenty for them!

I agree with you. When I originally bought my laptop it was for the basic emailing/work related stuff, but I now realize that if I spent a few more bucks in the begining I wouldn't be looking for a better computer now.

That's just me, my computer works great for all of my non gaming needs.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Black Friday Sales Changing The Analysis

I thought I knew what I wanted, but today I went out and got the newspaper flyers on tomorrow's Black Friday sales and it has really changed my thinking.

Circuit City, Best Buy and Staples (which is the only retailer that sells Dell computers) are all having Black Friday sales, starting at 5:00 a.m. (Circuit City and Best Buy) and 6:00 a.m. (Staples).

Circuit City has a sale on a Toshiba Satellite Laptop, with AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-58, 2 GB memory, 200 GB hard drive, also includes Windows Vista Home premium, Norton Internet Security 2008 and Webroot Spy Sweeper (not sure if this was the model Techman was referring to) $839.97

Meanwhile, Staples, which is also selling Dells, is featuring an HP Pavilion notebook which includes Intel Centrino Duo Processor Technology featuring Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250, 2 GB memory, 200 GB hard drive, 15.4" WS display, SuperMulti DVD drive with Lightscribe technology, Windows Vista Home premium package $849.98

SALE IS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ONLY

So the question for Techman and the other Tekkies out there: which of these deals gives me more computer for my money? Which deal would you do? What is the difference in strength between the two above-mentioned processors?

I think I will probably head to Circuit City first - they open at 5:00 a.m., so I will be getting up early. I really need to get this purchase over with already so I can move on with the rest of my life.

 

[Techman]

Hi, EB. Both systems are really good deals! As much as I like Toshiba, I like mobile Intel processors much better and in this case would take the HP. The Centrino technology, combined with the Core2Duo T5250 is just about impossible to beat at this price. It is the state of the art in mobile technology whereas AMD are running a distant second. You can't lose by picking up this system at this price...I couldn't get it from my suppliers at that price!

I would go for the HP without hesitation and no second thoughts at all.

Techman

 

[EagerBeaver]

Thanks Techman! There is a Staples right up the road from me and I will be there first thing tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. before the Black Friday masses hit and they sell these buggers out.

 

[EagerBeaver]

External Hard Drive

Hey Doc, thanks for the advice. With regard to external hard drive, my office IT specialist told me to buy something called a "flash drive" which he showed me - it looks like a basketball referee's whistle, a little gadget hanging around his neck at the end of a rope! He said it costs about $10 at Staples, and I could back up my whole system on it in case anything went wrong. When you guys say "external hard drive", are you really talking about this "flash drive" which looks like a basketball ref's whistle?

 

[Pink Floyd]

Buy now in the pre-Christmas season. Years ago you got your best deals after the chistmas season. Now all the retailers are at each others throats.
You will get you best deals in the next few weeks.

 

[vodka236]

EB,

To know exactly which one has better performance.
I would talked with a saleperson by phone and asked
the "Windows Experience Index" score on both laptops.
The one with the highest score has better performance
(CPU/mem/gfx/HDD). The max score is /6. My 2004 laptop
has a mediocre score of 2.3 but it run smoothly without
any performance problem whatsever even with intense
application. It's just a number.

Ultimately, depends on your personal taste.

I have owned 4 laptops (1997,2000,2004,2005) and plan to
buy one soon in 2008. I have a laptop fetish.
For me, I would verify which one produce the least fan noise.
Then, I would check which one has better contrast/vivid color.
I would check for the case rigidity especially the LCD cover.
Cheap plastic hinge will break with time. Cheap color paint
will peel off with time also.

Once I open the box, the first thing I would do is check for
dead-pixel using a free "Dead Pixel Tester" software. If I find
one defective pixel, go back to the store and get another one.
Last year, I had to return a $3000 HDTV LCD twice for couple of
dead pixels. It only takes a couple of minutes to check (you
need a good eyesight, though). That's why for LCD stuff, I
don't buy online.

Either choice is more than good.

vodka236

 

[Techman]

Flash drives are available in some pretty large capacities these days but none of them would be big enough to back up an entire system. But with an 8GB flash drive you could back up a hell of a lot of documents or email.
But the one that Doc posted a link to is a great unit and very useful for backups or extra storage.

vodka236, the "Windows Experience Index" score is based on a number of factors and the score given is the lowest one of the areas tested. A low video index score, which may not be important to people who aren't playing games or watching HD video, will bring down the entire Index to that level. So really it's the individual scores that are more important that the final Index rating.

 

[Special K]

Thanks Techman! There is a Staples right up the road from me and I will be there first thing tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. before the Black Friday masses hit and they sell these buggers out.

Beav...I highly suggest you get up at 4am and be at Staples by 4:05am. There will already be a line formed at that time. If you wait to arrive at 6am you'll be left out in the cold with nothin'.

 

[bond_james_bond]

The thing I've noticed with Staples is this:

The stuff in the store is left-overs, with unknown quality, depending upon whatever the store has left. They only have limited inventory of each item in the store.

If you really want the good or customized stuff from Staples, you'll have to order online.

I think Staples is moving the bulk of their operations online in order to cut costs.

Example, Comp USA has already closed a significant number of their stores, whilst maintaining online operations.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Guys,

It's a done deal. I just got back from Staples, where I acted on the advice of Techman and others and purchased the HP Pavilion dx6650US notebook which includes Intel Centrino Duo Processor Technology featuring Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250, 2 GB memory, 200 GB hard drive, 15.4" WS display, SuperMulti DVD drive with Lightscribe technology, Windows Vista Home premium package, includes webcam and microphone, on sale for $849.98 (only today and tomorrow I think). Contrary to what BJB said above there was plenty of inventory in this store, although I don't know if that will be true by the end of this weekend. This is Black Friday and no store in the USA is gonna have leftovers and limited inventory at the start of Black Friday.

The Staples salesman told me that with my purchase, if I bought 3 or more accessories, I would get 20% off each. I was also advised that the Staples service plan is considered an accessory for purposes of this deal. Therefore I bought 4 accessories and got 20% off each:

- Targus carrying case;
- Logitech wireless mouse, which was already on sale 50% off, so I got 20% off on top of that;
- Netgear router;
- Staples 2 year service plan which includes a guy like Techman on the phone 24/7 to answer my questions when I have them. They also told me that HP's customer service people are all in India whereas Staples' tech support dudes are in Florida. This is of course on top of the 1 year HP warranty.

I am pleased with the purchase, but now I need to go and set everything up. All of this out the door cost me a little over $1100.

This is a warning also to the MODS that my next post will likely be from the laptop so don't send me a PM demanding to know why I am posting on a different computer, if you notice a difference. I am not sure, but once I install the router this may not be the case anyway.

 

[IamNY]

Bravo EB, sounds like a great deal. with regards to the flash drive question, instead of using a flash drive to back up stuff if you have an Ipod you can back up files to that as well the same way you could to a flash drive or external hard drive.

 

[EagerBeaver]

GW,

I have plenty of hard drive on this laptop, which is incredible! I installed the router and now I am up and running. It was easier than I imagined to set up, and now I am using the touchpad but I am going to unpack that mouse because I am not too happy with touchpads. I got a new toy for the weekend! Now I am going to put in some porno DVDs that Doc Holliday gave me and test the sound quality by listening to loud DATY screams. I figure that is the best way to test the sound.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

You'll get used to the trackpad, Beav. After a while, it'll feel quite natural. Now you need to book an overseas flight.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Doc-

I have HP's 1 year warranty, plus I purchased a 2 year service plan from Staples at the discounted price of $160. It also came with a 60 day subscription to Norton anti-virus, which I did not even realize.

I am very pleased with it so far. It seemingly connects to the Internet at the same speed as my powerful Dell desktop, which I assume is due to running off the router. I am now going to take the laptop to a local Starbuck's, and drink their shitty coffee so that I can test the connectivity there and compare the speed there vs. here. I'll be back later to report.