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I am going to get a laptop soon, I think. I don't need one - I have a computer at work, and I don't do much on a computer outside of work. However, I hope to be starting school soon (again), and I can't stay at my office late to work on anything.
I don't like spending money on computers, but I've been putting this off for years. I have a few qustions I'd love opinions on:
1. What is the best brand for a private user? Are there are any brands to definitely avoid? 2. What brand is the best deal? 3. Will I find a laptop cheaper before or after Christmas? 4. Vista comes out in January. I don't need it, although it'd be nice. Should I wait and then buy one with XP because that will be cheaper? Is Vista worth shelling out for?
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On the last bit, most major and many minor manufacturers are offering MS's Vista Express Upgrade program for systems bought until March. You get a system with XP or Media Center, but you get Vista sent to you just for the shipping and handling costs.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Right now, PCWorld lists the Dell Inspiron E1505 as their best buy for an 'all purpose' laptop. Various Lenovo and HP models round out the top 5 in that category. You will get kudos and horror stories from just about any manufacturer, all I can say is the Dells I have dealt with are great, along with the IBMs/Lenovos.
Of course, I await the snarky 'Get a MAC' comment any post now.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Also re: point 4, prices aren't likely to drop after Vista comes out. Almost all the laptops available retail are "Vista Compatible" so they will likely either be loaded with Vista when it is available or at least bundled with it for pretty much the same price they are selling now (minus the normal market drop as improved hardware comes out).
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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If you're just going to use your laptop for email and MSOffice type stuff (I.E. no high level gaming) you might also want to look into one of the low end Macbooks. Can't be beat for ease of use and you can get MSOffice for about $150.
There's an Apple store in Montgomery Mall just outside the beltway. MacBooks come with built-in camera w/mic. Apple system software comes with email, safari web browser, iTunes, iChat, web page creation software and lots of little gadgets that Windows will only have when Vista comes out.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I am not going to be gaming at all, but I want to be able to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Framemaker on it. Do I need more than the basic functional laptop for that?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: I am not going to be gaming at all, but I want to be able to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Framemaker on it. Do I need more than the basic functional laptop for that?
Photoshop was made for Macs.
All of those are fairly processor intensive, so of course they will run better on faster machines with more memory, but that holds true for Windows laptops as well. If you're really concerned, talk with a rep at the Apple Store. They have all models out to play around with and they're usually loaded with all the popular software. I'm pretty certain Photoshop was on the MacBook Pros, though I don't recall if it is on the plain MacBooks.
I am completely in LOVE with my MacBook. I still use a PC on my desk at home and at work, and I'm looking forward to Vista. But I also like gaming. If I had confidence I could play the games I want to on a Mac, I'd buy an iMac for my next desktop. (On the other hand, Macs run on Intel chips now so the iMacs can run OSx or Windows or both. I'm not sure if the MacBooks can or not.)
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: Hmm...I am trying out some on various sites.
What about the complete care? Are those a good idea?
I declined the Mac extended care because I've had Macs before and the hardware has always lasted beyond the obsolescence of the model. The only thing I'd get an extended warranty for is if it covers dropping the laptop or otherwise damaging it. Mac's plan doesn't so I passed. Circuit City almost sold me a Toshiba with a plan that covered almost anything I could do to a laptop, but it also cost over three hundred dollars extra.
Edit to add that I don't usually even consider extended warranties on computers, but laptops are more prone to abuse than a desktop. But if the plan doesn't cover normal abuse then it's a moot issue.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I used my warranty once (I got the 3 year mail-in). I could probably have gotten by without it as I'm not one to abuse the lappy (heck, I rarely travel with it). YMMV though.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I use both PCs and Macs and find there are things to like and dislike about both.
If you are looking for a super-cheap laptop, then go with a stripped down pc.
If you want something in the medium range take Karl's advice and take a very close look at Macs.
If you can go high-end, then it really becomes a matter of what extra options (say an extra durable case or a super fast processor or a wider screen, etc.) you want.
Photoshop will run fine on all of the Mac laptops. But it's expensive so part of the equation may be if you can get a license from work (or get a discount via school) to load all the creative software onto your laptop and whether those licenses or deals are Mac or PC or both. No reason to get a Mac if you have to pony up a ton of money for Adobe Creative Suite when you could get it for free from work.
There is a lot of talk about processing speed and hard drive capacity and graphics cards (and the graphics card is where PCs tend to have the edge over the MacBooks), but for the type of user you are, kat, I'd say that it really comes down to interface.
Mac OSX is very cool and there are a lot of great tools (productivity etc.) that have been developed for it by creative types (graphic designers, web editors, etc.). But there are some things about the Mac gui that I'm not fond of. For example, I find that file management is easier and faster on Windows XP with Explorer.
I suggest you figure out your price point and take a bunch of test drives as well as figure out the software thing and factor that in.
And depending on what you are doing, you really don't need MS Office (I'd only get it if you use Excel a lot).
Also: As has been said, there seem to be varying anecdotally-based opinions about the major dealers. I know people who love Dell and people who swear Dell-built computers are prone to failure.
So purely anecdotally speaking ... I have heard good things about Toshiba and Lenovo laptops.
Also: Don't forget to factor in weight. Are you going to be lugging it around a lot on public transport?
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Are you going to be lugging it around a lot on public transport?
Yes, I think so. I was thinking about getting the smallest laptop I could find and then getting a docking station with a huge monitor later for the graphics work, which I won't do really until spring.
I might be getting a digital camera for Christmas. I have a copy of Adobe Photoshop available to me from work. I guess that limits me to a PC, if I want to use that.
*goes off to look at macs and lenovos*
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Your work may also have unused Mac licenses, though. It's worth asking (or rather it is depending on how your work feels about personally-owned computers used for both work and play)
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FWIW, woot has a refurbished tablet convertible for $600 today.
Personally, I'm hoping they won't sell out and that I'll see them again on the next Woot-off, but . . .
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by KarlEd: Photoshop was made for Macs.
This is true.
I am firmly in the PC camp, and in general I recommend that people stick with the platform they're used to. So if katharina is similarly inclined, then PCs can handle everything she'd want to do with them, and will have the additional benefit of being cheaper than the Mac alternative.
With that said, if she doesn't have any strong feelings regarding the platform, and her must-have apps are Photoshop, Illustrator, and Framemaker, then a Mac is definitely the way to go, having much better performance on all things related to the visual arts. There's a reason why they're ubiquitous in the graphic design field.
Posts: 884 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I looked at Macs, but my Photoshop is for PCs and Macs are more. I think I'm sticking with a PC.
I went to notebookreview.com and looked around, and I think the Sony VAIO S360 looks like the combination of cheap, fast, long-lasting, and light that I want. Anyone have experience with this?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I have the HP nx9600 and although the 17" widescreen is nice, it weighs a ton and the battery life is only about 1 hour on a good day.
Posts: 1766 | Registered: Feb 2006
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What specs are you looking at? In general, that looks to get decent reviews, although Sony has a tendency to overprice a bit. Their support used to be a bit spotty but they may have improved from when my friends all worked at Sony support. Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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The Sony's screen is 14" and it weighs 4.3 lbs.
Matt said that he likes his laptop but he never takes it to campus because it is too heavy. I think that weight is an important consideration for me, and I'm willing to have a smaller screen for it.
I am not doing graphics right now, but when I do I can buy a large-screen monitor and set up a kind of docking station at home, I think.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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It looks like a good computer. The two caveats I'd have are that the default RAM is a little light (only 512) and the fan is apparently very noisy for a laptop (see: Amazon reviews), but the first can be easily solved and the second is a matter of preference.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Be warned re: monitors, the laptop only has a VGA port. DVI monitors will require an adapter and might not (emphasis on might, it depends on lots of factors) look as nice as if they were hooked up directly through DVI. Most monitors nowadays still do VGA, though, so this isn't a worry unless you have a strong preference in monitors.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Cor has a tiny Sony Vaio; I'm not positive it's the same one, I can check when I get home. She absolutely adores hers. It is the oldest computer in the house and the one that has had the fewest problems. It's too small for my preferences--light is good, but I prefer bigger keys and a bigger monitor--but I am extremely impressed with its durability. Based on that, I would say that it's not overpriced, much as you might be able to find a similarly equipped laptop for less. Over the last ten years or so, we have had two Toshiba laptops, one HP, and my Gateway, and none of them have held up as well as the Vaio has.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Sony has had pretty good quality in the past. I don't know how their newer laptops are, but Sony's been in hot water for the past several months, what with the largest battery recall ever linked to their laptop batteries, which had a tendency to...explode. I don't know if they've gotten over that or not yet. For build quality, Sony is pretty impressive, and certainly beats out Compaq and HP (which tend to use cheap plastics and lower quality components for most of their mainstream laptops) as well as the sub $1000 Dells. I would recommend getting an extended hardware warranty on it, though, since replacement parts from Sony usually carry a 300-400% markup. I don't know how their phone support is, but I'm guessing they have teleprompter techs manning the phones.
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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I always recommend getting extended warranties on laptops, since you can't replace stuff yourself as easily or as cheaply as you can with a desktop, and since you have more delicate things that can go wrong. Just don't get a warranty so long that it goes beyond the likely obsolescence of the computer.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I rediscovered something about myself that I already knew - I hate spending money on computers. So, after a great deal of pricing and looking, I decided that the most important factors to me were size, weight, and ability to write papers on it.
So, I got a 12" Averatec off of Craig's list for way cheap. It's only a year old, and it has everything I need. The only drawback is the RAM is low, so I'm going to try and upgrade that so I can run Photoshop, but the screen is so tiny that Photoshop won't be any fun on it anyway. Besides, it's an old copy of Photoshop - it ran on computers in 2002, so it should be okay for my one-year-old laptop.
I'm really happy. It's adorable and tiny and white and cheap and now I can get applications ready for grad school. Yay!
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At least you weren't snarky.
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It's very easy to carry around, and the battery lasts forever.
