Question:
Graciously hoping for some help over here with buying my first notebook
Okay, I'll get out of the way and post my answers to the FAQ:
1) What is your budget?
$1300 (of course I am willing to go down a lot, and up just a smidgen)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
either b or c
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
internet (firefox), email (kmail), etc (??? most likely not processor intensive - but speed is nice when multitasking), will be running slackware 11 w/ the new kde... a little gaming, music creating/editing/listening, watching videos, pictures (gimp), school stuffs like openoffice & koffice... needs to be wireless/wifi compatable
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
mix of both, so it does need to be portable
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
yes, games like bzflag, old worms and civilization, sim city 3000, would also be nice to be able to play some of the less demanding (graphically) games from the past five or six years
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I like the Toshiba and Sony laptops I've seen recently, the Toshiba for the hardware included and Sony for the style; I did not like the Dell or IBM ones because of their clunky looks. However, all things change and I am open to good sugestions, I do definitely want a duo processor though.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Five would be nice, but at least three; I did see on cnet recently that newer laptops were getting up to 8 hours of battery life.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Buying online is fine, so is in person (if available)
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
USA (continental)
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen, but standard is doable
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Uncertain, I've heard and seen differences between glossy screens from different manufacturers, but am not familar enough to give a clear answer. Ideally I'd like to be able to use the laptop inside in a dark to mildly lit room as well as outside in the shade.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, to a point. As I said, I do not like the clunkiness of the IBM notebooks I've seen, nor the Dell ones. Also the Toshiba's do sometimes have crappy looking keyboards and touch screens and I've read bad things about them lately regarding their notebooks Quality Control as customer service.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Would like to buy ASAP and hope it will last a solid three years, though longer would be great.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
At least 100gb and at least 1gb ram.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Definitely a dvd+rw
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Alright, thank you for looking and let's hope I can finally figure out which notebook is right for me. :confused:
Answer:
Re: Graciously hoping for some help over here with buying my first notebook
dv5000t, one can be found below 1300 with good specs, and of course there's the dell e1505, but you're biased so go with the hp...
Answer:
Re: Graciously hoping for some help over here with buying my first notebook
check the dell outlet because they have the M1210 gaming notebook for about 1000 dollars that is a steal at that price.
Answer:
Re: Graciously hoping for some help over here with buying my first notebook
check the dell outlet because they have the M1210 gaming notebook for about 1000 dollars that is a steal at that price.
Well, the M1210 starts at $1300 and the poster did ask for a 13" screen or larger, so that puts the M1210 out of the running.
I'd say take a look at the HP dv6000z for a 15" notebook - it comes AMD X2 CPU and Nvidia's GeForce 6200 Go, enough to handle your gaming needs. For a 14" notebook, I'd look at the dv2000 - it comes with an optional GeForce 7200 with the Core Duo or the GeForce 6150 with the X2. Toshiba has the Satellite M100 (14") series (customizable version) with an available ATI X1400 GPU and Core Duo CPUs, but are more expensive than HP notebooks.
Lastly, Dell will offer the best deals in their price range (especially with the coupons) and performance/price ratio in their Inspiron lineup. If you don't want to spend a lot, I might reconsider Dell and take a look at them again before you buy.
Answer:
Re: Graciously hoping for some help over here with buying my first notebook
I would look at the Compals HGL30 or HEL80 both of which come with the 7600 go card. It will give you better gaming options. Nvidia cards are known to have better Linux support. Good Luck.