Question:
Advice on which to buy
Hello. This computer will be used for basic student activities for a friend.
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General Questions
1) What is your budget?
Looked at basic toshibas at best buy for 700 as well as the entry mac laptop that i believe was 1099
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
14-15 as it will be taken to nursing class
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Word Processing/ light power point/excel. Internet, Pictures.
I'd like to be able to watch dvds on it as well occasionally.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
class
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
nope
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Currently own a dell.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Enough for class etc
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
I like to at least look at in person or a very similar one.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
usa
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
wide
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
I'm concerned mostly with good value. It seems all are widescreen these days.
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
no pref
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
as long as it's not huge or ridiculous looking ,I'm ok
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
If it's at the cheap end of the spectrum 2 years. If it's at the higher end, as long as current one which is nearly 4 years old
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
min 80
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
yes I would liek minimum cd writer and dvd readability if not dvdrw
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Answer:
Re: Advice on which to buy
look at HP - better quality and design (good choice for that money)
dv6000t - 15.4''
dv2000t -14.1"
Dell - usually cheaper, acceptable quality for a budget notebook
E1505 - 15.4"
E1405 - 14.1"
Answer:
Re: Advice on which to buy
The Toshibas duo core's are actually great for schooling and if you up'ed the rams to 1gb then you will be fine. I dont suggest the mac book since yoiu might be targeted for theft =P
Answer:
Re: Advice on which to buy
Currently own a dell.
Is that good or bad? Perhaps the Lenovo R60 would work. They are well built with good support and keyboards. They are on sale at the moment at Lenovo.com.
Answer:
Re: Advice on which to buy
the owning the dell issue. Well it's worked alright till now. On its second hard drive as the first one totally died. Now it won't boot all the way up and made a loud noise when you flip it on (this is all what I've been told, i haven't actually been to see it as I'm in the UK, laptop is in texas). I'm guessing her fans gave out and caused more problems???
Answer:
Re: Advice on which to buy
looks like the dell 15'' insp. will be the choice. It seems to have decent value for just over 1000$ w/ a 3 year accidental coverage.