Looking for a good laptop

[stel 0]

I have a job next fall where is requires me watching salmon for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week that I can't fish I will be very very bored. I am hoping the job won't be that boring buy purchasing a laptop and doing homework and viewing the WWW.

 

 

 

Now I don't have a ton of money but I would like to get the best laptop possible for what I can afford. I was wondering what laptop you have and what you thought about it.

 

 

 

I was thinking of just getting a cheepy for just searching the net and doing homework but the more I think about it, I should just take the plunge and get a good laptop that is going to last me awhile. Any suggestions out there???

 

[Guest]

what is going to be your budget? that would make a HUGE difference.

 

steve

[Steeldrifter 0]

Or a better question Dan ...how the hell did you get a job watchin Salmon!

 

Good for you man glad to hear ya doin something for the fisheries!

[Guest]

dan, like steve said, budget will make a huge difference. you can get decent ones for around 1500 i believe, or you can take the big plunge and spend over 3 grand on the state of the art ones.

 

i dont have one so i cant comment on them too much, but make sure you get something you can do HOMEWORK on and not just surf the net with. it will make it more justifiable to not only yourself, but also your parents (even if they arent chipping any cash in for it).

[ShadowNix 0]

I just bought an Avaratec AMD Mobile version that runs very nicely for Word, Mail, Web surfing etc. If you want to do 3d games, etc.... not the machine for you. It weighs only 3 lbs, has a 2hr battery, DVD, 512k memory and 40GB harddrive, WiFi 801.11b/g, LAN, Modem all built in (no PC cards) for $900... I use it at work, in the lab, on the train, on my couch...

 

Just my 2 cents...it does what I need...clocks around the same as a 1.4Ghz Mobile Pentium (Which clocks around 2Mhz for regular pentiums if I remember correctly...)

 

Ciao.

 

'Nix

[stel 0]

Basically anything for less then a 1000 bucks but would be real fast and easy to work with.

 

My family WILL NOT be touching this computer. Every computer they touch within a few days there are viruses all over it and then I have to find a way to fix it. No Thank You.

[Guest]

Stel,

 

I use a Dell Inspirion 7500 but they have models over that. I don't know if you like touch pads for a mouse but most of them are coming with them nowadays. You can still plug a regular mouse into them and it works.

 

I am looking at the new Dell slim line notebook, the only problem is that if you use alot of MS programs and I do unfortunatly, Word, excel powerpoint access to buy each one is expensive but the whole package runs about $399 to add but you can also order less.

 

The sales they have going there right now seem pretty but by the time you do a customization on it you might be up at your 1000. Check them out and see if they have what your looking for. Get as much memory as you can it really helps in a laptop.

 

Have fun I know how much fun it is to figure which one to buy.

 

Fatman

[Carlin 0]

Dell makes a great laptop - I own 4 (D400, M60, i4100, i8100) and have owned several others (600m, i8200). If you do decide on a Dell here are a few pointers:

 

They usually change their sales on Thursdays every week. They will usually vacillate between giving you something free (camera, printer, etc.) or upgrading items (memory, HDD, CD/DVD, etc.). So if you don't see any sales that fit the bill right now wait til Thursday.

 

Check both the Small Business and Home divisions. One will often have better deals than the other. If you do decide to order through Small Business, just use your name as the business name. I've done it several times.

 

Watch the memory upgrade price difference!! I almost always buy the notebook with minimum memory (unless it's a free upgrade option), and then upgrade from Crucial.com or Newegg.com or somewhere. Dell will usually ream you on memory upgrades. You'll want at least 512, but preferably 1024.

 

Dell's warranty is sweet. I've had a couple HDDs die on me, and every time I've called and explained the situation, I've had a new drive on my doorstep the next morning. Amazing.

 

They also have a great support forum. If you are having problems that are not due to dead hardware, you can almost always find a solution there. It's absolutely invaluable.

 

Also, if time isn't a factor, sign up for their Small Business email alerts (should be on the SB home page somewhere). The first email I received was a 15% off coupon. I did have to wait a week or so for the first email (which seem to be sent on Tuesdays as I just got one today).

[mozes 0]

Also look here on daily basis:

Tech Bargains

and

Slick Deals

 

They usually list of deals available on the net.

 

 

 

 

[mozes 0]

What kind of a job requires you to watch salmon

[Carlin 0]

And shouldn't you be watching the salmon and not playing on your computer?!

[Guest]

hes prolly doing the fish count at one of the weirs up there, maybe on the boardman river? thats what it sounds like to me.

 

steve

[stel 0]

Thank you so much guys. That's exactly the info I was looking for. I leave to go back to school sometime around the 15th to 20th of august. Depends on how many days I want to fish before school starts

 

The job is not for sure yet but theres like a 99% chance I got it. All I am doing is waiting for a salmon to jump out of the pen onto the cement and then I go knock it back in. I also have to make sure the pumps stay at 13 and does not go below or above that. I also have to rake the wier every few hours or so. If I don't, it will dam up and create a water fall so then the fish can jump over the guard across the river. So there is penty of time to to do homework, surf the web, and sleep. my job hours are from 10-11 PM til 6-7 AM Thank god I have a school schedule which will allow me to do that.

[dontheo 0]

I am with Carl. Dell is the way to go. I have several also and beyond what Carl mentioned is that you can customize it the way you want it without a lot of garbage software on it. This will really improve the performance.

 

With Dell, they will make it just the way you want it.

 

Ted

[mcfly 0]

I'd go Dell as well. All the systems I work with are Dell by my choice at the moment. The offer the best price, support, and very quick service. I have a 4hr turn around on the servers I run and when I've needed hardware replaced they have usually been there within two hours. The also offer a accidental warranty coverage that for 100 or so dollars is worth every penny on a laptop (especially if there is a possibility of falling asleep and dropping it into a large salmon filled pool of water).

 

The Inspiron 1000 starts around 700$. Be sure to call them since the price is always lower when you call in. Also ask for deals sometimes they will cut some off the price or throw in something like a case.