phredgreen

i'm not quite ready to dump my money yet, but i thought i'd tap the knowledge bank here and get some info. i've always been of the mind that the best computer is one you've built yourself, but that's not a practical possibility in the world of laptops, so i'm forced into buying a branded machine. i need a laptop mostly because i'm on the road alot and i need something i can take along with me, but as my poor desktop has seen many better days, it will probably become my primary machine, which means i need something that will run all of teh standard work-related programmes (office, etc..), and also hum along with internet related sotware including movie viewers and flash applications. I'm also looking for a machine that will run warcraft 3 and final fantasy 11 without any issues or degradation of the gameplay experience, either through graphics or general speed of the machine. with that in mind, some questions:


first and foremost, for people who have had experiences with laptops, what brands do you and don't you like, and give specifics as to why. have any machine outperformed the others or have you ever had a machine that's been problematic since the first boot sequence?

secondly, chipsets are different in the world of laptops... unless i haven't been looking hard enough, all i see are inetl machines out there, but i see processors i don't know. there's the celeron, the p4, but i'm seeing the pentium-m, which is just as pricy but is rated at a lower clock speed... does that mean decresed performance in processing power in exchange for some other bells and whistles, or does this m processor have the same amound of pep at a lower clock speed?

third, i have heard nothing but flack about combo drives( dvd/cd-r/w), but in a laptop, that's a necessity... will i be looking at a drive that peters out on me after a little while, or are combos on laptops more reliable than what i've heard about pc combos.

finally, is there anything that i should remember to get when i pick up my laptop, any extra periphrials that you absolutely couldn't live without? your experience will help me live an easier life.


one simple request to those that choose to respond. i appreciate hearing from people who know what they're talking about because they deal with the equipment on a daily basis or have had prior experience with it. that is good information. hearing about your friend's brother's laptop's software bugs isn't. i want first-hand info from people only. opinions are only valid if you have knowledge to back it up.

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username

1) I like IBM (built like a tank, but a little pricey), Dell (decent price and warranty), and Apple (nice machines).

2)Pentium M = same processing power as P4 but with lower clock rates and less power consumtion. A 1.4GHz Pentium is about a 2.8GHz P4 (I'm pretty sure on this but I could be wrong)

3) The combo drive on my 2 year old apple powerbook is still running like a champ and the dvd+rw on my brother's dell laptop is still going strong.

4) I have never bought many extras, except perhaps an extra battery and a case to carry it in.

When I helped my little brother pick out his laptop I tried to steer him to a few sure things (he got a dell inspiron 8600):

1) Pentium M processor
2) Decent amount of RAM 256 MB- 512 MB
3) Decent HD space ~30GB or more

Any laptop now will run the office apps fine, the games are a little different. A lot of the machines will come with crappy graphics cards. The two main game playing GPUs for laptops are ATi Radeon Mobilitys or GeForce2 Go, personally I prefer the ATi Radeon Mobility GPUs.

Another thing to consider is weight, screen size, and of course price.

Cynthetiq

fan of IBM and DELL.

After that I'd say Toshiba, but that was my experience 10 years ago, which is forever by todays standards.

IBM tanks.... I have several of them from subnotebooks to full size.

Dell, I just got an insperon.

I have an HP, it's okay, but has the biggest screen out of all the laptops I own.

I also have a G3 powerbook Wallstreet.

That's also very sturdy.

DVD drives on battery just suck that battery dry. Only machine that I know of that doesn't do that is the new Powerbooks.

Jeez I just read this.. WTF I have too many laptops.

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Krycheck

I bought a Sony PCG-GR250 about 2 yrs ago. It's a PIII 1 ghz with a dvd/cd-r combo drive and Radeon graphics. It's been great to me for these two years, no problems what so ever. Burner was great and I was able to run WC 3 with no problem what so ever. Only complaint is the battery life. I wish I had another battery but from Sony they ran about $250. And also the fact that I couldn't find a car charger for it.

This batter tho is a must have for my next laptop http://www.valence.com/ 10 hours of battery life and it charges your cell phone or pda.

If you want a decent gaming laptop without spending alot look into the Toshibas with Nforce 2Go chips. You should be able to find one for about $1700. Dunno if I really have a need for another laptop soon but I'll be looking at a Toshiba next time.

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Redjake

I've heard good things about Toshiba, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. That's all I've heard about though. I also hear Apple's are pretty good if you are into that sort of thing. Alienware makes excellent laptops, but prepare to pay the price of a decent used car.

take note that IBM will be switching to Linux by 2005

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Lucifer

Hey Phred, I've got a Toshiba Satellite 2450, 2.8 gHz, 512 MB, 80 GB HD, CD-RW/DVD combo, 802.11b wireless. Outstanding Machine!
It's a touch heavy, but not a problem. I too travel for work(I'm gone 3-4 months at a time) and this machine can handle anything I throw at it. didn't even hiccup on Halo!
The combo drive has no trouble and is pretty quiet, which is good. I tried out a Compaq a few years ago, and the drive noise drove me crazy.
Definite peripherals are a Belkin (powered) USB 4 port Hub, and a Creative USB Soundblaster external soundcard ('cause no matter what system you buy, the internal speakers just aren't up to snuff), and a Lacie USB external 3.5" floppy drive ('cause the 3.5" drive has gone the way of the dodo on laptops).
The system has different power options, usually battery lasts about 2.5 hours on regular surfing, about 1.75 for word processing, and about 3 hours on DVD playback.

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sailor

IBM. I have used IBM laptops for almost 8 years now. They have worked flawlessly the whole time. Well made, they *feel* well made, and I can back this up--I dropped one on a ceramic floor from about 5 feet and its still ticking to this day.

Believe it or not, one of the most important parts of a laptop is the keyboard. Because most of the actual computer parts are the same from machine to machine, the thing that leaves the biggest impression of laptop quality is--the keyboard. Make sure you get one you like. For me, that is--again--IBM.

Can you tell Im a fan of IBM laptops? I wouldnt buy an IBM desktop, but I wont buy anything other than an IBM laptop. A bit pricey, but 100% worth it IMO.

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soccerchamp76

From personal experience:
Stay away from Sony Vaios.....just horrific

Go for the IBMs. They ARE built like tanks, I have dropped mine several times and its perfectly fine. Centrino is the way to go with at least 512 megs of memory.

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jay-g

I have a Gateway 450x. 15.4 inch screen -1.5GHz pentium M processor-integrated wireless g, centrino-256 MB, 40 GB - cd rw/dvd

I am happy and satisfied with my pick. My first computer, and i have no problems with it. Its a 2003 model. If you need more memory and hard drive, they have the 450xl. Keep us updated, and tell us what you get.

kapoho

As a consultant\technician for many companies, Toshiba and IBM laptops are the most reliable from my experience. I've seen the most problems from Sony and Dell. Compaq\HP are in the middle. Hope that helps.

MooseMan3000

Well, I don't have TOO much experience in this, but both my sister and my girlfriend have IBM laptops, and they've been nothing but trouble from the get-go. They have two different Thinkpad models, and both of them have experienced hardware failure, compatibility problems, and have just been a general pain in the ass. After a year my sister's hard drive failed, and 6 months later her CD-ROM bit it. My girlfriend's Matshita DVD-ROM/CD-RW is broken after about 8 months. They both have lots of burned out pixels. Oh, and the warranty didn't cover any of it, apparently.

Another friend of mine had a Sony Vaio, and I agree... they are heinous machines.

My friend with his Alienware is immensely happy, but they're pricey as fuck. Same with my other friend and his iBook. Both very respectable machines, but you pay for them.

And I've known many people with Dell laptops who have loved them. In fact, two of my friends have had run-ins with liquid spilled on their keyboards (tea and coffee) and had no issues with them post spill. So that's a plus.

I don't know much about Toshiba, but they seem to be popular around here. If that means anything.



Edit: Pentium 4 M means P4 Mobile. I believe they are just lower power consumption and slightly lower clock speeds, but the same processor.

Edit 2: This counts as first hand experience because my friends always come to me to fix their laptops when they're broken =P

WarWagon

Two problems with my Dell. Had one hard drive failure, was a mechanical problem with the drive itself. A new one was next day aired to me that day. The video card, Nvidia geforce 5200, is crap. Stick with the ATI if you can.

Lotronex

I have a toshiba satellite that I picked up last year for $800 w/ rebates, 2 GHz, 512 RAM, 40gig HD. I barely use it but when I do, no problems whatsoever. not a great gaming machine, but thats not what I use it for.
Love IBM's, but cant afford one of them on my budget.
Ive had good experience with my aunts VAIO, no problems.
Compaqs suck, nothin but problems with them at our school, cant stand them.
Accesories I couldnt live without: optical mouse, i hate touchpads; usb pen drive for transfering files, easiiest way to do it since i cant network properly to my desktop while im in the dorm, als great for tranfering files at work or school; headphones, so i dont annoy the shit out of people with my music

JohnnyRoyale

Since I'm writing this on an Alienware area 51m right now, I can tell you that they rock. I have no problem running photoshop, two VMware virtual PC's for testing, apache web server, outlook, word, pretty much everything you can run on a regular pc.

One word of warning about Alienware, Winbook,and other portables: These really arent laptops in the sense that you'd be sitting on a park bench working with them. They're really desktop machines in a laptop case. You need a good power supply, and desk space. the benifit is I can carry all my apps setup how I want them anywhere I need to go to do work.

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punx1325

Dell's are awesome, Alienware I have heard good things about. That's all I know of. Stay far far away from HP's. You will be buying an expensive paperweight.

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BigGov

I'm posting this on an IBM T40 right now that is only four months old.

Basically everything people have said about IBM laptops I agree with 100% so I'll point out some things that I love about it during every day usage.

1) The keyboard is basically a full-sized keyboard scrunched down to a great fit. Everything is easy to control and very easy to memorize. Oh, and the feel is indescribable. I wish I could have a keyboard this good for every computer I use. I still can't get over how much I love it after 4 months.

2) The volume, brightness, and and other laptop specific functions. These are great because they work much like a TV does. You turn the volume up, a green bar pops up and shows where the volume level is. This is COMPLETELY separate from the actual computer sound settings, which makes the volume very, very easy to control and you don't have to worry about messing something up or one thing being any louder than another. The brightness and such are done in the exact same way.

3) UltraNav. This is the two mouse input system exclusive (I believe) to IBM T-series. I love it. I hate laptops that just have the touch pad, I can live with laptops that just have the joystick, but the combination just leads to even more greatness. The touch-pad can be customized so that four different programs can open if you tap one of the corners. Windows can scroll if you hold the middle button and tilt up or down on the joystick, or you can scroll by using the edges of the touch-pad. I never thought I would get used to not having a mouse. I was wrong. I don't miss it a bit.

4) Battery life. I have 3 batteries total. 2 of the larger size and the one standard battery. The larger batteries can last 4-8 hours, depending on usage. No, I'm not quoting IBM, those are my actual use. I have gone through about 6 hours of heavy usage tonight on a full charge of a larger battery and am down to about 15%.

5) Size. The size on this thing is just incredible. It is a little thicker than the width of my thumb. Closed. How they fit a computer with this kind of power in a space this small is still a mystery to me. (And no, I don't want to open up this piece of art and find out )

Did I mention the keyboard? I still can't get over this thing.

6) 14.1"-1400x1050. vs 14.1"-1024x768. Need I say more? This is almost a must have. (Note: Resolution is absolutely key. Remember, a screen is only as big as it's resolution.)

As for your specific questions.

1) In case you haven't noticed, I love IBM's. My dad has a Gateway laptop from work. It's ok. Not great, not horrible, but certainly nothing to brag, write home about, etc. I've never heard a bad first hand thing about Apple, and their products certainly look cool as hell (except for their Powerbooks which I hear can sometimes run very, very hot. Something my IBM doesn't do, what's that I hear? Sounds like another selling point )

2) For a laptop you definately want to go the route of a Pentium M type model. These are basically the best compromise of power and battery life. (Mine is a 1.6 Pentium M and I'm not having any problems)

3) My combo drive has not given me any problems. I've burned a couple music CD's no problem, played some DVD's off the disc no problem, and copied some DVD's to my hard-drive (for later viewing, because it doesn't need as much battery that way.)

4) Not all of these are periferals, but they should be taken into consideration:

• Screen resolution - Like I said before, this is really the size of your screen and means a lot to a laptop because you can't upgrade to a better monitor. I would go so far as to say go TOO big now instead of regretting it later.
• Try to Try Before You Buy - And by try I mean try the keyboard and mouse combination, because user input is...well, 50% of computing.
• Batteries - I would strongly recommend buying at least a second battery so you are able to use a laptop for a very long session, then still having that second battery to continue whatever you were doing.
• Headphones - If you listen to music. You don't need anything fancy, if you have a pair around your house you like, those will probably work fine (this only applies if you like listening to music, because most laptop speakers are utter crap)
• I don't know if wireless capabilities are important to you, but if you could get integrated 802.11b via Centrino or via proprietary solution you would enjoy being able to post on TFP while in a recliner with the only cord belonging to your headphones
• OpenOffice.org, why? Because if you can save spending $300 on Office than you can put it towards a better (and cooler) laptop (There was a great topic on here listing great free software, click here to see more suggestions)

Hope you found all that helpful

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sailor

Haha... What Jimmy said. I have the exact same laptop, and it kicks all ass. *That* is why I love IBM laptops.

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Fearless_Hyena

I really can't add much more to what Jimmy4 said either, I have the same T40 as well. It is bad ass. It's got everything I need and the combo of touchpad/joystick is key.

2 additional recommendations too -- get the IBM Battery Option (larger battery) and an extra power supply. The better battery with the T40 is exceptionally nice but I would recommend these accessories for any laptop really. These 2 parts always seem like the first to go or get damaged or lost etc., and it's cheaper if you buy an extra power supply and battery outright too, rather than waiting till you eventually need it. Oh yeah, get enough ram too, at least 512, 768MB or 1GB (go for the gig if you can!!!! It's worth it on any system.)

The large battery on the T40 is seriously killer. Between that and a fully-charged normal one, when I'm on the road it seems like I can go all day! I just spent a week in NYC and only had to plug in each night to recharge.

Only complaints about the IBM T40 is that it doesn't have an onboard floppy drive or 9-pin serial port (both of which I need for work) and the wireless card won't work with my protocol analyzer, but you're good to go if you don't need any of that crap

Also, I really like Toshiba laptops because they are rock-solid. I just retired my Portege' 1040CT and it was a great workhorse for 3 years, but even when comparing my impression of each when they were new, the IBM T40 leaves it in the dust.

beejay

IBMs are a little more bulky, but I wouldn't go for anything else if you plan to do any travelling. These boxes can probably withstand more abuse than any other "regular" laptop (by regular, I mean no toughbooks).

I would also go Centrino so you get a cooler CPU, built-in wireless (802.11b), and a long battery charge. My laptop gets about 4.5 hours off of one charge.

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BigGov

Centrino isn't the best in the world, in some cases it is better to go with a Pentium M, and 802.11b separate because the 802.11b from a certain company can be stronger than the Centrino based solution.

Besides most laptops now-a-days let you adjust the battery options, but the battery itself often determines the length one charge can hold.

I can get 5 hours easy off this "extended life" battery from IBM at full brightness, music playing, etc.

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One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

sailor

Bulky? My T40 is the thinnest laptop I have ever used, next to the tablet I have that never gets used. Ill back up the rest of your comment though

Ay, an extra battery is nice. But considering I can get about 4 hours of web browsing at medium brightness, or watch one whole DVD on the *normal* battery, thats pretty nice.

And yeah, my machine isnt technically centrino because it has a different wireless card in it. Everything else is the same as the Centrino rated one, though.

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Scorpion23

I've got a used IBM T23 that I picked up last year and I couldn't be happier. This is by far the best laptop I've ever had.

I've dropped this thing more times than I care to admit, and I've never had a problem with it. My combo drive has never stumbled and the keyboard layout is also the best I've used.

The only drawback to this one is the 8mb vid card, but with a system this old you really can't expect much more. The new models are great in this regard.

I really can't add anything to Jimmy4's post, except to repeat what a great line IBM has built over the years. I'm never buying another brand of laptop again.

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