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laptop suggestion to a semi-knowledgable friend...

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by ashsimmonds, May 12, 2005.

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  1. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

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    #1 ashsimmonds, May 12, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    so, a friend is asking me advice on getting a computer, and there's no reason for her to get a big desktop system so a laptop is the go.

    she's a bit tight so won't want to spend a crapload, but won't settle for something that breaks down and needs servicing and stuff... plus she'll just keep bugging me about it if things go wrong.

    so, first debate... PC or Mac? neither of us have used Mac much at all, but for her purposes which are going to be mostly some applications and web surfing and stuff, getting her up to speed on keeping a secure computer in a windows environment is just sounding more and more like too much hassle.

    as long as stuff is compatible across platforms it should be fine, but she'll be reluctant to not go with PC just because it's familiar... i on the other hand would personally choose Mac now BECAUSE i'm too familiar with windows.

    second debate will be which brand/model/new/secondhand/etc.....


    and just coz i know you guys are a lot more useful when there's pics involved... here she is... :p
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  2. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #2 LetsJet, May 12, 2005
    I'm on a 2GB Dell XPS2 and it rips.................

    What is the budget?
     
  3. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 Etcetera, May 12, 2005
    Dell WinXP system. Desktop.

    Hardware firewall.

    That's all.
     
  4. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 Etcetera, May 12, 2005
    And dude...wash yer fikken mirror.
     
  5. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

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    #5 ashsimmonds, May 12, 2005
    not sure yet, won't be much, she won't need all the latest-greatest tech gear, just whatever's gonna werk well and cause the least stress.

    i'm guessing $1000-1500, anymore and she'll start to cry. that's probly about $16.50 in USD. :rolleyes:
     
  6. LetsJet

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    #6 LetsJet, May 12, 2005
    Well,

    Dell's Inspiron line has the 6000 that could be in that range. They have onsite warranties that you can purchase.

    Go to Dell's website w/her and price one out.
     
  7. Etcetera

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    #7 Etcetera, May 12, 2005
  8. ferraripanoz

    ferraripanoz Formula 3
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    #8 ferraripanoz, May 12, 2005
    I would go with Toshiba or a Dell laptop for that price range.
     
  9. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #9 LetsJet, May 12, 2005
    I'd go with Dell for repair issues.........

    BTW- I'm waiting for my $500 refund from Toshiba due to a class action lawsuit on my old laptop.

    Laptops I've owned: Toshiba, Apple, Dell, Sony

    They all are good until you have problems.
     
  10. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    #10 Schatten, May 12, 2005
    my suggestion http://dealmein.net/showdeals.cfm?ids=Dell%2Ecom

    they have a few deals going on now. not sure how much mem, etc. is included but they start around 500 bucks.

    best advice: extended warranty, get all the memory up front - 512 minimum. harddrive - up to you. the quality of the screen matters. that's what you are looking at all day, so invest in that, over cpu/extra harddrive space.
     
  11. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #11 LetsJet, May 12, 2005

    I have always added memory from www.4allmemory.com

    It saved me about $500 on my laptop. And upgrading memory is the easiest thing to do.
     
  12. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

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    #12 ashsimmonds, May 13, 2005
    okay cool, as for deals i have local contacts so that's pretty well covered... at the moment i'm more tossing up on the PC/Mac issue for her. will there be a fat learning curve for a Mac newbie? how uncomfortable would it be considering everything else she does will be on PC's? is this trade-off worthwhile to avoid the infinite hassles of a windows based machine?

    then it's a matter of manufacturer... if she goes new and something stuffs up, is it likely to be one of those horror stories where 6 weeks go by with no pooter and stuff like that... she's a stress-monkey and wouldn't go for that. in that case i'm more inclined to go for half-decent 2nd hand and deal with any problems there might be personally.
     
  13. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #13 LetsJet, May 13, 2005

    Mac is a great choice.......cost more.

    Learning curve shouldn't be bad. She really should go to an Apple store and play. BTW - the new OS just shipped.

    The repair issue is why I suggested the Dell. Look on their site. They have 24 response (in the US - not sure down under)
     
  14. Janet

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    #14 Janet, May 13, 2005
    Tell her to go with Mac. No contest. If, as you mention, she tends to stress, just going Mac will cut down on a lot of her angst because Mac is low threat in the internet virus department. A great comfort at times. If she takes a lot of photos or enjoys music, the iLife software included on the Mac is SIMPLE to master and once she tries it she won't go back to a PC. The transition is simple and if she needs to use Microsoft Office or most other common PC programs, they are readily available for the Mac and are not expensive. I have an iMac and a G4 iBook and I am never going back to a PC.
     
  15. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #15 Etcetera, May 13, 2005
  16. etomcat

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    #16 etomcat, May 13, 2005
    IBM laptops have the best keyboard, way above anything else. But they are all black and squarely conservative styled and some girls find the trackpoint (that little red matchstick for mouse replacement) offensive.

    Latest Apple laptops are highly fashionable. If she brandishes one, she'll attract too much male attention. This is bad for you, I suppose. But Mac is easy to use and safe, which is good for her. If she is scottish, Apple's prices will be a big obstacle.

    Only buy from established brand name in the notebook market. An Asus or LG made portable PC may be cheaper, but they do not have 15+ years of experience and they design weak LCD hinges, etc.
     
  17. Chiaro_Slag

    Chiaro_Slag F1 Veteran

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    #17 Chiaro_Slag, May 13, 2005
    I agree - If she is just going to be doing web surfing etc, I don't see why you would want to spend the extra $$ on an Apple.
     
  18. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

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    #18 ashsimmonds, May 13, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    well, in my business we quite readily call them the clitoris. after the first few uncomfortable jocularities the office chicks usually end up calling them that too.
    nope. she's an ex, but a friend. doesn't bother me who/what she does, life's too short to stress.

    thanks for the help folks, will try to steer toward Mac stuff.

    chicky looks happy. :)
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  19. enjoythemusic

    enjoythemusic F1 World Champ

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    #19 enjoythemusic, May 13, 2005
    For the past decade i have lived and died using laptops. 'Mission critical' stuff so can not have any length of downtime.

    Laptops owned (in order):

    Osbourne (transportable, not really a laptop. But hey, this baby had TWO 5.25-inch floppy drives and the uprated AMBER screen! i ruled! :) ) Lat i know, it still worked decades later.

    Tandy ??? with their ?Deskmate? OS. Ummm, it worked and has a 24kbs modem. Could care less about it's future.

    AST ??? with 250MB or so HD, 16 MB ram. Win 3.1 and great KNOWLEDGEABLE tech support. Got a bad early virus from an e-mail... decided to upgrade...

    Compaq Presario ??? with Win 95, 512MB HD, 63MB ram. Not a POS, but damn proprietary stuff gave me the hives. It was ok, but i am now much smarter so i got...

    Dell Inspiron 3200 with 1GB HD and 256MB ram. Loved it, gave it to my parents after i was done. My folks gave it to my brother years later. Still works and my brother's kids abuse it. Still works.

    Dell Inspiron 4000 with ???GB HD, Win 98SE and... Loved it. Still works, gave it to my parents who still sue it.

    NOW i have a Dell Inspiron 5100. Love it, works great, yadda yadda yadda.

    Next laptop will be a Dell. I'll love it. it'll work. and when i am done with it my parents will get it...


    Umm... i see a pattern here.
     
  20. Janet

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    #20 Janet, May 19, 2005
    Checking back in to ask ... which laptop did she decide to get?
     
  21. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

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    #21 ashsimmonds, May 19, 2005
    oh she's a slack-arse, likely won't happen for weeks/months yet, but when she asks me again i'll probly steer her toward mac/dell, seems to be the minor consensus.
     
  22. wcelliot

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    #22 wcelliot, May 19, 2005
    Recently picked up a fully loaded Dell for my wife for under $1000. On the Dell website, they had really inexpensive customer retunrs and reworks. I cannot tell the laptop from a brand new one costing 50% more.

    Bill
     

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