Needing to buy a laptop & could use your help.......

[Stoner4Life]

I need to buy a laptop here in the next couple of weeks. I used a laptop for the first time this past summer and hated it because of the smaller keyboard and the touchpad mouse (which I can remedy by adding a trackball mouse I think) which seemed to move sporadically/weakly, so below are my needs which are simple.

I prefer a larger monitor & therefore might likely find a more spacious keyboard.


No real gaming, no massive/hardcore video downloading, no graphics needs.


Must have best capabilities for wifi reception/usage.


I'll use it for email & web surfing mostly while on the road.


EDIT: I'll likely want to watch DVDs on it though.


Please respond only with your own practical use or knowledge (your friend owns one) of units that are still on the market today. As you can see huge software upgrades aren't needed just size, wifi quality, ease of use etc.......

I haven't even Googled laptops yet as it's easy to be misled by whatever they're pushing atm for their own reasons, I'll start with the best feedback here.

 

[*hydro*]

sony vaio with blu-ray player as good as it gets

you can beat the hell out of it and it will never crash

 

[hippie_lettuce]

Macbook Pro ALL THE WAY!! I know lots of people are down on Macs but I swear..after having used PC's all my life and getting tired of all the damn viruses and updates and expensive other crap..Getting a Mac was literally lifesaving. You will not regret it.

Plus they got a sale going on with the white body Macbook for $949. It has 250 GB and up to 4 GB ram. It is so slim and you can take it anywhere. I had an HP dv6000 and that POS's wireless card crapped out on me a year after I bought it. I spent $1400 on that computer and it was useless, for me, after less than 2 years.

The aluminum uni-body Mac also has a large trackpad. Makes it really easy for you to scroll around. You might have to get used to not having 2 buttons for left and right click, but fck it. Plus the LED screen?

Hope you find one that fits you, but I highly recommend Macs. Dang, I should work for em..

 

[Dr Dog]

I have a HP Pavillion

dual core, hdmi out, I love it. Cost like 700 new

 

[NOKUY]

hp pavilion dv6000...no complaints after almost 3 yrs...never an issue

 

[Sheriff Bart]

just buy the cheapest one with the biggest screen and a fullsize keyboard
it should have everything you need and more to do what you want to
the 17"+ screens end up costing a bit though by themselves though, you might find a smaller screen with a fullsize keyboard still

i have a hp dv6000 and have had no problems with it
i bought it for like 600$, only thing is the batt has run out of life on me after over a year and i need to get a new one.

 

[hippie_lettuce]

I think my HP dv6000 was a lemon. But after that, NO MORE! I'm happy that some of you are happy with yours. I mean, it's a really fast computer. Great for playing games or watching movies.

Edit: However, I found mine heated up way too much, even with a fan underneath it.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Great for playing games or watching movies.

good point, I edited my original posts needs to include watching factory DVDs on it.......

 

[NOKUY]

itll do more than u want bro....money well spent.

 

[exploziv]

get one with hd graphics card & display... you'll love it. For watching movies I have an acer HD and I usually use it connected to a large plasma tv or lcd tv, but even on it's screen, the quality is amazing.

 

[Dr Dog]

what I like best about mine, is I dl a movie off the net and just plug my lappy into my tv via hdmi and get a great picture, even cams are watchable

 

[Oregonic]

i would get just a regular macbook, you don't need a macbook pro... and they just released a newly redesigned macbook yesterday, so you're stoked. macs are seriously better; i've never met a person who switched over to macs that went back to windows... its like the first time you smoke good herb after burning shwag your whole life, you won't do it again unless you have to

 

[DrugleyDoRite]

Really it all depends on your finances. The Mac is the best you can get. IBM Lenovo is the best PC. Dell is OK but their customer service sucks.

I have fixed computers for many years and the HP is the one I have seen in my shop the most. Some work great but most crap out. Very shoddy workmanship and cheap parts.

 

[NOKUY]

Really it all depends on your finances. The Mac is the best you can get. IBM Lenovo is the best PC. Dell is OK but their customer service sucks.

I have fixed computers for many years and the HP is the one I have seen in my shop the most. Some work great but most crap out. Very shoddy workmanship and cheap parts.

well thats not a fair statement.

more ppl have hp's, and more ppl are not diligent w/ their care.

like i said 3 yrs and nevr an issue, and i abuse my comp.

 

[Stoner4Life]

valid points NOKUY/Drugley. I'm very careful w/my possessions,
I'll likely never drop or even bump it hard, if it needs to be kept
cool for prolonged usage I'll accommodate that as well, it would
primarily be used in my motorhome & only perhaps brought into
a public building if I couldn't access a signal curbside or in a lot.


This is why the wifi capabilities are a biggger issue to me, I'd prefer
to surf the web from my couch than a stool in a Starbucks.......

I know that wifi has a lot to do w/its own signal strength but there
must be some laptops that have better reception capabilities.

 

[Megas]

MSI netbooks. Amazing, I bought a macbook I hate it. If I could do it again I'd save myself $1200 and get one of these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4152093&cm_re=MSI_Wind-_-34-152-093-_-Product

 

[The End Is Near]

These days, spending more than $200-300 on a laptop that isn't for modern 3d gaming is a waste; 3d graphics are literally the only reason computers still cost what they do. Just get a refurbished one from a couple years ago that has the screen you want. Specs really don't matter considering how easily your needs are met. Most laptops have built in wifi but I use a usb wireless adapter that was easy as hell to install on my $60 PC.

 

[uraverage]

I need a price you are willing to spend, to find you the best deal

 

[Bulldog11]

A hot chick....... Did i read the question wrong? I thought the question was what do you want on top of your lap. Lap top.

Ok, that was just stupid.

 

[The End Is Near]

Been thinking about getting one of these for my dad:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170392185406

He has the same needs you do and even @ around $250 the specs still sound like overkill.