Help me find a laptop.

[mickeylovermomof3boy]

I want to get rid of the huge desk in my livingroom and replace with wireless in my house to save some rrom.

I have no idea where to start to find a good laptop, i want a good price, good back up warrenty, plus quality. Where do I start?

I do work at home but I save most of my info on a flash drive. I will need excel on it though and a good sized screen not a tiny laptop that they have out.

 

[Ashlander]

Check out Best Buy - they are selling Dell's there and so I think they would have a good selection if you are trying to compare. My Dad just bought a laptop from there and got a great deal.

I just ordered a new laptop directly from Dell. I bought it with a discount I get through work so it cut the price even more.

So far we love it - we got the Dell Studio. The hardest thing about it is getting used to the Window's Vista. If I had to do it over I may think a little more about going with the XP. Oh well - just takes a little longer to find things - but hopefully I'll get better at it.

 

[cart-mom]

Do you have a club membership (Sam's, Costco, BJ's)? These places have a small mark-up on most of their products so the pricing is usually very good. We just got an HP Desktop that's loaded (24" flat/HD monitor, 500g hd, 4g mem, lightscribe, etc) for just $999. I would suggest Dell or HP for the quality and dependability factor. Best Buy is also a good place because they have a big selection for you to check out and see what you like/dislike. Also, check out the mfr. websites and sign up for e-mail specials. Sometimes they have a good deal.

 

[mickeylovermomof3boy]

thanks I will make a trip to best buy to see what they got.

 

[denisegold]

If you have an Apple store near you, go there and talk to them. If you are working from your Laptop, you may want to look into a Mac. A much more secure computer all around. MacBookPro is down to about $1100 (might sound expensive compared to a $500 Dell, but believe me when I tell you- you get what you pay for!)

 

[squirrel]

I just bought a Dell online (phone actually). I was able to get it with Photoshop and Premiere Elements 7 ($199 up here) for only $70. The only other thing I upgraded was the screen to the LCD energy efficient one.

I didn't spend much time researching laptops-there are so many out there and with too many different things. I went with Dell as my neighbour has one and she has a young boy that uses it and hasn't had any problems. I also found out my cousin bought one and he likes his so that's why I went with Dell.

 

[Tiggerish]

I just bought a Dell Inspiron from Best Buy over the weekend.

DO NOT let them talk you into paying them $30 to install your software. You can do it yourself!

DO NOT let them talk you into extended coverage.

DO NOT let them "give" you free anti-virus because they charge your credit card ahead for the renewal at the time you get the "free" version. Down load something free from the internet like AV.

But after saying no to all the junk, I still got a good basic laptop with Windows Vista but a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out and the Word/Excell/Powerpoint software package for $545 including tax.

 

[dinatwin]

Best buy has a great sale here is the link. They sold out online but we just went to the local best buy and bought it. only 379 bucks

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9999114500050015&type=product&id=pcmprd114600050015

 

[candy0730]

I saw this on another board:
BestBuy - Acer Laptop, 2gb Ram, 160 HD - $280Search Item # 9396851. It sounds fabulous - wish I had some extra money right now but saving it all for Disney.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We have a Dell and we really aren't that thrilled with it, at all. DH keeps telling me to go get something new but I would rather not spend the money right now. We have probably had it for about 2 years.

I would probably go with an HP or Sony next time. DH has an apple and loves it, not worth the money IMO though.

 

[ennisb]

www.gotapex.com

Great site..check it every day they list out all kinds of good deals, Dell, HP, Linovo plus other items. It's just a site that lists great deals .. some are submitted by people some are found by them..
They don't sell the stuff just list deals. A geeks place to find deals is a good description.

As listed above Dell, HP, MAC all good computers.. Best buy fine but they could take advanage of you.

Me.. IT person for 25+ years not affiliated with any of the above

 

[disneymom2003]

I second the Apple. You do not have to worry about a virus. I have a Mac and my husband has a PC (for work) he pays for anti virus from Norton then there are those that "slip" by and he has paid to have the computer cleaned up. I have never had problems like that with my Mac. It is truly a work horse. I second going to an Apple Store and talking to someone there. As far as a Dell I say run the other way. I have heard nothing good about Dell.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Sony makes a really good laptop..
go to Sonystyle.com and check theirs out. My mom got my DS one for graduation back in 2004 and we never had a problem with it. In fact, I just had it up dated instead of getting a new one.... My DS didn't get a cheap one, his was nearly $2,000.....

I have a friend who owns a computer repair shop and he said that would be the smarter thing to do.. upgrade the Sony since it is in great shape and never had any problems.. as opposed to getting a newer faster one... just for it to run faster and hold more...

 

[yitbos96bb]

I second the Apple. You do not have to worry about a virus. I have a Mac and my husband has a PC (for work) he pays for anti virus from Norton then there are those that "slip" by and he has paid to have the computer cleaned up. I have never had problems like that with my Mac. It is truly a work horse. I second going to an Apple Store and talking to someone there. As far as a Dell I say run the other way. I have heard nothing good about Dell.

As an IT professional and an Apple user, I wouldn't always bank on the virus thing. The reason Macs aren't hit with viruses is the install base in the past wasn't big enough to make it worth while. Not only has that changed, A LOT of hackers are ticked about the issues with the iPhone.... trust me though, its not some superior OS design that keeps it virus free, but the lack of users. My feeling in the next two years, MACs will see a big virus onslaught.

That being said, my Macbook is the best laptop I have ever used. They are expensive... Although you can get them now for $999, or find some refurbished models, etc. Also when the models change, there are GREAT deals. The new models will probably come out first week or two of September (that's the speculation anyway) and you should be able to find a great deal.

If its too pricey, go Dell.. There are better laptops on the market, but Dells are cheap, the Gold Warranty THROUGH DELL is awesome and they are easy to fix.

 

[mickeylovermomof3boy]

I wen to best buy and they wanted about 300 for extra warrenty plus install and you gotta buy back up cd's.

I am gonna check out apple I heard they are great, my kids each have a I mac and they love theirs.

I have a Dell desktop now, well bought it 8 years ago and never had any problems with it. I was wondering what it could be worth it I tried to sell it some money to put towards as apple.

 

[shortbun]

We have a Dell Inspiron and an HP Pavilon. They both cost just under $700. The Pavilion has a 12cell battery, the Dell battery was horrible!! Both are 16" screens/diagonally and have good sized keyboards. The Dell lost it's audio and video on the webcam already and had to be repaired under warranty, it's been less than a year; we also had to get another battery from them as the first went down to 16 minutes and would not hold more charge. The batter was supposed to be a 4 hour battery, I expected 2 hours.

 

[denisegold]

True- Macs are not IMMUNE from viruses, but pretty much very rare. We had had Macs for 10 years , no viruses (knock on wood!) One PC- it was an HP and riddled with viruses. I can't stress enough- you get what you pay for.

 

[beccasmom]

I have a Dell XPS which I purchased 2 years ago and it's been a real workhorse for me. It has the mobile broadband card inside the chassis and it's great because I can work anywhere with it.

I also purchased an Acer notebook in February from Amazon for about $350. It does okay in a pinch and is certainly easier to carry around than my Dell. The keyboard is small, but it is otherwise quite serviceable for basic tasks. I usually tether my Blackberry to it for Internet usage.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

We have a Dell and we really aren't that thrilled with it, at all. DH keeps telling me to go get something new but I would rather not spend the money right now. We have probably had it for about 2 years.

I would probably go with an HP or Sony next time. DH has an apple and loves it, not worth the money IMO though.

never owned a dell but from all the bad things I have heard about them I would never buy one either.

True- Macs are not IMMUNE from viruses, but pretty much very rare. We had had Macs for 10 years , no viruses (knock on wood!) One PC- it was an HP and riddled with viruses. I can't stress enough- you get what you pay for.

Virus do not come on a computer, you get them from somewhere and a good virus program will prevent most if not all of them. I agree less malicious software is written for Macs than PC's.

I wen to best buy and they wanted about 300 for extra warrenty plus install and you gotta buy back up cd's.

I am gonna check out apple I heard they are great, my kids each have a I mac and they love theirs.

I have a Dell desktop now, well bought it 8 years ago and never had any problems with it. I was wondering what it could be worth it I tried to sell it some money to put towards as apple.

You won't get anything for an 8 year old computer...it is too outdated better to donate it to a school or charity and take a tax credit for it.

You do not have to buy back up cd's you can make them yourself, never buy extended warranties and as someone else said you can install everything yourself most new computers walk you through the process.


I have a Compaq bought at Best Buy

DS has a Tobshiba bought at Walmart and his previous laptop was a Compaq bought at walmart both are great laptops! and were great prices.

The Tobshiba was just under $500 new.

Never buy extended warranties.

I have always had good luck with compaqs and recommend them highly.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I wen to best buy and they wanted about 300 for extra warrenty plus install and you gotta buy back up cd's.

I am gonna check out apple I heard they are great, my kids each have a I mac and they love theirs.

I have a Dell desktop now, well bought it 8 years ago and never had any problems with it. I was wondering what it could be worth it I tried to sell it some money to put towards as apple.

I doubt you'll get more than $20 for it IF you got anything. There just isn't much resell value in computer.