Lap top computers?

[crazyme5kids]

Can anyone recommend some? My son wants one for gaming, my daughter wants one that can do general stuff, i.e. internet, photos, music etc. I don't know anything about them though. I would like them to have wireless internet ability. Any ideas? I also would like to try and keep the cost at under $1200.00 each.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I have a Compaq Presario 2100 series, which is a few years old. It's had quite a bit of use, but not necessarily abuse. A little bit of liquid on the top of it fried the keyboard, and it cost me $80 to repair. additionally, the power connector on the back of the machine is poorly designed.

If I were picking a laptop all over again, I would first look at all the available deals out there and pick one based on that, and before purchasing it, I would look up the model number on consumer sites and see if other consumers of that model have had hardware problems with it.

 

[Megster]

I have a Dell that I use for school. I absolutely LOVE it. I've never had any kind of problem with it.

 

[Marseeya]

I'm on my second HP Pavilion and I love them. They have the best processing speed for the money, IMO (and DH's opinion as well -- he's an IT guy). The one I have now, a zv 6130, I got it for $850 at Staples! It was such a great bargain compared to everything else I looked at.

I had a Dell Inspiron for a brief amount of time and I seriously thought it was a piece of crap. DH has a top of the line Dell from work, and it's really great. So for Dells, I guess it's just a matter of which one you get.

 

[Lynn CC]

I got DS the Ultimate Gaming Laptop at www.pctorque.com
He's had many, but nothing compares to the Sager 5720
Service was fast and efficient! It should last him a long time!
You can read more about the Sager laptops at www.notebookforums.com they can answer all your questions there, it's like the DIS, but for gamers and their parents who are trying to get the perfect laptop for their loved ones!

 

[monarchsfan16]

I love my HP Pavilion for everyday stuff. I'm not a gamer, so I can't help there, but the HP products are awesome! My 3 roommates all have Dells and have all had problems. Knock on wood, I have had no problems so far. My dad has owned HP's and Compaqs for years, and has been very happy with them all.

 

[mickman1962]

forget about gaming on a $1200 laptop. You would need to spend at minimum $1800

 

[almacdonald]

It will be hard to find a "stock" laptop that would be good for gaming (assuming that by gaming you mean higher end games) especially for under $1250. To get maximum power look for a Pentium processor rather than a Celeron (though a more powerful processor is usually a tradeoff for battery life). And more memory would be best ie: 1024MB vs 512MB. Hope that helps.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Has anyone heard of or does anyone have the brand: WidowPC, it's made for gaming?

 

[Lynn CC]

Has anyone heard of or does anyone have the brand: WidowPC, it's made for gaming?

You could ask this question on www.notebookforums.com, they know a lot about gaming laptops!

 

[LeCras]

The Dell Inspiron 9300 and HP Pavillion ZD8000 are both good gaming laptops in your price range.

Charlotte

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks for the link Lynn CC. I just started looking at it (I flipping back and forth between here and there). My daughter wants a Sony, she'll show me which one tonight. Yep, looks like one for gaming will cost more. I really hope I can find a good one for my son, he's such a good kid and never asks for anything. He even said he would pay for half, but was looking at models that weren't really for gaming. He's worried about us spending a lot lol.

 

[mickman1962]

fyi gaming requires fast processor (3.0+), lots of memory (1gb) and an expensive video card (256mb preferably) unfortunately these are what add most of the cost to a laptop. To make the Dell 9300 good, the extras needed would bring it over $1400

 

[LeCras]

Gaming doesn't necessarily require a 3Gb processor - my other half is running Quake 4 on a 2.4Gb without any problems whatsoever. He also only has 512Mb of RAM, but I agree that more would definitely be better. I agree on the video card, but that should still keep it within budget.

ETA: without knowing exactly what games he likes to play it's pretty much impossible to say what will be required. My suggestions are both machines which will play the latest games, albeit not on the highest graphics settings available in game.

Charlotte

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks mickman1962. I am discovering that about gaming computers. My new budget for my son has been revised. At this point there is no set limit lol.

 

[mickman1962]

Gaming doesn't necessarily require a 3Gb processor - my other half is running Quake 4 on a 2.4Gb without any problems whatsoever. He also only has 512Mb of RAM, but I agree that more would definitely be better. I agree on the video card, but that should still keep it within budget.

ETA: without knowing exactly what games he likes to play it's pretty much impossible to say what will be required. My suggestions are both machines which will play the latest games, albeit not on the highest graphics settings available in game.

Charlotte

Agreed, what I should have said was, unless you want to keep buying a new laptop for gaming this is what you should be looking for. Gaming requirements only go up and it is not as easy to upgrade a laptop like it is for a desktop. In another year or so that 2.4 is going to be struggling. Also since alot of laptops only display well at their native resolution you don't have the luxury of of say dropping to 640x480 if you hardware is struggling.

 

[ducklite]

Why do they need laptops?

Generally for gaming purposes a desk top is a better choice for a lot less money.

Laptops are more likely to break and more expensive to repair. Unles there is a true need for a laptoop, I"d stick witha desktop.

Anne

 

[crazyme5kids]

My daughter is in college, she is nineteen and being that age doesn't spend as much time at home anymore. She is able to get a lot of her homework done while she's at work, so it would be easier than coming home and having to start doing papers at 11:00 at night.
Now my son is 17, so he really doesn't need a lap top, but it is the only thing he really wants. Again he never asks for anything, he's such a good kid. We've decided that we really want to give him something really special.

 

[mickman1962]

My daughter is in college, she is nineteen and being that age doesn't spend as much time at home anymore. She is able to get a lot of her homework done while she's at work, so it would be easier than coming home and having to start doing papers at 11:00 at night.
Now my son is 17, so he really doesn't need a lap top, but it is the only thing he really wants. Again he never asks for anything, he's such a good kid. We've decided that we really want to give him something really special.

If that's the case you can get her a nice one for $800-$900 and then you have $1500-$1600 to spend on his. They want them forr different uses it doesn't make sense to pay the same amount for both. If they are good kids than they shouldn't care if one costs more as long as they both get one that serves them well.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I already spoke to my daughter and she said she doesn't want it for games nor does she need one that is expensive. She saw one that she liked for about $1000.00. I'm sure I'll be able to find it for around that or slightly under.