Buying laptops >_>

[Chreman]

I was taking a look at Dell's website to buy a laptop and I'm a little weary of the website as a whole since it seems like a very untrustworthy place. What websites would you guys reccomend for the best deal or best quality? Or stores for that matter.

Also, I'm looking for a laptop that can comfortably run MMOs that'll be relatively smooth and possibly a movie as well. I'm very hardware illiterate so use simple words plz

[Alleya]

IBM Thinkpad.

Accept no substitutes.

[Zhais]

IBM Thinkpad.

Accept no substitutes.

gogo $2500 computer :D



I use one for work, gave it to me for free. Not a bad machine, but not worth the price tag imo ;;

[Alleya]

IBM Thinkpad.

Accept no substitutes.

gogo $2500 computer :D



I use one for work, gave it to me for free. Not a bad machine, but not worth the price tag imo ;;

You think that until you drop it from a laptop-killing height and it keeps on kicking.

[Zhais]

IBM Thinkpad.

Accept no substitutes.

gogo $2500 computer :D



I use one for work, gave it to me for free. Not a bad machine, but not worth the price tag imo ;;

You think that until you drop it from a laptop-killing height and it keeps on kicking.

o.0

I've actually had the hard drive on this one lock up and crash. Couldn't retrieve any data off of it at all, which made me a sad sad panda

[Skyylya]

I'm personally against laptops for gaming, but when i recently ordered PC parts i used tigerdirect.com and while their customer service might be a tad slow their prices were good, and once it finally got to shipping UPS delivered it well.

also a lot of people use newegg.com

[Chreman]

What kind of video specs does an affordable thinkpad have?

[SephYuyX]

Do you really need a laptop? Otherwise I say buy a desktop.

[Zhais]

What kind of video specs does an affordable thinkpad have?

affordable? none, since an affordable one doesn't exist :D

T-series models have either ATI or NVidia cards in them.


http://www.ThinkPad.com

personally, if you want it for gaming I'd browse newegg or alienware or similar for those. Thinkpad is a professional grade work standard it seems.

[Chreman]

Do you really need a laptop? Otherwise I say buy a desktop.

I have a substandard desktop right now, I'm mostly looking for mobility for gaming and that comes best with a laptop

[evilbau]

i would recommend reading any/all of the topics in the tech support section with the exact same question

[Elesirdur]

The Lenovo (formerly IBM) ThinkPads are pretty much the best laptops on the planet for a combination of durability, design, keyboards (better than most desktop ones imo), service and support. While they are pricey, they will last and last.

However, they're not necessarily the kind of machine I would use to game on; they're definitely work-oriented. That's not to say that you couldn't play games or FFXI on them, but it's not their design purpose. Just remember that anything close to a 'gaming' laptop will likely be a desktop replacement type laptop. That is, it's not intended to be terribly portable or have a battery life longer than 2-3 hours. However, they usually have nice big screens, powerful CPUs and video cards.

The new Intel-based MacBooks are actually pretty nice for gaming, spec wise. Just partition the harddrive and use Apple's Boot Camp to install XP/Vista and you're ready to rock. There are drawbacks, as compatibility can be an issue - Vista's even less compatible on a MacBook than a PC - and you have to deal with all the usual Mac BS.

[miokomioko]

As with most things in life, get the most expensive one you can.

[Jefe]

Vaio, be.different.mofo®

[Talus]

If you make a habit of dropping laptops from otherwise laptop-killing heights, get a Panasonic ToughBook. Gogo $5500 laptop!

[Elesirdur]

And I guess I should reiterate a point: why do you need a laptop in the first place?

-Too small apartment for a desktop?
-At college/university?
-Work related?

As for the post-secondary education part, unless you're in CompSci or Engineering, having a laptop is just for lazy people (imo). Learn to handwrite, you'll be doing lots of it in your life, not to mention your 3+ hr final exams if you're in any kind of an arts or humanities faculty. Even the tiniest dorm rooms have desks big enough for a desktop PC, the same goes for bachelor or studio apartments.

If it's for work, that's understandable. Doing any kind of knowledge-based work without a laptop is tough these days - I've been needing one for a few months but don't have the cash for it yet and my company's under tight financial restrictions at the moment. Being away from my office on business and only having a cellphone to communicate on is rough.

The bottom line is that laptops will always cost twice the price for half the performance of any desktop PC. Buying the parts yourself and doing the install that way is the cheapest way to get yourself into a gaming rig.

[Devek]

Save the money and buy a few hookers.

They fit better on your lap and are more fun than playing WoW.

[Chreman]

It's mostly the being lazy option. . . that and I know just enough about building a computer to buy the right stuff, but break them in the process.

[miokomioko]

(get a glossy LCD if you have the option)

[Kazen]

(get a glossy LCD if you have the option)

Yes those are god for laptops, mine has it.

This is close to what my laptop is (minus the Blu-ray player, my ps3 does that so I didnt need it) and its been good to me http://www.dell.com/content/products/pr ... =bsd&cs=04